Shifting color of multiple objects

[Roberto1972]

Hi,

Is it some way possible in Affinity Publisher to select multiple objects with different colors and set the exact value of a single color channel? So basically unchanged color sliders c.q. color channels should remain their value.

Currently if I select multiple different colored objects and change a single color slider all objects get the same color (which normally makes sense using a color panel).

Example project (see screendump attached): one page contains many color boxes with different G and B values (colors set manually). I copied that page multiple times and on each page I intend to change the R value a bit for all color boxes on that page.

Is that going to be a manual thing either or can some software trick take over the work?

Roberto

 

[loukash]

I assume the rectangles are vector shapes, right?

Some "global" change is possible with HSL adjustment, but that will rasterize all affected content.

[lepr]

If you don't mind the swatches becoming rasterised when the document is exported, simply overlay the array of R=0 swatches with a rectangle which has blend mode Add and has the required red value for the page. For example use a rectangle with RGB(240, 0, 0) as the Add overlay for your page 12. I have simulated that in Photo, as shown below, but use a similar red rectangle in your real Publisher document.

[Roberto1972]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, the rectangles with color fill are all vector objects.

The layer blending option 'add' looks like actually doing exactly what I asked for BUT I get different results than your example (I use Affinity Windows v 2.03):
When I place a large red rectangle with blending 'add' the pure white areas (255-255-255) get x,0,0 (x=value red channel of red box) instead of white.
See attached: this is not correct behavior since -all- other colors do well. Looks like a bug or a fluke of the day: perhaps tomorrow it works.
A workaround could be blending many little red boxes instead of a single large one.

Initially these color charts are not supposed to be exported. The swatches getting rasterized would be a pitty so I experimented a bit with adding, substracting, etc. objects but it isn't going to work.
My main problem with the vectors becoming rasters is that it might affect print results while these color charts are intended for picking exact colors from prints: I know from (way) back in my CorelDraw days documents containing both vectors and bitmaps containing identical colors showed totally different colors when printed. Prints looking different from display always was and still is but both raster objects and vector objects having exact same colors (values & look on display) looking different on print is something I haven't tested yet in Affinity.

Anyway, the blending option 'add' will do the trick for now as long as I stick to using the original Affinity documents 🙂

Cheers!

[loukash]

2 hours ago, Roberto1972 said:

When I place a large red rectangle with blending 'add' the pure white areas (255-255-255) get x,0,0 (x=value red channel of red box) instead of white.

That's because the "pure white areas" aren't white at all, they are transparent.
Place a pure white rectangle in the background on the master page.  

[Roberto1972]

Oh, shoot.

Yes, then it makes totally sense 'add' x,0,0 to nothing doesn't leave much else than just resulting in x,0,0 🙂

Well, the red rectangles and not to mention the good old 'copy and paste' did the job in a breeze 🙃

Cheers!

[lacerto]

Obsolete.

[Roberto1972]

Hi Lacerto,

Are you saying you could not blend the red at all in CorelDraw or did you not export it succesfully?

I just tried in CorelDraw and both blend modes "Add" as well as "Logical OR" work. However, I think technically they are not the same: if writing out the values (8-)bit wise e.g. 60-100-150 OR 20-0-0 turns out 60-100-150 and not 80-100-150 like 'add' would. I think using the Logical OR blending mode in a gradient one would get bands of colors instead of smooth gradients.

Oh my, that code is exactly what makes computers interesting: you put in the creativity -exactly as imagined- and the machine does the work and fast 🙂
That's different from software which can leave one with workarounds more than occasionally 😕 
Writing and testing the code is a different story, though: usually time consuming as well.

[lacerto]

Obsolete.

[Roberto1972]

Hi lacerto,

I overlooked the pdf you created and attached!

Thanks for that: importing it to publisher all color swatches are indeed vector rectangles each containing the individual colors with the intended color values.
Certainly a useful pdf for future use as well 🙂

Cheers,
Roberto

[Roberto1972]

Attached an editable Affinity Publisher document containing the color swatches / wells in a layout suitable for print tests.

ColorSwatchesRGB.afpub