AlanPC

Does this help? In this file there are 3 layers shown, which I think are to do with master pages, as there's an A, B and C master page

I agree (though I did mention in my very first post that is was a document I had downloaded, I should have perhaps mentioned it was an Adobe template. Just the other day I was delighted to discover Affinity Publisher can use such files, but having tried doing so I'm now rather less excited). Actually they're not exactly the same file. I notice in my download folder one file, an 'IDML' file, which I previously set my PC to open with Affinity, because I read it can open those and so shows the affinity icon, while the one I'm now using, I just tried clicking it after installing Indesign, which is an 'INDD' file. I'm wondering if the L in IDML stands for layers? Mmm. Anyway, for my needs - which is 'grab a suitable template and modify it to suit the project/client' - it looks like Adobe Indesign is the most suitable option for me. It's great that Publisher can open such files, and I'll try again next time, but for sure with this file it made a multi-layered mess which just led to frustration.

It's a template I downloaded. When I open it in Affinity it's a layer-cake mess. Same file in 'Indesign' and there's no layers (so far, maybe there are?) I can just click and edit things, as expected.

Because I only fire up Affinity about once every other month. I want to love Affinity, and I do love the concept, the support and I know it's capable of pretty much anything, but time after time I find myself googling or coming back here for such basic stuff. I didn't have such problems with Pageplus, beyond learning basic concepts of publishing in the first place. I'm frankly shocked to find the Adobe version was exactly as I'd expect software to be. Tools on the left, edit on the right - I'd already done what I set out to do within seconds. No googling, no forums, just click it, edit the color, done. I was frankly nervous of even trying Adobe, yet it's easier? Don't hate me, hate the message.

Sure, when I could get to it, but most of the time I'm just clicking around and cannot get to that. One thing I notice is the Adobe version doesn't show any layers. I can just click on the thing I want to edit and go ahead and edit it, as expected. The Affinity version seems a mess of layers upon layers. My impression at this point is that yes, Affinity CAN open Adobe-format files, but does so in a messy manner, while Adobe makes it much easier. Or just follows software conventions better, because it literally took me 30 seconds to figure out something that wasted most of my day with Affinity, and I STILL can't do it. Again, I do really appreciate the help and efforts you've made but for this project I'll use Adobe.

I really do appreciate the help. Unfortunately I have given up, at least for now. I suggested earlier that the design of the UI was perhaps copying Adobe? Because I have never used Adobe, I just know they have subscriptions and I deeply despise subscriptions. I want to own things and be happy. However out both curiosity and desperation I tried Adobe... Would you like to see the video? adobe.mp4

Thank you, that does help somewhat except I still don't seem to be able to select the rectangle to edit it. I can grab it with my mouse and move it around, but the only color thing I see is for some font ("Minion Pro")* not the rectangle, even though I can move and resize the rectangle I don't see where or how to change the color of it? I realized I had the text tool selected... So it seems to be a text box with a filled color? But again, how to change the color? There's no 'fill' option visible, even when I'm waving the thing around with the mouse. *and changing the font color doesn't change the font color actually shown, to add to my bafflement) If not the text tool, what to use? The move tool just moves the entire publication around. There does not seem to be a simple "Select the thing you click on" tool. There's a "Node" tool but I dunno what a 'Node' is, so I'm not touching that thing. There's a grabbing hand tool for moving... wait, that's a 'view' tool? What? How... Whatever. There's another arrow, bu.. no wait, the arrow tool, that's the 'Move' tool. ?? Srsly? As I mentioned a while back, I work in user-experience and stuff; this is doing my head in. It honestly feels like it's designed to be difficult or obscure. Lemme try again... with the 'Move' arrow (with the crafty shortcut of V, because M would be too easy..).. Nope. no color selection other than a font, which doesn't actually change the font (also too easy I guess). I guess I'm changing a different page somewhere, cos nothing changing here? So in desperation, cos it MUST be an arrow, I tried the 'Node' tool. Now I'm even more confused... with the Node tool I was able to 'node' the rectangle and then change the fill color. That worked. I go to the next page, cannot? I can 'move' the rectangle, and I can 'node' it, and I can 'view' it, but at no point am I seeing the option to change its color. I've been coming back to this thing all day, so far I've managed to change 2 pages, and can't really say how, as it seems to change from one page to the next. It's just bizarre.

OK have uploaded a vid... I guess the answer is 'RTFM' but I don't even know where to look or what such a thing would be called. Part of the problem is it seems to change by page, sometimes I can get to the color but it just bounces back to what it was and ignores my input (until I selected the grayscale option, then I could make it 20% black, which is OK). At one time I could move the colored rectangle around with my mouse - but still couldn't see anywhere to change the color? I just want to whizz through the document and change the page background colors. I feel this should be so simple, yet somehow here I am, banging my head on my desk again... 😅 PassFab20220727_174002506.mp4

Omigod this is so unintuitive... I've managed to change the background of one page to gray, other pages I cannot? I can see the background is "level 3", and the background goes white if I unselect level 3, so that's the right part of the page - but I cannot adjust the color? The color stuff at the top seems unrelated? My goodness this is a headache

Update - I think perhaps this selection is somehow locked? If I try moving the sliders they spring back to their original setting. So new question - how to unlock? As an aside, I can fix my problem by selecting 'swatches' and then grayscale, but that doesn't help if I need to change the color)

I noticed yesterday with Publisher I seemed to be getting the completely wrong color when using the RGB sliders. Today I try again with a different document and it's quite bizarre - situation - I want to use a client's basic background gray color (RGB 201, 201, 201). For this one it's very easy but they have other colors too, obviously. When I try to set the background of a page (a style-guide I downloaded) it seems to be changing my input. I put "201" and as soon as I click the next number the 201 turns into something entirely different ("23"). If I go back and try that again.. again, just insists it's 23. If I try setting the next number down to 201... it changes to "36" as soon as I select the 3rd number. What the heck? I thought the entire point of RGB is so you can color-pick a number and insert that exact number, via 3 little 3 digit numbers? Why am I just getting these random, 2 digit numbers? And why is it on a little pop up that makes it impossible to click ANYTHING else, including screenshot software, without it vanishing? This was also an issue for other colors, trying to open Notepad and the color dialogue at the same time is impossible

I don't care about new features, I want better tool-tips/tutorials/help, so I can actually use the things without forever coming back here or youtube or Google, trying to figure stuff out, like 'Why the heck is my text outlined? How do I make it solid again? I never asked for outlined text. Argh!" which seems far too common the type of experience I get with Affinity products.

Because I'm an expert at what I do, and I know what makes for a good graphic design, without being a graphic designer. I leave that bit to people who ARE graphic designers, and then modify their design as needed.

I'm a CRO/UX/SEO copywriter. In short, small to medium-sized software companies pay me to help them improve their software and sell more of it. Which is probably why I have such little patience with Affinity... Typically I need a branded design for my own services (long overdue for an update) such as proposals, invoices, various reports and action plans. For clients they typically want tri-fold brochures, white papers, brochures, price lists, style-guides and media kits. APub doesn't have ANY of that available and it's a waste of my time and my client's time for me to sit there pondering how to design a brochure. Which is exactly what Quark and Adobe have heaps of templates available. Classic example, my current main client is going to a conference in New Orleans in September. I come up with slogans and content and general marketing ideas - I DON'T spend hours and hours designing a brochure, when a template would be fine, once adjusted to suite the company's colors, fonts and basically following the style guide I did for them 2 years ago. Another classic example - I downloaded a proposal template last night and saw 3 price options in the proposal - and they used a tall tower and a cable car above the prices, as the background image? I'm not a designer; I'm the guy who tells you that's a really stupid design because it makes the prices seem heavy (too low on the page) but tied in with 'too high' (cable car tower). I'd raise the packages on the page and use an image that suggests something small, like a mouse holding some cheese. I subscribe to Envato Elements, so I always have some stock photography and graphic bits available, but their choice of Affinity Publisher templates is tiny, maybe 30 on the entire site. Knowing I can now use InDesign templates opens Affinity Publisher up into a useful tool again. Even if I do only use it 4 or 5 times a year. Thought I still find Pageplus faster, more intuitive and thus easier to use.... Edit: I see you mentioned free templates - I have no problem paying for templates and paid for some with Pageplus. The point is I need templates available.

Already updated and able to open the couple of sample templates I managed to find, thanks. Really the main reason I purchased the original Serif Pageplus was the "plus", ie the variety of templates available, so I could just grab a suitable template, maybe modify it a bit and just get on with work. It seems Affinity Publisher doesn't have any templates and never will have any templates, other than getting lucky to find some 3rd party ones that may, or may not, work with whatever version of AP I have installed? That's not really adequate for my needs, so looks like I'm forced onto Adobe, as they have loads of templates available. I haven't really needed publisher for some time, as I'm working almost exclusively for one client for a couple of years now and they have their own graphic designer company that creates brochures etc. I just do the text and advise on what elements look good and so on, but for normal clients I need to present them with print or publish-ready finished items, such as a trifold brochure, a report or whatever. I don't see how I can use Publisher when there's literally nothing in the way of templates, other than just googling with crossed fingers? Can someone tell me, what is the situation with this, cos when I tried it said wrong format: https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-import-indesign-templates-to-affinity-publisher--cms-35007 Wait wait... that was my 1.7... let me try again... 0_o It works.... OK then... all is forgiven HUGZ!