Can "Snapshots" be updated?

[Lorox]

Recently I created a file in Affinity Photo where I had a couple of different states of the file to show to a client (mostly different layers were turned on or off with these states).

Obviously you can create the corresponding "snapshots" and then just activate the one you need to export as a JPG for example. Sometimes, however, you notice that one or another of these snapshots  still need a bit of tweaking after you have created them. So e.g.  you add another adjustment layer to – say – "Snapshot 3". In Photoshop you just can update your "Layercomp" after you've done this, but in Affinity Photo I haven't found a way that's as easy as that. I don't even seem to be able to just beforehand duplicate the snapshot I want to modify an then just rename it. In fact, it doesn't seem to be possible to rename ANY snapshot after the fact.

Is this really the way it's supposed to be or am I missing something here?

[GarryP]

Instead of trying to refine the Snapshots, have you tried using the Cycle Future option in the History Panel? (You will also need to check “Save History With Document” in the “File menu.) This might allow you to do what you want.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, Lorox said:

I don't even seem to be able to just beforehand duplicate the snapshot I want to modify an then just rename it. In fact, it doesn't seem to be possible to rename ANY snapshot after the fact.

1. Switch to the snapshot you want to modify.
2. Make your modification.
3. Add a new snapshot with the same name.
4. Delete the original snapshot that has that name.

[Lorox]

@ walt.farrell: Thank you, of course that's a way to finally have what I want, but it is a bit clumsy, isn't it? Not exactly elegant. Also, for a short while, you'll have 2 snapshots with the same name, which I personally find a little awkward.

Edited December 5, 2019 by Lorox
forgot something...

[Lorox]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

Instead of trying to refine the Snapshots, have you tried using the Cycle Future option in the History Panel? (You will also need to check “Save History With Document” in the “File menu.) This might allow you to do what you want.

Thanks! I just recently learned about that Cycle Future option. It's interesting (as well as the “Save History With Document” option), but I find it's not entirely intuitive (at least for me...). Imagine a file you have created months or years ago which you have to come back to for some updating or rearranging. I'd think anything not completely self explaining – as accordingly named snapshots might be – will set you thinking longer than desirable just to remember how you thought about it when you created the file in the first place.

I really think adding the option to update or duplicate and rename snapshots will be a most welcome feature.

[GarryP]

The Snapshot functionality looks to be ‘in it’s infancy’ at the moment so time will tell whether it is given more attention by the developers.
All we can do is keep adding requests for good improvements and see where things go in future releases.
I guess the same goes for the Cycle Future function too. I think that only came in with 1.7 so it’s probably not had enough time to come to the attention of people who might need more from it.

[Lorox]

19 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The Snapshot functionality looks to be ‘in it’s infancy’ at the moment so time will tell whether it is given more attention by the developers.
All we can do is keep adding requests for good improvements and see where things go in future releases.
I guess the same goes for the Cycle Future function too. I think that only came in with 1.7 so it’s probably not had enough time to come to the attention of people who might need more from it.

That's perfectly true! Especially when doing comparisons with the Adobe line of programs we have to be aware that they are around version 20 (or so) while with Affinity we're not even version 2... Having that in mind it's hard NOT to see what HAS been achieved with AD and AP so far nevertheless.

[walt.farrell]

20 hours ago, Lorox said:

I really think adding the option to update or duplicate and rename snapshots will be a most welcome feature.

Then you might want to post a request in the Feature Requests forum, or concur with an existing one if it's been requested previously

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, GarryP said:

The Snapshot functionality looks to be ‘in it’s infancy’ at the moment so time will tell whether it is given more attention by the developers.

Snapshots feel more like something that was put in awhile ago (I'm not sure what release introduced it; it was there in 1.6 when I started with the Affinity suite) that the developers have largely ignored since then. If I remember correctly there were several 1.7 features (including Cycle Futures, and some Pages-related functionality in Publisher) that don't quite work properly with Snapshots.

[GarryP]

There’s probably a chance that, now we have all three applications, the various snapshot/futures functions will join together in some way that will apply nicely to all three. Some kind of revisioning system, or something that could be used to make different versions of the same document (e.g. different languages) perhaps.

For me, it would be nice to be able to quickly select something that would automatically save a new version of the document under a different name (automatic numerical increment or date/time suffix?) without having to do a “Save As…” and manually change the filename, and without having to save the history in the document which can take up a lot of space. Some kind of "Save and Start New Version" menu option? That’s how I normally do revisions – version1.afdesign, version2.afdesign... version15.afdesign etc. – but that might be just me.