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Hey everyone, Update: Okay, apparently I completely missed the introduction of Key Objects somehow. Thanks for telling me it’s already there! 🤯 Firstly, however, part of my original subject was that key objects should work for any alignment – this includes the spacing operations »Space Vertical« and »Space Horizontal«. They currently work for the general alignment options such as top/bottom, left/right. From my logic it could/should work like this: If NO key object is selected, the last set »Align To:« option works as intended and expected. However, if a key object IS selected, the »Align To:« option should react and prioritise it by changing the »Align To: Key Object«. As soon as there’s no Key Object selected, it switches back to the previous item in the list, like »Last/First Selected«. Without checking, I think this is how it works in Illustrator as well. And I mean, it's just logical (at least to me): If a user actively selects a Key Object (and for Designer this can't be accidental, since you have to hold down an extra key on your keyboard), the user most likely wants to use it as such. So the Key Object should always have the highest priority in the list of alignment candidates/options. Secondly: They also only work from the Context toolbar – when I work with the toolbar popup and want to align (top/bottom, left/right, ...) it prioritises the selected »Align to:« option from the drop down. I think there's an item missing from this list for key objects to work in the toolbar popup as well, and I think that's the culprit. It's not at all obvious that »First Selected« equals »Key Object« in the »Align To:« dropdown in the Toolbar (not Context Toolbar). ––– I very dearly miss the ability to click on one of multiple selected shapes (especially in Designer and Publisher) in order to define it as some sort of »pivot« object, so to speak, around which all other alignments will happen since day one switching to Designer almost ten years ago. (Wow, Designer really turns 10 next year!) The »First/Last Selected« options in the »Align to:« dropdown come close to what I mean, but are not as intuitive, nor do they work for all alignment operations such as »Space Horizontal/Vertical«. Illustrator has solved this more elegantly and functionally by allowing you to mark one of the already selected objects as the »centre« by clicking on it, around which all further alignment operations will take place. They call it »Align to Key Object«. Here's a short clip of how it works. Here’s a video that explains its differences a little bit better compared to other alignment options present in Designer. Please please pleeease Affinity, I need this QOL back in my process and would love to see it and in the Affinity Suite. 🥲 Cheers Dennis

Hi guys, I have recently switched my whole research group from using AI to using Affinity Designer. However, the thing that every single user heavily complained about, and that really limits the utility of AffinityDesigner for us, is the lack of an option to select a key or reference object that stays put during alignment and distribution operations. This is very crucial for the preparation of scientific data plots where one really cannot have the data points shifting around when aligning them to their labels. It would also be very helpful for preparing multi-paneled figure etc. Also, while at it, a 'select same color/stroke/fill/...' feature would be great, and the eyedropper tool could use some attention (eg. for text and vector objects) Please make these available, and I will promise, that there will be a landslide of scientists moving away from their current overpriced rental software to using Affinity Designer Thanks Lars

As you are designing tools to help align things based on key object, etc., is it possible to have an option to align a point to another point? It would nice for drawing to select a point and have it align to a key point you select. Thanks!

Is it possible to align objects based on Key Object, like Adobe Illustrator?