Layers and Fill tool

[Dungarven]

Hello again trusty expert helpers!

I want to generate a hardback book cover and am studying tutorials on working with layers and images. I am currently working my way through this Robert Chalmers guide as an exercise.

https://robert-chalmers.uk/2019/07/23/design-a-book-cover-in-affinity-publisher/

I have followed the instructions as far as Step 2 (I know! I haven't got very far!) where he says

With the Picture Frame selected, select the Transparency Tool (wine glass) Set the Fill to White, Type as Radial and set the MidPoint to 50 %. It WILL fill the rectangle with White. Don’t panic. Maneuver the Gradient Slider into place as shown. 

Trouble is, the rectangle did not go white. Furthermore I don't know what a gradient slider is. If it is the radius on my image, I can't make it go left to right as shown on his screen. Also I note his screen shows more layers than mine. I am wondering what I have done wrong. I would love to get my tram image to blur like his! 

Here is a screen shot showing the instructions on the left and my efforts on the right. I will attach my file.

Thanks for your help 

22021031 Chalmers Tram.afpub

[GarryP]

Those instructions are somewhat less than ideal.
I think you should be doing what I show in my attached video, but I could be wrong – note that the Image layer needs to be selected.
(Adding a Transparency Gradient to a Picture Frame, not the Image inside it, seems to have no effect, for me, on Windows.)

[thomaso]

13 minutes ago, Dungarven said:

With the Picture Frame selected, select the Transparency Tool (wine glass) Set the Fill to White, Type as Radial and set the MidPoint to 50 %. It WILL fill the rectangle with White. Don’t panic.

This two parts sound contradictory (either you fill, or it will fill) respectively wrong. A transparency gradient doesn't apply a fill colour.

Furthermore: His screenshot shows an empty picture frame (above another one with image). Not only transparency on an empty frame doesn't make sense, also a transparency gradient applied to a picture frame does affect the fill colour (= background colour) of the picture frame but not its nested image. – Instead you could change the image blend mode to see the picture frame's background colour – or apply the gradient to the nested image. The latter appears to me as the only useful workflow here. (as shown by Garry)

[Dungarven]

Wow, you guys rule!! I learned more in two minutes there than I did in the two hours I spent on tutorials and fiddling with it today. A big thank you! Garry your video was like magic - I was really sorry when it was over! Watched again and made notes. Very satisfying! Where can I find more demos like that?

Thanks for your input too thomaso. You made me feel a lot better! 

It was most kind of you both to help me out.

[GarryP]

You’re welcome.

There are lots of great videos on the Affinity website: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/learn/

You can also find lots of other tutorials (video and otherwise) in the Resources and Tutorials sections of these forums:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/11-resources/
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/9-tutorials-serif-and-customer-created-tutorials/

And there are plenty more out on the web but some aren’t very good, and some might be ‘out-of date’ with regard to the current functionalities of the applications.

Everyone will have their own tastes so find a tutor who does things the way you like it and then take it from there.

[Dungarven]

Thanks again!

[GarryP]

You're welcome.