Affinity Designer for Windows - 1.8.0

[Patrick Connor]

<EDITED> Please note, Affinity Designer 1.8.2 for Windows is now live so this thread is locked </EDITED>

We are pleased to announce a major update for the Windows release of Affinity Designer, version 1.8.0

Changes in this Build

The changes in Affinity Designer for Windows 1.8.0 (over the last release Affinity Designer for Windows 1.7.3) are as follows:

New Features & Improvements:

• Template support – save documents as template files to re-use time and time again, share templates across all apps and even access files on multiple devices through cloud storage.
• New document dialog – it’s now simpler than ever to find, create and manage document presets with customised, saveable presets and thumbnail previews.
• Boolean operation improvements – add, subtract and combine shapes to create custom designs better than ever before.
• Updated PANTONE© library – work with a seemingly endless range of colours, including updated PANTONE© Color Bridge and PANTONE© Formula Guide solid palettes (coated and uncoated).
• Massive expand stroke improvements – get incredibly accurate results with far fewer nodes than before.
• New Stock panel – quickly access royalty free images through the app’s brand-new Stock panel.
• Many other improvements and fixes.

Fixes
(some of these are phrased in the negative but nevertheless fixed)

• Vector brush is slow to draw quick lines and draws them straight instead of curved
• Cannot drag objects into Assets
• Right click does not function for surface pen
• Strokes not printing correctly
• Printed line is not correct thickness
• Crash: Include colour bars with a certain file
• Cog shape only allows up to 48 teeth
• Wacom Tablet starts drawing straight line after changing focus.
• Software now requires Windows ink for pressure to work
• Grids fail to display correctly on Artboards
• Print dialog isn't removing the red overlay on a scaled image
• Cannot set margins for artboards using Guides Manager
• Microsoft Surface - Cursor jump if drawing close to the edge
• User file: missing elements when importing EPS
• Tools disabled when starting the app with hidden UI
• Unable to alter Mask's visibility options in Export Persona
• Open folder in explorer should be greyed out until you've saved the file
• Changing DPI using Anchor to Page resizes document
• Create Palette from CMYK images imports as RGB
• Global Colour dialog's colour picker always uses RGB
• Choosing a specific page in the print dialog prints all pages
• Brush Outline missing when using Tablet/Surface
• Clip to Canvas should be greyed out for artboards
• Studio panels can be wrong size after reset
• Pointer device triggers straight lines when using the mouse
• Focus doesn't go to active document when multiple documents are open
• Extend the limit on the number on favourite fonts
• New document panel should select Letter as default in the US.
• Show Left Studio / Show Right Studio need adding to Studio menu
• Unable to set Arrow Keys as shortcuts
• Tablet cursor jumps about when using High Precision Input
• Drawing with Wacom creates stepped curves
• Boolean Add can create duplicate nodes in the same spot
• Hidden layer's pixel content is lost when exporting to PSD
• Add to swatches > As global colour fails with multiple objects
• Tool Settings/Presets saved showing in other applications that don't support them.
• Add operation fails on curves with only two points
• Layer thumbnails on the Layers panel don't get updated after changing a a global colour from the swatches panel
• User file TIFF Alpha does not render correctly
• Pixel Selection appears incorrectly when started near page edge
• Live filters and PDF export: live filters not being processed/rendered when exporting to PDF
• Other minor fixes and improvements

 

UPDATING TO THIS VERSION (free for existing customers)

The software version can be seen on the splash screen and the About dialog (in Help > About Affinity Designer).

If you’ve purchased from the Affinity Store— each time you start the Affinity Store software it will check for updates and offer any available update. The latest update will install over the top of any earlier version, with no need to uninstall. You can download the latest installer by logging into the affinity store here and find the order in your account and use the "Download" button in there. Alternatively, this new release (and previous versions of Affinity Designer for Windows) can be downloaded from this link (that installer is NOT for Windows Store purchases and needs a product key).

If you’ve purchased from the Microsoft Store— Microsoft Store updates are done automatically by the operating system (each time you start the application). If this does not happen for you, open the Windows Store app and click the three dots in the top right corner of the app and then go to Downloads and Updates. Click Get Updates. This should hopefully force the update to show.

[Patrick Connor]

All Readers

This thread is only for commenting on this announcement.

Please do not post bugs or problems that you find when using this version of the software in this thread, instead make a new thread in the Designer Bugs on Windows section and questions about usage go in the Desktop Questions forum.

[nitro912gr]

Thank you everyone in serif for giving us those great apps without subscription and in reasonable price!

 

[Grzeniu]

Well done. So many of the features affect my work flow positively - stock in Designer, IDML import, documents merge in Publisher, stroke expanding tweaks and a few others.

It's amazing to see all the stuff added. Keep the good job going! Also congratulations! 

Edit: The performance! Did you guys work on it? Because everything became significantly smoother and more resposive during usage - interface, elements manipulation, fonts choosing. On 1.7.x it was quite slow and frustrating (but quite same as in Illustrator), now it's so much quicker! Just as a note, that's at i7 8th gen, 16GB of RAM and GTX1050Ti.

[Pšenda]

2 hours ago, Patrick Connor said:

The changes in Affinity Designer for Windows 1.8.0 

Just a small comment - the wording is probably not the most appropriate. Rather, I would expect the Windows number after an OS name, not an ADesigner version.

[StuartRc]

Once again!...Thanks for the latest update...and for all your hard work...I am sure it is widely appreciated....I am going to be very distracted today!

[Eddy-2]

Thanks.

[Dave Vector]

Yes, I have to chime in and express gratitude for the continued improvements to this more-than-reasonably-priced, non-subscription-based software!

Your team rocks!

[Eryk]

Thank You! Great job!

My 1st observation to this update (not mentioned): Linking to .aphoto files instead embending (when replace) is finally gone... I will miss it ;-)

[Patrick Connor]

@Eryk

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

This Publisher feature/option should never have been allowed to get into Photo with no resource manager, and I am sure you will not be alone in "missing" it.

[nitro912gr]

Hey how about the fixes?

 

Quote

 

Fixes

• List still being compiled and will be posted here shortly

 

•  

[matisso]

8 hours ago, Patrick Connor said:

Massive expand stroke improvements – get incredibly accurate results with far fewer nodes than before.

Yay! I launched latest beta only yesterday and thought “heck, this expand stroke finally produces some pretty decent result” and presto, today is the stable release day! Kudos guys and thanks!

Regards,
Matt

[SrPx]

Thank you specially for the expand stroke improvements!

 

[CVA]

That expand stroke improvements are very welcomed indeed. Thanks and congrats on this version release to all the team. 

[IslanderFJ]

I'm excited about all the fixes and enhancements.  I am running 1.7.3.481 on a Windows 10.  I downloaded 1.8 and ran it but got a setup failed error.

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, IslanderFJ said:

I'm excited about all the fixes and enhancements.  I am running 1.7.3.481 on a Windows 10.  I downloaded 1.8 and ran it but got a setup failed error.

 

[IslanderFJ]

Ok read all the posts regarding setup failed error.  I rebooted and ran the setup as Admin again and it worked this time.  Yay!!! 18.8.0.055

 

[mrappz]

Great update!! Finally we can use templates, that is very useful for me because I am designing mugs and having templates saves me a lot of time. I must test all the new features but I think that is a great improvement. Thank you very much and great job my friends.

[Patrick Connor]

@mrappz

Thanks for the feedback and welcome to the Serif Affinity forums

[Patrick Connor]

A series of posts, started by @hifred ,about the new PSD smart object feature has been split off and can be found here

 

 

[lukmankc]

Expand Stroke still suck,

See this video https://www.loom.com/share/e59a0a36a6ea4337aaa517b2b698b761

[nitro912gr]

45 minutes ago, lukmankc said:

Expand Stroke still suck,

See this video https://www.loom.com/share/e59a0a36a6ea4337aaa517b2b698b761

I tried to do this but I don't get this weird results, maybe it have something to do with fill mode under "layer" menu? I have alternative.

[Patrick Connor]

@lukmankc

Your post and file are moved to this thread, as this thread is not the place to discuss problems

[pgraficzny]

Thanks for another great update.

[Tupaia]

Thank you very much! Keep the good stuff coming..!