Affinity Photo Customer Beta (1.9.0.210)

[Andy Somerfield]

Status: Beta

Purpose: Features, Improvements, Fixes

Requirements: Purchased Affinity Photo for iPad From App Store

App Store:  Not submitted

Download link: Download

 

Hello,

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the fourth build of Affinity Photo 1.9.0 for iPad.

If this is your first time using a customer beta of an Affinity app, it’s worth noting that the beta will install as a separate app - alongside your store version. They will not interfere with each other at all and you can continue to use the store version for critical work without worry.

This beta is significantly different from the 1.8.4 version available for purchase - we strongly recommend that you do not use this beta for real work as data could be lost and the files you save are not guaranteed to open in previous / future versions of Affinity Photo.

 

Thanks again for your continued support!

 

Affinity Photo Team  

 

Changes Since 1.9.0.199

 

- Added export preview button (for raster types).
- Added Linked Layers - the ability to duplicate a layer and keep the contents of the layers linked. At present, only layer duplication is supported - UI to unlink and relink attributes of the layer will be made available in a subsequent beta.
- Added “Pattern Layers” - a fixed size bitmap layer which repeats across the entire document. You can paint on pattern layers and use all filters to manipulate them and see the resulting pattern in real time. They can be transformed non-destructively. After a pattern is added and a tool selected, a faint grey box indicates the "real" area of the pattern which can be edited.
- Added “Export Timelapse” - the ability to export a document which has undo steps as a video. Numerous options exist to control how the video is generated.
- Added a new “Combined” result to the benchmark - to test performance contexts where vector and raster content is used together. The benchmark version is still 1900 - so existing vector and raster scores from previous builds are still valid and comparable.
- Added per-layer antialiasing controls in the layer options window (it’s also hierarchical, which is nice).
- Added a registration page to the app - this allows users to login and auto-install content.
- Added support for 12bit grayscale TIFF files.
- Added JPEG-XR 101010 import support (useful for screen captures from Xbox, etc.)
- Added new splash screen.

- Improved appearance of popup dialogs.
- Reduced binary size.
- Default to black-to-white gradients in the gradient tool (more gradient tool improvements are coming for 1.9, at last).
- Filter effects now work properly with global colours.

- Assorted bug fixes.
- Localisation improvements.
- Help improvements.

 

Changes Since 1.8.6

 

- Added noise reduction and tone mapping options into the HDR merge dialog.
- Added curves adjustment to the tone mapping persona.
- Added “Duplicate spare channel” to right click menu.
- Merged assorted iOS14 fixes from 1.8.6.
- Fixed numerous bugs with brushes, introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.
- Fixed “Infer LUT”.
- Fixed assorted other GPU acceleration issues introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.

- Text on a path is now available in Photo.
- Assistant options are now available from preferences (so there is no need to open a document to access them).
- More filters now work on masks / adjustments / spare channels (Add Noise, Perlin Noise, etc.).
- Improved experience when editing a spare channel (view artefacts, histogram and navigator).
- Setting a blend mode on a sub-brush will now work properly - paving the way for import of PSD dual-brushes in a future build.
- Fixed issues when attempting to add layers to a spare channel (!).

- The “Serif Labs” RAW engine is now available on iPad.
- Added external display support for iPad (in the navigator panel, once the external display is connected).
- You can now single tap a spare channel in the Channels panel to edit it like a layer.
- A benchmarking tool has been added in the preferences dialog.
- Blend modes now work on “alpha only” layers (masks, adjustments, live filters, etc.).
- Added a new “Divide” blend mode.
- Added “Create from centre” for the elliptical marquee tool.
- Allowed snapping to the bounds of the pixel selection.
- Added ability to create brushes from the current pixel selection with one click.

[Patrick Connor]

Please can users of this beta look at the My Account feature (top right of the main toolbar) even if you have already done so recently in another recent beta.

We have now added the ability to link your Affinity app to your Affinity account through a new app registration process. This will have the advantages of you being able to stream any content you have purchased (or received for free from the Affinity store) directly to all your apps without having to manually install them. This is of particular use to customers who have more than one of our apps, or run our apps on different devices and operating systems as all your content will automatically be available across all of them.

If you register the beta app you will initially receive a free brush kit (the luminance brush kit) for testing purposes. This might be a kit you already have, but if you don’t you will get it for free. Over the next few weeks this will be expanded to include all of the store content you may already own.

 

There have been lots of behind the scene improvements and more of the purchasable and (historical) free claimable content is being added. PLEASE report anything you find using "My Account" IN THAT THREAD

[Chris B]

Could I kindly ask those of you who find any bugs/regressions to please post them as a new topic here as it makes it easier to manage for the support staff:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/39-photo-beta-on-ipad/

General discussions about the new beta are more than welcome here.

[p_mac]

To all of the devs, thank you for the new long awaited release.

Chris B, I believe that this is not a bug but a deliberate change to the working of the app.

Pop up menus using one finger press, in particular the deselect function.   

 I am hoping that you will reconsider the method as I find it so inconvenient to need to activate the ‘move’ tool in order to use the one finger press.  

The ability to stitch a panorama is now available, great news.  

[pruus]

I really like the pattern layer. Great work! Would better if I can use the pencil tool. Brush works great. Happy new year!

[Alfred]

2 hours ago, p_mac said:

Pop up menus using one finger press, in particular the deselect function.   

 I am hoping that you will reconsider the method as I find it so inconvenient to need to activate the ‘move’ tool in order to use the one finger press.

Long-press is fine for invoking the pop-up menu, but it shouldn’t only work with the Move Tool (especially in Photo, where the View Tool is active by default). I’m sure this has been mentioned before.

[p_mac]

 

4 hours ago, Alfred said:

Long-press is fine for invoking the pop-up menu, but it shouldn’t only work with the Move Tool (especially in Photo, where the View Tool is active by default). I’m sure this has been mentioned before.

Alfred, it has been mentioned before, by me, before this release and yet they have not considered how awkward this is especially on the iPad.  I don't think that I am the only one unhappy with this. 

[p_mac]

Not a bug, but is there an answer to this question in the newest beta?

[Chris B]

7 hours ago, p_mac said:

Not a bug, but is there an answer to this question in the newest beta?

I'm afraid not. I've just updated the bug report to inform the developers this is still seemingly missing. 

[Chris B]

14 hours ago, p_mac said:

 I am hoping that you will reconsider the method as I find it so inconvenient to need to activate the ‘move’ tool in order to use the one finger press.  

 

Still no comment/movement on the bug report unfortunately. 

[Alfred]

8 hours ago, p_mac said:

I don't think that I am the only one unhappy with this.

No, you’re not!

[p_mac]

 

10 hours ago, Chris B said:

Still no comment/movement on the bug report unfortunately. 

Yes, Lock Children is back.  

It is back again where is was before it took a small vacation to…… somewhere?

Thanks Chris B for the bump