Pixelated images when copy pasting from Affinity to Photoshop

[SidianMSJones]

Copy pasting from Affinity to Photoshop and then resizing results in very pixelated images. It's especially odd because when double clicking the smart object icon in the layers panel to open it, it opens as an equally pixelated image instead of as a vector.

[walt.farrell]

I'm a bit confused about your workflow.

First you describe copying from Affinity (Photo?) and pasting into Photoshop. But then suddenly you're double-clicking on a smart object, in some application but you don't tell us which one.

Please describe the complete workflow from start to finish.

[SidianMSJones]

Sorry I meant to say Affinity Designer. I copy from there, past to PS which automatically creates a smart object in PS, but strangely that smart object is rasterized. Anything else I'm missing?

[wonderings]

what resolution are you using in Photoshop? I did a test and took a vector file in Designer (.ai file). I copied it, made a 8.5 x 11 page in photoshop with 600 dpi. Made a new layer and pasted the file. Image looks fine. When I copied the vector and then opened Photoshop, when I went to create a new document it defaults to what is on the clipboard I believe and it had selected 72dpi, this would give me a pixelated image as well. 

[SidianMSJones]

My document is 72dpi, but why would a vector file be imported as raster and thus suffer pixelation when resized?

What further confuses me is that I had previously used this work flow many times (see my post history) and never had issue with rasterization or pixelation.

[wonderings]

20 minutes ago, SidianMSJones said:

My document is 72dpi, but why would a vector file be imported as raster and thus suffer pixelation when resized?

What further confuses me is that I had previously used this work flow many times (see my post history) and never had issue with rasterization or pixelation.

Not sure, I never paste vectors into Photoshop. I tried both from Illustrator and Designer with the same results. I also tried placing an .ai file directly into Photoshop rather than pasting it. Again same results. If the document setup is 72 dpi it is pixelated, bump it up to 600 and the obvious improvements are there. 

I was not aware that Photoshop could work natively with vector, thought it all would need to be rasterized to be loaded in Photoshop. Again not something I ever really use save the odd time over the years so lots I do not know. Again getting same results from illustrator and designer pasting into Photoshop. 

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[Jowday]

On 1/21/2021 at 2:03 AM, SidianMSJones said:

Copy pasting from Affinity to Photoshop and then resizing results in very pixelated images. It's especially odd because when double clicking the smart object icon in the layers panel to open it, it opens as an equally pixelated image instead of as a vector.

Pasting vectors into Adobe Photoshop CC from Affinity requires - in later versions at least - that you first paste it, scale it then render it at that size. It is kept as a vector smart object so it can be resized on and on:

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17 minutes ago, haakoo said:

Maybe

I have this setting turned off on both operating systems but get smart objects pasted in Photoshop all the same.

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[SidianMSJones]

7 hours ago, haakoo said:

Maybe

Everyone this is it. Answer right here. Don't know how or why but that setting got turned off for me. I turned it back on and everything works as expected again. Thank you haakoo!

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[SidianMSJones]

@Lagarto, apologies if I was unclear. Though it looks like we all may be experiencing incongruous behavior with Affinity. My personal experience is that "copy items as SVG" SOLVED my issue. Your mileage may vary.

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[SidianMSJones]

Mac, PS 2021. Sorry to hear the troubles. Make sure you update everything!

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[Jowday]

6 hours ago, Lagarto said:

I am not sure if I understood what you mean, but I cannot reproduce any difference whether I first commit the default rendering and then scale up afterwards, or if I first scale and then commit. But there is a difference between e.g. Photoshop CS6 and 2021 as for ability to recalculate effects and gradients and the initial scaling might have relevance in subsequent rendering of these kinds of features in earlier versions of PS (it does appear to have but I did not test this thoroughly) -- but IMO the vector shapes themselves are retained as vectors and re-rendered similarly in both versions that I tried (CS6 and 2021) whenever the object is transformed (e.g. resized, rotated or skewed), disregarding the initial rendering.

What I mean is that once the vector drawing is pasted into Adobe Photoshop CC 2020 or 2021 I have to commit the transform before the vector image I pasted into PS is rendered completely - before that it is displayed pixelated in a preview state. Every time I resize it (a vector smart object it seems) in PS I have to commit the transform again.

Highlighted option is labelled 'Commit Transform' (click or hit enter)

Copy as SVG is not necessary.

Before commit:

After: