Dennis Nisbet

To Carl123, I followed your directions and made some progress. You're so accustomed to working with Affinity Photo that you probably whizzed right through this. Not me! I learned that if I placed the image it was embedded and I couldn't do anything. After fighting with the nuances for the better part of the day, I did get to a point where I could see some possibilities. I've illustrated that in the attached video. I still don't know how to change the SHADOW image to a GRADIENT instead of the solid black/semitransparent image. However, I REALLY like the quality of the transparency, I think that the inherent problem is that Affinity Photo does not have a method to FREE TRANSFORM. That feature alone allows the user to manipulate the shadow image from the top stretching it, shrinking it and moving around to any position. The other missing component would be the ability to add a gradient and a real plus would be to have a method to modify the gradient after the shadow is created. I found a programmer that could facilitate this as a plugin for Photoshop. It would cost me, Big Bucks! My Scriptwriter couldn't come up with a way to do it. Now, for some really good news, while working with this I found a couple of things that are very important for shadow creation like. Keep in mind that anyone can make a good SINGLE shadow. It just takes time, patience and a good eye. Obviously, if you are only working on one image, you have all the time in the world. I just guessing but there could be as many as TEN MILLION people that would like a better way. I've been very active in the professional market for many years and there are a lot of people in that group that would love to have this. There are many more in beside's them that would be thrilled also. So, please watch the video and then tell me some great ways to do what I am asking. Shadow_with_Suggestions.mp4

@carl123 Thank you for the details. Perhaps I should have shown more in the video. FYI, I am trying really hard to illustrate what I can do in Photoshop that I want to do in Affinity Photo. To that end, I'm not paying a lot of attention to small details like sizes or relative positions of objects or shadows. In the image you saw, I thought the guy was carrying a water pistol or a BB gun. The Script allows the user to select a solid black shadow or a shadow with a fixed Gradient. Either one starts with the opacity at 66% and adjustable. It would be ideal if I could adjust the Gradient after the Macro was done. An adjustable Gradient would eliminate the need for both choices in the Script or Macro. Does this information change what you were suggesting? Again, thanks to everyone that is offering ideas. This is what I was hoping would happen. Also, object sizing in composites is always an issue. In searching the web for this video I found that old west cowboys were mostly short but some were taller and that wagon wheels were 33 to 44 inches! In the eighteen hundreds, men, in some parts of the country were as much as 15 inches shorter than they are today. Shadow Creation Update.mp4

When I get smarter about how to do this I will. Silly me, I thought I was posting on that forum. I will learn in time, maybe? Thanks for letting me know. This is the second time I got it wrong.

I have become very frustrated trying to duplicate in Affinity Photo, what I do in Photoshop. I really want to do all of this in Affinity Photo, but I am having a difficult time finding Tutorials or following the directions that some of you have provided. The entire process involves some changes to Affinity Photo and a way for me to understand how to achieve some effects in Affinity Photo so I can apply them. Some things I can do differently like pre-sizing placement images without them being open then placing and final, sized image, in the background. Once I learn and reproduce this, I should be able to create a Macro. I really want to move away from Photoshop to something better. I realize that Adobe had many years to perfect Photoshop, and it may not be possible, at this time, to achieve the same with Affinity Photo. If that is the case, it is OK. Just tell me. But if there is a way to do what I want in Affinity Photo, please tell me how with illustrations and detailed explanations I can follow. Perhaps, if I demonstrate the process in a video along with more detailed instructions, it will help you help me. 1. When I open images in Photoshop, they appear just as you see them now without adjusting the frames. 2. Whenever possible, I try to use some reference to approximate the size of an image to the background. In this case, according to some data I found on the web, the wagon wheel was probably 44” tall and the average man at that time was 66 inches tall. Simple math makes this image for the man about 7 inches tall. 3. I can drag the man into position on the background. 4. Using a Photoshop Action or, in this case, where I created the Action and had a Script created, I can create a second, duplicate layer of the man and change it to a gradient. 5. Using the FREE TRANSFORM tool, I can adjust the position of the SHADOW consistent with the position of the other shadows. 6. Along with this video, I have included the two images used to create this demonstration. 1 Cowboy Cutout.afphoto 2_Wagon_Wheel_Perspective_Corrected.afphoto For Affinity Photo.mp4

@MEB I really appreciate everyone that took the time to explain all this to me. There are so many great features in Affinity Photo and I am looking forward to the changes that are yet to come. Based on what you and R C-R told me, I'll see how much of this I can apply to my workflow. I believe it is coming down to having a feature that PS calls FREE TRANSFORM to quickly and easily adjust the position of the shadow layer. If so, I'll write that up in Features Request. Thank you.

@v_kyr , Thank you for responding back to me on this. I am hoping for a response directly from Serif. I'm not smart enough to sort all those Feature Requests & Feedback. Plus, there are so many, it must be difficult for Serif to work their way through them. That's why I prepared the video in hopes that it might be watched and a response sent back. Thank again.

For many years, Adobe has continued to develop and refine Photoshop. Some of their features make it possible to do things quickly and those features have yet to be imitated by other companies. I have learned that many users are highly dependent on Photoshop and their consistency. Adobe has recently made some changes that interfere with their production routine. I developed some Photoshop Actions. Then, working with a Scriptwriter, made those Actions into Photoshop Scripts. Most of the Actions were designed to expedite the development of Composite images where the original image was cut away from the background and didn’t match the new background size, lighting or color balance. These Actions included Shadow creation, Color Match, Season Change, and Vignette Creation. In the attached video, I have illustrated several processes where I have questions. Complex workarounds are not a problem if they can be incorporated and executed as part of a Macro. If the things I pointed out in the video are being worked on but not ready yet, that’s great. If not, well, that’s O.K. also. I would just like to know. Requests_for_Affinity.mp4

Done!

@Patrick Connor I was on the PS Forum for some time trying to learn and have some influence on the judgment of Adobe. I became frustrated and wrote some things that were out of character for me. I do not need comments from others that are not helpful. Consequently, first I was temporally restricted without explanation. Having left the forum, I'll never know. Having left the Photoshop Family Forum, as soon as I can find out how I am going to ask that anything from me is deleted from that forum. I was really excited to read that someone on the Affinity Forum was trying to help. In exchange, I was hoping to encourage Serif to take a hard look at what Adobe has done and how it makes work faster and easier. I'll try again to do that but if I encounter the same issues as I did with Photoshop, it is of little value to continue.

R-C-R, thank you for getting back to me on this. You have been really helpful. I think, for my purposes, Affinity Photo has a long way to go. I also think that Affinity Photo has a lot of great features and that there are many users that will leave Adobe for a better product. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work well for me. Also, this forum has people writing on it like PaulRC and Steps, that left their manners and their interest in helping where they couldn't find them. I'll be leaving this Forum now. I am so glad to see that there was someone like you that was willing to help and perhaps, someday, Affinity Photo will be just what I need. If you are still doing anything with PS then you know that one of their tools allows you to FREE TRANSFORM a layer. That's a biggie and a recent change that the made has really upset the professional community. I would love to see that same feature in Affinity Photo.

Thank you! I'll try everything you suggested and see if I can get it to work for me. Meanwhile, do you have any ideas on my Shadow Script? I don't have a problem writing a macro but I can't find a way to create the flexibility I have with Photoshop. I would love to ditch Photoshop but not until I have a high level of comfort. BTW, I built a home and we lived in Plano, TX for about 14 years. Would love to move back, but my wife was just transferred to Chicago. So we are leaving California (hurrah) for snow!

I use DXO Viewpoint 3 a lot. It would be nice if it worked with Affinity Photo.

Good point, I've tried it both ways and the process I follow is faster. Sometimes I am working with big images and it is easier to rough resize so they fit the background. then it's just a matter of positioning and perhaps a small size adjustment. You would be surprised at how much faster this is, especially if you are working with several images.

In order to explain what I would like to see in Affinity Photo, I have prepared 2 Camtasia videos (Attached). As I explained in the video, I work with multiple screens and do a lot of sizes adjusting on the fly. "Time is still money." Every step counts. I do not believe that what I am trying to do in Affinity Photo is unusual unless Affinity is going in a different market direction. If so, that's fine and I'll not keep trying right now and check back later. Video for Affinity.mp4 Shadow Creation.mp4

Thank you for this information. This is one of many issues that limit the practical use of Affinity Photo. In Photoshop, this is done through Preferences and makes it much easier with fewer steps when working with multiple images. So far, my impression of Affinity Photo is that it was designed to meet the needs of artists and designers more than people like myself who do photo-composites. My Daughter is the Art Director for a mid-sized printing company outside of Chicago. As an artist, she likes many of the Affinity features but really can't use it in her business.

Thank you again for this additional information. Much of what I do involves working with composite images. These images have 1 or more images in them plus a background image. The PS Actions and Scripts were designed to speed the process of such things as Shadow Creation, Color Matching, applying Vignettes and even Season Changes. The Actions and Scripts have a wide range of applications and subject matter. As soon as I get the functional part down, I'll try making a Macro. There are some possibilities in AP that don't exist in PS and I am anxious to see if I can create them in AP. My first impression of Affinity Photo is that while it covers a lot of ground, it takes the "Long Way Around". In time I believe that will change and we will all win! Edison said he learned 1000 ways to not create a light bulb. If that is what it takes, I'm just getting started. I look forward to people like you providing me with insight.

Thank you for this information. It appeared to work more or less. I am used to Photoshop and it is taking some time to make the transition. Some things just don't work quite right. I have developed some Photoshop Actions that I had made into Scripts. I am still trying to figure out how to do the same thing in Affinity Photo and create Macros to do the same functions. Affinity Photo has come a long way in a short amount of time and I am excited to see what's next.

When I un-dock an image in Photo, how do I get the frame to collapse to the image frame?

How do I set the default measurement to INCHES instead of PIXELS?

I've been using Photoshop professionally since Photoshop 2. As it progressed, and Adobe added other products and features, I just kept spending money. For many years, it was "the only act in town." I've continued to use the cloud suite since it's introduction but as Adobe becomes much more greedy and stupid, (how many poorly thought out revisions can you make) before your customers don't want to be your customers anymore? Working as a third party developer and teacher, there is only so much I can do when it comes to using new products. So far as I can remember, there has never been a true competitor for PS. The Affinity products are the first products to even try. Will they succeed? Only time will tell. But right now, they have most everything to meet the needs of many and I believe they are working hard to fix some issues. For PS users, Affinity Photo has a steep learning curve. For non-PS users, Affinity Photo has a steep learning curve. Too many steps to do too little. In the beginning, PS wasn't that good either. It isn't enough to look like PS! But it is an escape from high cost and it will get better just like PS in time.....

Hello Steps, I posted my notes about current Photoshop Users moving to Affinity because I thought it was interesting. I didn't do it so a person like you could write back as you have done. Your notes demonstrate the limited value of boards like this. I am not interested in trying to help any further. I am removing this board from my computer. I don't have time to read and respond to nonsense like this.

Today was the first time I have seen several posts on Adobe Family stating that they were leaving Adobe in favor of Affinity if Affinity can do what they need. At this point in the development of Affinity Photo, it is going to be difficult to make that transition. As one person pointed out, Adobe is still the luxury liner and Affinity is just a tug boat. Personally, I see Adobe as the train engine and Affinity the caboose. If you look at the total number of Photoshop users and how many are NOT full-time professionals, you might surmise that neither Adobe nor Affinity have their primary focus on the pro. It's a funny concept because it was the pro that made Adobe successful.

Please, my suggestions below are based on my limited experience thus far. I’ve spent about 30 hours looking for ways to reproduce those things which worked well for me in PS. If I mention anything that is already possible, it is only because I haven’t found it in the tutorials and I would really appreciate it if someone can tell me how. I’ve been a Photoshop user since PS2. I am going to keep adding to this list each time I find an issue and cross those out where there is a solution. Group 1 1. When you open an image, the frame for that image is docked. If you pull it away from the docked position, the frame remains the same. I would like to see the frame collapse to the image when it is pulled away from the docked position. 2. When creating composites, (multiple images on a background), I would like to be able to drag the opened images to be placed and drop instead of copy and paste. Using the PLACE feature looks like a lot of additional work. 3. I’ve mentioned this before. I work in inches not Pixels as do many designers and Photographers. I really like the ability to make what ever measurement value you like becomes the default. 4. I’ve written about this before and I think I sent a video. The best way I found to create a shadow for objects (layers in a composite) is to add a second (Duplicate) layer then add a gradient to it and CLIP the Gradient. Photoshop makes it easy. I created an Action, had it made into a Script but you can’t adjust the Gradient. Affinity is a bit more clunky, but you have some control over the gradient until it is clipped. There should be a faster, better way. Group 2 5. When the crop tool is used, the image can be displayed in inches, but the Units are in Pixels and cannot be changed. If I use a “created” preset in inches, then the Units change to inches. 6. There is some issue with the grid positioning between settings. It does not stay aligned. 7. When you select a preset like 8 X 10, there are no provisions for quickly changing the grid to 10 X 8 and while the size I in inches, the units say pixels. 8. Program should have both Unconstrained and Constrained that apply to the original image. 9. Too many steps to remove a Custom Size grid. 10. When Exporting, the size should be displayed in whatever the user has chosen as the default. I.e. Inches, Pixels, etc. 11. In PS, the PATCH Tool is a favorite among photographers and anyone else doing retouching. Being able to adjust the amount that PATCH does, up to 100%, is an essential part of the tool. I can’t find an easy way to do this in Affinity Photo.

Thanks for the comeback on this. I'm still getting used to this forum. I thought I had submitted a feedback on this complete with a video. I've attached the video to this reply. Please, can you tell me how to make sure this is submitted correctly? Shadow Creation.mp4