Photo: Grouping a Single Object / Layer

[randomjames]

Hi Affinity,

Apologies if this has been covered in another thread, or if there's an explanation for the behaviour that I've missed... but I'm somewhat peeved by the new Photo V2 function when a single layer / object is grouped. The app creates a new, empty group instead of a new group containing the selected layer / object. This requires the user to manually move the previously selected layer / object into the new group. Annoying.

This was not a problem in V1, and worked as expected. Please rectify this and reinstate the former grouping function.

Thanks!

[carl123]

Windows 11

With a single layer/object selected...

a. Layer > New Group will create a new empty group

b. Arrange > Group (CTRL+G) will group the single layer/object

c. Using the Group icon in the Layers panel will group the single layer/object

This appears to be the same in V1 & V2

How are you invoking the Group command and what OS are you on?

 

[randomjames]

Hey Carl,

Thanks for following up.

I'm on a Mac running the latest OS. I'm using Photo 2.0.3.

As you can see in the attached video, I performed six tests: 

A1. a single object selected. Layer > New Group: new empty group created, as expected.
B1. a single object selected. Arrange > Group: new empty group created, not as expected.
C1. a single object selected. Layers panel > Group: new empty group created, not as expected.
A2. two objects selected. Layer > New Group: new empty group created, as expected.
B2. two objects selected. Arrange > Group: objects grouped, as expected.
C2. two objects selected. Layers panel > Group objects grouped, as expected.

This is different from V1 for me. Performing actions B1 and C1 would result in the single object being grouped as expected in the previous version. Would love to see this fixed.

[carl123]

It's not like that on Windows so this may be a Mac only issue (Additional users posts to this thread may confirm or deny that)

As regards your A2 test above, The Help file is a little vague but to me it seems to suggest that more than 1 object selected should group the objects when doing Layer > New Group (See below text from Help file)

 

To create an empty group:

1. With no content or only one item¹ selected, from the Layer menu, select New Group.
2. On the Layers panel, drag and drop layers onto the newly created group to add them to it.

¹ When a single existing object, layer or layer group is selected, it is not added to the new group.

[randomjames]

Hmm! 

Typically I'm used to selecting one or more items and using the CMD+G keyboard shortcut to group them. This corresponds with my B1 example. 

If this behaviour can be rectified to what I'm used to with V1, I'll be a happy designer again

Oh! I just checked, and grouping a single item works as expected in Publisher V2's Photo persona as well as Designer V2, but not as demonstrated in the standalone Photo V2 app! So as long as I use Photo via Publisher, I should be good, but it's still a weird bug that would be best to resolve.

Cheers for your care and attention, and happy Christmas to you!

[loukash]

54 minutes ago, randomjames said:

grouping a single item works as expected in Publisher V2's Photo persona as well as Designer V2, but not as demonstrated in the standalone Photo V2 app

The same behavior on iPad with V2.
I'd consider this a Photo 2 bug as well.