Blend tool in Designer

[_Th]

I’ll add my $0.02, largely echoing what’s already been said here and on other threads dating back quite a while:

The lack of a blend tool is a massive disappointment, and one of the basics I miss daily.

Sure, it can be achieved with other software and copy/pasted or imported, but that hurts Affinity achieve the perception of professional software they are aiming for today.

Having a minuscule knowledge of programming (used to edit PostScript files by hand in the previous millennia...) it does seem that adding this feature really wouldn’t be that difficult. Maybe the difficulty is greater than I imagine, and perhaps it’s already been addressed. But seeing that this was included in Illustrator since ~1996—and is so important to a professional workflow—I can’t see why this remains unobtainium in the Affinity suite.

Here's hoping this can doesn’t get kicked further down the road.

</soapbox>

[rui_mac]

I ask for this tool since the beta period for version 1.0.
So, it goes back to 2014. That means that I have been asking for this tool for about 9 years now.
It was one of the tools that I used often, when I used FreeHand. And it was amazing. There are lots of things that can be acheived with this type of tool
I still have hope to see it implemented.
And I know that, is Serif implements it, it will make it excellent. Much better that in Illustrator or CorelDraw.
Come on, Serif!!!!
Like Picard says... MAKE IT SO. 

[rui_mac]

These old posts show that this is an old request:
 

And here is a video I made showing the Blend tool behaviour in FreeHand:
 

 

[h.ozboluk]

can you please look in this too @Chris B, it seems this won't progress until some of the staff members are involved

it is a feature dearly needed by many creative artists and professionals alike 

myself I am waiting for this to be implemented into affinity designer since I first purchased it in 2018, were speaking five years now

and no, there are no other tools within the affinity software family that could emulate this feature

either way, if serif is not able or willing to supply its users with some of the most essential tools please say so, because there is no need to keep up false hopes if there is no intention whatsoever


best regards

[Chris B]

9 hours ago, h.ozboluk said:

can you please look in this too @Chris B

Hey, we are aware of this feature request but I have little to no influence on when features may or may not be implemented by the developers.

[MKallas]

Sad to say, but if I had stayed waiting for this development to happen, I would be living on the streets.
Luckily I'm back in advertising using tools that do have Blend tool (not that I'm happy about returning to POS conglomerates).
So, what was the talk about "great things going to happen"? Looks to me this project is in limbo.

[Sonny Sonny]

V3 I guess lol . Just kidding :D. Just hope

[dv8.info]

2.1. Bummer.

[h.ozboluk]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:47 AM, Chris B said:

Hey, we are aware of this feature request but I have little to no influence on when features may or may not be implemented by the developers.

Hi Chris,  @Chris B

then please forward me the staff member who has influence or forward this message to him/her/they, first of all ash should know about the urgency

see, we are all here to make a better product (we are all artists/designers who have to satisfy clients and customers too), but if the policy is to ignore major requests which now lasts for years, then people also will resign to support the spirit which is (was) present from the start, so

being aware, that you have lot on your mind, so are we

best regards

 

[retrograde]

On 11/11/2022 at 7:41 AM, ThatMikeGuy said:

I don't think a Gradient Mesh tool is quite as important because of the pixel persona abilities. 

Totally agree. The pixel persona and the use of blurs and the transparency tool. The gradient mesh tool was great when it first came out like 20 years ago but today there are far better and quicker ways to achieve even better results. The gradient mesh tool was also unforgiving and destructive. Aka the Gradient "Mess" tool.

[rui_mac]

Maybe, with the scripting abilities, we could implement some sort of blending between shapes.
But, I know that, if Serif implemented it as a proper tool, it would make it amazing. Even better than the one on FreeHand, Illustrator or Corel.

[Sivan_]

+1

[2ddpainter]

Although I totally understand the need for a blend tool,
or rather I'm wondered that it hasn't been installed yet.

I am surprised at the unstoppable optimism of some people
that a tool that has been wanted since 2014 will soon be included.

And that it would be even better than in other programs
where it was included from the beginning.

Well, I still like to be surprised.
But I can't share that optimism.

 

[fde101]

1 hour ago, 2ddpainter said:

other programs
where it was included from the beginning.

Which ones, other than VectorStyler (the only such app I seem to be able to find)?

• CorelDraw - introduced in version 2
• InkScape offers an extension with a similar capability but it is not "live" - that is, it does not update when you move one of the original objects - and it seems to have some bugs...
• Vectornator - no such tool
• Not sure when it was added to Illustrator, but it does not appear to have been in 1.0: 

[2ddpainter]

11 hours ago, fde101 said:

Which ones

ok then let's say way back
as I read, the wish exists since 2014

my first Coreldraw was Coreldraw 7 (Pc), that is from 1996
has a blend tool
more than 20 years back

Magix Graphics Designer (Pc only) is from 1995
( formerly Xara ) has a blend tool from the beginning
more than 20 years back

I would also be happy if Affinity would add a
Blend-Tool to the Designer, but I am still wondering

[slizgi]

I am guessing Affinity would like to make it a non-destructive way, as most of what they are making. In that case it might be a "little bit" difficult and actually slow down or even hang application in some complex cases. I did not touch Illustrator in ages, but how it works now? Is it real-time, or is like in Inkscape?

[fde101]

1 hour ago, slizgi said:

I did not touch Illustrator in ages, but how it works now? Is it real-time, or is like in Inkscape?

Can't speak to Illustrator offhand, but in VectorStyler at least it updates dynamically as you adjust the objects on the ends.  You can also adjust the number of object in between, etc.

[dv8.info]

Illustrator blend tool is fully interactive in real time

[slizgi]

26 minutes ago, fde101 said:

Can't speak to Illustrator offhand, but in VectorStyler at least it updates dynamically as you adjust the objects on the ends.  You can also adjust the number of object in between, etc.

 

6 minutes ago, dv8.info said:

Illustrator blend tool is fully interactive in real time

Ah ok, great.

[2ddpainter]

@slizgi

in case you may not know

its also possible to create a Pattern Brush from a Blend in VectorStyler
(even from multi Blends)

as you can see in this Tutorial here:
https://www.vectorstyler.com/forum/topic/2089/playing-with-blend-in-pattern-brush/2

[BarbaravdZ]

Hoping for a miracle: please make the blend tool happen in AD!

In the meantime I am switching back to AI and hold the update to V2

[Maxdanger]

I can see Serif confirmed on Instagram that they were starting work on a blend tool and hoped to have it ready this year, though to be fair to Serif I wouldn't hold them to that timeline. Does seem like they're aware of the ask and are working on it which is great

 

This is from the comments in the Mesh Warp and perspective live filters reel they did to showcase 2.1 before it was released.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqGP3cBsqZw/

[plam.mi]

10 hours ago, Maxdanger said:

I can see Serif confirmed on Instagram that they were starting work on a blend tool and hoped to have it ready this year, though to be fair to Serif I wouldn't hold them to that timeline. Does seem like they're aware of the ask and are working on it which is great

 

This really made my day!!! Thanks for sharing your finding ☺️

[ThatMikeGuy]

On 5/30/2023 at 3:52 AM, Red Sands said:

That was many years ago. Nowadays the algorithms are better and I have in Adobe Illustrator both freeform gradients and gradients that can be set to follow the shape. It's so much easier than tricks and it saves so much time. And the output is vector. In Illustrator.

Pixel persona in Affinity results in bitmap output. Fail.

The fact that it is a vector type of technique inside of AI isn't as consequential as it implies. It is only scalable inside of AI. In any practical use, it gets rasterized before you actually use it. If taking into any other program, even PS or AE, it becomes a raster graphic. It can't be used for a logo, for example the way you might with a Blend because standard formats like EPS or PDF don't support them as vector entities.

So, with that in mind, using the pixel persona tools isn't quite as much of a fail as you make it out to be.

[Frozen Death Knight]

On 7/18/2023 at 9:31 PM, Maxdanger said:

I can see Serif confirmed on Instagram that they were starting work on a blend tool and hoped to have it ready this year, though to be fair to Serif I wouldn't hold them to that timeline. Does seem like they're aware of the ask and are working on it which is great

 

This is from the comments in the Mesh Warp and perspective live filters reel they did to showcase 2.1 before it was released.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqGP3cBsqZw/

Glad to see more transparency regarding development. A blend tool would be great for sure.