New artboard based on the the clipboard content

[bures]

Is there any way how to create a new artboard based on the current contents on the clipboard in the Affinity Designer?

[carl123]

14 minutes ago, bures said:

Is there any way how to create a new artboard based on the current contents on the clipboard in the Affinity Designer?

Do you mean "create a new artboard" in the same document or a new document?

 

[bures]

I mean create a new artboard in the same document.

[carl123]

Your goal is still a bit unsure to me

But try...

Paste your clipboard contents
Drag that content off the canvas
Use the Artboard Tool to create the new Artboard (Either at the selection size or the canvas size)

[loukash]

1 hour ago, bures said:

the current contents on the clipboard

It depends on the clipboard content.
If it's all vector, you could do this:

1. paste anywhere
2. if its multiple items: Layer > Geometry > Add (merges to a single vector object)
3. Layer > Convert Object To Artboard (artboard will have the exact form of your clipboard outline)
4. paste again your original content

Or:

1. File > New From Clipboard
2. select Artboard tool
3. Insert Artboard button
4. copy the artboard with your pasted objects to your old document

[bures]

Thanks for your replies. I was thinking of something simpler, like creating a new document from the contents of the Clipboard (File > New From Clipboard).

Looks like the topic belongs in the Feedback & Suggestions section. 🙂

[GarryP]

22 hours ago, bures said:

I mean create a new artboard in the same document.

If a new Artboard were to be created in the same document, where would it be placed in the layout?

[bures]

3 hours ago, GarryP said:

If a new Artboard were to be created in the same document, where would it be placed in the layout?

Ideally in the middle of the visible area of the document. I will then move the Artboard to the right place myself.

[GarryP]

Just so we are talking about the same things, can I get a bit of clarification of what you mean by “middle”, “visible area” and “document” in this case?

For example, in my attached image, if the document (grey rectangle) contains multiple Artboards (blue rectangles) and the layer (boundary box is the red rectangle) is copied and converted to an Artboard, with the green rectangle being the visible area of the document (what the user can see in the viewport), where would the new Artboard be placed?

My interpretation of your above answer would be that the new Artboard would be placed where the dotted purple rectangle is.
Would that be correct?

I’ve attached the document so it can be used to pass ideas around, if needed.

new-artboard-from-layer.afdesign

[bures]

19 hours ago, GarryP said:

My interpretation of your above answer would be that the new Artboard would be placed where the dotted purple rectangle is.

Would that be correct?

new-artboard-from-layer.afdesign 10.31 kB · 0 downloads

It is correct.

 

The artboard can of course be larger than the viewport. It depends on the particular zoom.
I think we're straying a bit from the original question. My problem is that I often put screenshots in AD that I want to have in the artboard. The artboard needs to be the same size as the screenshot. I know how to do it, but it's quite tedious.

[GarryP]

You didn’t say where the clipboard data was coming from but, in this specific case, having the Artboard created in the centre of the viewport would seem a reasonable thing to expect.

Where I was coming from is that the user might want to “Cut” or “Copy” a layer from the document and then “Paste as Artboard” and have the new Artboard positioned in the same place in the document as the original layer.

There is a “Convert Object to Artboard” function but there are limits as to what what this can be applied to – I think it has to be a vector layer.
Maybe this functionality could be extended to automatically create a shape (e.g. rectangle) surrounding/containing the existing layer which would then be converted to an Artboard in one click of the menu.

[loukash]

1 hour ago, bures said:

I often put screenshots in AD that I want to have in the artboard. The artboard needs to be the same size as the screenshot.

1. paste the screenshot, keep it selected
2. Artboard tool
3. context toolbar > switch from Document to Selected 
4. Insert Artboard button

affinity.help/designer2/English.lproj/pages/Artboards/artboards_addDelete.html

[GarryP]

 

10 minutes ago, loukash said:

• paste the screenshot, keep it selected
• Artboard tool
• context toolbar > switch from Document to Selected 
• Insert Artboard button

When I select an Image layer, choose the Artboard Tool, change Size to Selection and press the Insert Artboard button I just get an artboard with the size/position of the image layer, it doesn’t include the image layer which is what bures wants (I think).
The image layer then needs to be dragged into the Artboard layer.
It’s not a ‘one-stop-shop’ but it’s part of the way there.

[loukash]

11 minutes ago, GarryP said:

When I select an Image layer

If you select an existing layer, then use Zoom To Selection first to have it centered on screen. Then the Insert Artboard from Selection will fit it.

Since this is about clipboard content, a pasted image will be centered on screen, and so the new artboard will fit it. (Just tested on iPad, but I don't recall that the desktop version would behave differently.)

[GarryP]

12 minutes ago, loukash said:

If you select an existing layer, then use Zoom To Selection first to have it centered on screen. Then the Insert Artboard from Selection will fit it.

I don’t know what you mean by this; how does the process/result differ from not doing it?

[bures]

@GarryP and @loukash thanks for your  replies.

I also discovered this while searching in AD today. I wanted to find a faster way. That is, directly inserting the contents of the clipboard into a new artboard. I guess AD doesn't do that. Still, your solution is very helpful.

[loukash]

5 minutes ago, GarryP said:

how does the process/result differ from not doing it?

Ah, you're right. I had the impression that it does make a difference, but – at least on iPad – it doesn't.

[GarryP]

Thanks; I thought I was missing some important information.

[loukash]

9 minutes ago, bures said:

directly inserting the contents of the clipboard into a new artboard. I guess AD doesn't do that.

Thinking of it, there is some logic why ADe doesn't: Within the Affinity document hierarchy, an artboard is just another type of vector object. A Designer document doesn't necessarily need to have artboards. And since I could imagine that a command like "New Artboard From Clipboard" might be quite a "niche request" (I, for one, never had the need for that yet), nobody thought that it's something elementary when you can get the same result with just a few clicks more within a few seconds. Of course, any possible workflow could have its own menu command, but that would only add to unnecessary bloat. (Ill-Frustrator, anyone?) So, less is sometime more.
That's just my "half-educated" guess…  

[bures]

It makes sense.