James Ritson

Browser autofill. It's a wonderful thing.

Browser autofill. It's a wonderful thing.

Browser autofill. It's a wonderful thing.

Browser autofill. It's a wonderful thing.

Hey all, just a small update. I've gone back and revised a couple of videos (one has had a name change!).
 
They are:
32-bit Raw Development - YouTube / Vimeo Wide Colour Profiles vs sRGB - YouTube / Vimeo  
The wide colour profiles video was previously called "ProPhoto vs sRGB". It's been updated with better information and also to highlight that Affinity Photo ships with a profile called "ROMM RGB" (ProPhoto, basically) that you can use--so there's no need to source and download a ProPhoto profile separately.

Hi Phil, the resampling methods are ordered by sharpness. For photographic purposes you can safely ignore Nearest Neighbour. Bilinear will produce the softest result, whereas Lanczos 3 non-separable will produce the sharpest (the difference between separable and non-separable is very slight). Bicubic is somewhere in the middle and will probably suffice for the majority of your images.
 
One reason to use a softer resampling method might be if your image has lots of high frequency content - from excessive noise to very fine detail like chainlink fences and difficult patterning in architecture. Using a sharper resampling method may exacerbate these parts of the image, and may even produce resampling artefacts (though they are more noticeable in video content to be honest - stills, not so much).
 
As always, experiment! But for a good safe bet with most of your images, try Bicubic. Hope that helps!

Hi Phil, the resampling methods are ordered by sharpness. For photographic purposes you can safely ignore Nearest Neighbour. Bilinear will produce the softest result, whereas Lanczos 3 non-separable will produce the sharpest (the difference between separable and non-separable is very slight). Bicubic is somewhere in the middle and will probably suffice for the majority of your images.
 
One reason to use a softer resampling method might be if your image has lots of high frequency content - from excessive noise to very fine detail like chainlink fences and difficult patterning in architecture. Using a sharper resampling method may exacerbate these parts of the image, and may even produce resampling artefacts (though they are more noticeable in video content to be honest - stills, not so much).
 
As always, experiment! But for a good safe bet with most of your images, try Bicubic. Hope that helps!

Hey Sebastian, object removal is Median stacking, which should already produce a long exposure effect with the sea - is this not the case for you? You should get both results you're after from the same stack.
 
If not, one approach might be to do a Merge Visible with a Median stack, hide it, change the stack to Mean and do another merge visible. You'll then have two merged pixel layers--one Median, one Mean. You could then add a mask layer to one and blend them together. This might not work if you've got people in the sea though...

Just to expand on this, there does appear to be a slight difference. Clarity has basically always been USM with a Luminosity blend mode (at least in the Photo Persona). The test imagery I was using, however, showed little to no change. I've tried some other images and there is a slight difference, but from memory of previous versions (1.4, 1.5) I was expecting a bigger difference.
 
Applying a live USM layer and setting its blend mode to luminosity should yield the same result as Clarity. The eventual hope is that the Photo persona version will behave like it does in Develop, where you get less edge haloing and the ability to apply it negatively.

Hi djk, here's a brief rundown of each filter:
 
Unsharp Mask uses the traditional approach of comparing and subtracting a blurred (or "unsharp") version of the image (or pixel layer). It's the most configurable of the sharpening filters as you can control the factor (strength) and threshold (how much to subtract based on the comparison). For most use cases, this is your go-to filter for sharpening.
 
High Pass is a little more straightforward: it simply passes parts of the image (or signal) above a certain frequency and attenuates anything below it. This filter is used as part of Photo's automated Frequency Separation filter for retouching, but you can also use it for detail enhancement. Applying it as a Live Filter layer then altering its blend mode (e.g. to Overlay/Hard Light) allows you to be somewhat creative with your sharpening: use smaller radius values for fine detail sharpening and higher radius values for local contrast enhancement.
 
Clarity has had an overhaul in the Develop Persona, so it now behaves differently compared to its implementation in the Photo Persona. In Develop, it performs quite a strong local contrast enhancement (punchy mid-tones, increase in "perceptual" sharpness). In Photo as a filter/live filter, it's basically Unsharp Mask with a blend mode - or at least it should be. As of the latest release version, it no longer appears to be any different from Unsharp Mask, which is a bug and will be reported...
 
Detail Refinement in Develop is basically Unsharp Mask - the percentage suggests it might be adaptive but I don't believe this is the case, just treat it as the radius.
 
Hope that helps!

Hi djk, here's a brief rundown of each filter:
 
Unsharp Mask uses the traditional approach of comparing and subtracting a blurred (or "unsharp") version of the image (or pixel layer). It's the most configurable of the sharpening filters as you can control the factor (strength) and threshold (how much to subtract based on the comparison). For most use cases, this is your go-to filter for sharpening.
 
High Pass is a little more straightforward: it simply passes parts of the image (or signal) above a certain frequency and attenuates anything below it. This filter is used as part of Photo's automated Frequency Separation filter for retouching, but you can also use it for detail enhancement. Applying it as a Live Filter layer then altering its blend mode (e.g. to Overlay/Hard Light) allows you to be somewhat creative with your sharpening: use smaller radius values for fine detail sharpening and higher radius values for local contrast enhancement.
 
Clarity has had an overhaul in the Develop Persona, so it now behaves differently compared to its implementation in the Photo Persona. In Develop, it performs quite a strong local contrast enhancement (punchy mid-tones, increase in "perceptual" sharpness). In Photo as a filter/live filter, it's basically Unsharp Mask with a blend mode - or at least it should be. As of the latest release version, it no longer appears to be any different from Unsharp Mask, which is a bug and will be reported...
 
Detail Refinement in Develop is basically Unsharp Mask - the percentage suggests it might be adaptive but I don't believe this is the case, just treat it as the radius.
 
Hope that helps!

Hi djk, here's a brief rundown of each filter:
 
Unsharp Mask uses the traditional approach of comparing and subtracting a blurred (or "unsharp") version of the image (or pixel layer). It's the most configurable of the sharpening filters as you can control the factor (strength) and threshold (how much to subtract based on the comparison). For most use cases, this is your go-to filter for sharpening.
 
High Pass is a little more straightforward: it simply passes parts of the image (or signal) above a certain frequency and attenuates anything below it. This filter is used as part of Photo's automated Frequency Separation filter for retouching, but you can also use it for detail enhancement. Applying it as a Live Filter layer then altering its blend mode (e.g. to Overlay/Hard Light) allows you to be somewhat creative with your sharpening: use smaller radius values for fine detail sharpening and higher radius values for local contrast enhancement.
 
Clarity has had an overhaul in the Develop Persona, so it now behaves differently compared to its implementation in the Photo Persona. In Develop, it performs quite a strong local contrast enhancement (punchy mid-tones, increase in "perceptual" sharpness). In Photo as a filter/live filter, it's basically Unsharp Mask with a blend mode - or at least it should be. As of the latest release version, it no longer appears to be any different from Unsharp Mask, which is a bug and will be reported...
 
Detail Refinement in Develop is basically Unsharp Mask - the percentage suggests it might be adaptive but I don't believe this is the case, just treat it as the radius.
 
Hope that helps!

Hi djk, here's a brief rundown of each filter:
 
Unsharp Mask uses the traditional approach of comparing and subtracting a blurred (or "unsharp") version of the image (or pixel layer). It's the most configurable of the sharpening filters as you can control the factor (strength) and threshold (how much to subtract based on the comparison). For most use cases, this is your go-to filter for sharpening.
 
High Pass is a little more straightforward: it simply passes parts of the image (or signal) above a certain frequency and attenuates anything below it. This filter is used as part of Photo's automated Frequency Separation filter for retouching, but you can also use it for detail enhancement. Applying it as a Live Filter layer then altering its blend mode (e.g. to Overlay/Hard Light) allows you to be somewhat creative with your sharpening: use smaller radius values for fine detail sharpening and higher radius values for local contrast enhancement.
 
Clarity has had an overhaul in the Develop Persona, so it now behaves differently compared to its implementation in the Photo Persona. In Develop, it performs quite a strong local contrast enhancement (punchy mid-tones, increase in "perceptual" sharpness). In Photo as a filter/live filter, it's basically Unsharp Mask with a blend mode - or at least it should be. As of the latest release version, it no longer appears to be any different from Unsharp Mask, which is a bug and will be reported...
 
Detail Refinement in Develop is basically Unsharp Mask - the percentage suggests it might be adaptive but I don't believe this is the case, just treat it as the radius.
 
Hope that helps!

What you're seeing is the 32-bit preview panel (this is accessible on Desktop through View>Studio). This is used to preview different tonal ranges of the document and is important for a number of use cases, but for typical HDR merging where you'll be tone mapping straight after it's arguably less useful.
 
In the iPad version, this panel is intrinsically linked to the Hand Tool as its context toolbar in 32-bit: it's a design decision, since adding another studio on the right hand bar just for a couple of esoteric options isn't a great use of valuable screen space  The issue is that most tools will have a context toolbar, so switching to another tool won't solve this.
 
If you intend to tone map the HDR image, you should find that it doesn't appear in the Tone Mapping Persona. Once you've tone mapped the image, you could always convert it to 16-bit (unless you really need it to remain in 32-bit) and the 32-bit preview toolbar will disappear.
 
The only other solution I can suggest right now is to select the Move Tool (directly underneath the Hand Tool) and then tap off somewhere on the canvas outside of the image to deselect it. Hope that helps.

What you're seeing is the 32-bit preview panel (this is accessible on Desktop through View>Studio). This is used to preview different tonal ranges of the document and is important for a number of use cases, but for typical HDR merging where you'll be tone mapping straight after it's arguably less useful.
 
In the iPad version, this panel is intrinsically linked to the Hand Tool as its context toolbar in 32-bit: it's a design decision, since adding another studio on the right hand bar just for a couple of esoteric options isn't a great use of valuable screen space  The issue is that most tools will have a context toolbar, so switching to another tool won't solve this.
 
If you intend to tone map the HDR image, you should find that it doesn't appear in the Tone Mapping Persona. Once you've tone mapped the image, you could always convert it to 16-bit (unless you really need it to remain in 32-bit) and the 32-bit preview toolbar will disappear.
 
The only other solution I can suggest right now is to select the Move Tool (directly underneath the Hand Tool) and then tap off somewhere on the canvas outside of the image to deselect it. Hope that helps.

Hello, it is true that the SerifLabs raw engine receives criticism because it doesn't perform any kind of initial noise reduction or sharpening by default. Most raw processing software adds a small degree of fine detail sharpening and chromatic noise reduction (sometimes luminance noise reduction too) - so in effect, you're never really seeing how noisy or soft your raw images actually are.
 
As an example, Apple's Core Image Raw engine appears to sharpen the image and perform both luma and chroma noise reduction - retaining the "texture" of the image by adding a subtle layer of gaussian noise. I've been able to practically match the Core Image output using the SerifLabs engine through sharpening, light noise reduction and very light gaussian noise addition - all achievable through the Details panel when you're developing the raw image.
 
This video, Raw Conversion Quality, might be worth a watch (although it's due a re-record, I... talk.... so.... slow....) - it goes into detail about the raw engine and demonstrates how to get the best results from it, including applying your own tone curve to maximise the available dynamic range.
 
Hope that helps.

Hey again, just checking in to offer a new video, this one focuses on creating an HDR result from one RAW exposure (as opposed to merging bracketed exposures):
 
HDR from one exposure - YouTube / Vimeo  
 
 
@Chinderah Have you tried the online help at https://affinity.help ? It's searchable and printable (just click the print icon on the left hand menu), and it works well on tablets/phones so you could have it as a reference whilst you work on your desktop machine.

Hello all, just reappearing briefly to post a new video! It covers how to achieve the Orton effect in Photo. I've seen various videos and guides that more or less replicate the Photoshop method, but that's a destructive approach, and I wanted to demonstrate a few tweaks to make it non-destructive. Hope you find it useful!
Orton Effect - YouTube / Vimeo  

Affinity Online Help
Hello all, we're happy to be able to offer you an online version of the in-app help!
Access Designer, Photo & Publisher Help here: https://affinity.help
Here are some of the additional features we're able to implement as a result of having proper browser support:
Dynamic language switching: The help will determine your language and (if it's available) serve you a localised copy of the help. If you prefer to read in another language, however, you'll find a combo box at the bottom left which will enable you to change languages—and stay on the page you're currently reading. Print: Sounds simple, but with full browser support we can now implement printing of the topic pages. The print icon in the bottom left will give you a nicely formatted printout of the current topic. Share: Clicking the clipboard icon will copy the current topic's URL to your clipboard, which means you can easily point other people towards topics that may help them. Responsive: The help was responsive anyway, including off-canvas menu functionality so you could collapse the window and still read a topic, but this is taken further in this version of the help. The help is formatted nicely and usable even on a 4" iPhone SE screen. Search: we've implemented our own bespoke search for the online help which is fast and accurate. Access it via the tab system along the top left. Favourites: you can add topics to your favourites list to easily access them during future browser sessions. Simply click the + (plus) icon next to the "Favourites" tab to add the current topic.  
With this online version you'll be able to print out topics and view them on your tablets/phones, which are two of the most common requests when it comes to help feedback.
As always, if you have any feedback or find any issues with this online version, please let us know! Hope you find it useful.

It's something I'm trialling, was going to make a quick post about it at some point. From initial tests it seems to do an OK job (better than the in-app search, in fact ) - it's currently in Photo English, US and German. If it seems to be functioning well then we'll probably just roll it out across all languages and for both apps.

Hey again, just checking in to offer a new video, this one focuses on creating an HDR result from one RAW exposure (as opposed to merging bracketed exposures):
 
HDR from one exposure - YouTube / Vimeo  
 
 
@Chinderah Have you tried the online help at https://affinity.help ? It's searchable and printable (just click the print icon on the left hand menu), and it works well on tablets/phones so you could have it as a reference whilst you work on your desktop machine.

Hi Tom, it's available but has been consolidated to the main assistant options for the iPad version. If you open a document, then tap the document menu (next to the close document button, top left), you'll see Assistant. Tap that, and the tone curve option will be near the bottom, along with the bit depth output option. Hope that helps!

Official Affinity Photo iPad Tutorials
New to the latest update of the app (1.6.9), we've got a brand new set of tutorials that follow a more structured approach. You can access them from the Tutorials option in-app or by following this link:
https://affinity.serif.com/tutorials/photo/ipad They are sorted into categories:
Basic Operations Advanced Corrective and Retouching Creative Tools Filters and Adjustments Export Persona Just some quick info about the new videos:
They're all shot in 4K resolution (supported on desktop machines) for extra clarity. There are localised subtitles for all the languages supported by the app (English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, Japanese).  
Hope you find them useful!
James

Hello all, just reappearing briefly to post a new video! It covers how to achieve the Orton effect in Photo. I've seen various videos and guides that more or less replicate the Photoshop method, but that's a destructive approach, and I wanted to demonstrate a few tweaks to make it non-destructive. Hope you find it useful!
Orton Effect - YouTube / Vimeo  

It's something I'm trialling, was going to make a quick post about it at some point. From initial tests it seems to do an OK job (better than the in-app search, in fact ) - it's currently in Photo English, US and German. If it seems to be functioning well then we'll probably just roll it out across all languages and for both apps.