[FAQ: By Design] Refining a selection as New Layer with Mask adds distortion

[Chris B]

Applications Affected: 

• Affinity Photo

Operating Systems Affected: 

• iPadOS/iOS
• Windows
• macOS

Description of the issue:

When refining a selection as 'New Layer with Mask' you will see distortion around the refined area.

Recipe:

1. Open an image
2. Make a selection using the Selection Brush Tool
3. Click Refine on the context toolbar
4. Use the brush to refine the edges of the selection
5. Change the Output to 'New Layer with Mask'
6. Apply
7. Expand the newly created layer to show the mask
8. Hide the mask
9. Observe - the distortion will be apparent around the refined edges

No workaround required. This behaviour is intentional.

The selection refinement process performs colour decontamination when output is set to New Layer or New Layer with Mask. Because masking is non-destructive, hiding the mask will reveal the pixels that have been treated and decontaminated. 

Example