Design app for Mac - where is the stroke function?

[Nite Nite]

cant believe I had to give up and ask here. Even the help menu does not show any results for "stroke". 

Im using the box selection tool, and expect to be able to draw a red rectangle to highlight a certain section of  a .jpg file. 

Instead, all I can do is draw the selection box.

Expected behavior: the stroke command is found by both HELP and by user in a menu somewhere

Actual behavior: help does not have a stroke entry, and the user cannot find "stroke" anywhere in the Affinity Photo for Mac app's GUI.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Nite Nite

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums @Nite Nite

Which tool are you using as there isn’t a “box selection” tool in Designer and you probably shouldn’t be using a selection tool for what you want here.
You probably need the Rectangle Tool and the Stroke Panel.

P.S. The help gives me plenty of choices for “stroke” – see attached image. What do you see when you type “stroke” (without the quotes) into the help search bar and press enter?

[Old Bruce]

You have indeed found a shortfall in Photo. If you want to draw a red rectangle use the rectangle tool with a red stroke and clear/transparent fill instead. Then if you have opened a JPEG file just go to Document > Flatten and the rectangle will be rasterized into the jpeg's layer and you can save it instead of having to export it.

Just the way Photo works.

[GarryP]

The OP is using Designer.

[Geoff777]

It's top left after you've selected the shape (rectangle, circle etc.)

 

[GarryP]

Geoff777: I don’t think the OP is using the correct tool, which is why I have asked them to confirm which tool they are using.

[Dan C]

Hi @Nite Nite,

Welcome to the Affinity Forums

12 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

Im using the box selection tool, and expect to be able to draw a red rectangle to highlight a certain section of  a .jpg file. 

It sounds as though you have created a Pixel selection, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool in the Pixel Persona. If this is the case, you cannot add a 'stroke' to a Pixel Selection, as Affinity doesn't currently support any Selection -> Vector Stroke features (such as vector trace), my apologies.

As mentioned above, if you use a regular Rectangle Quick Shape, you will be able to set the Fill to none and adjust the Stroke as required!

[Old Bruce]

Post Script: Didn't see the obvious and stated Designer... In Designer after you have drawn the rectangle save the JPEG and you will be given the option to save as... or save a flattened image. Use the flattened to keep the JPEG format.

[Nite Nite]

Thanks for the help all.

 

Sorry, Im using Affinity Photo.

 

If I go to Help at the top of the screen, its 100% certain there is no resulting "stroke" found. See pic attached. 

Yes, Im using the "Rectangular Marquee tool". 

I select part of the image I want to make a red box around, and with a selection I should be able to apply a command. 

But where is "stroke" - I looked thru every menu, none to be found...

 

[Dan C]

21 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

Yes, Im using the "Rectangular Marquee tool". 

I select part of the image I want to make a red box around, and with a selection I should be able to apply a command. 

As mentioned above, this cannot be done with the Rectangular Marquee Tool - you need to use a Quick Shape such as a Rectangle, or draw the area yourself using the Pen Tool, if you wish to apply a stroke to it.

You cannot natively apply a Stroke to a Pixel Selection in the Affinity apps, as this command does not exist, my apologies.

Please see the following video for more info - https://affinity.serif.com/tutorials/designer/desktop/video/301807697/

Note: this is a video for Designer, but the same applies to Affinity Photo regarding the shapes usage

[David in Яuislip]

11 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

But where is "stroke"

it ain't there but you can use Select/Outline instead. I've attached the macro that I use

StrokeSelection.afmacro

[Nite Nite]

Hi David,

 

thanks for the macro suggestion. Im on a Mac, and I tried to double click your macro file, but the Mac doesnt seem to recognize ".afmacro" files. 

Is there a preferred way to run that macro? I dont see a File / Run Macro option...

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Nite Nite

[Nite Nite]

ok figured out menu options View / Studios / Library. In the resulting left panel, there's an "Import Macros" function. I pointed it to your .afmacro file but it wont open it...

 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Nite Nite

[Alfred]

13 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

Is there a preferred way to run that macro? I dont see a File / Run Macro option...

Go to the Macro panel and choose the ‘Import’ option. (As you’ve just discovered, you can’t import single macros via the Library panel.)

Affinity Photo Help: Importing macros

[Nite Nite]

Alfred,

 

thanks - got the Macro to run. It doesnt seem to prompt a color, how does one control that aspect? 

When I click the color wheel, the expected action is the app would obey my color selection.

Instead, it seems do do nothing, ie, no GUI element appears, no GUI element changes to show what I want as a color. 

Starting to wonder who QA'd this app!

Edited August 4, 2021 by Nite Nite

[walt.farrell]

36 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

got the Macro to run. It doesnt seem to prompt a color, who does one control that aspect?

The macro will apply the current foreground color to the outlined selection when you run it. Your only control from within the macro is over the width of the outline.

So, you need to:

1. Select the color you want.
2. Make a pixel selection.
3. Run the macro. Adjust the outline width if needed (it defaults to 9px).
4. Click Apply in the outloine adjustment dialog.

(Steps 1 and 2 can be in either order.)

[David in Яuislip]

44 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

It doesnt seem to prompt a color,

Can't be done, you need to choose the foreground colour first. Neither can you select inside, middle, outside, the only adjustable parameter is width

 

46 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

Starting to wonder who QA'd this app!

Dunno, but I QC'd this macro and it passed all of the QA requirements!

Stone me, @walt.farrell beat me.....again

[Nite Nite]

thank you Walt! 

When I click on the color wheel - nothing happens. Shouldnt it display a larger color picker as most graphic apps do?

Ive attached the color picker icon I think anyone would choose...

[walt.farrell]

9 minutes ago, Nite Nite said:

Ive attached the color picker icon I think anyone would choose...

Those icons are for automatically applying certain color enhancements to an image; they are not color pickers or choosers.

Use the Color panel in the studio:

I might suggest doing some reading about the interface in the Help, or watching some of the basic Affinity tutorials.

[Nite Nite]

thanks Walt for your input. Of course, one hopes for sound GUI design, astute judgement, wise UX counsel, so that manuals, and worse videos arent required for the most basic of tasks.

After years on the market, why havent Affinity coded a basic function like "stroke" into their easily accessibles? Its humbling.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Nite Nite

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Nite Nite said:

After years on the market, why havent Affinity coded a basic function like "stroke" into their easily accessibles? Its humbling.

Because the preferred function in Affinity is to draw a shape (such as a rectangle, mentioned above) rather than stroking a selection. 

 

1 hour ago, Nite Nite said:

so that manuals, and worse videos arent required for the most basic of tasks.

Do you perhaps assume that all programs must work identically? If that were true there'd be no room for innovation.