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Hi, I have a very basic issue with photo and hope you don't mind me asking. I am very familar with using adobe illustrator and more recently affinity designer. I have never used photoshop. I would like to use affinity photo for illustration work and make use of the daub brushes. When I open a new document I would like to sketch straight onto my layer but the layer is dark grey and does not allow any thing to be drawn unless I fill the layer with white using the paint bucket and then I can draw ontop of that. This feel clunky so I know I am doing something wrong. I have looked for an answer using the affinity videos and also basic photoshop videos but cannot see what to do Thank you in advance sarah

Hello! I'm new to editing in layers, so this may seem like a simple question. For some reason, when I want to select a child layer (like a mask, for example) to edit, the parent layer is also automatically selected. I've tried to click and unlike the "edit all layers" icon, but nothing changes. Is there a setting I'm missing here? Thanks for your advice! Jenny

Once again I am afraid I am going to make request that comes straight from your competitor. But once again it's simple and it works. A very simple shortcut I use all the time in the Layers Palette of PS is to duplicate and simultaneously locate a layer by holding down the Alt key while dragging it to where you want it. This works in PS for all types of layer. It’s a tiny thing but it really makes life quick and simple. I would love to see this in AP. It is entirely consistent with Affinity which already uses the Alt key for layer duplication by dragging in the image.

Hello, I just downloaded Affinity Photo and can't find the layers or filters mentioned in the Vimeo videos. I looked through the forum and found that I should go to View->Studio-> and Layers should be there, or to reset the Studio and layers should be there... it's not. Please see the attached image. How can I find these things? Thank you, Kersey

Your outline option for the entire doc is much appreciated, but in Illustrator I could outline on the layer level. Thus I could change a certain layer to outline and clearly see it as I compared it with layers which were not in outline. I realize that this could entail complicating the layer palette, but perhaps it is not necessary to see it as another symbol on each layer. It would be clear from just looking at the doc. A bit more explanation might help explain this. I am preparing a complex map with multiple pinches for an app, i.e., with various sized fonts, more info with each pinch, etc. to be exported as SVGs. To be able to "isolate" certain layers in outline and then compare them with other non-outline layers would be a big help.

Hi, if I'm working with designs that have a lot of layers it's sometimes quite hard to identify the active layer in the layers list as it may not be in view and will thus require scrolling up and down before you can find the highlight. Is there a way to quickly jump to the highlight in the layer list, or (even better) some sort of option that allows the active one to be scrolled into in view? I accept the latter might not work when working with multiple selections, but when creating this would be quite handy because you don't always have to mine the relevant layer out of a long list.. Cheers!

Hi! I find some features with text layers. When importing PSD file (created in photoshop) on some zoom levels text is sliced and haven't transform borders. After editing text everything will ok.

I need to include a branding/logo layer on (top of) every image I process in Photo (not Designer), prior to export. Is there a way I can create this layer, store it, then 'superimpose' it (optionally) when I open up a new image, without having to recreate it every time from scratch? Thank you.

I'm posting some new topics on things I feel are missing in AD. I use Xara Designer as my workhorse since it exists, but I really want to replace it -- seems the new company is focusing less and less in the professional market. I also use CorelDraw, Illustrator (with my students) and and even Inkscape now and then. So about the Layers panel, here are my suggestions along with some points I feel AD lags behind the competition: To toggle an object's visibility I just click its checkbox. That's fine, but to toggle its editability I have to select the object then click the single padlock in the upper right. (Which is misaligned BTW: the padlock icon is above the visibility checkboxes so it will mislead novice users into thinking that the checkboxes are used to lock layers.) Then a padlock icon appears and I can click it to unlock the object. I know AD is modeled after Illustrator, but these are quite inconsistent approaches for similar actions. Xara, CorelDRAW and even Inkscape have a much better solution: both commands are toggle icons for every object, and the padlock never disappears: it just changes state. Productivity tool: Solo layer / object (Xara). Productivity tool: a button to make all layers / objects visible (Xara again). Productivity tool: a button to make all layers / objects editable (Xara again). The thumbnails in AD are way better than the others, but they may become invisible because the background is always dark gray. Affinity should show a checkered background or compute the background color automatically, perhaps. Of course if anyone knows about hidden shortcuts of alternate ways of doing the above I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, and sorry for the long post...

Hi, I am using a MAS version of affinity photo 1.4.3 and every time I try to make a selection and have the output as New Layer then click apply, nothing happens. A new layer comes up but it's blank... Anyone else have this issue or know why it is happening? This just started in the last week. Jason

I know I have inadvertently done this in the past but now that I want to --- I can't figure it out. IE; I am creating a design to print on fabric that is sort of a word toss of a child's name in several different fonts. My plan was to make each font for "jane" a different layer but may want to change that particular font/name to ' john' and when I change one it will change all those names in that font at the same time ---- I would appreciate the help. Thanks

Hello. I very excited to work with Affinity Designer. It's awesome. But I would like to point out some shortcomings in GUI and workflow. First of all, my eyes becomes tired after some time working with AD. I found a problem. It is a Layers palette. There're too many visual noise. Why need to keep checkboxes on each layer bar? Maybe it's enough to put only checkmark without box? Or reverse it: visible layers hasn't any marks and invisible has a small icon (strikethrough eye). Then why need to keep triangle inside circle? It looks like "Play" button from audio player, not like expand/collapse icon. I like how it looks in Sketch (triangle) or even better in Photoshop (sign >). No need to keep circle, I guess. It only adds a noise. Then I don't like to see small layer previews at left side. It's redundant in many cases. It may be helpful only when a layer is a small and simple (like icon or logo). I always turn off layer thumbnails in Photoshop. And it is very nice in Sketch. So maybe will be good idea to add optional things in Settings panel? Now, when I click on a small gear icon on right side of top, I see incomprehensible Blend Options, while I expect to see Layers palette settings like in Photoshop. Where I can turn off thumbnails. So, removing thumbs, circles and checkmarks will make Layers palette more useful, clear and understandable. Also I have an issue with Esc key. It is very good idea to go up in the layers structure like in Sketch: I select an object, press Esc and now I have selected the parent group. Again Esc - and level up etc. But now Esc just deselects the object. It is not right paradigm, it's outdated. I like Sketch's workflow. It's very simple and useful. Please make like it, don't look what Adobe's doing. Thanks. p.s. Sorry for ugly English.

Hi! New to Affinity so apologies if this is already possible (if so please tell me how!). Searched the interface and forums but came up with nothing. I think it would be nice if slices created from layers, artboards or shapes could be optionally made to inlcude adjustment layers and generally objects not grouped under the object that defines the slice. Right now custom slices (the ones that I draw directly on the artboard in the Export persona) show the effects of adjustment layers, but layer-based slices don't if the adjustment layer is not under the layer that defines the slice. Here's my real-life example: I have an AD file with sprites I made for a game, about 100 of them, which I export through slices. I use shape-based slices because they adapt to my shapes automatically and I don't need to fix them when I resize or move the sprites (which is a lot). Late in development I noticed the colors are off on all the sprites compared to the rest of the game, so I added just two or three adjustment layers on top of everything and it looks much better now. This is where trouble starts: the adjustment layers have no effect on the images exported by my slices. The slices only export the base shapes, as if the adjustment layers on top of them didn't exist. The slices only "see" the adjustment layers if the adjustments are grouped under the layer from which the slice is generated, but this setup is not practical as I would need to add 200 or 300 adjustment layers, and modifying the colors again would be a nightmare. In fact non-layer object visibility could be a per-slice export setting just like file format and compression, this way we could have two slice export formats - one with and one without adjustments, background objects etc. I suppose that implementing this would be failry easy as the functionality is clearly there, just needs to be exposed to the user. Cheers and keep up the good work on this program!

I don't know if this tool is available, if so, how to do that?

Hello, I want to use some layers of my work in another work. Is there any way to do that? Thanks in advance

Hi while working with Affinity Designer, there is one little feature I repeatedly wish for. Which is a Hotkey to scroll the Layerlist to the currently selected Layer. This would save me a lot of time. Maybe you can implement something like it.

I've been playing with Designer beta for Windows off and on. It's been many years since I used a program such as this. I've used both Freehand and Illustrator for map making years ago. But I'm going nuts now on trying to move some labels I inadvertently put into a layer with other stuff into a layer of their own. I truly thought I did this awhile back, but.....There has to be a way. It seems like a very basic thing to me....???

Feeling a bit embarrassed at such a basic question ...... but here goes ....... How can I stop AP's pick tool selecting in the image and select only in the layers palette? (The equivalent of turning off "auto select" in PS? When I have layers hidden or partially hidden beneath others selecting can be very difficult (or even impossible) to do in the image. Can I select a layer in the Layers Palette and then use the Pick Tool to move it around in the image without automatically shifting the selection to the layers above as soon as I touch the image with my pen? At the moment it all becomes a rather clumsy process of hiding layers I don't want to select and then unhiding them afterwards. Is there a parameter I haven't found that can be set or a keyboard modifier that will prevent the move tool from selecting in the image when required? This is so basic that I am assuming it must be there but I am simply too obtuse to find it ....... :unsure:

First of all: Big shoutout to the developers, your work is great! I wonder if it's possible to export the same file multiple times, each time with another layer visible. In my case I have some text over an image. There are three images in the document, I now want to achieve that the document is exported three times, each time with a different image visible. Is that possible and if so, where is the function? :) Thanks in advance, Julian

Hi folks, I have the following workflow improvement if it comes to create a new layer. The status quo is, that a new layer will be put on top - in first place of the document hierarchy. If you are working with files that contain more than 10 objects and some hierarchy levels it would definitely speed up workflow if the new layer would be placed beside the current selection (like it is done if you duplicate your selection). Because: 1.) it is more likely that I want to create a new layer in the hierarchy level where my selection is than always on top of everything. 2.) it takes much longer to reorganize the hierarchy if you want to put your newly created layer from the top position into the area of your current selection vice versa it is very very easy if the user wants to have the new layer created on to - just by clicking on the element which is currently at the top :) So I see more advantages to implement it like the "duplicate layer" function has already been implemented. UPDATE I just figured out that creating a "new pixel layer" works exactly as I would expect and like it: the "new pixel layer" is always placed beside the current selection in hierarchy. Whereas "create new layer" has the the following inconsistence, somehow it reacts "context-sensitive" - means, it follows some rules but I don't get the point. I see it as a bug: 3.1) select a child-object within a layer - the new created layer jumps outside the parent layer and is positioned next (over) it 3.2) select a child-object within a group - the new created layer will be placed at the top of the documents hierarchy 3.3) if you are in the root-level and a layer is selected > the new created layers will be placed next to the selection 3.4) if you are in the root-level and a group is selected > the new created layers will be placed at the top of the documents hierarchy

Hello, I would like to have this "nice-to-have" feature: an ellipsis for names (of objects, layers, groups) in layers window. If you put it on your list, see also: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/24596-ellipsis-per-default-in-the-middle/ :) Thanks for your work and passion to create that piece of software at all, Stefan.

Dear Affinity Team and Users, I am trying to figure out if there is a way to move/copy layer effects from one layer to another. There's no such option when right clicking on a layer and I've tried CTRL+click+drag, as well as ALT+click+drag, to no avail. Is there something that I am missing? Is there a smarter way to do this, than how I am trying to, or should I register it as a feature request? Thank you for your time!

I've multiple layers and groups in my project and one thing occurs to me. Some of my elements (things in the tree) are groups and some are layers even if they have children. When I add layers inside another layer, doesn't this make the layer a group? What is the difference? Why can't I ungroup layergroups? How can I even create empty groups? Why can't i give a group a color? I can for example put an text element inside an image. Why is this possible?

Hello, I'm a little confused about using the scroll wheel in the layers panel. It seems that you are only able to scroll if you follow this steps: First there must be no scrollbar Than you have to expand a group so there will be a scrollbar Than you can scroll Is this something that will be fixed? It will be awesome if you can use the arrow keys to go up and down, and expand layers.

Hi, I've started testing the Macro function. This is a great step forward! I'm unable to select layers or masks while the macro is recording. See screenshot for the notice. It would be great if we can select layers and masks while recording. One of my frequent use case is to create a custom curve, apply a mask and invert the mask so that I can "paint" the adjustment in manually. Thanks.