Save guides with variables

[Liak]

When I start a new document, I always begin by adding a few guides:

• width/2
• width/3
• width/3*2
• same for height

Some people may even want to add more guides than that.

It would be awesome if there was a way to add halves and thirds, maybe quarters by a simple click, or alternatively, a way to save guide setups (with 'h' and 'w' as variables, since not every document has the same size, of course). Another alternative would be to simply have a few best-practice setups that can be added with a single click.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Liak said:

Another alternative would be to simply have a few best-practice setups that can be added with a single click.

You can create a setup you like, and use File > Export as Template. You can then use the Templates section of the File > New dialog, rather than the Presets section and you'll start with everything from your Template document.

https://affinity.help/publisher/en-US.lproj/pages/GetStarted/templates.html

[Liak]

Yes, I could create a template for every format I frequently use. But that always uses the same size, doesn't it? I would like to create any kind of document (A4, social media posts, a flyer, you name it) and add, like, center lines or thirds to it fast—you know, just guides that are widely used anyway and useful for many different designs regardless of their type. 

I mean, there are some best-practice crop settings as well, why not have something similar for guides?

[Liak]

I saw in an InDesign tutorial that InDesign actually has the option to create a grid with x * y cells and spacing between them. This would be very close to the functionality I suggested.

[NotMyFault]

For those who are impaitient and want a quick workaround, or need a quick grid visible in the document itself.

The file below contains a procedural texture filter. Copy / paste it into your document as top layer.

You can select the grid in the input parameters (x and y, color and brightness of grid).

Unfortunately, grid is only optically and does not snap. No suitable when zoomed out (at least 1px lines must be visible).

 

Further extensions are possible (e.g. shift start coordinates, margins, gutter, different colors for x and y....)

x y grid.afphoto