New Stack wont import .aphoto files? Seriously?

[3DJ]

What am I missing? This seems like a no-brainer. I am trying to make an asset collection of the true grit papers, and I thought the easiest way to do so would be to import as a stack and then manually create an asset… so if I cant do it this way, does anyone have any tips? I wish we could import assets through an import function….

 

-Thanks,

Jim

 

[DM1]

3 hours ago, 3DJ said:

I wish we could import assets through an import function…

Your wish has been granted…..

[3DJ]

Hi DM1,

that only allows importing of an already created .afasset file. What I tried to explain is being able to do this and bring in files into a set or new set. 

[walt.farrell]

10 hours ago, 3DJ said:

I am trying to make an asset collection of the true grit papers, and I thought the easiest way to do so would be to import as a stack and then manually create an asset…

Think about what New Stack does: It lets you specify a set of image (raster) files, and opens them into stack of individual layers, one layer per raster file.

How would that work with a complex, non-raster format, like a .afphoto file (or a PDF, PSD, or any other multi-layer format)? It would need to be extended to, effectively, give you a stack of either Embedded or Linked document layers.

But the more important thing, for your question, is that you're supposed to Open a texture file, and then put your artwork into it (as instructed in the tutorial). You cannot Open an Asset; it must be a file on your system.

If you were to make them Assets, to use them you would have to:

1. Create a new document.
2. Drag the Asset onto it.
3. At that point, it would be an Embedded document. To work with it, you would have to double-click it, or use Edit Document from the Context Toolbar. It would then open in a new editing tab, and you would have to do all your work in that tab.

However, if you do want to try creating Assets:

1. Create a document.
2. File > Place, and select all the files you want to turn into Assets.
3. Click on the canvas to Place one of the files.
4. Click again to place another. Repeat until you're done.
5. Now you have a layer stack as you originally wanted, and you can turn each into an Asset.
6. You will also end up with a fairly large assets.propcol file, and you'll want to keep a good backup of it for when it breaks.

[3DJ]

4 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Think about what New Stack does: It lets you specify a set of image (raster) files, and opens them into stack of individual layers, one layer per raster file.

How would that work with a complex, non-raster format, like a .afphoto file (or a PDF, PSD, or any other multi-layer format)? It would need to be extended to, effectively, give you a stack of either Embedded or Linked document layers.

Hi Walt.

Thanks for the info, however I am a bit lost with many of your comments. In Photoshop, I often stack PSD’s No problem. My thought was it should work without a hitch in AP… I am wrong, but I think your reasoning about “Think about what a New Stack does:” is antiquated thinking for software these days.

Quote

But the more important thing, for your question, is that you're supposed to Open a texture file, and then put your artwork into it (as instructed in the tutorial). You cannot Open an Asset; it must be a file on your system.

I have no idea what you are referring too? I never mentioned a tutorial… or a texture…

Quote

If you were to make them Assets, to use them you would have to:

1. Create a new document.
2. Drag the Asset onto it.
3. At that point, it would be an Embedded document. To work with it, you would have to double-click it, or use Edit Document from the Context Toolbar. It would then open in a new editing tab, and you would have to do all your work in that tab.

Yes, I understand how this works- thanks, but I see your point as long as they are a file they cant be used as assets? The way Affinity has gone about embedded vs linked has left a lot to desire, at least it has gotten better recently on Desktop.

 

Quote

However, if you do want to try creating Assets:

1. Create a document.
2. File > Place, and select all the files you want to turn into Assets.
3. Click on the canvas to Place one of the files.
4. Click again to place another. Repeat until you're done.
5. Now you have a layer stack as you originally wanted, and you can turn each into an Asset.
6. You will also end up with a fairly large assets.propcol file, and you'll want to keep a good backup of it for when it breaks.
   
   
   

I know how to create assets, I was hoping someone would have an idea of a faster/more efficient workflow for this. I didn’t want a layer stack for any other purpose than to have the files brought into the document in order to make the assets with. Not sure why you think this would make a “large” .afasset file…. Maybe I guess. But this still doesn’t allow me to do this clean and fast. On iPad since it also seems to only allow selecting one file to place at a time. I have also tried dragging them in from the file browser as a group— it defaults to a single file. Are you telling me you can do this on your iPad? 

 

Thanks,

Jim

[walt.farrell]

34 minutes ago, 3DJ said:

I know how to create assets, I was hoping someone would have an idea of a faster/more efficient workflow for this. I didn’t want a layer stack for any other purpose than to have the files brought into the document in order to make the assets with. 

The approach I described is the faster, more efficient, workflow you want for that.  It let's you select all the files and easily get them into a stack.

35 minutes ago, 3DJ said:

Not sure why you think this would make a “large” .afasset file…. Maybe I guess. But this still doesn’t allow me to do this clean and fast

I say it will be large because the .zip file is over 1GB, and the . afassets file format is probably less efficient.

Clean and fast: One use of File > Place, one operation to select all the files, one click per file, one "create asset" per file.

The only extra beyond what you tried is the "one click per file".

But really, I don't think those files will work well as Assets, and I would strongly recommend playing with just one of them as an Asset before going to the effort of converting then all.

[3DJ]

48 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

The approach I described is the faster, more efficient, workflow you want for that.  It let's you select all the files and easily get them into a stack.

I think we have a disconnect, I dont need a stack, its just how I would do it if it worked in order to bring them all in with a single click. On iPad you can only bring one in at a time. 

48 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

I say it will be large because the .zip file is over 1GB, and the . afassets file format is probably less efficient.

good point!

48 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

 

Clean and fast: One use of File > Place, one operation to select all the files, one click per file, one "create asset" per file.

The only extra beyond what you tried is the "one click per file".

Yes, but not on iPad. As for adding to the assets in one click, no problem with that. Again the issue is on the front end of getting them all into one file easily. No way to do that on iPad I'm afraid other then going file place image for each one- and that sucks a lot of time. 

48 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

But really, I don't think those files will work well as Assets, and I would strongly recommend playing with just one of them as an Asset before going to the effort of converting then all.

agreed. not worth going through this trouble. I wanted them in there as I will forget about them and never use them, but thats a separate problem LOL.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Jim

 

 

[walt.farrell]

19 minutes ago, 3DJ said:

. On iPad you can only bring one in at a time. 

Sorry. Didn't realize that. 

And on an iPad I would be even more concerned about the size of the .afassets file, I think.