Frankentoon Studio

Hi!
I know this thread is kind of old, but just for the record, that Inks Pro pack is a small bonus set we offer with our Advanced Illustration Vol.1 for Affinity eBook.
- Enrique

Apps: Designer
Platforms: macOS, Windows and iPad
Pencil Tool improvements
Affinity Designer’s Pencil Tool now includes several new options on its context toolbar.

 Auto Close
Up to 2.6, we’ve only offered a proximity-based auto-closing option when making a closed shape from a pencil curve. As a reminder, a red ‘dog bone’ indicator popped up when the active end of a pencil curve approached the stroke’s starting point. This design aid suggested that the curve could be closed by clicking.  
In 2.6, we’ve now introduced an Auto Close pop-up menu that offer a choice of options:

Off - the curve is never closed. Near - the curve is closed when end points approach each other (this is as per the [2.6 release; the ‘dog bone’ indicator still shows). Far - similar to Near but the distance between end points is greater. Always - the curve is always closed irrespective of distance between end points. 
Auto close behaviours when using the Pencil Tool: Off (A), Near (B), Far (C) and Always (D).
Smoothness
Smoothness can be applied in advance of pencil drawing or to pencil curves you’ve just drawn. By design, further smoothing is no longer possible once the curve is deselected.

The feature works by repositioning, adding or removing nodes on the curve to affect the smoothing results. You can decrease or increase smoothing by dragging the slider left or right from the default value (50%), respectively; nodes are removed or added as a result.
Note that this is not to be confused with the smoothing you’ll see when using the Stabiliser option on the context toolbar. It would be beneficial to switch this off while testing Smoothness.
Use line style
Prior to 2.6, the Pencil Tool presented the Use fill option as a check box on its context toolbar. This is now presented as an icon, and is accompanied by a new Use line style option, also an icon. This lets you adopt the currently set stroke properties (width, dot/dash, pressure) you have currently set up on the Stroke panel for new pencil strokes.

Applying Use line style as you draw a pencil stroke.
Pen Tool improvements
The Pen Tool also benefits from the new Use line style option described above.
Node Tool improvements
Converting nodes from Sharp to Smooth requires a visit to the Node Tool context toolbar or right-click menu. In 2.6, Affinity now lets you double-click (or alt-click) a node to cycle between these node types, keeping you more focused on the curve. 
As another addition, either control handle on a Bézier curve’s node can be removed by double-clicking on its handle; the associated node becomes a sharp (cusp) corner

Apps: Photo
Platforms: All
A Machine Learning Feature
As you will see there are two new features which use machine learning models for automatic object and subject selection. These features are optional and require downloading of the relevant models for them to work (instructions included in this post). We want to make sure it is clear that these are installed as pre-trained models and they do not use any of your own data for further training. Furthermore these operations all work ‘on device’ meaning none of your data leaves your device at any time.
Object Selection Tool
It is now possible to automatically select objects of your image, as well as their parts, to speed up your targeted editing process.
Where to find it
Access the Object Selection Tool from the Tools panel.
Initial Setup
Automatic Select  Subject relies on Machine Learning Models, which need to be installed prior to using the feature.

To install the Machine Learning Models, you will need to visit Settings > Machine Learning Models. Both Segmentation and Saliency need to be installed. Since all machine learning inference happens on the device itself, the models need to be downloaded and stored locally. These models can be quite large in size, making it impractical to include them in the initial app installation. Users also have the choice to uninstall these models to free up space if they are not needed.
Segmentation
The Segmentation model allows Photo’s Object Selection Tool to create precise, detailed pixel selections from pixel layers or placed images.
Saliency
Saliency, installed alongside Segmentation, allows Photo to understand what is visually significant on a pixel layer or placed image. It is required for the new one-click Select Subject to work.
How to use it
Access the Object Selection Tool from the Tools panel.

 

The tool uses a segmentation model to identify different objects on a layer. After the inference process is finished, you will be able to hover over different areas of the document and see hatched outlines appear. By clicking once, an initial selection can be made, with subsequent clicks adding to the selection (the mode on the context toolbar will switch automatically to Add).
Note: the selection will be post-processed if Soft Edges is enabled, but for complex subjects with hair/fur etc. you will still want to use Refine on the context toolbar.
Context Toolbar options:
Multi-part Objects
These are enabled by default, will include all parts of an object if it is obstructed by another object. When disabled, the sampling of the object mask is bounded to the area the user is hovering over.

Multi-part Objects ON
 

Multi-part Objects OFF
 
Above, note the selection result is different as a result of the tool’s Multi-part Objects recognising similar areas of the branch (ON) vs fragmenting the selection when detecting the snake (OFF).
 
Soft Edges
Enabled by default in most raster-based workflows, Soft Edges refine the selection by adding a small border value to help matte and soften the selection bounds. While it is recommended to keep Soft Edges enabled for the majority of projects, it may be beneficial to disable it for edge-case workflows such as pixel art.

 
Modifiers
When using Option (Mac) / Alt (Windows), you can break down a selection into components such as outfit, hands, and face. Holding Shift while doing this will further break it down into parts, like separating an outfit into top and bottom halves. - Click-dragging can be used to make a partial selection of an object, which is helpful for selecting segmented areas like foreground detail when holding Option (Mac) / Alt (Windows). [[ IMG: Modifiers.png ]]

(A) Object Selection at its default,
(B) Object Selection with option (Mac) / Alt (Windows),
(C) Object Selection with option-Shift (Mac) / Alt Shift (Windows).
 
Click-drag select.mp4
 Click-drag to select part of the main subject.
All of the above functionality is also available on iPad.
COMPATIBILITY: Sorry but due to the functions we need to run the Object Selection and Subject Selection functionality, the Machine Learning features only available on Apple Silicon iPads and macOS devices (and those need to be running on a recent macOS, as Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey do not support the required calls). Machine Learning will run on both Windows x64 and Arm64 hardware running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
 

Hello guys!
 
Just wanted to let you know that today I've released a FREE eBook for Affinity Designer: Creating a Stylish Jungle Scene
 
For $0.00 you'll get:
22 Pages PDF eBook FREE Assets Library  Color Palette Original .afdesign file  Click on the image to subscribe and get your download link. If you don't want to receive further emails from Frankentoon, just un-subscribe after downloading the eBook, no hard feelings :)
 
Enjoy!
 

We use the same iPad models in the studio for primary work. 
I agree with you. As a trilogy of cross-platform apps, Affinity is powerful and has much growth potential. I understand that these new versions have been written from the ground up, and it's understandable that many issues might arise as we use them daily.
However, expecting most users to be patient enough to wait for suitably stable versions is quite a challenge. We're crossing our fingers that these issues get fixed as soon as possible because we love using all Affinity tools in our studio.
- Enrique
 

I have two iPad Pro's. 1 x 12.9" 5th generation (primary), and 1 x 11" 2nd generation (for sketching, reading, etc). They both crash regularly while importing brushes, but not always with the same brushes.
I can imagine it's frustrating as for many new users they probably believe that it's your brushes and assets that are causing the issues. I'm disappointed that not only has Serif not address this bug yet, but they've also neglected some of the brush rendering issues that have appeared in v2—particularly with some brushes with wet edges not rendering at all (or even rendering in the brush list). This has actually led me to move more and more of my illustration work to Procreate where the brushes (including 3rd party brushes) are a dream to use, and the app not only feels 'right' on an iPad (not a desktop app shoved into an iPad), but it also is incredibly stable. With the new default iCloud storage coming in Procreate things are only getting better. Sadly, this is not so with Affinity.
Also, Serif are mad to be neglecting their 'developer' (for now brushes, assets, etc) community, or burning their goodwill with long-standing v2 issues. Their apps don't exist in a vacuum, and without a rich, diverse, and thriving ecosystem the Affinity apps will increasingly look less capable than other alternatives.

Might be directing to a possible cause - we had other functions specifically breaking on M1/M2 iPads only
Solved in V2.1 https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/180157-designer-on-m1-ipad-unusable-with-pencil-or-touch/#comment-1040068
Unsolved:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/187093-v21-barely-usable-on-m1-ipad-layer-boundary-and-adjustment-ui-vanishes/#comment-1091141
 
 

For what it's worth, I am not having any problems deleting manually-add brush categories from 2.2 (only tested in Designer, though).
But at least once, Designer froze while adding brushes. They were successfully added, but I had to force quit the application and restart it.

I'm not getting any crashing when deleting brushes, but for me the apps regularly crash while manually importing brushes from 3rd parties such as Frankentoon, Retro Supply Co, and True Grit Texture Supply. While the apps crash, the brushes have actually been imported and are actually present when the app is restarted. This isn't a new bug, it's been with 2.x from the very start.
It's a rather confusing user experience, and I suspect one that new users will find very frustrating.
FWIW I don't purchase anything from the Affinity store beyond the Affinity apps themselves, as I prefer to buy all brushes, assets, etc directly from the 3rd parties that produce them. So for me, everything is installed manually, and crashing on import is sadly a much too common part of my Affinity workflow now on iPadOS.

Hi Dan, thank you!
- Enrique

Just to confirm, I've 'bumped' the development report for the issue with this thread now - I can also see that it's been tentatively fixed by our team already, pending internal testing & therefore should hopefully be resolved in the next update

This bug happens to both Designer and Photo. When you attempt to delete any brush pack, no matter the size, both apps just freeze. When you close and restart them, the brushes are still there.
By the way, importing brush packs still crashes both Designer and Photo. However, after launching teh apps again, the brushes that caused the crash are installed.
- Enrique
 

Not necessary. They'll just link this one to the same bug report.

I can replicate this crashing issue when importing vector brushes into Affinity (iPad) 2.1.0
Import brushes from the hamburger menu The usual confirmation dialog appears After clicking ok the app crashes After re-launching brushes appear installed correctly

Sir Andy Somerfield vs the Accumulation Golem ... 🤪
 

I have reopened the two recently closed bug reports regarding Brush Accumulation. 

I don't have 1.8 anymore and 1.10.6 is currently broken too, but from your 1.8 Brush Editor it looks as it should be (even if I guess you have Wet Edges On from your canvas).
Flow could stay off, since it is not needed and could be confusing.
As @,,, wrote above in 1.10.6, 2.0 and this 1732 Beta  you need at least one of the HSL Jitters enabled(*) in order to make Accumulation work.
You can clearly see it here.

 
This is a 1.8.x which had a Hue jitter too. It looks as it should, but if I turn H off typing 0 or setting to None...

It turns Accumulation OFF again.
Please check these tools as attachment.
(*) It seems to me an ancient bug, I somehow remember it at certain point during very first iPad Beta.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accumulation Issues.afbrushes

I can confirm what Paolo has shown above, so there's no point on adding anything else to those issues. Hopefully this can be solved anytime soon 😊
- Enrique

Hi All,
We are pleased to make available the next update to the 2.1 beta (2.1.0.1736). This will be available for you shortly on auto-update. Below are some of the main changes in this update...
WebP and JPEG XL now available in batch export
As has been commonly requested since adding these new formats to V2, we have now made them available as batch format options in Affinity Photo.

New left swipe options on iPad layers panel
You can now access lock/unlock, rename layer and change compound type (if layer in question is a compound) by swiping left on a layer as shown below:
RPReplay_Final1680080397.mov
 
Brush panel improvements
Texture brushes in Designer persona can now be viewed in thumbnail view (i.e. you now have ability to uncheck "Show as list") Alt-Click on raster brushes now changes brush while keeping your current brush width as well as ignoring associated tool. If you just want to ignore associated tool then use shift-alt-click Auto-select
With auto select turned off you can now hold cmd (Mac/iPad) / ctrl (Windows) to temporarily turn it back on to make another selection on document.
Also note: We have encountered some problems with auto select being off with multi-page documents. For that reason it is currently disabled with a multi-page doc, we are hoping to have a fix for this soon.
Vector flood fill tool
When your bucket is loaded with a colour / fill you can now just click on any object to fill it even if it is not selected. In this case this will just fill the whole object - if you want the fill tool to take into account intersecting shapes and curves they all need to be pre-selected as before. While in the tool you can now just click on an asset or stock item to load your bucket with that bitmap texture (i.e. without having to drag drop as before). This is currently only implemented on desktop, but will be added to iPad in too in the next update. There are new controls for whether you want to add as an additional fill or replace the current fill. To be honest there is still some outstanding work which needs to be done with this, so we will talk more about this / what the expected behaviour is in the next update. A new option to "fill to visible boundaries". This means if any of the objects in your selection are obscuring any line segments from other objects, these can now optionally be ignored by the tool. In the example below - without the new option checked there are 12 possible areas you can fill to, but now you can alternatively choose to just show the 6 areas on the right. 
Crop tool
Cmd / ctrl / shift constrain modifiers are now available when in unconstrained mode as promised.
Dashed lines
We now accept zero as the 2nd and 3rd dash value to give different options, particularly when in combination with balanced lines. This example was discussed on the thread - the left option begins with a dot and when balanced dots are in the rectangle corners. The right option begins with a dash, but the 2nd "dash" can now be set to a dot (zero value) to enable dashes in the corners in this case.

Pencil double tap option for quick menu
If menu is already visible a second double tap will now dismiss it.
Rename Layers
You can now double click / tap on an artboard name to rename it!
 
Plus as usual lots of bug fixes as listed in the fix list thread!
To comment / give feedback on any of these changes please go to the relevant thread for that feature which is linked to in each of the headings above.

Thanks,
Ash

I'm not getting that on Windows 10.

Hi Frankentoon

Thanks for letting us know. I can reproduce this on macOS (but not Windows as also reported).

I'll get this logged!

Thank you

Yes, I’m seeing this too, no option in Designer persona to display Brushes as List, seems that can only be set when in Pixel persona?
Also agree the vector thumbnails look odd, like they are negative images of how they should look.

Thank you! Me and my wife moved to Madrid last year, in July. The rest of the team is still working from San Salvador

Good to hear from you, Enrique!
Off topic, I see that your location is stated here as Madrid. When did you move from San Salvador?

Are you sure? 
On macOS low spacing it is even worse...

Screen Recording 2023-03-15 at 09.03.37.mov Here you can see a different tool and background colour (one layer painting), you can see also other issues such as the "blocky" effect or the mixing that happens "before" crossing colour areas.

Screen Recording 2023-03-15 at 09.24.15.mov It is true that I'm not a photo retoucher, and AP is "photography-first" so for sure its behaviour is useful for these channel and frequency separation tasks/workflows.
Speaking as an illustrator, I find it a bit "confusing"
For sure illustration is still perfectly feasible...

...but is a bit hard and the design strategy of the preset needs to be different, since the 80% of tablet's dynamic is disabled and the only parameter which rules the interaction (Strength) does not have its Jitter and needs to be changed manually.