Affinity Designer Customer Beta (1.3.5.5)

[A_B_C]

@Oval

 

Please remember, these are beta versions for test purposes, and one cannot expect that they will come with full documentation, although I do agree that the documentation can be improved regarding the numeric input calculations. Nevertheless, here are the new features you asked about:

 

The numeric input calculations are explained in this tutorial video by the Affinity folks:

 

 

And the feature is discussed here:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/2321-scaling-objects-by-a-percentage/7

 

How to activate the black overprint feature:

See this post by Paul Bravery above: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/14005-affinity-designer-customer-beta-1355/?p=62177

 

How to get a live preview of compound object booleans:
Create two shapes, select both, choose Layers > Create compound, and have a look at the Layers panel. You should see an icon that reacts like in my movie below.

 

Cheers, Alex  :)

Compound_Live.mov

[MattP]

PDF/EPS/SVG export still insanely slow.

 

At least the blue progress bar is back. lol

 

Would you be able to send one of your files to support@seriflabs.com - I'd like to get this sorted out for you. Thanks! :)

[MattP]

@Oval - as Alex says, this is a beta and as such our documentation is always going to be trailing development. Yes, I could write better descriptions of what has been added and how to access it, so I'll try to do better in future, sorry :(

[Dave Harris]

Matt, it would be useful to allow individual, per-color overprint, not just limit it to black... Also it might be good to have that set up via the swatches palette as well... awesome work!

We plan to do that. The UI wasn't ready for this beta. However, we felt that overprinting black by default would be a useful feature in addition to per-colour black, and it happened to get completed first.

[Oval]

@ Alex: Vielen Dank. Ich versuche zu erklären, warum wir die Fragen gestellt haben. Es geht darum, dass viele Wettbewerber auf diesen Markt drängen und wir den Eindruck haben, dass man durch Vernachlässigung wichtiger Basics ( z. B. Dokumentation, Farbhandling) seit Anfang an Marktchancen verliert. 

 

Konkret: Angeblich wurde nach vielen Mängelberichten nun endlich die Hilfe erneuert. Aber: In der deutsche Hilfe fehlen noch immer seit Beginn sechs Files, weshalb Links ins Leere führen. Das weiß Serif, will es aber offensichtlich nicht korrigieren (z. B. zumindest die englischen Files ergänzen). Dass es überhaupt möglich ist, mehr als Zahlen und Einheiten in Feldern einzugeben, bleibt vielen Neulingen verwehrt, weil dies in der Hilfe in den einführenden Texten keine Erwähnung findet und der Link zu keinem File führt. Funktionen bleiben versteckt, statt Sie direkt im Programm zu erwähnen. Selbst wenn ein motivierter User im englischen Help-File beispielsweise nach einem »boolean mode« sucht, wird er nicht fündig. User, die es nicht gewohnt sind, Anleitungen in Foren zusammenzuklauben, wenden sich angesichts dieser Ignoranz frustriert von den Affinity-Produkten ab. Wir glauben, dass dadurch beispielsweise Canvas X 16 for Mac große Verdrängungschancen haben wird. Da wir hier im Affinity Beta Support-Forum sind, waren die rhetorischen Fragen für das Affinity-Team gedacht. Die Antwort von Matt lässt aber nicht hoffen: Die Probleme sind nicht nur in den Betas nie korrigiert worden, sondern auch in allen bisherigen MAS-Versionen nicht.

 

Viele Grüße ins vorwinterliche Deutschland

Andrea

[Oval]

We plan to do that. The UI wasn't ready for this beta. However, we felt that overprinting black by default would be a useful feature in addition to per-colour black, and it happened to get completed first.

No object-based overprinting options?!  :(  :(  :(

[Dave Harris]

No object-based overprinting options?!  :(  :(  :(

 

Correct. I think per-colour is more flexible. You can use overprinting colours on some objects and non-overprinting on others.

[A_B_C]

Well, I see your point, Andrea, thank you … :)

 

As I see from your other thread, you are missing information about the Paragraph Panel, the Character Panel, the Pan / View and Zoom functions, and the use of expressions. And you mentioned the Boolean operations.

 

No offense, but as you will know, the Paragraph Panel and the Character Panel are still in beta status, subject to change, so I believe it is fair to give the developers time for proper documentation. I am also not sure why you consider the Pan / View and the Zoom functions ill-documented, but I believe your criticism concerning the numeric input calculations (symbolic expressions) is valid up to a certain point. As far as I can see, this feature is indeed presented only in the tutorial video I mentioned above.

 

Concerning the Boolean operations, there are two subsections of the German in-app help files dwelling at length on the creation of compounds (Arbeiten mit Objekten > Objektmontagen) and geometric operations (Arbeiten mit Objekten > Verbinden von Objekten). I would like to believe that it should be no problem to understand what Matt has written, once these chapters of the help files have been read. And the terminology should present no problems either …

 

Nevertheless, I believe you are right in pointing out that help and documentation files are essential.
Cheers, Alex  :)

[GrahamHCB]

Not sure if this is a bug in the new Beta or due to my fumbling in the dark, but when I export as a PDF/x-1a, as required by Moo.com, I get the result shown on the screenshot.

 

On the left the exported PDF with the embedded photo corrupted, in the middle the file before exporting and the default settings for PDF/x-1a on the right.

 

Also if someone could help me with this post from earlier today I'd be very grateful.

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/14042-creating-greeting-cards-in-ad/

 

Thanks

 

Graham

 

 

 

[celliott80]

I'm experiencing some redraw issues when using vector brushes in 1.3.5.5. See attached video.

redraw.mov

[GrahamHCB]

Not sure if this is a bug in the new Beta or due to my fumbling in the dark, but when I export as a PDF/x-1a, as required by Moo.com, I get the result shown on the screenshot.

 

On the left the exported PDF with the embedded photo corrupted, in the middle the file before exporting and the default settings for PDF/x-1a on the right.

 

Also if someone could help me with this post from earlier today I'd be very grateful.

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/14042-creating-greeting-cards-in-ad/

 

Thanks

 

Graham

 Sorry not a bug just me missing the obvious. I embedded the photo as a .afphoto file instead of a .jpeg that's why the export was corrupted. Just exported it with an embedded .jpeg and it was fine. Export is very slow in this Beta though.

Graham 

[anon1]

...but an embedded afphoto file should just work as well!

[Oval]

Correct. I think per-colour is more flexible. You can use overprinting colours on some objects and non-overprinting on others.

 

Thanks, Dave. And it will be impossible to change the definitions of (those unlinked) colours/gradients afterwards?

[Oval]

Hi Alex. Thanks a lot for your help, but you misunderstood Andrea. Her stinging criticism is about marketing, it is not content-related. It is not possible to replace a manual with a confusing forum containing many opinions. The questions should illustrate how frustrated beginners could react because of undocumented features and new terms that are NOT findable in the help / NOT used in the app. E.g. the options of the tools are shown directly in the context toolbar. The options for the fields are not shown directly. And they are not findable in the German help. Users that cannot find a scale tool will purchase the next app that has visible tools, not hided tools.

 

KR, Georg

[JGD]

Correct. I think per-colour is more flexible. You can use overprinting colours on some objects and non-overprinting on others.

 

This is actually a great idea… And if you manage to add some graphic marker to overprinting colour swatches, like the cut corner and the dotted cut corner (which, btw, would be a welcome addition to spot colours, too) used by Adobe, that would make it even more obvious…

 

That shouldn't, however, obviate the need for some sort of preflight panel, especially on Publisher, but would make it extremely easy to replace a specific colour with an overprinting one and vice-versa ine one fell swoop.

[GrahamHCB]

...but an embedded afphoto file should just work as well!

 

 

Really should it MBd? Then I don't know what the problem was with the first export. The only thing I changed in the second one was to export the photo from AP as a jpeg instead of an afphoto, and it worked out fine. Maybe it is a bug after all.

 

Graham

[ronnyb]

True, but most flexible would be BOTH per color AND per object. Both have valid use cases...

 

 

Correct. I think per-colour is more flexible. You can use overprinting colours on some objects and non-overprinting on others.

[Oval]

Correct. I think per-colour is more flexible. You can use overprinting colours on some objects and non-overprinting on others.

 

 

The question should be what is needed. What do professionals say.

[synaptyx]

Would you be able to send one of your files to support@seriflabs.com - I'd like to get this sorted out for you. Thanks! :)

Hi Matt,

 

I sent files in relation to the previous beta. Will send files saved under this beta and thanks for looking into this. :)

[paolo.limoncelli]

 Nice surprise! Got it first! Haha :P BTW, congrats for being on the new iMac's display on Apple's website: http://www.apple.com/imac/performance/

 

Finally!  :)

Well deserved...

[MEB]

Still having issues (since last beta 1.3.5.4) with slow panning and zooming when the grid is on, seems to only be an issue with any grid other than the automatic grid. I've tested this on my 5K iMac, Retina Macbook and Retina Macbook Pro. Custom grids work fine in the MAS version.

 

Thanks for your report celliot80.

Issue logged to be looked at.

[predick]

-Bug Report-

 

PSD Import Problem

- Text box disappear (Only this version, the store version works fine)

 

Swap Line and Fill

- On text cannot work (Also the store version)

test.psd

[MEB]

Not sure if this is a bug in the new Beta or due to my fumbling in the dark, but when I export as a PDF/x-1a, as required by Moo.com, I get the result shown on the screenshot.

 

On the left the exported PDF with the embedded photo corrupted, in the middle the file before exporting and the default settings for PDF/x-1a on the right.

 

Also if someone could help me with this post from earlier today I'd be very grateful.

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/14042-creating-greeting-cards-in-ad/

 

Thanks

 

Graham

 

Hi Graham,

Can you attach the afdesign file here so we can check it out please?

Thanks.

 

@predick

Thanks for the file @predick.

Issue logged to be looked at.

[lenogre]

Synaptyx : about slow export, the best solution is to pixelate your draw before exporting. I often have a lot of diamonds or structures with effects. AD is unable to export them before a long time. After pixelating (it takes few seconds), export is very fast as usual.

 

Personal question : Are you drawing dials for horology ?

[warriotox]

I think that small caps option for text is not working as intended in the latest beta. All the letter are now small, instead of the first letter always being larger and then followed by small caps letters.. Is this a bug or intended? And is there a workaround to make it work like before?