Warp Mesh Tutorial?

[skiphunt]

I purchased Designer and Photo some time ago but am only just now starting to get into them.

 

In one of the demo videos for photo, it shows a castle with reflections in a river being moved around  effortlessly and the reflections are keeping up with it. I can't tell if it's a perspective feature or warp mesh, or both. Is there a tutorial somewhere showing exactly what's going on in this part of the demo video? What I'm talking about is at around 1:50 in the "featured" video on this page: https://vimeo.com/macaffinity

I'm not ready to abandon PS just yet, but from what I've seen so far... I'm really glad I bought these apps. :)

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Hi Skiphunt,

 

It is the perspective tool. I have done a tutorial here https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/8190-new-affinity-photo-tutorial/

 

doesn't show the castle, but shows some features of the tool. I chose the single pane inside the perspective tool, in the demo they have used the dual plane option.

 

See screenshot attached. I imported a picture chose the Perspective tool then clicked and drag the nodes to change perspective.

 

 

 

Allan

[skiphunt]

@Allan, 

 

Thanks for the reply, but I already tried that. It moves the entire image leaving transparency behind. In the video it looks like they're moving just the castle and it appears to be moving independent of the background without leaving transparency. I thought maybe they just cut out the castle, dropped it on a river background, then moved around via perspective distort. But, there's a reflection of the castle in the water and the reflection of the water isn't selected as part of the perspective control as in your screen shot. Yet, the reflections move in accordance to how the castle is being distorted. Not the same as in your thumbnail, or am I missing something?

 

Skip Hunt

[My Strawberry Monkey]

It will depend on the image, I also managed to get to do that without showing transparency. It will also depend on the mode selected and how you drag the nodes...

 

Download this short video... The video is low res and small just to demo the tool but hopefully you'll get what i'm showing. Not the exact image but it works the same if you change mode to source move the grid in place then change the mode back to destination and drag the nodes.

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eh97f34zln6r89j/Perspective%20tool.mp4?dl=0

[skiphunt]

Allan, 

I watched the video and tried to do the same thing to one of my images. But, it's not behaving the same as in yours. I open an image, select the perspective tool. Change it to Dual Pane and Source. Then place the handles on the points I want to distort. Then change back to Destination (like you did in your video) only mine distorts the whole image as it did before, leaving areas transparent. It doesn't behave the same as in your video, ie. just distorting what's within the constraints of the mesh tool.

 

I must have something set wrong, but it's very frustrating that I can't figure this out. Will likely abandon this for now. I was hoping to find a tutorial so that I could understand how this works, but my Affinity Photo is not functioning the same way as yours is, while I'm doing the exact same thing you're doing in the sample video. 

[anon1]

Maybe you can post your image?

AP is absolutely the same on any Mac as long as the Mac is not broken and then it's still not AP that is different.

 

So chances are that we can solve your problem! :)

[skiphunt]

I think what's going on is that I'm making to radical a change in the perspective. If I keep it more subtle, it behaves like Allan's video. I'll try to illustrate something.

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Ok as MBd suggested, post an image and let us see what's going on. As the video tried to suggest the difference between be subtle and making radical changes.

Subtlety is key otherwise you will reveal transparency.

 

Abandon ship? No, you don't want to do that. It could be something simple or just the type of image itself.

[skiphunt]

Allan, I think it was that I wasn't using a good image for my test. I figured I'd select an area that I could distort perspective on and it wouldn't matter that it wasn't the right sort of image. I also didn't use subtlety either. 

 

Here's a bad example of my testing.

 

https://monosnap.com/file/Pehh3C6ANGCDn78TEzMBAJaEVpmibV

 

After trying again with a more reasonable selection and more subtlety, it behaved more like yours does. Thanks :)

[anon1]

If you reveal some transparent areas here's what I do:

 

Create a new layer on top

Choose the inspiring tool

On the top bar change from "current layer" to "current layer and below"

 

And inpainting over the transparent areas.

This is non destructive as the inpainting is on a deeper are layer.

 

If it's a more complex missing area you can also combine other clonestamping methods - they can also be done non destructively on a separate layer.

[skiphunt]

MBd, I don't see any of those interface elements, "inspiring tool"? "current layer/current layer and below"? 

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Allan, I think it was that I wasn't using a good image for my test. I figured I'd select an area that I could distort perspective on and it wouldn't matter that it wasn't the right sort of image. I also didn't use subtlety either. 

 

Here's a bad example of my testing.

 

https://monosnap.com/file/Pehh3C6ANGCDn78TEzMBAJaEVpmibV

 

After trying again with a more reasonable selection and more subtlety, it behaved more like yours does. Thanks :)

 

Ouch, that hurt my eyes... :o

 

I probably wouldn't of tried that with that image.. The example with the castle has two planes that's why dual plane was selected, and the grids aligned to either side of the castle. 

 

Glad it worked out in the end. Persistence is key...

 

 

Allan

[My Strawberry Monkey]

I think he meant the Inpainting tool only with that tool selected will those options appear in the context menu..

[skiphunt]

Ouch, that hurt my eyes... :o

 

I probably wouldn't of tried that with that image.. The example with the castle has two planes that's why dual plane was selected, and the grids aligned to either side of the castle. 

 

Glad it worked out in the end. Persistence is key...

 

 

Allan

 

 

Ok. Well, sorry. Didn't mean to "hurt your eyes". Just wanted to show quickly what I was talking about. 

 

I have no idea what the other fellow was referring to. I don't see any place to select "current layer" or "current layer and below". Even if he's talking about the inpainting and not an "inspirational tool" its not clear how that's related to the perspective distortion. Unless he's talking about repairing the transparent areas with it. But even then, I don't see why you'd need to create another layer. I give up on that one I think.

 

I'm abandoning this one now. I'm just going through Affinity tutorial videos and didn't see one that was related to the castle example from the demo reel, so I thought I'd ask if there was one specifically related to that clip in the demo. Now I'm even more confused. Better go back to just sticking with the basic tutorials. 

 

Thanks for the help though. Much appreciated.

 

I was hoping jumping from all my years with Photoshop might help this be more intuitive for me, but with terms like "persona" and such, I feel completely lost in this application to be honest. There's not nice way to preview your image selections like in Adobe Bridge. Once I've done something, it doesn't always let me undo or back up several steps like I can in Photoshop, or look at 5 steps back, then go back to the 10th action. 

 

Or, if there is... I haven't figured it out yet. 

 

I've actually tried to dive into this app a few times now, get frustrated... then just go back to what I know. Sorry if it sounds like I'm an idiot with Affinity Photo... but I guess I am. I don't want to have to stick with Photoshop, but maybe it's too hard to teach an old dog new tricks. ;) If I were starting fresh and didn't already know how to do all this stuff in Photoshop already, it'd be different I think. I'd be all over this app. But, I think I have too many years of PS knowledge that are going to be very hard to break free from. :(

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Just my sense of humour... ;)

 

MBd was referring to repairing the transparency. I couldn't see any tutorials related to that demo either and that's why I suggested the tutorial I had done on that tool, worth a watch either way.

 

Nothing wrong with reaching out and going beyond the basics its commendable but only you know your comfort level. The difficulty with a forum is knowing each others skill set and many on here want to support which is great but I agree it can all get a bit confusing if we don't understand what's being said or new to it all.

 

Glad I could help. Kept at it.

 

 

Allan

[skiphunt]

Just my sense of humour... ;)

 

MBd was referring to repairing the transparency. I couldn't see any tutorials related to that demo either and that's why I suggested the tutorial I had done on that tool, worth a watch either way.

 

Nothing wrong with reaching out and going beyond the basics its commendable but only you know your comfort level. The difficulty with a forum is knowing each others skill set and many on here want to support which is great but I agree it can all get a bit confusing if we don't understand what's being said or new to it all.

 

Glad I could help. Kept at it.

 

 

Allan

 

 

It's all good. I went back and checked out your video (as well as your tutorial - good stuff) and your castle video is really behaving the same as my test was... you were just using the feature in a situation where it made more sense. The image I picked made no sense and my adjustments were too radical, so it confused rather than clarified. My fault. 

 

Also, I've since figured out more basics around the UI and getting more comfy with it all. Just should have reminding myself to stick with the basics for a bit, before venturing off into the more complex stuff. 

 

It's so tempting to throw in the towel and just stick with what I know in PS, but I'd really like to be completely free from PS within the next year. So far, I think Affinity Photo is my best shot at realizing that goal. :)

[My Strawberry Monkey]

It's all good. I went back and checked out your video (as well as your tutorial - good stuff) and your castle video is really behaving the same as my test was... you were just using the feature in a situation where it made more sense. The image I picked made no sense and my adjustments were too radical, so it confused rather than clarified. My fault. 

 

Also, I've since figured out more basics around the UI and getting more comfy with it all. Just should have reminding myself to stick with the basics for a bit, before venturing off into the more complex stuff. 

 

It's so tempting to throw in the towel and just stick with what I know in PS, but I'd really like to be completely free from PS within the next year. So far, I think Affinity Photo is my best shot at realizing that goal. :)

 

Thanks, glad the tutorial was useful. It can be difficult coming out of our comfort zone and not sticking with what we are use too. I see it all the time.

Time and patience and you will get to point where your flying through Affinity Photo.