Plugins stopped working after latest update

[knittingmommy]

I'm hoping someone can help me. Before I updated to AP 1.8.5.703 all my plugins worked just fine. Last week I had used both Filter Forge 9 and the DXO free version of the NIK Collection. After I updated this weekend, they were all grayed out in the menu with a pixel layer selected. Going to the Preferences section showed the plugins still shown as 'working' in green and still has the check box for Allow Unknown selected. Yet Affinity Photo can't access them for whatever reason.

I removed all the plugins and redid the links to both Filter Forge and NIK. I managed to get the Filter Forge to start working again. However, no matter what I tried to do, I can't get the NIK Collection to work again. Did anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions on how I can get them working from inside Affinity Photo again? I did check and the programs themselves still worked as standalone programs so there aren't any issues with the NIK Collection themselves and I have not updated NIK. Won't be updating because the latest update of the NIK Collection removed something I used.

The only changes have been updating Affinity Photo and the latest Windows 10 Update. I need my NIK Collection back.

[MEB]

Hi @knittingmommy,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Check the if you are working with a RGB/32 file/image. If so convert it to RGB/16 using Document > Convert Format / ICC Profile.... Most plugins do not support 32 bit images.

[knittingmommy]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm working in CMYK/8 though I did try converting to RGB/16 just in case, but no dice. All the NIK plugins are still grayed out while the FilterForge 9 plugin is working again. Any other suggestions?

It would be a really sad day for me if I had to continue using NIK in standalone form. Did that yesterday on my current book cover, and it was time consuming going back and forth between the two programs.

[MEB]

Hi @knittingmommy,
Are you trying to applying the plugins to an Image layer type? Check the label between parenthesis after the layer's name in the Layers panel. If it says Image, right-click that layer and select Rasterise to convert it to a pixel layer. You can then apply the filters as usual.

Image layers are self enclosed objects that retain all the original image data including color profile. They can be transformed (scaled, rotated, skewed etc) or changed through/affected by non-destructive means like adjustments layers, live filters etc but they cannot be directly edited at a pixel level. For that they must be rasterised/converted to pixel layers as described above first thus the filters remain greyed out if those types of layers are selected.

[knittingmommy]

I'm trying to apply to a pixel layer. I even double checked in case I goofed up somehow. It's definitely a pixel layer, and yet the plugin options are still grayed out. As I said, everything worked fine last week. The only changes were the updates, both AP and Windows 10. I've been using the software since November of last year almost daily. NIK was the first thing I got set up because it's a huge part of my workflow. Have had no issues until this week. I thought I had a handle on Affinity Photo until this week when this happened.

[knittingmommy]

Is no one else having this issue with the NIK Collection in Affinity Photo or have any suggestions to try and get it working again?

So I'm not sure why, but NIK is working with a new photo in a new project. It still isn't working in my other cover project. Why this is, I have no idea. I'm working with a pixel layer and it's outside of a group. Yet I can't used the NIK filters on that project at all. I'm curious if there are settings inside Affinity Photo that I could have accidentally trigger that would make it not have access to my NIK Collection. Is that possible that Affinity Photo wouldn't be able to use plugins inside a large project even when working on a pixel layer?

I'm flummoxed because I've never seen this behavior before in all the months I've been using Affinity Photo. To have it working and then suddenly not in the middle of a project seems weird. At any rate, I'm happy to report I haven't lost the ability to use NIK in Affinity Photo completely. I still don't know why it refuses to work inside that one project.

Edited September 22, 2020 by knittingmommy
New information

[MEB]

Hi knittingmommy,
What Nik Collection version are you running? Click the yellow Nick Collection logo on the top right of the interface when running any plugin inside Affinity Photo - the version i need to know is the number between parenthesis.

What's the color format of your document CMYK, RGB, Lab? As said above most plugins only work with RGB documents (RGB/8 or RGB/16). Only a few support RGB/32. Do you mind uploading your affinity photo document so i can take a look please (i don't believe it's related to the document but still would like to see it)? Here's an upload link.

Thanks.

[knittingmommy]

 Unfortunately, I can't upload the file as it's a client file for a book cover which hasn't been released yet. However, I think I've figured out the issue and everything is working again. I'm afraid I have to chalk this one up to pure user error on my part. I was working in CMYK/8 which I usually don't switch to until I'm ready to export to PDF for print. However, when I changed it to RGB/8 and said things weren't working, I wasn't actually on the pixel layer even though I thought I was. It was frustrating because it was a purely newby mistake that I shouldn't have made at this point given how long I've been using the NIK collection. However, everything is working as it should be now so I'm happy even though it makes me feel like an idiot.

I am happy to say I did manage to finish the cover despite all the hiccups, and the client was happy with the final cover.

[MEB]

Hi knittingmommy,
No worries. I'm glad everything is working as it should and you were able to successfully deliver your cover in time.