how can I make my default rulers inches?

[Bynah]

When I switch it to inches in the units on the context toolbar, every time I change what I am doing, it defaults back to metrics.

[jmwellborn]

 @Bynah   If you will create a default template for each app (example below is in Photo) and set your measurements to inches, then each time you create a new document you can click on your Default template, and then no matter what you do while you are working in that document, the measurement will stay the same, unless you purposely change it.   If you use FILE>OPEN your image will come with pixel measurements.  You will have to switch that measurement from pixels to inches in the context toolbar.  At that point, your measurement should stay in inches as long as the file is open.

[VJS]

Which means that every document you bring in will have to be changed to inches. Why not be able to set the default ruler to inches so that all documents opened will be in that measurement? Now if I resize, ruler has to be changed, AND it has to be changed in the resize window. Not very efficient.

[walt.farrell]

49 minutes ago, VJS said:

Now if I resize, ruler has to be changed, AND it has to be changed in the resize window.

If you change it on the Ruler, that will also change it for the Resize dialog (at least in Photo 2 beta, but I think it's the same in the other applications and releases).

[smadell]

This makes some inherent sense, @VJS. A photo file that has only pixel dimensions does not have any inherent "size" - it can be any size you want, as long as you are willing to let the dpi number float along with it. If you wanted to set a Preference such that all pixel-measured documents were opened with a default measurement in inches, you'd also have to set a default value for DPI. That could lead to some mighty large, or mighty small, documents depending on the photo you opened.

It's a moot point, though, since specifying a default ruler setting in Preferences just isn't a current option.

[VJS]

That is true about pixel dimensions, smadell, and I was incorrect about having to change both the ruler units and in resize, but you still have to change it for every photo. Hopefully, the default measurement unit will be adjustable in version 2 Preferences, which won't work on my desktop but will work on my new laptop.

 

[Girlvsworld]

 

19 hours ago, smadell said:

This makes some inherent sense, @VJS. A photo file that has only pixel dimensions does not have any inherent "size" - it can be any size you want, as long as you are willing to let the dpi number float along with it. If you wanted to set a Preference such that all pixel-measured documents were opened with a default measurement in inches, you'd also have to set a default value for DPI. That could lead to some mighty large, or mighty small, documents depending on the photo you opened.

It's a moot point, though, since specifying a default ruler setting in Preferences just isn't a current option.

It does have an inherent size if you want to print it. It makes no sense to have to sit and calculate all the time what the dimensions are because it defaults to pixels. Why not have a dpi setting? Why not let the use user determine if they want to have very large files are not? Some of the choices made with regards to these apps make no sense at all, given that they are meant to be "professional" applications. 

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Girlvsworld said:

It makes no sense to have to sit and calculate all the time what the dimensions are because it defaults to pixels.

No calculations are needed. Just change the Units. In Photo, you can just click on the Context Toolbar Units field. Or if you have the rulers showing, right click at their intersection.

[Girlvsworld]

I’m on an iPad, but it’s the same issue as desktop. Having to change the units when you have a large number of files to work on is less than ideal. 

[MehalD]

Just joining the thread some months later, in Affinity Photo 2, is it now possible to change the default units from pixels to inches? It just seems so laborious to have to continue to change each new image into inches from pixels, unlike in Adobe PS where you can specify the units of choice as a default.