Affinity Photo Customer Beta (1.9.0.212 - RC1)

[Andy Somerfield]

Status: Release Candidate

Purpose: Features, Improvements, Fixes

Requirements: Purchased Affinity Photo

Mac App Store: Not submitted

Download ZIP (Universal): Download

Auto-update: Available

 

Hello,

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the ninth build of Affinity Photo 1.9.0 for macOS.

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 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 1.9.0.211

 

- Adjustments no longer auto apply when expending a section of the adjustments panel.
- LUT adjustments can be exported directly from the adjustments panel, and batch imported from files.
- Having a large number of LUT presets will no longer make application startup slow.
- Gradient map adjustments now support global colours.
- Fixed luminosity blend mode in 32bit RGB with HW acceleration.
- Numerous export preview improvements.
- Added a “bad pixel” tool to the astrophotography stacking persona.
- The links panel is now prettier, supports drag and drop more correctly and allows navigation between linked objects.

 

Cumulative Changes Since 1.8

 

- Added support for PDF passthrough.
- Fixed issue with high pass live filter compositing.
- Fixed assorted compositor alpha issues.
- Fixed assorted compositor crashes.
- Improved astrophotography background removal filter.

 

- Added export preview panel (for raster types) - updates live whenever you change an export parameter.
- Added JPEG-XR 101010 import support (useful for screen captures from Xbox, etc.)
- Added per-layer antialiasing controls in the advanced blending menu (it’s also hierarchical, which is nice).
- Added new splash screen.
- Added a new filter to remove background light from astrophotography images (Filters -> Astrophotography -> Remove Background).

- Assorted improvements to astrophotography stacking (performance, robustness, quality).
- Live liquify improvements.
- The layer link editor is now a studio panel - further cleanup work is still planned on this panel.
- Reduced binary size.
- Content download service improvements.

 

- Linked Layers.

You can now select a layer and do Layer -> Duplicate Linked. Linked layers are denoted by a small link icon in the layers tab - clicking that icon will bring up a link editing panel (the UI here will change in subsequent beta builds - this is just so we can test the linking itself for now). You can “unlink” particular aspects of a layer using the buttons - for example, if you wanted a mask to share the same pixel content as another mask, but not the opacity settings, you can do that using this test UI.

For the brave, this panel also allows “relinking” - even between different layer types(!). Dragging a layer from the layer tab and dropping it onto one of the small target icons in the panel will link together that particular aspect of the two layers (again, the UI is all going to change). For example, you could make a mask layer which shares opacity settings with an adjustment layer somewhere else in the document, whilst also sharing blend mode with a circle shape layer somewhere else. 

It’s worth noting that this feature is quite raw at the moment - please feel free to experiment with it, but *do not* use it for any real work. There is a high chance any documents you make will stop working in a future beta.

- Default to black-to-white gradients in the gradient tool (more gradient tool improvements are coming for 1.9, at last).
- Content download service improvements.
- Assorted astrophotography stacking improvements.
- Allow placement policy for images to be changed using the menu.
- Added missing text baseline options to the menu.
- Added support for 12bit grayscale TIFF files.
- Added ability to create pattern layers from selections.

- Timelapse fixes and improvements, including ability to choose codec.
- Timelapse export performance improvements.

- Fixed incorrect attribute bits when writing 32bit TGA files.
- Fixed bugs when duplicating pattern layers.
- Fixed broken insertion target buttons on the toolbar.
- Fixed incorrect pattern sizes when committing the dialog without tabbing away from the height field.
- Fixed broken AANN sampling mode in pattern layers.
- Fixed filter effects on pattern layers.
- Fixed brush panel crashes.
- Fixed live filters initialising to RGB in (for example) CMYK documents.
- Fixed crazy behaviour when entering Liquify persona.
- Fixed issue whereby you would get more / different options depending where you right click on spare channels (!).
- Assorted other small bug fixes.

- Localisation improvements.
- Help improvements.

 

- Pattern improvements - brushes now wrap around the edges of the pattern.
- Timelapse improvements - progress bar, abortable, crossfade.
- Improved colours for Canon EOS R5 camera RAW.
- Filter effects now work properly with global colours.

- Fixed white balance issues.

- Added a new “Astrophotography Stack” persona which allows you to combine dark frames, light frames, bias frames, flat frames and dark flat frames then stack them. FITS images are also supported. Lots of photographers have been experimenting with astro during lockdown - hopefully these new tools will help users to get better results. I'm sure James Ritson will be providing some tutorial guidance in short order 

- 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 (and more will come later!).

- Added “Live Liquify” layers - as the name suggests, they allow you to have non-destructive liquify layers in your stack which can be edited and masked just like all other live filter layers. At the moment, a hard limit of 512 pixels offset in either X or Y is enforced - we hope to eventually lift this restriction.

- Reworked “Studio Presets” from the earlier 1.9 betas. They now work in a more predictable way and store tool / toolbar configuration. A manager dialog is also now provided.

- 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 a registration page to the app - this allows users to login and auto-install brushes (so far).

- Added the “Resource Manager” functionality from Publisher for managing image placement.

- Added ability to open package files from Designer and Publisher.

- Photo is now a universal binary, supporting both Intel and Apple silicon processors.

- Path text improvements.

- Added “Duplicate spare channel” to right click menu.
- Added missing “Convert to Path Text” menu item.
- Small improvements to the benchmark UI.
- Update app icon for Big Sur.
- Fixed numerous bugs with brushes, introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.
- Fixed issues when opening multiple RAW files at once.
- Fixed significant memory leak introduced in 1.9.0 betas.
- Fixed UI issues with Big Sur.
- Fixed assorted other GPU acceleration issues introduced in the 1.9.0 betas.

 

- Text on a path is now available in Photo.
- More filters now work on masks / adjustments / spare channels (Add Noise, Perlin Noise, etc.).
- Improved Metal rendering performance (over 195).
- 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.
- Attempted to fix startup crash on machines with no compatible Metal GPU.
- Fixed localisation issues affecting non-UK users.
- Fixed issues when attempting to add layers to a spare channel (!).

- Improved “Serif Labs” RAW engine.
- You can now single click a spare channel in the Channels panel to edit it like a layer.
- The Curves adjustment now has numeric field controls for precise positioning.
- Studio presets are now available.
- A benchmarking tool has been added in the help menu. It will only become available when no documents are open.
- 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.

 

To be notified about all future macOS beta updates, please follow this notification thread 
To be notified when this Photo update comes out of beta and is fully released to all Affinity Photo on macOS customers, please follow this thread

[R C-R]

32 minutes ago, Patrick Connor said:

PLEASE report anything you find using "My Account" IN THAT THREAD

Please refer to this reply there.

[GRAFKOM]

5 hours ago, Andy Somerfield said:

- Numerous export preview improvements.

Excuse me. But I can't look for any change and improvement since the last beta in the export preview in this 212 beta. It's probably even worse, because I can't set the preview to 100% for anything. By spinning the mouse wheel, initially the percentages increase slowly by 10%, starting from 3%. So no chance to set 100%, it comes out closest to 103%. And those numerous improvements? Can you make the Export window not change its height depending on whether you choose png, jpg, gif, tiff, psd or pdf. ? After all, you can set one common bone for all options so that it does not jump on the screen.

6 hours ago, Andy Somerfield said:

- The links panel is now prettier, supports drag and drop more correctly and allows navigation between linked objects.

I think this panel is broken in this version. I also don't see any improvements and I can't do anything with it by selecting any objects on the screen.

[lepr]

4 minutes ago, GRAFKOM said:

I can't set the preview to 100% for anything

cmd+1 zooms to 100%

cmd+= is the expected key combination for increasing zoom, but cmd+shift+= is required

there is an annoying beep when using the zoom keyboard shortcuts, but at least the zoom adjusts

[GRAFKOM]

57 minutes ago, anon2 said:

cmd+1 zooms to 100%

OKAY It works in this version. I checked in Affinity Designer Beta and there you can enlarge the export preview by 1% by turning the mouse wheel and holding the alt key. Wouldn't it be better to put + - 100% buttons in the export preview window. ?

In general, this export preview is rather in a very early version.

I hope it will change, but probably not in 1.9 as the full version is to be released in a moment.

[Murfee]

19 hours ago, Andy Somerfield said:

Gradient map adjustments now support global colours.

Thanks for this, much appreciated. Is there any chance that you could take it a step further and allow the selection of a ready made gradient that is saved as a swatch.

Again thanks for all the hard work.

[ChristiduToit]

Out of curiosity, will this rotation feature from Designer also be available in Photo 1.9? I'm sure I'm not alone, but I was really excited when I saw this in the Designer Beta list!

"Added ability to rotate canvas if you have a scroll wheel mouse (or two-finger vertical drag on your touchpad) if you hold down Command. This will rotate around the mouse cursor location. Holding down Shift in addition to Command while scrolling will rotate around the centre of the view."

[Nero]

Hello, thank you for all hard work,

I'd like to note that zoom measure (top left corner) is working more than before but still not perfect.

- Sometimes a slider reflects Zoom change (with zoom tool) but mostly not.

- I can't drag it - just click at some point on line. 

Working number box is must have (I was lost in scale without it as I don't use navigator too much) so maybe I just don't get the purpose of the bar next to it however predefined steps are nice!

I wish and expect it works the same as in navigator panel...

Thank you very much,

Cheers 

 

[lepr]

4 minutes ago, ChristiduToit said:

Out of curiosity, will this rotation feature from Designer also be available in Photo 1.9? I'm sure I'm not alone, but I was really excited when I saw this in the Designer Beta list!

"Added ability to rotate canvas if you have a scroll wheel mouse (or two-finger vertical drag on your touchpad) if you hold down Command. This will rotate around the mouse cursor location. Holding down Shift in addition to Command while scrolling will rotate around the centre of the view."

Yes, it's in the current betas for the three apps on macOS.

[SRL]

The ‘My Account’ button just opens up a blank page. Everything was fine prior to installing this latest update.

[ChristiduToit]

47 minutes ago, anon2 said:

Yes, it's in the current betas for the three apps on macOS.

Oh awesome! I didn't see it in the list here, and it didn't seem to work in the previous version of Photo Beta (Mac). 
Glad to hear it's working!

[Patrick Connor]

48 minutes ago, SRL said:

The ‘My Account’ button just opens up a blank page. Everything was fine prior to installing this latest update.

Yes, sorry this is broken in the current Photo macOS beta build for all UI languages except (UK) English.  It will be returning shortly

[SRL]

Thanks, but I am on the English (uk) version.

[Patrick Connor]

3 minutes ago, SRL said:

Thanks, but I am on the English (uk) version.

I must have misunderstood the extent of the problem. Thanks

[Chris Christner]

As I recall, webp exporting was tentatively scheduled for 1.9. I didn't see it in the beta, so is it going to be in 1.10?

[Jeremy Bohn]

7 hours ago, SRL said:

The ‘My Account’ button just opens up a blank page. Everything was fine prior to installing this latest update.

Same here. Also, the first time I choose My Account, not even a window opens. The second time I try, the window opens and it's blank. No problem in Designer though.

[mdriftmeyer]

My Account shows the following view w/o anything loading inside it, just to echo what others are saying and to second Jeremy Bohn and it not loading the first time.