Allow small text to be visible while editing

[jmudglove]

I'm not sure how it could be solved but the resize handles obscure the editing of text, especially if the text is small. My recommendation would be to disable the resize dots completely when the text tool is placed inside the box for editing. Currently at the size seen in my screenshot, it's impossible to even see the text preview while editing the text.

[Joachim_L]

Not the application at hand right so I ca be wrong, but you can resize the handles (dots) at Preferences >> User Interface.

[jmudglove]

Thanks for the tip, I found an option to make them smaller but the text is still somewhat obscured. Would be great if the resize handles disapeared when editing text.

[PaulEC]

Just zoom in closer!

[jmudglove]

Sorry but zooming in closer is not a solution. When professionally evaluating typography for a layout, it's helpful to be able to try different fonts and characters in a placement and see the results clearly. Having to zoom in just to see what you are typing and or to get a feel for the typography is not a good option, hence the request for a way to clearly see what is being typed without the resize bars being in the way. You can't resize or rotate while typing anyway, so it would only enhance the product to have this feature.

[loukash]

4 hours ago, jmudglove said:

When professionally evaluating typography for a layout, it's helpful to be able to try different fonts and characters in a placement and see the results clearly

When professionally working with a professional layout application and professionally evaluating typography for a professional layout, it's professionally helpful to assign text styles to the text you want to professionally evaluate because then you can try different fonts and characters in a placement and see the results clearly while all objects are deselected.

That's been the case in all professional layout applications, e.g. those from companies that rhyme with Schmark or Schmadobe, previously also with Schmaldus. One might have had assumed that all professional typographers would have already known that little trick by now, but that's apparently not the case yet…

So, let's spread the word!

[jmudglove]

I'm sorry but I'm not really sure what you are saying.

[loukash]

13 minutes ago, loukash said:

assign text styles to the text

13 minutes ago, loukash said:

then you can try different fonts and characters

affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/pages/Panels/textStylesPanel.html
affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/pages/Text/textStyles.html
affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/pages/Text/textStyles_create.html
affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/pages/Text/textStyles_types.html

affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/publisher/desktop/video/337305725

etc

[jmudglove]

Thanks, yep, I know how to use text styles in all these programs. That's not my workflow in this case. Geez I was just asking to be able to see the text clearly when I changed it. This is also a feature all the programs you just named have. I guess this forum is not actually a place to post enhancement requests. 

[loukash]

11 minutes ago, jmudglove said:

This is also a feature all the programs you just named have.

Frankly, I haven't used InDesign beyond CS5.5, so I don't know which long overdue features have been added to CC in the meantime. But in CS5.5, the only way to preview text variants without having an active text frame or text selection disturbing your view is using text styles.

Not so in Illustrator, however, where you can completely disable selection frames, handles and nodes while editing.
And that's definitely a useful option to have.
In that sense: +1 to your request.

In Affinity that's only possible by holding the spacebar. Of course, you can't do this while editing text. But if you select a text frame with the Move tool and then change character/paragraph attributes that will affect the whole frame, then you can keep the spacebar pressed to preview changes without the frame and handles.

11 minutes ago, jmudglove said:

I guess this forum is not actually a place to post enhancement requests. 

Fair enough, my apologize for being that sarcastic.

[jmudglove]

Hey, all good, sorry if my use of the word "Professional" came off as snarky in anyway. I was only trying to get across the idea that seeing the text while typing is critical for me to do my work. Thanks for the tip on using the spacebar. I didn't know that one and it will help me.
 

[loukash]

4 minutes ago, jmudglove said:

the tip on using the spacebar

Interestingly, I just noticed an odd "feature" that's more likely a bug: I kept holding the space bar while selecting a different font, then let go off the spacebar but the preview mode remained stuck. I couldn't get out of the mode unless pressing the spacebar a few times again, hence the accidental whitespaces at the end of the video:

[loukash]

Hey, this is even better that the spacebar trick:

1. select text frame(s) with the Move tool
2. switch to View tool without clicking anything
3. change text attributes: they will be applied only to your last selection

If there was a text selection inside a frame, the attributes will affect the whole frame though.
That's when applying character styles comes in handy.

[loukash]

4 minutes ago, loukash said:

change text attributes: they will be applied only to your last selection

On a second thought, this is totally logical:

Every object is a layer in Affinity apps.
If you select an object with the Move tool, it will be also selected in the Layers panel.
When you change the tool, e.g. to View tool, the object doesn't display any handles because the View tool doesn't have this "power".
But it will remain selected in the Layers panel.
The attributes will then apply to that selection.

This is in fact "by design", as the Serif staff would say.

[ashf]

5 hours ago, jmudglove said:

Sorry but zooming in closer is not a solution. When professionally evaluating typography for a layout, it's helpful to be able to try different fonts and characters in a placement and see the results clearly. Having to zoom in just to see what you are typing and or to get a feel for the typography is not a good option, hence the request for a way to clearly see what is being typed without the resize bars being in the way. You can't resize or rotate while typing anyway, so it would only enhance the product to have this feature.

Not about small text but I sometimes wish if Affinity had magnifier window or split Screen to see a different view.
(iPad version has sort of magnifier though...)

[loukash]

6 minutes ago, ashf said:

magnifier window or split Screen to see a different view

There's:

• View > New View = opens a new tab/window which can have a unique view
  selections are being synced, but Zoom, View Mode and Preview Mode can be unique for each view
• Navigator panel > hamburger menu > Advanced = adds a popup menu > cog popup menu or hamburger menu > Add = adds a new view point
  switch between saved viewpoints = zoom factor via View menu > Move To Previous/Next View Point; assign shortcuts to those for quick switch

For "split screen", you must switch to Window > Separated Mode and arrange windows manually.

[ashf]

7 minutes ago, loukash said:

There's:

• View > New View = opens a new tab/window which can have a unique view
  selections are being synced, but Zoom, View Mode and Preview Mode can be unique for each view
• Navigator panel > hamburger menu > Advanced = adds a popup menu > cog popup menu or hamburger menu > Add = adds a new view point
  switch between saved viewpoints = zoom factor via View menu > Move To Previous/Next View Point; assign shortcuts to those for quick switch

For "split screen", you must switch to Window > Separated Mode and arrange windows manually.

Yes, I know that but side by side view(without separate mode) or zoom window in place would be nicer.

[loukash]

25 minutes ago, ashf said:

(without separate mode)

I stopped using the separated mode long ago, but now with the Studio Presets, I just figured that I could give it a chance again. I've never liked this monolithic window mode anyway. Never used it with Adobe apps either.

25 minutes ago, ashf said:

zoom window in place

On Mac: System Preferences > Accessibility > Zoom > check out the various options and zoom modes to find what suits you best.

I prefer the "Use scroll gestures […]" Picture-in-Picture mode. Using it all the time. You know how it goes: aging eyes & wrong glasses, bad app UI designs with microscopic text and icons created by twenty-somethings who apparently don't need reading glasses yet, et cetera et cetera…

But yeah, that just magnifies the screen, so it might not be what you're after either.

[loukash]

@jmudglove & @ashf, how 'bout this:

[ashf]

21 hours ago, loukash said:

@jmudglove & @ashf, how 'bout this:

 

apu_pages_panel_preview.mov 9.79 MB · 2 downloads

Objects' detail such as nodes or strokes but fonts(text) are more important for me, so that's little different.