1 Pixel is 4 Pixels

[BGIII]

This is extremely frustrating. I was working on a piece with correct pixel size width of 1, then all of a sudden when I return back to my work, the pixel sizes are off.

If you refer to the image, you'll see that the lines at the very top of the image are made up of pixels with a width of 1. The 3 "squares" below are, according to Affinity Designer, the "new" 1-width pixels. If you refer to the top "square", I am previewing it with the Eraser tool and as you can see it is made up of 4 pixels despite the fact that the width is 1 (see the settings). No, I did not draw out the square, I literally pressed on the screen with my stylus once and this is what it produced.

--> Oh and this is only happening in a specific document. Creating a new document produces the correct width of pixels, which makes it all the more frustrating. This has happened several times before, seemingly random, so I cannot reproduce it.

Please tell me that I'm doing something wrong. I started off liking this application about 6 months ago, but after coming across several bugs - not including this one - on my Windows machine, I'm honestly beginning to consider other options. I couldn't even recommend it to others at this point. Very disappointed right now with this great product that has a lot of potential.

Edited January 6, 2020 by BGIII
Forgot an extra piece of detail

[Fzyn]

up

[GarryP]

I’m struggling to figure out what you started with which is making it difficult to find out what’s wrong.
I’ve marked a few areas on the attached image which need some explanation.
It looks like your pixel layer kight have moved ‘off the pixel grid’ by a small amount (and/or been resized) which could cause some problems, but I can’t tell from your image, and I can’t figure out how some things have happened.
Can you give more details about your document set-up please?

[BGIII]

3 hours ago, GarryP said:

I’m struggling to figure out what you started with which is making it difficult to find out what’s wrong.
I’ve marked a few areas on the attached image which need some explanation.
It looks like your pixel layer kight have moved ‘off the pixel grid’ by a small amount (and/or been resized) which could cause some problems, but I can’t tell from your image, and I can’t figure out how some things have happened.
Can you give more details about your document set-up please?

Hey @Garryp 

Oh, on the left is my work. It's just colored in so that could be ignored. To your question: the square on the left is not 1 pixel. One pixel are the ones on the right (or refer to the image I posted with the purple circle around it). 

Furthermore, if you take a look at the faded square on the left, above the one you pointed out (circled in the blue), you can see that it's comprised of 4 pixels. Essentially, 1 "blue pixel" (square) = 4 "purple" pixels

[GarryP]

One thing that’s confusing me is the rulers.
They seem to be showing me that the size of the pixels is the same size as the larger squares rather than the size of the square you highlighted in purple.
I have a feeling that your Pixel layer has been resized (and/or moved) so that the pixels in the layer are no longer sized/aligned with the pixels in the document but it’s difficult to tell what’s going on from a single screen-grab.
My attached video shows what can happen if a pixel layer is resized.

[BGIII]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

One thing that’s confusing me is the rulers.
They seem to be showing me that the size of the pixels is the same size as the larger squares rather than the size of the square you highlighted in purple.
I have a feeling that your Pixel layer has been resized (and/or moved) so that the pixels in the layer are no longer sized/aligned with the pixels in the document but it’s difficult to tell what’s going on from a single screen-grab.
My attached video shows what can happen if a pixel layer is resized.

The ruler is a fair point. However, if we're talking about a pixel layer resized, when I draw within that said pixel layer shouldn't newly added pixels be consistent with it then?

What I don't understand is when I create a brand new document - disregard what the ruler says - produces the pixels that I want/have been using for several other drawings. This is like the 4th time the pixel size switched on me randomly and unfortunately the only time I haven't been able to recover lol. 

To your point about the pixel layer resize, this may be a clue into what's happening (these are the steps I did to try and fix it):

1. Open a new document -> In this new document, I create a pixel layer and get the 1 pixel that I desire (not "4 pixels per pixel")

2. Copy and paste my Pixel Folder over to this new document created in step 1 -> Now the pixel layer in step 1 produces the "4 pixels per pixel"

[GarryP]

The pixels in a pixel layer should all be the same size as each other but I don’t know what should happen if you set a 1-pixel brush and draw on a pixel layer where the pixels are smaller (after being resized) than those in the document. It looks like your Erase Brush is 1-pixel according to the document but it’s showing as four pixels in the pixel layer because the pixels in that layer are smaller; i.e. the 1-document-pixel brush is getting spread over four pixels in the layer.

I think you might be in the unfortunate situation with this document that it’s gone so far down the line that the origin of the problem may now be obscured. Locking pixel layers may stop it happening again in the future but that doesn’t help in this case.

I don’t do a lot of this kind of close-up pixel work myself so I’m not the best person to give much more advice. I could be blundering around for days of experimentation trying to figure out what has happened but someone else might be able to give you an answer almost immediately. Maybe an expert will come to see this and give you a better answer.

You may need to share your document – or a cut-down version of it – so someone can see exactly what’s happening for themselves. It’s usually much easier to just go in and see rather than trying to infer from static images and words.

[BGIII]

32 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The pixels in a pixel layer should all be the same size as each other but I don’t know what should happen if you set a 1-pixel brush and draw on a pixel layer where the pixels are smaller (after being resized) than those in the document. It looks like your Erase Brush is 1-pixel according to the document but it’s showing as four pixels in the pixel layer because the pixels in that layer are smaller; i.e. the 1-document-pixel brush is getting spread over four pixels in the layer.

I think you might be in the unfortunate situation with this document that it’s gone so far down the line that the origin of the problem may now be obscured. Locking pixel layers may stop it happening again in the future but that doesn’t help in this case.

I don’t do a lot of this kind of close-up pixel work myself so I’m not the best person to give much more advice. I could be blundering around for days of experimentation trying to figure out what has happened but someone else might be able to give you an answer almost immediately. Maybe an expert will come to see this and give you a better answer.

You may need to share your document – or a cut-down version of it – so someone can see exactly what’s happening for themselves. It’s usually much easier to just go in and see rather than trying to infer from static images and words.

Well regardless, I appreciate your consistent replies in trying to help me. That means a lot and I also learned a few things too! I appreciate it, @GarryP . Might have to just take it under the chin and redo the piece and cross my fingers that it doesn't happen again haha. 

[GarryP]

You’re welcome.
I would be interested in hearing from an expert on this, if only to learn more about it myself.
If we can find out what’s happened/happening then there’s a chance that it will help someone else in a similar situation.

[Sean P]

Hi BGIII,

I believe GarryP has hit the nail on the head regarding your pixel layer having been resized. 

Lets say you have a 72dpi document (using pixels) and you start create a pixel layer on. The Pixel layer is created at 72dpi and currently a 1px brush is equivilent to 1 pixel on the document's ruler.

If I then resize that layer using the Move Tool (technically rescaling) so that it is 100% bigger, then the pixel layer is scaled (and not resampled) making it 36dpi. So now whenever you use the pixel tool on that layer, a pixel is always twice as big as you're expecting.

Unfortunately this can be confusing behaviour, but it means that we don't destructively resample your image, allowing you to later change the scaling should you change your mind. If you want to ensure a pixel will always equal the document's pixel then rasterising the layer after you resize it will allow you to paint as you're expecting.

I can understand your confusion, but our current method is by design and avoids destructively modifying your document.

Hope that makes some sense, if not let me know and I'll try to make a clearer explanation.  

[BGIII]

44 minutes ago, Sean P said:

Hi BGIII,

I believe GarryP has hit the nail on the head regarding your pixel layer having been resized. 

Lets say you have a 72dpi document (using pixels) and you start create a pixel layer on. The Pixel layer is created at 72dpi and currently a 1px brush is equivilent to 1 pixel on the document's ruler.

If I then resize that layer using the Move Tool (technically rescaling) so that it is 100% bigger, then the pixel layer is scaled (and not resampled) making it 36dpi. So now whenever you use the pixel tool on that layer, a pixel is always twice as big as you're expecting.

Unfortunately this can be confusing behaviour, but it means that we don't destructively resample your image, allowing you to later change the scaling should you change your mind. If you want to ensure a pixel will always equal the document's pixel then rasterising the layer after you resize it will allow you to paint as you're expecting.

I can understand your confusion, but our current method is by design and avoids destructively modifying your document.

Hope that makes some sense, if not let me know and I'll try to make a clearer explanation.  

Hey @Sean P

Then in that case, I believe a shoutout is in order to @GarryP . I'll create a new document with the adjusted DPI and that should fix the problem then. I was totally oblivious to that. If others have ran into the same problem, hopefully they come across this post. I'll post my findings later on in the day to notify others :). 

On another note since I have your attention, are there going to be any enhancements for the application on window tablets (2-in-1 laptops specifically)? Tablet mode is understandably lacking compared to iPads for example. It's not deterring my love for the app, but it would make me appreciate it a lot more if there were enhancements there.. and of course increase my efficiency haha

[Sean P]

On 1/9/2020 at 2:02 PM, BGIII said:

On another note since I have your attention, are there going to be any enhancements for the application on window tablets (2-in-1 laptops specifically)? Tablet mode is understandably lacking compared to iPads for example. It's not deterring my love for the app, but it would make me appreciate it a lot more if there were enhancements there.. and of course increase my efficiency haha