Adjustment Layers in Affinity Publisher

[Glyphs]

Is there a way to create an adjustment layer on a template, so that this Adjustment layer affects all the pages of an Affinity Publisher document?

[GarryP]

I’ve just tried to create an Adjustment Layer on a master page and applying that master page onto the top of another page’s layer stack but that doesn’t seem to have any effect.
However, you can create an Asset from your Adjustment Layer and drag that asset onto the pages you want to use the adjustment on. You would need to do this page-by-page so it might not be helpful for a long document.

[Glyphs]

3 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I’ve just tried to create an Adjustment Layer on a master page and applying that master page onto the top of another page’s layer stack but that doesn’t seem to have any effect.
However, you can create an Asset from your Adjustment Layer and drag that asset onto the pages you want to use the adjustment on. You would need to do this page-by-page so it might not be helpful for a long document.

Putting an Adjustment Layer on a master page didn't work for me either. For now, I'm just pasting the adjustment layer page by page, but it would be better if it could be automated.

[GarryP]

Copy/pasting and using an Asset will probably take as much time as each other in this case.
It might be possible, if you also have Designer, to create a Symbol which can be adjusted later (all pages that contain the same symbol being adjusted concurrently) but you would still have to drag the symbol onto each page so that’s probably not much better as a solution (if it indeed works).
I’m afraid I don’t have any further advice on this; it’s the first time I’ve heard anyone requesting it.
It could be possible that this sort of thing might be possible with a Macro – utilising Photo – but I don’t have any dealings with macros so I couldn’t say.

[Glyphs]

1 minute ago, GarryP said:

Copy/pasting and using an Asset will probably take as much time as each other in this case.
It might be possible, if you also have Designer, to create a Symbol which can be adjusted later (all pages that contain the same symbol being adjusted concurrently) but you would still have to drag the symbol onto each page so that’s probably not much better as a solution (if it indeed works).
I’m afraid I don’t have any further advice on this; it’s the first time I’ve heard anyone requesting it.
It could be possible that this sort of thing might be possible with a Macro – utilising Photo – but I don’t have any dealings with macros so I couldn’t say.

Yes, using symbols seems a better idea, since it will allow me to change the settings globally after having placed the symbol on each page. No reason why it shouldn't work. I am requesting this because I have slight changes to make to a whole comic so that it looks better when printed, and I need to be able to uncheck these changes for digital publishing. I'm not sure if Photo's Macro feature would allow me to automate the creation of a layer, but I do know that it would work page by page too, so it wouldn't be faster than using symbols.

[GarryP]

If you tell us precisely what sort of adjustment you want to make then someone might have some kind of workaround for you.
Maybe there’s some cheap/free PDF-wrangling software that can do what you want (that’s assuming that you are exporting to PDF for printing).

[Glyphs]

5 minutes ago, GarryP said:

If you tell us precisely what sort of adjustment you want to make then someone might have some kind of workaround for you.
Maybe there’s some cheap/free PDF-wrangling software that can do what you want (that’s assuming that you are exporting to PDF for printing).

I am exporting to PDF for printing. For now, I only need to add a Soft Proof adjustment with a generic CMYK profile, and a Levels adjustment to tweak the Gamma. I would need to apply this globally and non-destructively. If there's no way, I'll post this as a feature request in another thread.

[walt.farrell]

You can put adjustment layers on a Master page and have them applied to document pages. However, there are a couple of complications. The first one below is a bug (with workaround); the second is just a fact of how Master pages work:

 

 

[GarryP]

Putting the Adjustment Layer within an empty Layer in the Master Page works for me. Nice catch Walt.
I’ve noticed some unusual colouring when I use the Black and White Adjustment that way (see attached image) but it might just be the way I have my formatting (don’t think so, but it needs more experimentation that I don’t quite have the time for at the moment, might check with 1.9 when it comes out).

[thomaso]

3 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

You can put adjustment layers on a Master page and have them applied to document pages. However, there are a couple of complications. The first one below is a bug (with workaround); the second is just a fact of how Master pages work:

There is a third complication using master pages for the OP's goal. It may require additional manual work on all document pages.

It is related to the lack of global layers and to the default master page position in the layers hierarchy on documents pages: always at bottom.

This position prevents an adjustment layer from affecting entire document pages, unless the master layer gets moved on top in the hierarchy on all document pages.

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, thomaso said:

There is a third complication using master pages. It may require additional manual work on all document pages.

It is related to the lack of global layers and to the default master page position in the layers hierarchy on documents pages: always at bottom.

This position prevents an adjustment layer from affecting entire document pages, unless the master layer gets moved on top in the hierarchy on all document pages.

That was covered in the posts I referenced, thomaso,.

[Glyphs]

Thanks! It works! Almost there! You're telling me there's still no way to automatically apply a Master page above all other layers unless I do it manually?

[thomaso]

Just now, Glyphs said:

there's still no way to automatically apply a Master page above all other layers unless I do it manually?

You can try first to do get it done semi-automatically – but depending on your various pages content it might not work for all pages and require manual moves, too.

On a document page right-click on the according master layer > choose "Edit linked" > move the layer on top > Finish.
It may be useful to move the entire master layer (not the adjustment only), so you might create + apply a master especially for the adjustment.

[Glyphs]

1 hour ago, thomaso said:

You can try first to do get it done semi-automatically – but depending on your various pages content it might not work for all pages and require manual moves, too.

On a document page right-click on the according master layer > choose "Edit linked" > move the layer on top > Finish.
It may be useful to move the entire master layer (not the adjustment only), so you might create + apply a master especially for the adjustment.

I have tried to just move the Master Layers' folder on top, then move it on top with "Edit Linked", and I still have to do the same with each page. Applying a Master Layer on top is a feature I hope to have soon. It would simplify a lot of things.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Glyphs said:

I have tried to just move the Master Layers' folder on top, then move it on top with "Edit Linked", and I still have to do the same with each page. Applying a Master Layer on top is a feature I hope to have soon. It would simplify a lot of things.

How did you move it? I mentioned using Move to Front in the post I referenced above (Layer > Arrange > Move to Front) and I have a vague memory that it's important to use that method. But definitely you need to use Edit Linked.

[Glyphs]

4 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

How did you move it? I mentioned using Move to Front in the post I referenced above (Layer > Arrange > Move to Front) and I have a vague memory that it's important to use that method. But definitely you need to use Edit Linked.

I misunderstood, and moved it manually, and yes, when I click "Move to Front", it does work on all the pages. I don't know why it does because it's kind of a twisted way of doing things, but it does work. I'll keep this workaround in my notes so that I don't forget it. Thanks!

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome.