Control-E sometimes merges, sometimes toggles Eraser

[eobet]

• If you press Control-E on a pixel layer above a pixel layer, the layers merge.
• If you press Control-E on a pixel layer above an image layer, you toggle the erase tool
• If you press Control-E on two nested pixel layers, the resulting layer ALSO merges the pixels from the parent layer (super bad)!
• The layers right-click context menu doesn't show that Control-E is a shortcut.

Why can't the "assistant" detect that you're attempting to merge onto an image layer and automatically convert it to a pixel layer?

(Other pet peeves on image layers include the lack of ability to copy a selection from them, which is insane, imo...)

[walt.farrell]

57 minutes ago, eobet said:

• If you press Control-E on a pixel layer above a pixel layer, the layers merge.
• If you press Control-E on a pixel layer above an image layer, you toggle the erase tool
• If you press Control-E on two nested pixel layers, the resulting layer ALSO merges the pixels from the parent layer (super bad)!
• The layers right-click context menu doesn't show that Control-E is a shortcut.

Why can't the "assistant" detect that you're attempting to merge onto an image layer and automatically convert it to a pixel layer?

(Other pet peeves on image layers include the lack of ability to copy a selection from them, which is insane, imo...)

You've posted this as feedback for Designer. Did you perhaps mean it as feedback for Photo?

In Photo, Ctrl+E is the shortcut for the menu Layer > Merge Down, (not for Merge Down in the Layers right-click menu, by the way) and E (not Ctrl+E) is the default shortcut for the Erase Brush Tool.

Designer does have the Erase Brush, but only in the Pixel Persona. And nowhere in Designer do I find a Merge Down function.

[eobet]

Yes, can someone please move this to the Affinity Photo forum instead?