Stop spoiling images with basic operations

[Artem M]

Please stop spoil images with basic operations like merge layers or resize canvas. Maybe to give an option to operate with only integer pixel coordinates is a solution? 

 

[loukash]

1 hour ago, Artem M said:

an option to operate with only integer pixel coordinates

1. Preferences > User Interface > Decimal Places > Pixel: 6 (so that you can always see any decimal values in every field)
2. View > Snapping Manager > [✓] Force pixel alignment

#1 is a UI flaw, in my opinion, which I've reported just recently. Staff has already taken note of it, but if it's ever going to be fixed, onle the developers know…
#2 is presumably "by design", because sometimes you may actually want subpixel (non-)alignment. (As in: Other people are using the app for completely different purposes that we may not even be aware of.)

[Artem M]

17 minutes ago, loukash said:

1. Preferences > User Interface > Decimal Places > Pixel: 6 (so that you can always see any decimal values in every field)
2. View > Snapping Manager > [✓] Force pixel alignment

#1 is a UI flaw, in my opinion, which I've reported just recently. Staff has already taken note of it, but if it's ever going to be fixed, onle the developers know…
#2 is presumably "by design", because sometimes you may actually want subpixel (non-)alignment. (As in: Other people are using the app for completely different purposes that we may not even be aware of.)

It doesn't solve all issues that depends on algorithm of image processing in AP even in described cases as you can see in linked topics.
The main thing. I'm sure that merging 2 rester layers and extending canvas should be nondestructive modifications by default. Like in all other raster editing programs i know (PS, Pixelmator) btw.

[loukash]

52 minutes ago, Artem M said:

as you can see in linked topics

What @Gabe & @MEB explain there makes sense to me. It's how it's supposed to work. Sometimes you may want to have it that way, other times not. Flexibility comes with complexity.

Also keep in mind that e.g. image layers are kinda like smart objects in PS. They don't change their resolution unless you rasterize them to pixel layers. Then they'll match your document resolution and can be pixel aligned by exact values.

The primary problem is – as I have already pointed out – the default decimal places value for Pixel being "1", and the UI flaw that if the value is not an integer, its display will be rounded up or down, making the user believe it's an integer even though it's not. E.g. if you enter position X = 128.05 px, the Transform panel will then display "128". But your image is not aligned. You can even set the decimal display value value to "0" and then falsely assume that all actual values are automatically being rounded to integers. They are not: You just can't see the decimal places.

That's definitely a flaw, not a "feature", as far as I'm concerned.

52 minutes ago, Artem M said:

merging 2 rester layers […] should be nondestructive

1. Layer > Merge Visible; creates a copy

Or, if you have more than two layers:

1. Layer > Duplicate Selection
2. Layer > Merge Selection

52 minutes ago, Artem M said:

extending canvas should be nondestructive

The document canvas is in fact always infinite and can be adjusted nondestructively at any time.
You can e.g. create a dummy blank (no fill, no stroke) vector rectangle, move or resize it outside the visible image bounds, then Document > Unlip Canvas. (edit: in fact an unnecessary "workaround", as the Crop tool also does exactly that… )

Activate Document > Transparent Background to see what's your pixel image and what's blank canvas.

The Crop tool is always nondestructive. To extend the canvas, "crop" to a size larger that your image.

Edited March 22, 2021 by loukash

[Artem M]

Thanks for your reply. 

Quote

Also keep in mind that e.g. image layers are kinda like smart objects in PS

Yes and in PS it could merged in any combination with any tool with result matching pixel rendering of this object before merging. And I cant imagine raster image workflow in which it should go another way.

Quote

The primary problem is – as I have already pointed out – the default decimal places value for Pixel being "1"

On my opinion the primary problem is that you should track this unnecessary for most of users parameters during your work. As for me useful unit is mm because I'm using images for print. So at your logic i should always switch to px just to make sure that everything will go proper way?

 

1 hour ago, loukash said:

Layer > Merge Visible; creates a copy

Yes and doing job well even when px is not integer.

 

1 hour ago, loukash said:

Layer > Merge Selection

Produces result different from Merge Visible and from what you see before merging if px is not integer. 

 

2 hours ago, loukash said:

The document canvas is in fact always infinite and can be adjusted nondestructively at any time.

As you can see not every time:

Quote

The Crop tool is always nondestructive. To extend the canvas, "crop" to a size larger that your image.

Thank you. But in my workflow i need to add exactly 2mm of blank canvas in every side of image. Maybe you know easy way to do it with crop? My solution was to extend canvas with canvas size from upper left on 2mm and then from bottom right on 2mm. In this case it not blurring image like it do if you putting anchor marker in the centre and adding 4mm.

But finding such solutions don't means that tools work like they should do. Don't you think?

Quote

What @Gabe & @MEB explain there makes sense to me.

Monitoring this topic I have a strong feeling that some people trying to avoid the sunlight with a blindfold)

[Danielcz]

yes i find this very annoying too.

moving, merging and some tools design/functions in this regard, it adds additional steps which i always forget to do (sometimes too late) i dont have to do this in Photoshop. Affinity Photo sometimes feels very PIXEL NON PRECISE in default state (And some tools UI visualization didnt helping either -> that fat blurry Crop Tool representation compared to marque select).

Photographers and hobbyist maybe dont care if image gets slightly blurry and some tools are non pixel precise but for me its kind of workflow breaking thing because im relying on pixel perfect operations without any resampling/altering of pixel sharpness.

Sometimes i have feeling/suspicion its problem of Affinity software architecture , maybe its because Affinity Designer was made first as an vector image software so they maybe didnt needed any real pixel precision aligning by default (integer values / pixel arrays grids or how to call it) and whole pixel snap thing feels just like one big afterthought but if true then its really bad decision for pixel image manipulation software.

The same with Move tool, its cool, its more "intuitive" by its feature to resize, rotate and shear directly but for me absolutely dangerous combination in one tool, if i need to connect 300+ tiles quickly by hand in matter of hours where pixel alteration must NEVER happen! its like nightmare not to accidentally touch some scale/rotate/shear spot on move tool gizmo by little tiny margin and see it too late -> start all over again.

so I would really appreciated if i could disable any additional transformation functions (resize/rotate/shear) from a Move Tool too and keep just basic move function. And completely disable that blue move tool bounding box too (cant see properly with that blue borderlines exactly where is that last pixel clearly) or change the visuals at least to make it look more like marque select bounding box (its more sharp, thinner and feels more precise to see exact pixel borders)

I know you can set to hide bounding box if you move it but i would like to see complete turn off switch.

Or create additional tool which could be called "Basic Move Tool" without any additional transform functions. Safe for repeating/monotone fast and precise move operations without fear of changing size or rotation in the process.

Thanks.

[thomasp]

On 3/22/2021 at 3:59 PM, loukash said:

The Crop tool is always nondestructive. To extend the canvas, "crop" to a size larger that your image.

Woah. Four years of using Affinity and that never even occured to me. Talk about thinking outside the box...

Already indispensable after trying it once.

Edit: Photoshop does it too. Lol, that sound - is it a tinnitus or my newbie alert going off?