Workbook pages 373-376

[PaulD]

Layer panel on Page 373 vs my screenshot?

1. "Portrait" background in Book is gone?

2. Girl Layer in book shown as pixel?  ...Assistant corrected mine?

3. Screen images as seen on screenshot does not show image as 'filled' although background is at 'bottom of stack'?

Page 376: Tried to choose Snow Mountain 1 to Duplicate.   Assistant rasterized it? What's difference between Layer Menu>Duplicate and Duplicate Selection?

 

Thanks again!

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, PaulD said:

1. "Portrait" background in Book is gone?

At some point after the workbook was published, two files included in the original 'snowqueen' zip file download went missing.

A search of the forum on "snowqueen" doesn't turn up much, but there is this one. It doesn't really provide a definitive answer for why those files are missing but the post by @walt.farrell near the end may (or may not) help you complete the project.

All I know for sure is back when I first downloaded the zip file (exact date unknown but probably around the beginning of 2018) unzipping it produced 3 files:

Now, a fresh download using exactly the same URL only includes the snow_queen.afphoto file.

[walt.farrell]

I made two posts on that thread; I think the one that R C-R meant is this one:

 

[PaulD]

To Walt and R-C-R:

I have the three files. Links to the Portratl/Austin downloads are provided.

Any help on why the processes are different than the book?

Are there new updates from Affinity Photo that change the behavior?

[firstdefence]

The main difference between the screen shots is the top screen shot has a mountain "image" layer at the top, while the bottom screenshot has a mountain "Pixel" layer.

Without the screenshots having titles I don't know which is which but you could try rasterising the mountain image layer.

[R C-R]

12 hours ago, PaulD said:

I have the three files. Links to the Portratl/Austin downloads are provided.

OK, that's good but then I am puzzled by what you meant in your first post by ""Portrait" background in Book is gone?"

The first part of the project is titled "Opening Image." In my edition of the workbook that is on page 368 but yours may be numbered slightly differently. Step 2 is to open the file named portrait-1754894.png. For some reason in my download that file is named "portrait-1754894.jpg (& unlike what the workbook says it is not locked) but either way on the following page in the "Refining the selection" section, step 6 is to rename this layer from "Background" to "Girl."

So at that point that layer should be the (now masked) one originally named "Background" & now renamed "Girl," derived from the downloaded & unzipped file named portrait-1754894. From your screenshots it looks like you did not do this -- the layer named "Girl" is a mask layer with a child layer that is an unnamed duplicate mask layer, & below that in the layer stack is the original Background layer.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, firstdefence said:

The main difference between the screen shots is the top screen shot has a mountain "image" layer at the top, while the bottom screenshot has a mountain "Pixel" layer.

Without the screenshots having titles I don't know which is which but you could try rasterising the mountain image layer.

If the steps in the workbook are followed correctly, the "Snow Mountain 1" layer should be an image layer, one that is eventually masked by a layer that is a copy of the mask that should have been applied to the "Girl" layer. The "Girl" layer should be a pixel layer.

[PaulD]

Thanks to firstdefence and R C-R:

Blue is my response with 'Labeled" snapshots. I'm still missing something

OK, that's good but then I am puzzled by what you meant in your first post by ""Portrait" background in Book is gone?"

The first part of the project is titled "Opening Image." In my edition of the workbook that is on page 368 but yours may be numbered slightly differently. Step 2 is to open the file named portrait-1754894.png. For some reason in my download that file is named "portrait-1754894.jpg (& unlike what the workbook says it is not locked) but either way on the following page in the "Refining the selection" section, step 6 is to rename this layer from "Background" to "Girl." My “Portrait” is also .JPG and is Locked. “Refining “ page sets OUTPUT to Mask and then to rename to Girl.  “Girl” is still Masked. See Snapshots. Created new layer “Background” . See snapshot. Layers Panel in Book shows “Girl” Masked to “Portrait Background” Layer not as separate layer as created by instructions I “think” I followed?

So at that point that layer should be the (now masked) one originally named "Background" & now renamed "Girl," derived from the downloaded & unzipped file named portrait-1754894. From your screenshots it looks like you did not do this -- the layer named "Girl" is a mask layer with a child layer that is an unnamed duplicate mask layer, & below that in the layer stack is the original Background layer.

[PaulD]

OK. Another stupid question- Snapshots are named on my desktop but not provided on the attached snapshots. How do you get the label sent with the snapshot?

[firstdefence]

Just add text above the image.

Fig.1

[PaulD]

1 hour ago, PaulD said:

Thanks to firstdefence and R C-R:

Blue is my response with 'Labeled" snapshots. I'm still missing something

OK, that's good but then I am puzzled by what you meant in your first post by ""Portrait" background in Book is gone?"

The first part of the project is titled "Opening Image." In my edition of the workbook that is on page 368 but yours may be numbered slightly differently. Step 2 is to open the file named portrait-1754894.png. For some reason in my download that file is named "portrait-1754894.jpg (& unlike what the workbook says it is not locked) but either way on the following page in the "Refining the selection" section, step 6 is to rename this layer from "Background" to "Girl." My “Portrait” is also .JPG and is Locked. “Refining “ page sets OUTPUT to Mask and then to rename to Girl.  “Girl” is still Masked. See Snapshots. Created new layer “Background” . See snapshot. Layers Panel in Book shows “Girl” Masked to “Portrait Background” Layer not as separate layer as created by instructions I “think” I followed?

So at that point that layer should be the (now masked) one originally named "Background" & now renamed "Girl," derived from the downloaded & unzipped file named portrait-1754894. From your screenshots it looks like you did not do this -- the layer named "Girl" is a mask layer with a child layer that is an unnamed duplicate mask layer, & below that in the layer stack is the original Background layer.

 

16 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Just add text above the image.

Fig.1

First Snapshot is renamed 'Girl' after Refine step.

Second is adding 'Austen-Snow Mountain image'.

Third is showing the result of the Refine step as Masked Output from Book instructions.

[walt.farrell]

On 1/25/2020 at 11:05 AM, PaulD said:

Layer panel on Page 373 vs my screenshot?

As different printings of the book have different page numbers, it's not clear to me what "page 373" is. What's the heading on that page?

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, PaulD said:

First Snapshot is renamed 'Girl' after Refine step.

Second is adding 'Austen-Snow Mountain image'.

Third is showing the result of the Refine step as Masked Output from Book instructions.

I am not sure what you mean by this but layers & snapshots are two different things. After unzipping the download, you should have a file named "portrait-1754894" which, when opened in AP, results in a single "(Pixel)" type layer named "Background." Later, after refining the outline around the girl in that layer & clicking apply, that "Background" layer should have a mask layer indented below it (so it becomes its child). At this point, the next step is to rename the "Background" layer (not the mask layer) to "Girl."

The next step is to place the file from the download named "austin-smart-70353-unsplash" onto the canvas so it is over the "Girl" layer (it will be placed as an "(Image)" layer) & subsequently to rename that layer to "snow mountain 01."

At this point in the project, your layers panel should look like this:

Your screenshots show something different -- the mask layer is not a child layer & it is renamed "Girl" instead of the "(Pixel)" layer that was originally named "Background" by default when you opened the "portrait-1754894.jpg" file.

Snapshots are not layers. The unzipped file from the download named "snow_queen.afphoto" includes 9 named snapshots, but that file is only intended as a reference for what your project file should look like at various points in the project. If that file from the download is open in AP, the Snapshot Studio panel should look like this:

There will not be any snapshots in your project file unless you create & name them yourself (which is not necessary).

[PaulD]

First Thanks to all who have responded to me. I think I found the problem. The mask created by the Refine Step  (Title: Refining Selection, my page 371) is creating the Mask above the Background (Portrait.jpg) layer. I have to move it to make it a child layer to the Background layer and rename it to 'Girl'. I'll continue the project and see if this works.

 

Thanks again.

[PaulD]

Opps...I'm back:

The screenshot shows Snow Mountain 1 as (Images) which matches the Layer Panel photo on page 373 (Creating Background). The next page in the Book (Blending Modes) Instruction #1 shows the Snow Mountain 1 layer as (pixel)? I have been here before. If I continue, I will lose the Mask Layer because AP Assistant will rasterize it?

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, PaulD said:

I think I found the problem. The mask created by the Refine Step  (Title: Refining Selection, my page 371) is creating the Mask above the Background (Portrait.jpg) layer. I have to move it to make it a child layer to the Background layer and rename it to 'Girl'.

I am not certain but I think the reason for this is (as mentioned somewhere near the beginning of the workbook) AP is supposed to be set to the app's factory defaults for all the projects. Adding masks & adjustments as child layers are (or at least were when the workbook was published) among the defaults enabled by the Assistant Manager , which itself is enabled by default.

This also explains why opening my "portrait-1754894.jpg" file did not result in a locked "Background" layer. I had long ago turned off the default option to 'automatically lock the background layer on import' in Preferences > User Interface & forgot I had done that.

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, PaulD said:

The next page in the Book (Blending Modes) Instruction #1 shows the Snow Mountain 1 layer as (pixel)?

I think that is a typo in the text -- two pages later (next to step 11 on page 374 of my copy of the workbook) the picture of the Layers panel shows both the Snow Mountain 01 & Snow Mountain 02 layers as "(Image)" layers, as does the picture of that panel a few pages layer in the "Retouching 03: Finishing off" section.

Everything should work fine if you leave it as an "(Image)" layer.

[walt.farrell]

10 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I think that is a typo in the text -- two pages later (next to step 11 on page 374 of my copy of the workbook) the picture of the Layers panel shows both the Snow Mountain 01 & Snow Mountain 02 layers as "(Image)" layers, as does the picture of that panel a few pages layer in the "Retouching 03: Finishing off" section.

Everything should work fine if you leave it as an "(Image)" layer.

I agree. The Layers panel is consistently showing (Image) for the Snow Mountain layers, but the text is saying Pixel, though nothing has been done to rasterize the layers.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

... but the text is saying Pixel, though nothing has been done to rasterize the layers.

I think "Pixel" is mentioned only once in the text in connection with the one mountain layer.

[PaulD]

Thanks Walt.farrell,

I will go forward.

[PaulD]

Thanks C R-C:

 

I will go forward. 

[PaulD]

Continuing saga....

Retouch 01:

1. Says 'All layers deselected..' I get a blank screen as expected... not the 'Girl' Layer as the book picture shows. (See first screen shot).

2. If I deselect layers back to 'Girl' as I think I should, I get 'Girl' without Snow Mountain overlay.  See second screen shot?

 

 

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, PaulD said:

1. Says 'All layers deselected..' I

You are, I think, confusing "deselected" with "hidden". A layer is deselected when it is not highlighted blue in the Layers panel and has no bounding box showing in the work area.

The book wants you to make sure the layers are deselected, and you are hiding them instead. Just click somewhere outside the image to deselect the layers, or use Select > Deselect Layers from the menu.

 

[PaulD]

I'm easily confused.... sometimes

 

Thanks for the clarification.

[PaulD]

Final Question... project finished 

Live Filters page 382 says Merge Visible to flatten all visible layers (as in 'not Hidden'?). I expected all layers in panel to be flattened to 'The Snow Queen'? First screen shot (I know...not snap shot) is before merge , second is result.  Is this right?