Can draw/edit hidden layers

[debraspicher]

This was also possible with V1.

Video of behavior:

 

[NathanC]

Hi @debraspicher,

I've moved this over to feature requests since this is missing functionality/a feature request rather than a bug.

Older request in V1:

 

[_Th]

4 hours ago, NathanC said:

this is missing functionality/a feature request rather than a bug

No offense, but I think this clearly is a bug, not a feature request.

And I may be taking it the wrong way, but this seems to reflect an attitude that "our way is the right way, no matter what the majority of our users say." It should be noted that I'm a huge fan and proponent of Serif and all things Affinity.

FWIW I have used, professionally, just about every dominant iteration of design software since Adobe Illustrator 88. [insert geriatric meme here] I can't remember any of them ever allowing you to interact with a locked or hidden layer; this has been the common sense default for a reason.

To say that a "Professional" design program that doesn't follow this standard UI practice is because it is missing a feature seems to be either a cop-out or arrogant.

Check my posts ... I am among your most staunch supporters. But I think looking at this differently would help. Maybe this isn't the 'official' position of the company, rather just one person's interpretation. But, either way, I have to think that the software would progress faster, and the community would embrace it, if the communication on this and a number of other issues was something more along the lines of...

"Oh, you're right. That is a clear UI standard, and we missed it here. We'll address this as soon as possible. Thanks for pointing this out."
 

(This is most definitely not to say anything must always be done a certain way 'cause it's always been done that way. I despise that sentiment; change is necessary to advance, but not change without a valid reason—especially when it makes something worse or harder to use. And overall, Serif is doing a great job at improving on many things that "have always been that way" to which we all applaud.)

[debraspicher]

5 hours ago, NathanC said:

Hi @debraspicher,

I've moved this over to feature requests since this is missing functionality/a feature request rather than a bug.

Older request in V1:

 

I'm aware it is being treated as a "feature", but let's be more realistic: It's lazy UI/UX handling because they haven't written in (I guess) the ability to lock/"turn off" layers at all. In what use case would a user ever desire to be able to draw inside a hidden layer? ... If this were a 'feature', we'd be able to find & blind edit nodes from a vector and other UX behavior. Anyway, the obvious is this is not meant to be targeted directly at you, Nathan. You are just the messenger... It is mentioned in the other thread the possibility to MOVE hidden layers... this is fine except we have the luxury to lock against the move tool, so this is not why we can still draw in them...

[Phojoegraphy]

Ugh. I sincerely can't believe this design mistake still exists in V2. 

[codemaestro]

I agree with the OP @debraspicher: This is unusual behavior for any digital art tool designed in the last 20 years. Layers should not be editable (even if selected) if they are:

a) hidden

b) locked

While exploring the use of this tool to replace my beloved Photoshop (which is way too pricy), I've had to be extra careful that I don't touch anything on layers that shouldn't be edited.

[Frozen Death Knight]

If Affinity had a much stronger layer locking system we would have far less issues like these. Having multiple layer locking options is honestly one of my top most wanted features alongside Group Clipping Masks, Smart Objects layer management, and a more customisable colour picker for brushes. 2.6 finally made Layer Masks a lot easier to work with in the Layers panel, so I hope an expanded layer locking system becomes a higher priority for it now.