Photo unable to display/edit layer opacity correctly (UI issue)

[NotMyFault]

You can display the Layer opacity in steps of 1% only. The opacity is in reality a 8/16 Bit value with 256/65536 steps. It is possible to enter decimal values e.g. 0.4% as approximation for 1/255, but this value gets truncated to 0% when displayed.

Issue: this makes it impossible to inspect and distinguish values rounded to the same integer value. Especially for 0%, which can be shown both for 0 and 1/255, but could make a big impact to your composition.

This issue applies similarly to all UI elements where % values are used and no decimals are displayed.

Becomes especially strange when dealing with negative values, displayed as -0,

 

[walt.farrell]

Good point, but feels like a Feature Request to me, not a bug.

[NotMyFault]

Can you give one single example where a feature request succeeded into getting implemented? For me the feedback section feels like a write only forum (never read, reply’s only from those expressing opposition). 

It’s possible that some requested features actually got implemented by incident - but not by being requested, but by being on the roadmap anyway. 

[walt.farrell]

6 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

Can you give one single example where a feature request succeeded into getting implemented? For me the feedback section feels like a write only forum (never read, reply’s only from those expressing opposition). 

I probably could, if I was willing to invest that much effort (which I'm not).

Nonetheless, a feature not working as well as one might like, or not working well for some uses, does not represent a bug. The Bug forums should be reserved for                 cases where the features do not work at all, or do not work as designed. In this case the Opacity is clearly working as it is designed, so it is working properly. And to improve it, one would raise a feature request.  In my opinion, of course.

[NotMyFault]

57 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

I probably could, if I was willing to invest that much effort (which I'm not).

Nonetheless, a feature not working as well as one might like, or not working well for some uses, does not represent a bug. The Bug forums should be reserved for                 cases where the features do not work at all, or do not work as designed. In this case the Opacity is clearly working as it is designed, so it is working properly. And to improve it, one would raise a feature request.  In my opinion, of course.

I see your argument, but I don’t share it.

There is no clear definition available how a feature should work for any Affinity product. 
You can read the website, App Store description, help file, watch the tutorials, read some spotlight articles, and of course thousands of forum posts with comments from moderators. None of them provide a complete description, without contradictions, covering complex situations, explain edge cases. Most of the functions are clones of Photoshop functions unless there aren’t. Every single time I asked for a clear definition (e.g. a math formula) Affinity staff answered it is against corporate policy to give such information.

Affinity regularly  changes functionality and declares the new one an improvement. So no outsider can actually decide what’s ok and what not.

There are countless posts discussing the expected functionality ad nausea.

Recently I got the answer (given here in my words/interpretation ) that issues are rated as bug if they have a practical (negative) impact to real-world workflows.

So if in doubt I will file a bug report, based on symptoms and how it impacts my workflow, trying to stay away from any formal definition which is essentially unavailable to us mortals. Mods can answer that it’s no bug and close it. 
 

[DM1]

11 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

It is possible to enter decimal values e.g. 0.4% as approximation for 1/255, but this value gets truncated to 0% when displayed.

I'm pretty sure the issue of decimal/fractional keyboard input being truncated has been raised several times, with no resolution. In my opinion, if I am allowed to enter decimal places, then the selected measurement should be displayed correctly or at least to two decimal places. The data exists, it can’t be that difficult to display it in the ui. Same, same with resetting text background colour (a pain in the butt for workflow). An easy ui fix but not addressed years later. If the recent 10.2 crash issues were treated this way, affinity would be out of business. The crash issues have been addressed quickly (thank you to mods/devs), but why do other really annoying and relatively easy to fix issues appear to get no attention whatsoever.

[Callum]

I have logged this to be improved hopefully its addressed in a future update.