doodledude Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 I've noticed recently using Affinity Designer that I really could do with arranging layers into folders. I feel the layer arranging a bit unintuitive in Affinity products also. I find the layer folders in Adobe products really useful and think it should be easy enough to implement for all Affinity releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 9 minutes ago, doodledude said: I've noticed recently using Affinity Designer that I really could do with arranging layers into folders. I feel the layer arranging a bit unintuitive in Affinity products also. I find the layer folders in Adobe products really useful and think it should be easy enough to implement for all Affinity releases. Hi @doodledude, you can do this. Create an empty layer and drag other layers into it You can assign different colours, too. d. doodledude 1 Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 9 hours ago, doodledude said: the layer arranging Select layers, Ctrl + G nested to group. doodledude 1 Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 21 hours ago, dominik said: you can do this. Create an empty layer and drag other layers into it Hi @doodledude, I want to add, if you create a new layer in AD it is displayed with a folder icon. It works the same way in APub. After you add (or group as @Pšenda pointed out) the icon turns into a preview of the folder's content. d. doodledude 1 Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodledude Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 On 11/16/2019 at 7:55 AM, dominik said: Hi @doodledude, I want to add, if you create a new layer in AD it is displayed with a folder icon. It works the same way in APub. After you add (or group as @Pšenda pointed out) the icon turns into a preview of the folder's content. d. Thanks for the advice. When I create a new layer I don't get a folder icon, I just get a black or blank square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 5 minutes ago, doodledude said: Thanks for the advice. When I create a new layer I don't get a folder icon, I just get a black or blank square. Hi @doodledude, we have to make sure to do the same thing. This is what I do: Work in Affinity Designer In the layers palette click on the icon (at the bottom) that looks like a page. Not on the one that has a checkerboard background. (If you hover over them you will see tooltips saying 'Add Layer' and 'Add Pixel Layer'. Do not choos 'Pixel Layer') This should create a new layer with a folder icon. Does this do what I am describing? d. Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, dominik said: Does this do what I am describing? Yes, but it changes to a preview (black square) after any operation (adding any content). Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 1 minute ago, Pšenda said: Yes, but it changes to a black square after any operation (adding any content). This is true and I mentioned it in my above post already: Quote After you add (or group as @Pšenda pointed out) the icon turns into a preview of the folder's content. I personally think it is an advanced feature to see a preview of the folder's content instead of a plain folder icon Cheers, d. Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 4 hours ago, dominik said: I personally think it is an advanced feature to see a preview of the folder's content instead of a plain folder icon Definitely yes, active/interactive information is always more useful than a passive icon. Although the preview in the layer panel is not yet optimal. Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Move Along People Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 - Quote Move Along people,nothing to see here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodledude Posted November 27, 2019 Author Share Posted November 27, 2019 15 hours ago, dominik said: Hi @doodledude, we have to make sure to do the same thing. This is what I do: Work in Affinity Designer In the layers palette click on the icon (at the bottom) that looks like a page. Not on the one that has a checkerboard background. (If you hover over them you will see tooltips saying 'Add Layer' and 'Add Pixel Layer'. Do not choos 'Pixel Layer') This should create a new layer with a folder icon. Does this do what I am describing? d. Hi @dominik, yes I did as you instructed, but when I create a new layer (not pixel layer) it appears as a blank (or black in dark mode) square for me. I can't see any settings I have on that would make the folder icon not appear if it should do by default. The layer1 & layer2 below are both newly created layers to show what I mean. I'm using the latest designer version on Mac OS Catalina BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 20 minutes ago, doodledude said: Hi @dominik, yes I did as you instructed, but when I create a new layer (not pixel layer) it appears as a blank (or black in dark mode) square for me. I can't see any settings I have on that would make the folder icon not appear if it should do by default. The layer1 & layer2 below are both newly created layers to show what I mean. I'm using the latest designer version on Mac OS Catalina BTW. Hi @doodledude, this definitely looks different from here. I'm not at the Affinity computer right now so I can't provide a screenshot. Since I am under Windows this may be related to differences between the two OSs. Can anyone confirm this? d. doodledude 1 Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Move Along People Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 - doodledude and dominik 2 Quote Move Along people,nothing to see here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 12 hours ago, Pšenda said: Although the preview in the layer panel is not yet optimal. Out of interest, may I ask what you have in mind? d. Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 On 11/27/2019 at 11:21 AM, dominik said: Out of interest, may I ask what you have in mind? d. Hi @dominik, I mean this. Red (bright color) ellipse = thumbnail OK Green (bright color) curve = thumbnail OK Dark ellipse/curve = thumbnail is OK? The purpose of thumbnails is to improve orientation in the layer panel. In this case (dark color) the preview is unusable. Why is the preview background dark? - just to match the dark scheme. In my opinion, the background of the thumbnails should correspond to the selected background of the document. That is, either a chessboard or white paper, or a set artboard color. Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl123 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 16 minutes ago, Pšenda said: That is, either a chessboard or white paper, or a set artboard color. Use "Checkerboard Background" Pšenda 1 Quote To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 34 minutes ago, Pšenda said: Dark ellipse/curve = thumbnail is OK? Hi @Pšenda, thankyou, now I understand. It's a valid point, but I think @carl123 just pointed out a solution (see above) d. Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 2 hours ago, dominik said: a solution I would prefer the color of the document/artboard (it seems more native to me), but even this is better than the dark thumbnails background. P.S. this option of thumbnail settings is not described in the help - at least I have not found it anywhere. Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walt.farrell Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 31 minutes ago, Pšenda said: P.S. this option of thumbnail settings is not described in the help - at least I have not found it anywhere. Very briefly mentioned in: Photo Help: https://affinity.help/photo/en-US.lproj/pages/Panels/layersPanel.html Designer Help: https://affinity.help/designer/en-US.lproj/pages/Panels/layersPanel.html Publisher Help: https://affinity.help/publisher/en-US.lproj/pages/Panels/layersPanel.html Pšenda 1 Quote -- Walt Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases PC: Desktop: Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Laptop: Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU. iPad: iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard Mac: 2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominik Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Pšenda said: I would prefer the color of the document/artboard (it seems more native to me), but even this is better than the dark thumbnails background. I agree, there is room for improvement. d. Pšenda 1 Quote Affinity Designer 1 & 2 | Affinity Photo 1 & 2 | Affinity Publisher 1 & 2 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Affinity Photo 2 for iPad | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 1 hour ago, walt.farrell said: Very briefly Yes, very briefly. Even though I looked exactly here, I didn't notice - I was expecting a detailed description of the "hamburger menu". So in the help the user will know that something like this can be somehow set up, but how to do it has no chance find out. Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl123 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 49 minutes ago, Pšenda said: I was expecting a detailed description of the "hamburger menu". The in-app help file has that, not sure why the online version does not. Pšenda 1 Quote To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pšenda Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 20 hours ago, carl123 said: The in-app help file has that, not sure why the online version does not. That's what I was looking for :-) In-app help almost no longer use. There will probably be more differences - even if they are not fully functional. Quote Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301 Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155. Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walt.farrell Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 On 12/17/2019 at 10:40 AM, carl123 said: The in-app help file has that, not sure why the online version does not. Interesting. That section of the Help is present only for English (UK). And in English (UK) it is present both online and in the application. Edit: Reported as a bug in the Help. Quote -- Walt Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases PC: Desktop: Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Laptop: Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU. iPad: iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard Mac: 2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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