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Do this:

 

1. Launch AP.

2. New document.

3. Choose the Paint Brush and a color.

4. >> Note it says: "The assistant has added a new raster layer"

5. Close without saving.

6. New document.

7. Choose the Flood Fill tool (paint bucket) and a color.

8. Click on the page.

9. >> NOTHING HAPPENS.

 

It does not make logical sense to me why the Assistant would assist me in auto creating a pixel layer for the Paint Brush tool but refuse to create a pixel layer when I click the Flood Fill tool on the canvas.  Can someone explain the logic to me?  If there is no sound logic behind it, I am inclined to submit a new feature request.

 

(Keep in mind I am comparing my experience to Photoshop, where I don't need an assistant to create a paintable layer because a paintable layer appears automatically in Photoshop.)

 

Thanks.

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Hi JDW, 

 

Rather than a feature request, I think it should be a bug report. 

 

A new AP document has no layer by default, so it's illogical to flood fill no layer. 

 

Perhaps AP should have a pixel layer by default when creating a new document. 

 

Paul.  ;)

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This is related to a point I raised on another thread.

 

After performing an action - any action that creates a new layer (eg adjusting shadows on a photo), if I want to do ANYTHING to the base layer - the original photo (eg Liquefy, Warp Mesh, etc), I specifically have to click on the Layers tab to switch from the Adjustments tab, then click on the base layer to select/activate it, and only THEN can I do my warping or whatever.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense - or at least be an option - to assume that the base layer is ALWAYS selected by default unless another is specifically selected? That way, workflow is streamlined if I lighten the shadows on a photo, adjust the colour temperature, tweak the sharpening, and then decide that I want to do a bit of liquefying or warping. Rarely would I envisage needing to do that on any of the additional layers - surely it makes sense to assume that I want to work on the base layer? 

 

And as per the original post, having the base layer selected by default would make much more sense, requiring specific activation of different layers if actions are to be performed on them? And a new document SHOULD be the base layer by default - even with no content. Filling with a background colour, or gradient, for example, should be able to be done as soon as a new document is created.

 

My vote goes to having the base layer active by default unless specifically changed, or at least make that an option in Preferences. ;)

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Bug Report or Feature Request... Hmmm...

Maybe someone from Serif will reply here to help me decide which is best.

 

For now, I'd like to mention that I am experienced with Photoshop (PS) and now transitioning to Affinity Photo (AP).  As you know, PS has a BACKGROUND layer that is created and locked by default.  You really can't make an equivalent BACKGROUND layer in AP from what I can see.  Meaning, if I have multiple layers and a BACKGROUND layer in PS, if I select the topmost layer in the stack and Send to Back, it will fall to the bottom of the layer stack BUT ABOVE the background layer.  Not so in AP.

 

So creating a true background pixel layer by default in AP seems logical to me, but perhaps that is because I am used to it in PS.  Since AP does not do that, can someone from Serif explain the logic as to why not?

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  • 1 year later...

I'm glad someone else had this issue, I thought it was just me! I bought Designer and thought.. "Let me try Photo, maybe I'll buy that one too." First test.. simple. Basic even. New Document, Flood Fill. Didn't work. Tried about 5 times, it was so frustrating!! Then I came here and saw this. Your work around worked. However, why would I buy a program that can not do the very simplest of tasks without a work around? At this time, I'm not. :wacko:

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If I picked up a sheet of paper I wouldn't expect it to have a solid colour as a default, so it seems kind of logical to me. Remember that Affinity is a photo editing program, not a painting program. And what is so logical about selecting a tool to "flood fill" a whole page?

 

In Affinity, if you want a layer with a solid fill colour, just make a new Fill layer. Layer > New Fill Layer which will immediately be "flood filled" in whatever colour you have set as the primary colour. Just one click. Or, make a new fill layer and click on any colour you like and the layer is immediately in that colour. No need to select a tool first and "flood fill" anything. Just, two clicks.

 

In PS you have to select the tool, select the colour, then click on the page. That's at least one more click and a rather illogical "Flood Fill".

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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If I picked up a sheet of paper I wouldn't expect it to have a solid colour as a default, so it seems kind of logical to me. Remember that Affinity is a photo editing program, not a painting program. And what is so logical about selecting a tool to "flood fill" a whole page?

 

What's illogical, or at least inconsistent, is that using the Paint Brush Tool on an empty document triggers the creation of a new layer but using the Flood Fill Tool does not. In those cases where the Assistant cannot or does not assist, there should be an error message to tell the user why nothing is happening.

 

BTW, if I picked up a sheet of paper I would expect it to have a solid colour, usually white. ^_^

Alfred spacer.png
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen)

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What's illogical, or at least inconsistent, is that using the Paint Brush Tool on an empty document triggers the creation of a new layer but using the Flood Fill Tool does not. In those cases where the Assistant cannot or does not assist, there should be an error message to tell the user why nothing is happening.

 

BTW, if I picked up a sheet of paper I would expect it to have a solid colour, usually white. ^_^

An error message when nothing happens? There are lots of tools that do nothing. What is so special about the Flood Fill? What about the Gradient tool, the Dodge or Burn tools, or the Red Eye Removal tool?

 

The wrong tool for the job means the wrong tool (as Theresa May would say). Affinity can't correct us every time we screw up. It does help with the paint tool because a brush tool is reasonably sensible to start painting on a blank layer, replacing a colour when there is no colour to replace is no more logical than correcting red eye when there are no eyes. The Paintbrush is a creation tool, the Flood Fill is an editing tool, to my mind.

 

The Flood Fill is for replacing areas of colour with another colour. Not for creating a Fill Layer. And the red eye tool is for correcting Red Eye, not creating a fill layer either.

 

I think the problem is, we are all so used to doing things wrong i.e. Photoshop, we want Affinity to do it wrong too!

 

I agree that I would expect a white sheet of paper to be white too. I still would not expect a Photo editing program to start off as a painting program. I would use Paint for that and would expect it to start off with a white sheet. Which it does, as it happens.

 

Actually, the most illogical thing is calling a Flood Colour Replacement tool a Flood Fill tool. And while we're at it, why call a Hue Replacement Brush a Colour Replacement Brush?

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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... I think the problem is, we are all so used to doing things wrong i.e. Photoshop, we want Affinity to do it wrong too!...

 

:lol:  :lol:

♥  WIN 10 AD & AP  ♥  Lenovo Legion Y520 15.6" Laptop

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An error message when nothing happens? There are lots of tools that do nothing. What is so special about the Flood Fill? What about the Gradient tool, the Dodge or Burn tools, or the Red Eye Removal tool?

 

You get an error message if you try to clone without first selecting a clone source. What is so special about the Clone Tool? :P

Alfred spacer.png
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen)

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