Crosby

The feature I wanted is in the retail version, File menu --> New from Clipboard (Command+Option+Shift+N). Thank you!

I missed this initially, but in Affinity Designer there's a nice help file. In the Help menu select Affinity Designer Help and give it time to load.

Hi Corina, Here's a thread on tracing: Vector Art Conversion.

That's pretty interesting. Playing with the demo now. Thanks.

Glad you mentioned the Option key. The tutorials in Affinity Review mention the ALT key to create split tangent cusps but no mention of the Option key. I use the Pen Tool in PS a lot to create complex clipping paths and use the Option key to convert points and, clicking on a handle, to independently control handles (split tangent cusps) and change directions on the line. In AD (beta 1.1.2.23074) holding the Option key while clicking on a handle seems to create a new handle? No ALT key. I seem to be missing something. Edit: Oh wait, I was missing something. Revisited the Review and saw that Command and Alt were shown together. Tried Command+Option and it does work! Whew. :)

CMD+N+Return+CMD+V took longer to type than to do. :)

I use this feature quite often to show clients what I'm doing, and getting clarifications and approvals -- often using arrows, notes and comments on the document itself -- sometimes enlarging the canvas for my notes. I've used it to illustrate articles, as well as send things to friends that can't open the TIF files copy/paste creates. I use it to send pictures in this forum, etc. So however it's implemented in a way that saves steps it would be fine. If it's a Paste as New Document menu command then I'd love it if there's also a simple keyboard shortcut (versus something like Command+Option+Shift+Left Arrow twice+J) and that it's accessible from a non-opened document state. Meaning, that if I run AP, with no documents open, I can still access the menu item and the keyboard shortcut and create the new document to the clipboard's size. Won't be as easy as just pressing Command-N but workable.

What's interesting to me is that the desktop version of Vector Magic hasn't been updated since 2009 or 2010.

Something I use in the other app a lot is to do a screen capture to clipboard, then when I type Command-N the new document window opens with the size of my capture as the default (based on the clipboard). Then I just paste the capture into the new document. See attached as an example.

I agree. Haven't had to scan and recreate logos, etc. like I used to in the days of Streamline, etc. Doing them with a Pen Tool usually suffices but that one would have taken me forever! Client hasn't seen it yet and I doubt they'll notice it's not the same image. What they will notice is that the banners, large display pieces, etc. that they have been using it on will look a heck of a lot better. Glad the tools exist.

I bow to your greatness. Thanks!

For now, I'm liking Vector Magic online. For $8/mo. you can do unlimited and cancel until you need it again. No way to pretest Super Vectorizer that I know of. I don't do this daily so it works for me. This is what I was working with. Top is the bitmap original scan by someone else (10+ years ago) of a pencil drawing. It's small and doesn't enlarge well at all. Bottom is the medium detail version from Vector Magic online unedited. Over the years I've tried Illustrator and several other vector trace apps on it, none were very good. This one I like.

Is there a way to set the defaults you like to work with; fonts, sizes, rectangle corners, strokes, fills, line joins, etc.? I was working redoing an old logo that required a 14-point stroke on a rectangle with no fill. What I ended up with was rounded corners. By playing I changed the miter to 1 for a nice bevel and finally to 4 which worked. I just looked at the Cap, Join and Align buttons which was an easier fix, doh! I see that the default is set to be Round Join. I'd rarely use that and might use a Rounded Rectangle first. So how do I change the default to Miter Join? How do I change other defaults? The Synchronize Defaults button only seems to work within the document you use it in, I'd like a global change feature? Should this be a feature request? Thanks.

Just tried it with the same file I sent to Vector Magic. Not very good. The file was originally a pencil sketch with a lot of detail and variance in tone.

Awesome! Thanks! Now about that new Ferrari I asked for... :D

Cool. Thanks. Never used Command+D, usually just D. This'll work. Works in PS as well.

Minor requests: 1. Double-Click on the Pan tool to fit the document to the screen -- same as Command 0. 2. Double-Click the Zoom tool for 100% view -- same as Command 1. 3. Press "D" when closing a document to select "Don't Save".

Thanks Matt! The white balance didn't affect it but turning off the second layer did. Also, as suggested, I saved it as a RGB TIFF, opened it in AD, and changed to a CMYK/8 and it worked just fine. Yea. :)

Affinity Designer is listed as "almost There" as na Illustrator replacement for auto-tracing. 4 Alternatives to Illustrator to Convert Handmade Drawings into Vectors. I just used the two free trace downloads from Vector Magic, did a pretty good job.

Hi Matt, Just downloaded the new beta, 1.1.2.23074 ad ran the same test...same results. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong, I have been wrong before. Crosby!

Yep. Matches my PS settings as well. I used one of the supplied images, Old Man, by Troy Browne. Try it and let me know if you get a different result.

Just for fun I opened up a AD sample image and changed the document to be CMYK/8. That muted the colors a lot. Didn't find a saturation change option. Reverted to RGB and exported the file to PSD and opened in PS and opened it. The files look close. Converted the file to CMYK in PS and there quite a difference. In the below the top is PS (left) and AD (right) in RGB. Bottom is PS (left) and AD (right) in CMYK.

Hi Peter, Thanks for the reply and links. I got the Affinity Review magazine. WOW! Love it! I'm going to work my way through the Affinity Designer tutorials and quick tips on the Affinity site, the YouTube and Vimeo videos, the Tutorial section of this forum and The Pumpkin Tutorial. My initial focus is on graphic design (logos, ads, mixing photos with vectors, etc.) and web design elements more so than illustration. I think I have a good learning path set up. Then there's Affinity Photo which I need to deep dive into before Affinity Publisher comes out. I'm going to need to wear a bib! :D

Hello, My name is Crosby. I work as a graphic and web designer, photographer and videographer. My design software workflow currently includes InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, with bursts of Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Owned computers since the prehistoric ages (Altaire, IMSAI...) and Macs almost since their day 1. Found Affinity via a post and link in StudioDaily Fix which included a link to a PetaPixel article on Affinity Photo beta. I watched the promo video, drooled, and downloaded it. Clicked back to see what else I've been missing out on and saw Affinity Designer. Me thinks my workflow is due for a change. Love the YouTube and Vimeo samples and tutorials. Once I get the basic workings and learn where everything is I forsee having a lot of fun. Now to spend the next month searching this forum for goodies. :)