affinity photo image border problems

[*mark]

None of this makes sense... I'm trying to put a red border around an image, and I have undone about 20 history layers to simplify, (finishing with a raster crop). When I apply my 10px border, it appears in the middle of the layer as a red spot - when I go to the history, the 'effect' is at the end of my history.

I've worked out that I didn't set 'merge visible' but once again, who knows what that means as all the layers were and are all still visible, and I can't detect what has changed. If I merged visible, surely the layers should compress into 1... (?)

But, I also can't get rid of the mysterious red dot 'border' in the middle of my picture!!  I did not draw a dot, and I can not undo because AP keeps applying the effect and dot to the end of all the undone history states.

How do I permanently erase the history layers and stop AP reapplying them?  I keep moving back up the history list, but AP keep reapplying them and making a mess of my image??? What is the point of the history if I can't undo and AP is doing exactly the opposite of what I am trying to achieve!! Thanks 

[firstdefence]

Dimensions of the image?

Why not use a shape (rectangle or square) with no fill and have shapes stroke set to 10px, the shape can be the same size as the image and the stroke aligned to suit.

[*mark]

thanks for your input fd, that's a workaround, but I'm using a border effect. 

I wasn't aware a border effect on a shape was any different to a border effect on a layer? and then I'm making work by creating another unnecessary layer to my affinity layer confusion, because the border effect doesn't work as it's supposed to?... would be quicker in the long term to  solve the problem I have. I don't want to create shapes for every image because I can't get the border effects tool to work and do it for me 🥴

[David in Яuislip]

1 hour ago, *mark said:

If I merged visible, surely the layers should compress into 1... (?)

Maybe in a previous life but not with Affinity. Merge Visible will merge the visible layers into a new one without removing the others.

Once you have finished your edit do Document/Flatten

To add a 10px border, go to resize canvas, unclick the padlock and tyoe +=20 into both boxes

Then do Edit/Matte and select the colour

[prophet]

Assuming you're in Photo?
As we were discussing in the below thread…"while there is no apparent Stroke panel in Affinity Photo, you can use the context toolbar to achieve a "vector" stroke on a placed image or shape. Vector in quotes, since it behaves like the regular Stroke in Designer or Pub, but will obviously be rasterized. "

 

[*mark]

Thanks David, I know there are various workarounds, but I still don't want to create additional work, when the border tool is supposed to do this in one action.

Me and Affinity are about to part company anyway. It maybe ok if you have a lot of experience, but for beginners, things are not made very easy - there's no step by step guides, and the help pages simply missing a ton of vital fundamental basic information - even to the point of symbols used aren't explained anywhere. I could go on, but I don't want to get down on a programme that is fundamentally great, but seems bogged down by unnecessary complexity at every turn.

And don't get me started on layers.... it's not intuitive and half the time I don't know what or which layer I'm supposed to be working on or not, or have or haven't, or how on earth I undo effect changes or history states, and the switching and swapping between layers by the program is driving me nuts - why can't you simply drag an effect layer to the bin?

At the moment for example I have 2 simple layers 1 original and 1copy and pasted part erased - but the program won't show me the content of the erased layer - it's hidden, so if I hide the other layer, instead of the remaining erased layer showing on its own,  the screen is blank - really?? 

I've easily used PS AI & ID for 20 years, but Affinity has got me beat in a few weeks. I can't keep up with it or have the time for reading all the out-dated beta forum posts for all 3 programmes

[*mark]

@prophet Yes thank you, if you know how to accomplish that... unfortunately I have no idea.

With the artistic text tool selected, in the context tool bar all I see are options for text, nothing about vector strokes... and besides, isn't the Outline tool really a 'stroke panel' by any other name?

[prophet]

Ah, I thought we were talking images, not Artistic text. It seems you would need to convert the text to curves before being able to use the Context Menu stroke abilities.

In that linked thread, we were talking Designer, but I suppose in the case of Photo, the stroke and outline effect are comparable since the end result will be raster. I just like the Stroke, since there are more options: cap, join, align, etc.

[*mark]

@prophet ha ha yes, I am talking about images, Tokamak was talking about artistic text, so I assumed you were too - what tool are you suggesting I use?

[prophet]

Sorry for the confusion…

In Designer, one can create Artistic Text and then using the Stroke panel, do the usual manipulation on the stroke.
In Photo, there is no Stroke panel, but with certain types of objects, the Context Menu will offer a Stroke panel pop out/drop down. It just seems that's not possible for Artistic Text.

[prophet]

Ah ha! More than one way to skin that feline. Have a look at the Character panel in Photo for adding strokes to artistic text.

 

[*mark]

@prophet 1 - I'm not using artistic text - I'm using an image

2 - Yes, there really IS a 'stroke' panel in Photo, it's called Outline, in the fx palette (and can be applied to both images and text) - I just can't get it to function correctly...

[prophet]

I do apologize for the confusion. We seem to be in a bit of a circle here. And perhaps I see a point of confusion.

If you start by opening an image with Photo, you have a pixel layer and the Outline Effect is all you have available (which I find a bit rudimentary and clunky). However, if you start with a blank canvas and then place an image, you will get an "image object" which can then receive a Stroke via the Context Menu with all the benefits that accords us (cap, join, miter, style, etc.).

Hope that clarifies things.

[firstdefence]

In Affinity Photo, you can apply a stroke to an Image Layer image using the first method below but the first method below will not work on a Pixel Layer image. To apply a border to a Pixel Layer image you can use the layer  Outline (see second method below) or use the method I mentioned earlier in this post.

Apply a border to an Image Layer image

1. Make sure you have the Move Tool selected (V)
2. Select the Image Layer image in the Layers Panel
3. On the workspace - above the image will be a context menu
4. Click on Stroke and type in 10px that will give a 10 pixel border to the image.

Apply a border to an Pixel Layer image

1. Make sure you have the Move Tool selected (V)
2. Select the Pixel Layer image in the Layers Panel
3. At the bottom of the Layers Panel you will see a  icon clicking  the icon opens the  panel
4. Look for Outline and set the parameters accordingly.

If a stroke is being applied to a very small area and creating what looks like a dot, I would suggest zooming in to that dot to see what the stroke is being applied to, Affinity can zoom in a lot so you should be able to see what is going on. If all else fails upload the .afphoto file and we’ll get this sorted in a few minutes .

 

 

[*mark]

Thanks for the info - appreciate your input, but I'd prefer to use the existing in-built border tool, (simpler, but not so easy to learn) rather than applying all those setting individually on every image

[thomaso]

I am not sure what "in-built border tool" you mean, so, just in case it was not mentioned already:
Besides applying a stroke or an effect you alternatively can create a selection ("Outline...") around a selected pixel layer + apply a fill colour.
If you want such a colored border not being merged with the previously selected pixel layer then add a new layer after creating the selection + before filling it with color.