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How to Bend a Straight object at its center in affinity designer 1.8


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When editing multiple objects, the use of symbols becomes the most practical option, edit one, edit all.

iMac 27" 2019 Somona 14.3.1, iMac 27" Affinity Designer, Photo & Publisher V1 & V2, Adobe, Inkscape, Vectorstyler, Blender, C4D, Sketchup + more... XP-Pen Artist-22E, - iPad Pro 12.9  
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Affinity Help - Affinity Desktop Tutorials - Feedback - FAQ - most asked questions

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10 hours ago, chillywilly said:

Please consider why you think you know what many users find useful and the possibility that you should really only speak for yourself. It seems to me that you're worried that someone else's feature request might trump one of yours or something along those lines. Do you patrol the Affinity forum hoping to direct questions to the features you would like to see implemented? How about you just let this be a place where people can ask questions of how to get things done and make requests. Thank you.

I would think it is obvious that I speak only for myself, just as you speak only for yourself.

I am not concerned that any feature request will "trump" any other. I am simply expressing my opinion about which ones are the ones most users are likely to find most useful. You are of course free to express your own opinion about that, but that in no way infringes on my right to do the same thing.

As for asking for feature requests, there is a place for that, but it is not here in the Questions forum.

What I do in these forums primarily is try to the best of my ability to answer questions & help others with theirs. I think I am reasonably successful at that, as evidenced by my 'reputation points,' but of course you may not agree that I have done that very well. I am fine with that.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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9 hours ago, Fixx said:

I would think free transform/warp/envelope tool would help here. It is also not available but it has been asked quite insistently.

That is one of the tools I think is most needed, along with a real scissors or knife tool. But equally important, I think we desperately need improvements for the boolean functions, a 'smooth' function that actually works, & a more focused effort on eliminating the many bugs that seem never to get fixed completely or permanently.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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15 hours ago, chillywilly said:

Affinity products are marketed as replacements for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I bought them because of this.

You must not believe everything that someone writes somewhere on the Internet. Serif doesn't say anything like that anywhere, and he never mentioned it.
On the contrary, it provides a free trial version so that everyone can try and verify whether they meet all its requirements before purchasing the product.

Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301
Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
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8 hours ago, firstdefence said:

When editing multiple objects, the use of symbols becomes the most practical option, edit one, edit all.

Thank you again. I can see the benefit of using a symbol in certain applications.

I'm curious to hear how Designer users would approach the challenge of creating perspective graphics with repeated elements like these: 
https://www.pinterest.co.kr/pin/298363544045457405/
https://creativemarket.com/Zaie/3606309-Digital-sound-wave-vector-banner
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/abstract-background-circles-curved-lines-symbolic-82489606

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2 hours ago, R C-R said:

I would think it is obvious that I speak only for myself, just as you speak only for yourself.

I am not concerned that any feature request will "trump" any other. I am simply expressing my opinion about which ones are the ones most users are likely to find most useful. You are of course free to express your own opinion about that, but that in no way infringes on my right to do the same thing.

I have no need to express what I think other users need or want. If I did, I would question my motives.

 

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

As for asking for feature requests, there is a place for that, but it is not here in the Questions forum.

At this time, my goal is just to learn what is possible in the software, but it's good to know where to go for requesting features. Thank you.

 

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

What I do in these forums primarily is try to the best of my ability to answer questions & help others with theirs. I think I am reasonably successful at that, as evidenced by my 'reputation points,' but of course you may not agree that I have done that very well. I am fine with that.

I did not feel supported. I just wanted to learn about the capabilities of the software, not debate whether an idea was worthwhile or justifiable based on the price I paid for the software.

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24 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

I’m curious, too! Setting aside the fact that I wouldn’t call the second one an example of “perspective graphics”, I don’t see how it could reasonably be achieved without a Blend Tool.

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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2 hours ago, Pšenda said:

You must not believe everything that someone writes somewhere on the Internet. Serif doesn't say anything like that anywhere, and he never mentioned it.

I just grabbed this screenshot (see below) from the Affinity Designer page, where it clearly states: "Affinity Designer is setting the new industry standard in the world of design."

Now whether you want to argue that is just marketing or not, it is definitely setting itself up to be compared to the existing industry standard in the world of design—which would of course be Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

So, while Serif may not have made that comparison directly with Adobe products, it is more than implied in their marketing copy, and therefore perfectly reasonable for folks to draw upon that comparison when setting their expectations.

image.thumb.png.9fb052f041fc474a6e2f9805172955ed.png

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47 minutes ago, Alfred said:

I’m curious, too! Setting aside the fact that I wouldn’t call the second one an example of “perspective graphics”, I don’t see how it could reasonably be achieved without a Blend Tool.

What I think we need for things like this is a vector based Blend, Distort, or Envelop tool, something that has been requested a great many times since AD was first released.

26 minutes ago, Bryan Rieger said:

Now whether you want to argue that is just marketing or not, it is definitely setting itself up to be compared to the existing industry standard in the world of design—which would of course be Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

To be fair, saying it is setting a "new industry standard" is not the same thing as saying it is intended to replace any of Adobe's or any other company's apps. Besides, in at least one way it does set a new standard, that being the unique native file format that makes it possible to open any native Affinity file in any of the apps without any conversions or data loss. There is also the unique use of mipmaps to improve responsiveness, although some would say that is a new standard they could do without.

That said, also to be fair, I can certainly see how some people would interpret that as a claim of feature parity (or near parity) with Adobe's flagship products.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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10 minutes ago, R C-R said:

What I think we need for things like this is a vector based Blend, Distort, or Envelop tool, something that has been requested a great many times since AD was first released.

A Blend Tool was on the AD 1.x roadmap before it was hidden from public view.

10 minutes ago, R C-R said:

There is also the unique use of mipmaps to improve responsiveness

Just as an FYI, Serif’s ‘legacy’ applications also used mipmaps to improve responsiveness.

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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2 hours ago, Bryan Rieger said:

perfectly reasonable for folks to draw upon that comparison when setting their expectations

Absolutely! And one of those comparisons is (and cannot not be) price. For the things that Affinity does as well as the Adobe products, the price is better. There do seem to be quite a few people around who want Adobe functionality but at Affinity prices. Well I would like a Rolls Royce for the price of a Peugeot 208. Peugeot's marketing blurb refers to the 208's 'long bonnet'. Well it's not as long as a Rolls Royce, so I should complain? Hmm.

Why not use the free trials, find out what the products do, and if they don't do what you want give feedback?

I am happy with the Affinity products for what they do. I would like them to support RTL text, and that would obviate workarounds that I have to do.

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1 hour ago, LondonSquirrel said:

Absolutely! And one of those comparisons is (and cannot not be) price. For the things that Affinity does as well as the Adobe products, the price is better. There do seem to be quite a few people around who want Adobe functionality but at Affinity prices. Well I would like a Rolls Royce for the price of a Peugeot 208. Peugeot's marketing blurb refers to the 208's 'long bonnet'. Well it's not as long as a Rolls Royce, so I should complain? Hmm.

Why not use the free trials, find out what the products do, and if they don't do what you want give feedback?

I am happy with the Affinity products for what they do. I would like them to support RTL text, and that would obviate workarounds that I have to do.

Yes. I want Adobe functionality at Affinity prices. Who doesn't? I want it bad enough that when I read the Affinity advertising, I thought someone had done it. Clearly I'm not the only one who thought this was the promise. I'm not mad about what I paid for Affinity, but if it doesn't allow me to cancel my Adobe subscription then I've wasted my time, energy, and also money. I only mentioned a comparison to Adobe because I feel shut down when I inquired about a feature I was seeking. I don't care if I paid less for Affinity. I expect that the software will allow me to create the illustrations I desire. It makes that promise pretty clearly. So I really don't ever want to hear about how I paid less.

Furthermore, I acknowledge that I still have a lot to learn about the Affinity products. I am quite sure there are features I haven't uncovered or don't understand. Although I am sometimes feeling stress, I don't intend to bash Affinity for not being what I hoped. I come to the forum seeking solutions because I need to get work done. I'm glad to hear that you're happy, and I agree with your suggestion about using the software, finding out what it does, and giving feedback. I do the "finding out" by experimenting with the software, reading the documentation, watching video tutorials, and asking questions in the forum.

So far I have it seems that Affinity might not be what I wanted it to be right now, but I'm still not sure what Serif's stance is on their vision for the future. If they intend for this to compete at the Adobe level, then I'm all in because I totally support this pricing model vs. the Adobe subscription plan. I will be willing to participate in conversations where users talk about the features they need and desire and present ideas. Maybe Affinity software will become even better than Adobe. Who knows? Maybe it already is in some ways. But if the attitude from Serif is like that of some of the users here, where "you get what you pay for" is the response when a need is expressed... then maybe this business model will never lead to a satisfactory experience for me, and I should just go back to the Adobe world now and stop wasting my time.

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2 hours ago, Hens said:

clipimage.jpg

@Hens Thank you for sharing your illustration, and thanks for taking the time to experiment with the challenge. I'm curious and would love to hear about your process. Obviously what you've got is quick and dirty, but you did something I don't know how to do in Designer. I see in the History panel that you used a Twirl effect. Are you working in Publisher? I still have a lot to learn about how these apps work together, and Publisher is one I haven't even opened yet.

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2 hours ago, R C-R said:

Besides, in at least one way it does set a new standard, that being the unique native file format that makes it possible to open any native Affinity file in any of the apps without any conversions or data loss.

... For myself, I would add unique functions/features to the "new standard" that most existing standard graphics applications do not have. For example:

- StudioLink, which allows easy sharing and switching of functionality from other applications,

- the same UI in all three applications, so after learning one application, it is relatively easy to control the other,

- sharing features, such as Live Filter, between applications so that you can edit and continue distributed work in another application.

- support for three different platforms, etc.

So, in my opinion, Affinity really offers a lot of new features, that this label definitely deserves. Which doesn't mean that a lot of features, even completely "standard" ones, are still missing.

Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301
Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130.

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52 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

 I'm not mad about what I paid for Affinity

Free trial? Did you try Affinity first for free?

53 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

if it doesn't allow me to cancel my Adobe subscription then I've wasted my time, energy, and also money

Not really. You now know that Affinity does not meet your needs.  Without trying it you would not know.

55 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

"you get what you pay for"

That is the real world. You want a Rolls Royce? Pay Rolls Royce prices.

 

56 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

not sure what Serif's stance is on their vision for the future

You could say that about any company, even Adobe a couple of years before subscription hell was unleashed. Basically you buy something for now, not what it might have in the future.

52 minutes ago, chillywilly said:

I really don't ever want to hear about how I paid less.

So you only want to hear what you want to hear. Too bad.

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38 minutes ago, Hens said:

Was just playing with the twirl live filter in the photo persona but deleted it to show the pure vector outcome.
Here's a crude example video made in designer
 

Awesome! What was that shortcut you used at 0:27 to replicate object and distance? This was so helpful. Exactly what I needed to see.

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7 hours ago, chillywilly said:

replicate object and distance?

Try search "Power Duplicate" - Ctrl+J.

https://affinity.help/designer/en-US.lproj/pages/ObjectControl/duplicate.html

 

 

Edited by Pšenda

Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301
Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130.

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On 11/3/2021 at 6:42 PM, walt.farrell said:

And that license is only for 1 year of updates.

No graphics solution will ever be perfect for everyone. It seems odd however that with the main alternative being $650 dollars per year to rent, that people quibble over paying 50-100 dollars for a alternative option. How easily we forget even before SAAS with Adobe, that they came out with a new Suite update every year and most people had to decide whether to buy it and get updates or wait another year and make do with the old to save money.
Vectorstyler is indeed "twice the price" of Affinity Designer and it does guarantee only a year of updates - but consider what you gain. You get all the missing features of Affinity Designer and then some. You can own and fully use the existing purchased version of Vectorstyler in perpetuity without paying them anything more. The existing version of Vectorstyler has already surpassed multiple times over, the feature set of Affinity Designer. Vectorstyler vector work can be easily and smoothly copied into Affinity Designer and vice-versa. Even if you bought Vectorstyler now and used it for the next few years without upgrading it, it gives you years of full function that Affinity has taken 5-10 years to get anywhere close to. For me, buying Vectorstyler for 100 dollars is a no-brainer. it already offers the tools I need for professional work and because of this, I can be patient with Affinity as they take years to catch up.

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26 minutes ago, Boldlinedesign said:

You can own and fully use the existing purchased version of Vectorstyler in perpetuity without paying them anything more.

Until such time as an OS update or a hardware upgrade breaks the old Vectorstyler. So figure something like... oh, four to twelve years before having to re-buy. Quite good economics in my opinion.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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22 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

Until such time as an OS update or a hardware upgrade breaks the old Vectorstyler. So figure something like... oh, four to twelve years before having to re-buy. Quite good economics in my opinion.

Exactly! The hobbyist is not worried about having every new feature anyway and so even if they only upgrade it once every 2-3 years, the cost is negligible. The professional who makes a living using the app daily should not worry about paying 100 dollars per year or every other year to have the best.

 

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1 hour ago, Boldlinedesign said:

Vectorstyler is indeed "twice the price" of Affinity Designer and it does guarantee only a year of updates - but consider what you gain. You get all the missing features of Affinity Designer and then some.

But do you get the equivalent of all the features of AD's Export & Pixel personas?

Just wondering -- I was going to try out the VectorStyler beta, but never got around to it, & now that I know the paid version only offers a year of free updates, I am not sure it would be worth it to me (I'm just a hobbyist) to buy & learn how to use it.

It would help if I knew approximately when any of the missing vector features might be added to AD (well, to all 3 Affinity apps, I guess) but of course there is no way to know that.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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@R C-R Vectorstyler is a vector-only app and does not have in-depth crossover into raster, though there are a number of image effects that can be added - much like

what can be done currently in Illustrator. It's not trying to be a vector/raster app or even a trio of apps. VS does one thing and one thing well - vector graphic design.
For me, I'm 90% vector in all my professional work so having a powerhouse vector app is exactly what I need. If vector is not the primary thing you do as a hobbyist, or if Affinity covers all the things you need, then VS would just be overkill for you.
I don't see VS as a replacement for Affinity, nor do I ever see Affinity getting to Vectorstyler's level in terms of vector ability. So in all I share about Vectorstyler, it's never to get anyone to stop supporting Affinity and replace it with Vectorstyler. Vectorstyler compliments Affinity and vice-versa. Between the two, any kind of graphic work can be done, especially with vector. I'm not sure what your output/export needs are in order to properly compare them with Vectorstyler. I do know you can export a design into all the same formats as Affinity (aside from Affinity native obviously) and you can print files and do separations of color in VS, etc.
Vectorstyler's "year of updates" is really no different than Affinity's model of paying again when the 2.0 version is released, or Adobe's old way of doing things where you had the option to buy the newest Suite release each year or stick with what you already had for another year or two. In all cases, you get to use the existing software for years after at no extra cost - just no new features unless you buy it again. Affinity has been rather slow to get to version 2.0, so in some ways we've grown accustomed to paying for it once and feeling like it's "free forever after". I can't imagine Affinity will be able to only do a paid major release every 5-10 years and stay profitable as a business. At some point, Affinity will be releasing a major update every year or two or three, requiring payment to upgrade to do so.

It would be nice to know Affinity's roadmap for Designer in particular. It's felt like Designer has been abandoned in terms of development. I hold out hope that the major under the hood improvements in the just recently released 1.10 are going to be a base from which a ton of new features are added and released in 2.0. I have to think Affinity has heard the years of repeated requests for features and that they also know people are not going to pay for 2.0 without the upgrades to match the new financial investment.

image.png.a7e99d6633edc433a4725a5f73d3866f.png

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