v.2.0.3 Some tools don't work proper or not at all

[Pascho]

Some tools don't work properly or sometimes don't work at all. The Erase Brush tool intermittently refuses to work, then does nothing. The Fill tool fills the entire image instead of a bounded box.

[loukash]

No offense intended, but without providing more details like screenshots, screencasts or example files, that all sounds more like a user error rather than a "bug".

[Pascho]

Can you explain to me how this can be a user error when a button of a tool, which you only have to click, does not do what it should do. The erase tool should give the well-known circle with the canvas-raster after clicking, but it just remains an open circle and does nothing, and the fill tool should color a bounded area but instead colors the entire image in 1 color. How on earth could this be a user's fault? Those tools should just work when you activate them by clicking. In version 1 they worked properly, but in version 2 I keep having problems with them.

[AlainP]

It could be a user fault because it works for everyone else (well... almost), and it depends on what kind of layer you're working one. And a few more reasons.

So without a screenshot of your work or a video it's quite hard to help you. Nobody wants to be rude here, we all want to help, that's the reason of us being here. But without any clue there is not much we can do.

 

[RM f/g]

5 minutes ago, Pascho said:

Can you explain to me how this can be a user error when a button of a tool, which you only have to click, does not do what it should do.

When you're not working in the layer that's actually the selected layer? Happens to me from time to time.

[Old Bruce]

23 minutes ago, Pascho said:

Can you explain to me how this can be a user error when a button of a tool, which you only have to click, does not do what it should do.

When I have inadvertently chosen a brush with very low opacity (and or flow and or hardness) or it is a brush that is mostly transparent to begin with.

[Pascho]

I have been working with version 1 for years, so I know perfectly well how these tools work and how they should work, and I also always check automatically whether the correct layer is active. So please don't tell me that I'm doing something wrong because those tools, which before used to work normally, are now suddenly showing strange behavior.

[tonyt]

As loukash says.. a screen cast would be useful to show exactly what you mean so maybe someone here can help you out?

[AlainP]

6 hours ago, Pascho said:

I have been working with version 1 for years, so I know perfectly well how these tools work and how they should work, and I also always check automatically whether the correct layer is active. So please don't tell me that I'm doing something wrong because those tools, which before used to work normally, are now suddenly showing strange behavior.

I will not tell you that you're doing something wrong.... 

But why does it work for everybody but you .... 

Why don't you show us a screen capture or a video of what you do to get that "strange" behavior.... 

Two things, you've been cursed.... or you're doing something wrong.

This being said, if you don't want us to help you by giving us more hints or pictures... well... good luck, and Happy New Year. I'm done with this post.

[Paul Mudditt]

Check Protect Alpha is not pressed, this has cropped up several times on my facebook affinity groups.

[walt.farrell]

20 hours ago, Pascho said:

So please don't tell me that I'm doing something wrong because those tools, which before used to work normally, are now suddenly showing strange behavior.

But without more evidence, "user error" remains a strong possibility. There are many subtle interactions that can fool even experienced users sometimes.

For example, the Fill Tool would correctly work as you described (filling the entire layer) if you applied it to the wrong kind of layer. So we would need to see the Layers panel to confirm what is happening.

[Pascho]

1 hour ago, Paul Mudditt said:

Check Protect Alpha is not pressed, this has cropped up several times on my facebook affinity groups.

 

[Pascho]

The screen print shows that the Protect Alpha button is under the Paint Brush tool. It took a while before I found it in my button bar because there is no button Protect Alpha in v.2.0.3 (by the way, nor in v.1.10.6) as can be seen on your screen print, not even under Customise toolbar, but instead there is a text strip with the name Protect Alpha, with a box to check or uncheck. This is uncheckt. It is remarkable that the set of buttons in which the Protect Alpha button should be is not present in my version, also not under Customize toolbar. But thanks for the tip.

[walt.farrell]

36 minutes ago, Pascho said:

It is remarkable that the set of buttons in which the Protect Alpha button should be is not present in my version, also not under Customize toolbar.

What version do you have, on what OS?

If you're on the Desktop, it's part of the Context Toolbar for the paint Brush Tool, toward the right edge and possibly off-screen. In that case, click the >> icon to reveal the hidden check-boxes.

[Pascho]

I work on a Mac 27" Retina 5K, under MacOS Monterey 12.6.2. The toolbar as Paul Mudditt has on his screen print is not present in my version. Also not under Customise Toolbar and not under Customise Tools. In the toolbar in my version and under the Paint Brush tool there is at the end of the buttons series (which ends on my screen in the middle) as last one only the text strip 'Protect Alpha' with a small box for check or uncheck, so not any button. I also have no hidden buttons outside the toolbar because the known >> icon is not present.

[walt.farrell]

15 minutes ago, Pascho said:

The toolbar as Paul Mudditt has on his screen print is not present in my version.

His screenshot is from an iPad. 

15 minutes ago, Pascho said:

Also not under Customise Toolbar and not under Customise Tools

That's because Protect Alpha is in the Context Toolbar. 

16 minutes ago, Pascho said:

last one only the text strip 'Protect Alpha' with a small box for check or uncheck, so not any button

Right. It's not a button on the Desktop apps.

You would need to check your Context Toolbar when you experience the problem.

[Old Bruce]

The Paul Mudditt screenshot is most likely from an iPad.

20 minutes ago, Pascho said:

The toolbar as Paul Mudditt has on his screen print is not present in my version.

 

[Paul Mudditt]

31 minutes ago, Pascho said:

I work on a Mac 27" Retina 5K, under MacOS Monterey 12.6.2. The toolbar as Paul Mudditt has on his screen print is not present in my version. Also not under Customise Toolbar and not under Customise Tools. In the toolbar in my version and under the Paint Brush tool there is at the end of the buttons series (which ends on my screen in the middle) as last one only the text strip 'Protect Alpha' with a small box for check or uncheck, so not any button. I also have no hidden buttons outside the toolbar because the known >> icon is not present.

I was not near my desktop so iPad always to hand but on both platforms the other common reason for brushes not working is a hard to see single pixel selection, so the second thing to do is make sure to deselect any accidental selections in place on any platform when brushes don't work.

Since not many other people are reporting this problem a screen recording would be very useful including layers panel and an upload of a sample document where you have seen the problem would also be useful for the devlopers when they return after their well deserved christmas break.

On MACs this is very easy to do using SHIFT COMMAND 4 for screenshots and SHIFT COMMAND 5 for screen recording.