Free fabric styles - final, January 22, 2020

[jmwellborn]

Wednesday, Jan. 22.  These styles are now several entries below in this topic.  To while away the winter hours I decided to fiddle with making Styles.  It was going to be simple.    Well, it wasn't.    After scrolling through umpteen thousands of pages of royalty free fabric images from different sites, I have created 29 styles of fabric patterns (mostly paisleys), 29 styles of fabrics using botanicals, and 13 of whimsical animals.  I used the charming Affinity cat shape to create the" patterns" styles and to test them out which turns out to have been a mistake, because unless one wants a cat shape, the "patterns" styles have to be dragged around a bit to fit correctly into -- for example -- a rectangle .   I learned my lesson with the botanicals and animals.  I also made a PDF with each of the styles suitably draped inside said cat.   The PDF is also several entries below.  Perhaps some forum members may find these fun. 

These Styles were never going to save the world.   But without @v_kyr's extremely kind help, unfailing patience, and elegance in following my struggles with solutions,  I could not have managed it.  I am leaving the various "I am stuck" entries below, in case anybody else ever tries and fails as spectacularly as I have.   As an update, it looks as though the main problem was creating the Styles in Publisher.   I remade them, using Designer, and everything worked very well although I have definitely found that zipping the files has not been entirely error-free.  I think the problem must have something to do with my OS, because after one or two tries I can manage it.

 

[v_kyr]

Compare their file sizes with your originals, last time I uploaded assets I had trouble in this regard with those. If it's due to file sizes ZIP them and upload! - Oh 337 MB that's huge, maybe too huge, thus splitting them into parts #1, #2. #3 ... might be desired.

[jmwellborn]

3 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Compare their file sizes with your originals, last time I uploaded assets I had trouble in this regard with those. If it's due to file sizes ZIP them and upload!

Thank you so much!!   I have just done it and am now testing to see whether the zip file can download and open.  Nope.   I get this message.  

[v_kyr]

Try to distribute them in smaller category chunks (fabric styles parts #1, #2. #3 ...) as zipped files. Sometimes the forum software has issues with uploads, file format extensions and file sizes.

[jmwellborn]

1 hour ago, v_kyr said:

Try to distribute them in smaller category chunks (fabric styles parts #1, #2. #3 ...) as zipped files. Sometimes the forum software has issues with uploads, file format extensions and file sizes.

Thank you so much.  I will give it the old college try tomorrow.     Don’t think I will redo the pdf though.   I have been using my Mac’s zip utility, which creates an “archive.zip” file.   I wonder whether I should avoid the “compression” option, since the styles are based on bitmaps, made from jpgs and pngs.  Perhaps compression may be corrupting the zip file?  Anyway, after 4 hours of trying, “tomorrow is another day,” to quote Scarlett O’Hara.

[v_kyr]

7 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

I wonder whether I should avoid the “compression” option, since the styles are based on bitmaps, made from jpgs and pngs.  Perhaps compression may be corrupting the zip file?

No it shouldn't, it's just a compressed archive then and sometimes also the only way to get things somehow uploaded at all (see here, where zipping was the only way to share it). - Basically Affinity files are already LZW compressed due to their format, but the forums upload functionality has it's issues (as said before), it often refuses to correctly store filenames with several dots applied (like "*.assets.zip"), or does mismatch uploads (showing first the correct uploaded file size, but when you download you recognize that the uploaded file just has a portion of the original filesize). - Thus zipping can be a rescue in certain situations. It also helps to keep the files to upload small in sizes, so to not upload one huge file but instead a chunk of smaller ones, since there are also file size restrictions for possible uploads.

[v_kyr]

2 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

...According to the upload now in progress, the zip file is 231.4 MB. H'm'm.  Hopefully, it should contain 4 separate .afstyle files: Fabric patterns-1, Fabric patterns-2, Fabric patterns-3, and Fabric-patterns-4.

That's probably again too big for correct uploading. With in chunks I meant more "Fabric-patterns-1.zip", "Fabric-patterns-2.zip", "Fabric-patterns-3.zip", and "Fabric-patterns-4.zip", thus 4 seperate smaller zip-files to upload then.

[jmwellborn]

16 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

That's probably again too big for correct uploading. With in chunks I meant more "Fabric-patterns-1.zip", "Fabric-patterns-2.zip", "Fabric-patterns-3.zip", and "Fabric-patterns-4.zip", thus 4 seperate smaller zip-files to upload then.

Alright.  I will try again.   It is so kind of you to keep trying to help.   A walk with the dog has given me new life.  Barely.

[jmwellborn]

Here goes.

 

Fabric patterns-1.afstyles.zip

[v_kyr]

See for example my older fabric styles here, the biggest zip-file is just 13.7 MB, the other one only 8.7 MB (since I kept the images applied as styles small when creating the styles themself). Usually such smaller file sizes can be uploaded, as far as the forum software isn't generally damaged and misbehaving in some way with it's upload function (which can also occur and be possible).

[v_kyr]

9 minutes ago, jmwellborn said:

Here goes.

 

Fabric patterns-1.afstyles.zip

That works for me ...

... so you can add that one to your above initial thread posting as the first of the zip-files.

[jmwellborn]

Hi v_kyr:  I  used medium sized image files, because I wanted the colors and definition to be extremely clear.   Probably my first of many problems.  For what it is worth, my latest attempt -- just before this next to last message of yours,  seems to have downloaded back to me, and I managed to open it in Designer.  The file is 39.4 MB and uploaded in about 5 minutes.  So I am now going to try fabrics-2 and 3 and see what happens.   You are so kind to help this way.  I was about to throw in the towel!

[v_kyr]

Works with those smaller size assets as zip-file chunks (see my previous posting).

[jmwellborn]

Here are -2, -3 and -4.   Fingers crossed.  Two files resulted in "Decompression failed."  Patterns-3 seems to download and install properly.  Back to the drawing boards!  Patterns-2 seems to have worked.  Patterns-4 has a file which is quite a bit larger.   Rembrandt needs rework.

@v_kyr I am so grateful for your kindness in following this snarl.  Tomorrow I will start all over with the balance of these styles.   Live and learn.

Monday, Jan. 20: Here are most of the balance.

Tuesday, Jan.21:  Here are all the files except for 2 animals files and a revised PDF.    

 

Fabric patterns-1.afstyles.zip

Fabric patterns-2.afstyles.zip

Fabric patterns-3.afstyles.zip

Fabric patterns-4.afstyles.zip

Added:  Jan. 21, 2020

Free botanicals-1.afstyles.zip

Free botanicals-2.afstyles.zip

Free botanicals-3.afstyles.zip

Free botanicals-4.afstyles.zip

Added:  Jan. 22, 2020 - the remaining two files and the revised and final PDF.

Fabric animals-1.afstyles.zip

Fabric animals-2.afstyles.zip

Free fabrics - patterns, botanicals, animals.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[jmwellborn]

So now I have another problem.  I have created all of the Styles Categories in Publisher and dutifully populated them with workable styles.  But now four of the files will not "Export As Styles Category" with any content.   For example, a new .afstyles file named Flowers/Leaves-1 was populated with 8 Styles, and exported to my Affinity Styles Folder.  When I  try (repeatedly)  to Import that category into either Photo or Designer, the Styles Panels enter a new category named Leaves and are completely blank.   I have tried deleting everything and starting from scratch.  No luck.  Exactly the same thing happened.  There were four files:

Flowers/Leaves-1,   32.6 MB
Flowers/Leaves-2   28.7 MB
Flowers/Leaves-3   31.6 MB
Flowers/Leaves-4    28.9 MB

Each of these files happily zipped, showing exactly those file sizes.   Yet they are all empty.

Help?    @MEB?  @Callum?  Dare I ask @v_kyr for another rescue?  I am really stumped.

[v_kyr]

Not sure if Publisher always behaves well here, meaning it may possibly have bugs related to these things on export. - Thus I would trust AD more in this regard for creating and exporting styles in a readable and reusable manner.

[jmwellborn]

@v_kyr  Thank you so much.  That was my conclusion as well, around 3:00 a.m.!    I am going to move all these styles files to a flash drive, remove them from my computer, and then start over in Designer.  You have been so splendid in helping me.  I hope I will get this thrashed out in a day or two!

[Pepperdog2]

Very nice work. Thank you for posting.

[Pepperdog2]

Here's a quickie using some of your styles. Thanks again.

[jmwellborn]

@Pepperdog2  It is so nice to see that the downloads of these files are actually working. Thank you!

[jmwellborn]

@v_kyr Another huge thank you!   Without your knowledge I was destined for failure, and it became a matter of principle not to give up.  You have been so gracious with your time and I truly appreciate all your help!

[v_kyr]

No problem my pleasure, that's what the forum is for here, to help each other if possible.

[MEB]

Hi jmwellborn,
Sorry the delay getting back to you. I haven't been working those last few weeks due to some personal issues. Do you still have those four style files you created in Publisher that fail to import in Designer or Photo? Any chance you can upload them for us to check please? Thanks.

[jmwellborn]

5 hours ago, MEB said:

Hi jmwellborn,
Sorry the delay getting back to you. I haven't been working those last few weeks due to some personal issues. Do you still have those four style files you created in Publisher that fail to import in Designer or Photo? Any chance you can upload them for us to check please? Thanks.

Hi MEB:   I am so sorry that you are having difficulties.  I hope so much that it isn't the health problems recurring!   I am going back through Time Machine to extract all of the  files created using Publisher (.afstyles and zips) related to the four Flowers-leaves .afstyles files that would not upload to the Forum, the four Leaves-flowers.astyles files that replaced the first four (renaming them so that there wouldn't be confusion) and that seemed to upload but turned themselves into blank "Leaves" .afstyles files when I downloaded them and tried to import them into Designer or Photo.   I will be glad to send them, but I don't think I should try to upload the lot here.  Could you provide me with a DropBox link?   When I tried back on January 18 to upload an .afstyles file directly to the Forum without zipping it first, it was rejected.   

 

[MEB]

Hi jmwellborn,
Yes, but fortunately I'm well now. Thanks for your concern 
Here's the upload link as requested.