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One click easy clouds trick Affinity Photo beginner tutorial.
One click easy clouds trick Affinity Photo beginner tutorial. With procedural texture you can create puffy clouds, soft clouds, and clouds with your own color background.
 
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Frankly, I find it strange/worrying that the UX professional did not specify a user controllable mitre limit from the beginning.

I used to use Illustrator, Photoshop and Designer a lot. Changed to Affinity suite some time ago. Have been working on logos over Christmas. One of my designs has over 90 layers. Another 30 layers. My experience in all 3 AF pgms with layers has been painfully bad regardless of the number of layers.
When I move a layer up or down there is a 50-50 chance it will NOT end up where I put it. I am tempted to call it a bug. Yes, I am careful not to click on the icon unless I want it to be subsumed under that layer.  Ending up in the wrong place when moving a layer happens so many times in the course of a project, in all 3 AF apps, that I consider the feature to be almost unusable. Some software designer has decided to do my thinking for me with the design of this "feature". I almost NEVER want one layer to be automatically subsumed by (incorporated in, made subordinate to, stuck under, hidden within) another. I suggest you go back and make it simple again. KISS.
Or, put in a switch so I can turn that time-wasting feature OFF. I'll group or merge layers when/if I want to.
There are lots of good features in the Affinity suite to be sure but AFF's hide & seek layering is not one of them.

I consend that the blue indicator line could be visible much clearer and the transparent "ghost-layer" (moving with the cursor while dragging) is rather obstuctive than helpful. And in subgroups the difference between the indicator line lenghts is really too small. That said, I think it's not a bad handling at all. It's just the visual feedback that's problematic.
BTW, you can use the three icons in the top right corner to place a layer instead of dragging it. Needs some more clicks and keys (CTRL-C, select layer where the cut one is to be placed under/over/inside in layers palette, press appropriate button top right, CTRL-V) but works also.

Or you have to be careful of your cursor position (to the left of, on, or to the right of the layer icon). Once you understand and make use of the cursor positioning, the need to "find" the blue bar becomes less critical.
However, your feedback will be useful to Serif, I'm sure.

Right, @chessboard.
In pictures:
full width, accomplished by moving such that the mouse is located to the left of the target layer icon when you drop the layer.
partial width, accomplished by moving such that the mouse is located to the right of the target layer icon when you drop the layer.
small vertical highlight, accomplished by moving such that the mouse is located on the target layer icon when you drop the layer.

I suppose Walt is talking about the width of the blue highlight. Highlight with full width of the layers palette means, that the dragged layer is placed beneath the layer above the highlight. Highlight with cropped width means that the dragged layer is placed inside (as a child/sublayer) of the layer above the highlight. Vertical highlight right from a layers thumbnail means that the dragged layer becomes a layermask of this layer.

Are you carefully watching the blue highlight as you move the layer in the Layers panel? Its position and size indicates what's going to happen when you drop the layer.

Please allow me to add a keyboard shortcut for the commands
Close Curve and
Break Curve
Active whenever a curve is selected, edited with the Node tool, or drawn with the Pen tool, pencil, vector brush, etc.
Thanks

Hi,
When working with masks, it's handy to be able to invert the colours using simply the shortcut ctrl+i.
It would be consistent with AP, even if the Pixel persona can't provide all the tools we have in AP. And switching to AP to invert a selection on a mask seems a little bit too much

Sorry for sounding ungrateful, but...
First use and I already hit the "greater angles" and got a chopped off corner, so I've got to expand a stroke instead.
Why not just give the user control over the mitre limit as in the stroke controls?

"Am mystified as to why Select All and Deselect have shortcuts but Reselect does not." ???

Status: Beta
Purpose: Features, Improvements, Fixes
Requirements: Purchased Affinity Photo
Mac App Store: Not submitted
Download ZIP (Universal): Download
Auto-update: Pending
 
Hello,
We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the eighth build of Affinity Photo 1.9.0 for macOS.
If this is your first time using a customer beta of an Affinity app, it’s worth noting that the beta will install as a separate app - alongside your store version. They will not interfere with each other at all and you can continue to use the store version for critical work without worry.
This beta is significantly different from the 1.8 version available for purchase - we strongly recommend that you do not use this beta for real work as data could be lost and the files you save are not guaranteed to open in previous / future versions of Affinity Photo.
 
Thanks again for your continued support!
 
Affinity Photo Team  
 
Changes Since 1.9.0.209
 
- Added support for PDF passthrough.
- Fixed issue with high pass live filter compositing.
- Fixed assorted compositor alpha issues.
- Fixed assorted compositor crashes.
- Improved astrophotography background removal filter.
- Help improvements.
 
Cumulative Changes Since 1.8
 
- Added export preview panel (for raster types) - updates live whenever you change an export parameter.
- Added JPEG-XR 101010 import support (useful for screen captures from Xbox, etc.)
- Added per-layer antialiasing controls in the advanced blending menu (it’s also hierarchical, which is nice).
- Added new splash screen.
- Added a new filter to remove background light from astrophotography images (Filters -> Astrophotography -> Remove Background).
- Assorted improvements to astrophotography stacking (performance, robustness, quality).
- Live liquify improvements.
- The layer link editor is now a studio panel - further cleanup work is still planned on this panel.
- Reduced binary size.
- Content download service improvements.
 
- Linked Layers.
You can now select a layer and do Layer -> Duplicate Linked. Linked layers are denoted by a small link icon in the layers tab - clicking that icon will bring up a link editing panel (the UI here will change in subsequent beta builds - this is just so we can test the linking itself for now). You can “unlink” particular aspects of a layer using the buttons - for example, if you wanted a mask to share the same pixel content as another mask, but not the opacity settings, you can do that using this test UI.
For the brave, this panel also allows “relinking” - even between different layer types(!). Dragging a layer from the layer tab and dropping it onto one of the small target icons in the panel will link together that particular aspect of the two layers (again, the UI is all going to change). For example, you could make a mask layer which shares opacity settings with an adjustment layer somewhere else in the document, whilst also sharing blend mode with a circle shape layer somewhere else. 
It’s worth noting that this feature is quite raw at the moment - please feel free to experiment with it, but *do not* use it for any real work. There is a high chance any documents you make will stop working in a future beta.
- Default to black-to-white gradients in the gradient tool (more gradient tool improvements are coming for 1.9, at last).
- Content download service improvements.
- Assorted astrophotography stacking improvements.
- Allow placement policy for images to be changed using the menu.
- Added missing text baseline options to the menu.
- Added support for 12bit grayscale TIFF files.
- Added ability to create pattern layers from selections.
- Timelapse fixes and improvements, including ability to choose codec.
- Timelapse export performance improvements.
- Fixed incorrect attribute bits when writing 32bit TGA files.
- Fixed bugs when duplicating pattern layers.
- Fixed broken insertion target buttons on the toolbar.
- Fixed incorrect pattern sizes when committing the dialog without tabbing away from the height field.
- Fixed broken AANN sampling mode in pattern layers.
- Fixed filter effects on pattern layers.
- Fixed brush panel crashes.
- Fixed live filters initialising to RGB in (for example) CMYK documents.
- Fixed crazy behaviour when entering Liquify persona.
- Fixed issue whereby you would get more / different options depending where you right click on spare channels (!).
- Assorted other small bug fixes.
- Localisation improvements.
- Help improvements.
 
- Pattern improvements - brushes now wrap around the edges of the pattern.
- Timelapse improvements - progress bar, abortable, crossfade.
- Improved colours for Canon EOS R5 camera RAW.
- Filter effects now work properly with global colours.
- Fixed white balance issues.
- Added a new “Astrophotography Stack” persona which allows you to combine dark frames, light frames, bias frames, flat frames and dark flat frames then stack them. FITS images are also supported. Lots of photographers have been experimenting with astro during lockdown - hopefully these new tools will help users to get better results. I'm sure James Ritson will be providing some tutorial guidance in short order 
- Added “Pattern Layers” - a fixed size bitmap layer which repeats across the entire document. You can paint on pattern layers and use all filters to manipulate them and see the resulting pattern in real time. They can be transformed non-destructively. After a pattern is added and a tool selected, a faint grey box indicates the "real" area of the pattern which can be edited.
- Added “Export Timelapse” - the ability to export a document which has undo steps as a video. Numerous options exist to control how the video is generated (and more will come later!).
- Added “Live Liquify” layers - as the name suggests, they allow you to have non-destructive liquify layers in your stack which can be edited and masked just like all other live filter layers. At the moment, a hard limit of 512 pixels offset in either X or Y is enforced - we hope to eventually lift this restriction.
- Reworked “Studio Presets” from the earlier 1.9 betas. They now work in a more predictable way and store tool / toolbar configuration. A manager dialog is also now provided.
- Added a new “Combined” result to the benchmark - to test performance contexts where vector and raster content is used together. The benchmark version is still 1900 - so existing vector and raster scores from previous builds are still valid and comparable.
- Added a registration page to the app - this allows users to login and auto-install brushes (so far).
- Added the “Resource Manager” functionality from Publisher for managing image placement.
- Added ability to open package files from Designer and Publisher.
- Photo is now a universal binary, supporting both Intel and Apple silicon processors.
- Path text improvements.

- Added “Duplicate spare channel” to right click menu.
- Added missing “Convert to Path Text” menu item.
- Small improvements to the benchmark UI.
- Update app icon for Big Sur.
- Fixed numerous bugs with brushes, introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.
- Fixed issues when opening multiple RAW files at once.
- Fixed significant memory leak introduced in 1.9.0 betas.
- Fixed UI issues with Big Sur.
- Fixed assorted other GPU acceleration issues introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.
 
- Text on a path is now available in Photo.
- More filters now work on masks / adjustments / spare channels (Add Noise, Perlin Noise, etc.).
- Improved Metal rendering performance (over 195).
- Improved experience when editing a spare channel (view artefacts, histogram and navigator).
- Setting a blend mode on a sub-brush will now work properly - paving the way for import of PSD dual-brushes in a future build.
- Attempted to fix startup crash on machines with no compatible Metal GPU.
- Fixed localisation issues affecting non-UK users.
- Fixed issues when attempting to add layers to a spare channel (!).

- Improved “Serif Labs” RAW engine.
- You can now single click a spare channel in the Channels panel to edit it like a layer.
- The Curves adjustment now has numeric field controls for precise positioning.
- Studio presets are now available.
- A benchmarking tool has been added in the help menu. It will only become available when no documents are open.
- Blend modes now work on “alpha only” layers (masks, adjustments, live filters, etc.).
- Added a new “Divide” blend mode.
- Added “Create from centre” for the elliptical marquee tool.
- Allowed snapping to the bounds of the pixel selection.
- Added ability to create brushes from the current pixel selection with one click.
 
To be notified about all future macOS beta updates, please follow this notification thread 
To be notified when this Photo update comes out of beta and is fully released to all Affinity Photo on macOS customers, please follow this thread

Usually means 'The next (working) day'. In this case I will upload it this afternoon all being well.

Click here to download the latest beta
Status: Customer Beta
Purpose: Features, Improvements, Fixes
Requirements: A valid product key (for Affinity Store purchases), or an installation of the full retail version from the Microsoft Store

As this is a beta it is considered to be not suitable for production use. This means that you should not attempt to use it for commercial purposes or for any other activity that may be adversely affected by the application failing, including the total loss of any documents. We hope you enjoy the latest build, and as always, if you've got any problems, please don't hesitate to post a new thread in this forum and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks once again for your continued feedback. 

If you have a general question about the software, please head over to the Questions Forum, or if you have any suggestions, please head over to the Feature Requests forum.
Changes
Fixed Adjustment layers not invalidating the bleed and pasteboard area they affect  Added Export Preview Added resumable downloads  Changed Lock Colourspace (on the Colour Chooser etc) to be on by default Added missing Reapply Base Styles text menu entry Fixed being unable to apply Styles with a single click  Fixed Layer Effects being incorrectly rasterised in PDF export 1.9.0.876 release notes

Click here to download the latest beta
Status: Customer Beta
Purpose: New features, performance, fixes
Requirements: A valid product key (for Affinity Store purchases), or an installation of the full retail version from the Microsoft Store

As this is a beta it is considered to be not suitable for production use. This means that you should not attempt to use it for commercial purposes or for any other activity that may be adversely affected by the application failing, including the total loss of any documents. We hope you enjoy the latest build, and as always, if you've got any problems, please don't hesitate to post a new thread in this forum and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks once again for your continued feedback. 

If you have a general question about the software, please head over to the Questions Forum, or if you have any suggestions, please head over to the Feature Requests forum.
Changes
Added Export As Timelapse capability  Added Astrophotography Use the more correct perspective grid drawing for the live perspective tool Fixed Linked filters name Added Export Preview Added resumable downloads  Changed Lock Colourspace (on the Colour Chooser etc) to be on by default Added missing Reapply Base Styles text menu entry Fixed being unable to apply Styles with a single click  Fixed Layer Effects being incorrectly rasterised in PDF export 1.9.0.876 release notes

Hello all,
I would like to make a few improvements and changes to the Appearance window, which are very helpful in Designer and Publisher and provide more options.
1. i would like to have the possibility to apply the effects, which are available as layer effects, also for contours and surfaces.
I would also like to be able to set the Overprint function separately for contours and areas, so that I have better control when I want to create graphics and layouts for the print area. This is a very important function to achieve certain results and effects. Currently, overprinting is only possible through a speziel applied color. This is not really helpful if you want to use one and the same color and in some cases you want to overprint areas and contours and in others not.
3) I miss the possibility to apply the functions to text layers. In the Adobe programs it is possible to do this without having to convert the text first.
I attach a few pictures of how I imagine the window looking.
I and other users would be happy if there could be these possibilities. Especially users who have previously worked with the programs from Adobe and other manufacturers.

Another request for the shape builder tool.

Signing here for shape builder 

Will Affinity ever get a shape builder tool?
Although I want to stay with Affinity, I just can't without a shape builder tool.
I design vehicle graphics and I need to create vector paths for the plotter to use, it's bit more complex than that but S
shape builder in Illustrator is a must!
I've tried to hang on to Affinity for as long as possible hoping they will finally bring it in but it's been 3 years and still no sign?
I'm now at the point where I just need to say enough is enough and go back, I hate the thought of doing this but it's what it is.
Please can someone tell me it's coming and soon.
Thanks
J

Please Add Shape Builder tool 🥺

The panel can be made available with View > Studio > Links.

Select same tag colour by right clicking on the tag - Nice touch - great work 👍 - = linked layers have arrived - kind of - although a bit confusing, with the addition of Photos linked layers which looks like it would have a similar ability but it just seems to be a pretty poor symbols substitute that's a bit of a pain to use and doesn't even work with groups - can't see me finding a use for it in its current state - its a shame its been granted golden access to place linked icons in the layers panel - hopefully something good will come of it in the end
All we need now with select same (which is ACE by the way) is a document wide ability to use with studiolink in Pub - a bit frustrating that it's currently only page by page

You can actually link different properties to different objects - link the fill color of object A to object B but link the stroke width of object A to object C - and you can do it after the objects have been created if you are a bit clever about it (currently you need to duplicate linked to get to the panel, but then you can re-link to arbitrary existing objects and get rid of the initial dupe).

Hi Chessboard,
We're aware of this issue and it is with development to be fixed.
Hi Umiama,

I've just responded in your initial post, but this was something I had passed on to development, but I must have got sidetracked and forgot to reply to your post. Please accept my apologies, but I assure you its with development, and also thank you for taking the time to report this issue to us.