Workflow questions

[Fantomasas]

I will post some workflow questions, and rants, in this thread because there are some basic everyday things that simply don't flow like how I expect them to work. Whether it is my skill issue, or some limited software design - we will find out in here.

1. How can I clip one layer into another without touching the layer panel? Is there a shortcut to select A, select B, and poof A is now a child of the B layer. This is for simple dummy layers, not smart border objects like you have in the Publisher. I flat out don't have time to fiddle where the layers are in the panel, and dragging them in there. Legit a dealbreaker where it is better to buy a different app for quick collages, packing of images into sectors/shapes.

2. Still haven't fixed the color wheel when it comes to the global colors, still a useless feature for designing items. Your system is broken to the point where one global-color item poisons the entire workflow, and all items (even the ones without global color) will constantly fight the user into the tint color wheel rendering the entire feature either useless, or some post-design workflow where you no longer work with the color wheel, but only the color swatches + that tint thing. You are trying to predict and outsmart the user, but end up just infuriating with no alternative to disable this "feature".

3. Is there some kind of shortcut, a button I could hold to increase the stroke size of the object without touching the stroke panel?

4. Brushes need a lot of work. I see that your engine is fully featured, but it is a dealbreaker how bad all the default brushes are, and how slow it is to customize even the simple opacity or stroke pressure sensitivity. I understand that this is not a painting app, I use Clipstudio for all the drawing, but your brushes are just MS Paint level + technical and cumbersome "More" options. Please take a look at default brushes, behavior and options in popular drawing/painting apps and just copy some. 

5. Can I somehow just "Convert to Vector" the entire word. Not stash it into the group, not convert each letter into a separate object, just... Alt function to avoid the pointless dance.

6. I am working with many 3D apps and it is a standard feature that you can bind every command and tool into shortcuts. For Affinity, I am unable to do so either because it doesn't support many functions, or simply a skill issue not understanding how to bind them? I can rebind basic tools, but nothing as far as right-click or deep menu nested options. Those are the most tiresome.

7. Stop nesting items, you went backwards nesting all the export formats into the pointless miniature dropdown. I get that for small ipads it might have benefits, but for the 4K monitor is a downgrade. A good UI is the one that takes the least amount of time and displays as much info as possible, not the one that has minimal tools, clean nested interfaces or re-designed icons to fit the fashion. 

8. Can I just import some vector objects from PDF as... vector objects? It is another one of those "Smart" features that some might prefer, but I just want to import the element or logo, and that it is it. I don't want to link or embed object inside. Drag and drop is only for new documents now, because I will have to copy and paste them away.
 

[Alfred]

16 minutes ago, Fantomasas said:

1. How can I clip one layer into another without touching the layer panel? Is there a shortcut to select A, select B, and poof A is now a child of the B layer. This is for simple dummy layers, not smart border objects like you have in the Publisher. I flat out don't have time to fiddle where the layers are in the panel, and dragging them in there. Legit a dealbreaker where it is better to buy a different app for quick collages, packing of images into sectors/shapes.

Does ‘Paste Inside’ achieve your desired objective?

Affinity Designer Help: Paste Inside

23 minutes ago, Fantomasas said:

3. Is there some kind of shortcut, a button I could hold to increase the stroke size of the object without touching the stroke panel?

Are you allergic to the Stroke panel?

18 minutes ago, Fantomasas said:

5. Can I somehow just "Convert to Vector" the entire word. Not stash it into the group, not convert each letter into a separate object, just... Alt function to avoid the pointless dance.

It’s easy to combine several vector layers into a single ‘Curves’ layer. Splitting a single word vector into its component letters is generally going to involve quite a bit of work.

[Fantomasas]

No, paste inside does not achieve the goal. It is a bandaid solution, but the real parenting/clipping is needed. Plus it doesn't even have a shortcut?

It is like a brush size. I work with many elements that need tuning of the stroke, and having the shortcut for that would be great. Saves clicks, doesn't move the mouse away. Eats away efficiency.

Yes, it is easy but eats away at your time, the way Affinity springs the "Group" folder makes it impossible to just combine after converting. You have to get rid of that folder, or go inside it and select all components... It is just bad, I am not asking for removal of this workflow where it converts to individual letters and groups, but there should be alternative without these "Smart" features that attempt to predict the workflow and fail.

 

[Fantomasas]

13 minutes ago, Red Sands said:

It's actually not a bad idea to drag objects in and out of each other directly in the design. Drag them in or out with a modifier key, for example.

Do you know of any programs/apps where this is possible?

I am unsure of the drag n drop examples with the modifier, but almost every 3D program has a shortcut to parent one object to another (Parenting = Clipping in this context). You typically select however many objects you want (1,2,3,4), then the last object is the parent (5th). Hit the shortcut P or whatever, and those objects simply get sent to clip into the 5th.

Very easy, you can even mix and match layer panel selection with canvas object selection. Select 20 layers, then pick the last object in the canvas, and just parent. Or stay entirely in the layer's panel, replacing the need to "drag" items across a long list.

Doesn't replace any workflow, doesn't get in the way, just opens a far more intuitive and fluid way to clip layers.

Edit: Actually, my 3D program allows me to define what action happens when I drag and drop one item into another. One of those actions is parent. There is a list of 10 commands (Match rotations, positions, align to position etc.), so there is no shortcut-modifier key. You can technically keybind the state for this action, but too much trouble. Far easier just to hit the letter P.

[Fantomasas]

Imagine re-clipping items without even looking at the layers panel. CTRL click the already parented item, SHIFT click the new parent, hit P. Boom, done. Whenever you have to look at the layer panel, or stroke panel, or fight the color wheel because it keeps shifting into tint - UI/UX feature that can be improved. Cannot go into that "Expert" UI-less mode for everything, but far more items could use shortcuts and "expert" workflow.

What is more, why not let people make their own command shortcuts. Not just tool shortcuts, but every single nested menu option and right-click layer option should be key-bindable.

Binding option like "Rasterize" into the shortcut is so good. I use few custom keybinds, ALT R so good.

[Fantomasas]

Easy fixes to half of my problems. Just allow me to disable the smart features I don't want.

[lepr]

18 hours ago, Fantomasas said:

1. How can I clip one layer into another without touching the layer panel?

Something that might help occasionally, but probably very rarely, is the Move Inside command which clips selected items into the lowest one's lower sibling. A key can be assigned in app Preferences.

 

18 hours ago, Fantomasas said:

3. Is there some kind of shortcut, a button I could hold to increase the stroke size of the object without touching the stroke panel?

[ to multiply by 0.9

] to divide by 0.9 (in other words, multiply by 1.111...)

Shift+[ to subtract 1 pixel regardless of stroke unit of measurement

Shift+] to add 1 pixel regardless of stroke unit of measurement

 

18 hours ago, Fantomasas said:

5. Can I somehow just "Convert to Vector" the entire word. Not stash it into the group, not convert each letter into a separate object, just... Alt function to avoid the pointless dance.

Select only the text object then use Add command to convert it to one Curves object. A key can be assigned in app Preferences. However, an unfortunate bug (for years!) removes the fill and stroke from text operands of the Geometry commands, so you currently need to re-colour the result, therefore the Add command is probably not going to improve your text-to-curves workflow for now.

 

I realise those things won't be of much help so please don't shoot the messenger.

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by ,,,

[Fantomasas]

Well, those are good news. They highlight that the underlying functionality for those options is there. Just... somehow either hidden, clunky, unfinished or buggy.

 

[Alfred]

17 hours ago, Fantomasas said:

No, paste inside does not achieve the goal. It is a bandaid solution, but the real parenting/clipping is needed. Plus it doesn't even have a shortcut?

No, it doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut, but I don’t understand your reference to “real parenting/clipping”. Pasting “inside” is clipping: the pasted object is clipped to the designated (parent) object.

[Fantomasas]

12 minutes ago, Alfred said:

No, it doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut, but I don’t understand your reference to “real parenting/clipping”. Pasting “inside” is clipping: the pasted object is clipped to the designated (parent) object.

I will test it out. It might be a good enough solution with the comfortable shortcut.

[Fantomasas]

Oh, I have a spicy one. I have been working with this app for years now, not the main tool but always fiddling with textures or comps or some 2D designs.

Never got used to some content being Shift Proportional Scaling, and some being Shift Dispropotional Scaling. Yeah, I get it is for the images. I know that, but it never felt right.

Why is it like that? Why have two types of content, which happen to need the same transform tool, having the opposite modifiers?

[Fantomasas]

Also, why cannot I change document settings in the Export Persona?

How come Document settings are in the "File" for Designer, and in the "Edit" for the Photo?