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New Left swipe options on iPad layer panel


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  • Staff

Apps: All
Platforms: iPad

Firstly blend mode and opacity settings have now been added to the top of the layers panel (so no longer having to go to the more menu to get to those) as shown below. Worth pointing out also that a double tap on opacity will reset the value to 100% and a double tap on blend mode reset to "Normal".

image.jpeg

New options have been added when you swipe left on a layer:

  • Lock / Unlock
  • Rename Layer...
  • Change compound type (if the layer in question is a compound)

See video below:

 

Managing Director

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  • Staff

Known Issues

  • PD-604 - Double Tapping on the < > chevrons whilst quickly tapping through next / previous blend modes resets the blend mode to Normal.

Further known issues will be added to this list as they are reported to us by customers in this thread.

Patrick Connor
Serif Europe Ltd

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility lies in being superior to your previous self."  W. L. Sheldon

 

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That is very nice. Please allow me to ask why do you keep all those zombie functions in the ... menu (not working for masks or compound objects), like blend range, blend mode etc? I spend hours changing settings which are offered in UI but could never work for the actual active layer types.

It is strange to see functions moved to new places instead of using the "UI real estate" covered by not relevant and irritating menu entries.

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Yeah you are probably right in some cases. The main issue is as we have such a flexible layer stack - you can literally drag anything to be a mask of anything else, whether text, vector objects, a pixel layer - and you can also drag them back out again so they are no longer a mask. If they are in a mask state you are correct that many properties are not valid, but the object in question still has those properties and probably should still be reflected. 

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The shortcut to rename layers in AD (both standalone and APub persona) is a fantastic improvement for us iPad users, and Swipe Left to rename layers is a very nice change as well. could we hope that someday we’ll have “Tap Layer Name” to Rename layers too? On second thought, after spending a bit more time with it, the renaming is crazily fast already. Thank you for your hard work and for all these incredible improvements. Kind regards!

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Not really convinced. For a mask layer, blend mode, blend options, layer fx will never have any effect no matter what position they have in layer stack.

For objects contained in a compound, you add the compound mode on bottom - if you add these, you can safely remove blend mode / blend options because this is controlled by the parent layer only (in addition to fill and stroke).
 

So you have all the functions already implemented -

  • whenever adding compound mode, remove blend options.
  • for masks, always hide blend mode and blend options.

an even simpler alternative: 

  • if adding compound mode, add it at the top position above blend mode / blend options. Even if you keep this zombie function visible, the single only relevant function to change compound mode is at your fingertips on top.

That’s my last comment in that matter, I don’t want to overstrain your attention.

Thanks for improving Affinty apps and intensifying communication in the beta forum.

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Special interest into procedural texture filter, edit alpha channel, RGB/16 and RGB/32 color formats, stacking, finding root causes for misbehaving files, finding creative solutions for unsolvable tasks, finding bugs in Apps.

 

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That swipe menu is so unintuitive. There's absolutely no way of discovering it unless you know and remember it's there. Other iPad apps allow you to peek at features such as this by sliding the layer a little and revealing (by actually moving the layer when you drag/swipe) what options are available via swipe. Or by tapping on a layer and then presenting the menu. This user experience is really lacking.

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4 hours ago, iuli said:

could we hope that someday we’ll have “Tap Layer Name” to Rename layers too? On second thought, after spending a bit more time with it, the renaming is crazily fast already.

@AshThe tap a layer name to rename your layer STILL needs to happen. Its something that was highly requested in the AD v1 forums. I think its so awesome that we have these new options when we swipe left. So awesome because taking 4-6 steps to rename a layer in AD v1 was a big no and now that i can simply swipe left and rename my layer is wonderful. Thank you. However, I still think you need to let users tap a layer name to rename it. Why? Because of our mindset and instinct. Users know to rename a layer you need to tap its layer name and then rename it. So when they find out that you cant do this basic action here in AD v2 its going to confuse and upset them. Theyre going to question why they cant rename their layer by tapping its layer name and then theyre going to go to the forums to get help on renaming a layer and then theyre going to discover that they can swipe left and a rename options appears. Theyre going to say, "Oh. So thats how you rename your layer. Why cant they just let me tap my layer name and rename it there?" Its going to happen. I already know it. And you know what else? If you just now introduced the feature to let users rename their artboard by taping its name and renaming it why cant you do it here? Youre not making us swipe left on the artboards name to rename it. Youre making us tap the artboards name to rename it. Why? Because thats what you would normally do to rename something. Mindset and instinct.

It needs happen. Its mindset and instinct to tap a layers name to rename it. The swipe left options are still going to be there but you need to also let us rename a layer by tapping a layer name. Please, please, please let users rename their layers by tapping their layer name in the layer studio. 

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@Ash When i swipe left and select blend modes my blend modes appear but they cover my layers. Look at the photo below titled v2. Can you make it so that the blend modes appear next to my layers instead? Look at the photo titled v1 below. In v1, the blend modes appear next to the layer and its much more nicer and convenient. Nothing is covering my layers. I'm able to see both my layers and blend modes. 

 

v2.PNG

v1.PNG

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@AshI'm super happy about the compound options. Thank you so much for listening.

I have one issue though. The compound options dont appear on the compound layer. You specifically have to go into the compound layer and select the shape layer making up the compound to get the compound options. Thats so weird. Im not really liking this. Wouldnt you just be able to swipe left on THE compound layer and get the compound options? Its more work to go into the compound, find the shape layer making up the compound, and then swipe left to get the compound options. I get it though. Its specifically THAT shape layer that is making up the compound so the compound options should ONLY appear from swiping left on THAT shape layer. I get it. I think I have a better solution though.

What you can do is let the compound options from swiping left appear on the compound layer, the layer thats grouping both shapes. Allow users to swipe left on that compound layer and let the compound options appear. We select a different geometry AND THEN, heres the solution, let the app take me to the shape layer that is making up the compound so that I can then move the shape layer to adjust my new compound. Thats what needs to happen because i dont want to specifically swipe left on the shape layer that is making up the compound to get the compound options. I just want to swipe left on THE compound layer, select a different geometry, and have the app take me to the shape layer to adjust my new compound. 

OR allow the compound options to appear on all 3 layers, the 2 shape layers making up the compound and the compound layer grouping both shapes. You select a different geometry, and have the app take you to the shape layer making up the compound to adjust the new compound. That way they all have the compound options and I'm not specifically going to a specific layer to get the compound option. I can get the compound options from all 3 compound layers.

Lastly, please add a double highlight when making a compound. I need that double highlight indicator to tell me that a compound has been made.

Geometry: Tap, Highlight

Compound: Long Press, Double Highlight

 

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@AshSo Im looking at the swipe left options and noticed only the geometries have icons to go with them and not the others. This is why I said in the forum post below to please add icons next to each option. It makes things look nicer and helps out the users through iconography. I so would have struggled reading add, subtract, intersect, and xor without icons but those icons really help me out in deciding what compound I want. Add to selection, delete, lock, blend modes, and rename layer need icons. Its look empty. Theyre naked. Something is missing and its those icons. it looks weird to only have icons for the geometries and not the others. A trash can icon for delete, a lock icon for lock, a pencil icon with the letter A for renaming, and im not sure what for add to selection and blend modes. You need to put icons next to these other options as well as for the options in the edit menu and document menu. You can read my post on icons for the edit and document menu in the forum post below. 

Below is an image of the swipe left icons. I added icons to the other options. I also need you to add a line/rule between each option. I did it in the color red to show you. 

 

options.jpg

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8 hours ago, MoonaticDestiny said:

I think the swipe left to rename a layer works fine

That’s exactly how I felt. Rename Layer has a perfect position to tap on after swiping left. This is a major improvement for us iPad users. 

The only thing that’s missing from the Swipe Left menu, in my opinion, is the Opacity option, which I’d trade with the Delete command, because we already have the Delete icon above layers, within finger’s reach.

StudioLink 256gb 11’ M1 iPad Pro

iPadOS 17 Public Beta 1

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@AshCan you please add "duplicate" to the new swipe left options?

Do you remember in a different post I had told you you need to add a duplicate button to the layer panel and you said that wouldnt happen until a later build? Ok. Having that duplicate swipe left option would help out and work out for now as a swipe left option. I dont even want the button anymore. Swipe left duplicate is fine. I found myself wanting to duplicate my layer so I swiped left and realized duplicate wasnt there and it made me sad. The duplicate option is available when you swipe left in the brush panel but not here in the layers panel. Kindly add duplicate in the new swipe left option in the layers panel.  

Also, im really liking the swipe left gesture. 

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@AshBlend modes should not be a swipe left option. Blend modes NEEDS to be in the layers panel. I've talked about this before in the v1 forums about how the layers panels needs works. The "..." button is storing 2 things that needs to be put on the layers panel. The blend modes and the opacity slider. I cant not be tapping the "..." button just to get to my blend modes and opacity. I should not be swiping left to get to my blend mode. I need to be able to click my layer and then go to blend modes or opacity at the top of my layers panel. Thats it. its simple. Fast. no gesture or bread crumb trail of going into other buttons. Just click and change. Artstudio pro has it like this and so does procreate. I'm going to mock it for you and this is how it should be. Please bring out the opacity slider and blend mode from the "..." button, put them on the layers panel,  and dont make blend modes a swipe left option. 

Sigh. You can leave it in the swipe left options for now but youre going to have to bring out the blend modes and opacity slider and put them on the layers panels. its long overdue. 

 

mock up.jpg

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@Ashyou know what else? I need you to add "group/ungroup" to the swipe left options. You know why? Because I hate that I cant group my layers with the group button when you've merged the vector warp in with the group button. I cant just tap the group button and group my layers. A menu pops up with the vector warp options. I hate it. It upsets me because I just want to group something so basic and its like 2 steps to group something. So swiping left would make me less upset and it would solve the issue for now of the vector warp being grouped with the group button when they should be 2 separate buttons. Its the same issue with the duplicate button. Theres no duplicate or vector warp button in the layers panel so the solution for now is to add duplicate and group to the swipe left options. 

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On 3/31/2023 at 8:21 AM, MoonaticDestiny said:

Blend modes NEEDS to be in the layers panel

Yeah we've been wanting to sort that for a while, and it now is ;) 

 

Managing Director

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iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd Gen / iPadOS 16.2

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When will we finally have the option to align layers AFTER import instead of just before? Or focus stack after import. Both of these things would allow easier workflow for those of us still waiting for the long promised and never delivered sources panel on iPad after a focus stack is created. 

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On 3/29/2023 at 5:56 AM, Ash said:

Firstly blend mode and opacity settings have now been added to the top of the layers panel

This is so awesome. I'm so happy yall were already working on this. No more going into the "..." more menu button to change these options. I love, love the double tap on opacity and blend modes to reset everything back to normal. I also love how yall designed this because on my mockup the opacity slider and blend modes were too big and took up a lot of space in the layers studio. Youve condensed everything into 1 row without taking up too much space and it looks really nice! Now youve gotten me curious on how you guys can save even more space in other studio panels by not using long sliders (opacity slider in the color studio and stroke width slider in the stroke studio) and instead using a box value input 🤔 .

Im going to go off topic a little here but this is why the context menu in v2 should not have been turned into sliders on the left side of the UI because they just take up UI space and these sliders are just UI junk. The context menu in v1 was better because they were these little small circle dials that you could adjust their values by tap-drag over them without taking up too much UI space. You dont need sliders anymore and you dont need an icon to go with those sliders.  A small little value input box with the word telling us what it adjusts works. I really do love how yall designed it here. Im so glad you didnt go through with my mockup. 

My only issue is that the greater than and less than arrows "< & >" on the blend modes dont seem to be working. They dont change the blend mode and then sometimes they do change the blend mode but as you change it it goes back to normal. So these arrows arent working well. Also, can you add the tap and drag gesture to blend modes? Just how you can tap and drag on opacity to change the opacity can you do the same for blend modes so I can skim through my modes without opening the blend modes window. If not its ok. I dont mind opening the blend modes but thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this. Been wanting this since v1 for so long. 

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I guess now that opacity and blend modes are on the layers studio, inside the more menu, you can remove the opacity slider and blend modes. They dont need to be there anymore. In the more menu you also have visible, lock, and solo. These 3 option can be added to the swipe left options. Lock is the only option out the 3 thats currently there at the moment. So you can add these 3 options to the swipe left option in the layers panel and then you can just get rid of them in the more menu. I attached a photo below. 

You know what else I was going to say? Tags needs to be in the swipe left options. I think that'd be nice to have. I did a mock up below. I need to be able to select layers, group them, and then color code them without having to take the extra step of going into the more menu and going down to tags. 

 

IMG_3091.JPG

IMG_3090.JPG

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@Ash There wasnt a forum post for this topic but thank you so much for no longer nesting the pencil and brush tools. I appreciate it. One problem though. The Fill and transparency tools are nested. I dont like that. 😅 I like them as 2 separate tools. Ive never felt that they should be categorized together. They do 2 separate things, but I get the slider similarities they both have. Its ok. I'll just swipe to get to the transparency tool for now. Tool customization will happen eventually. 

I was going to say that in the future when tool customization happens and yall are working on it please, please, PLEASE do STUDIO customization as well and not just tool customization. There are studios I dont use and dont want to see and I'd like to hide them and only use the ones I need. So dont just do tools. Do the same for studios. Tool customization and studio customization in the far future. 

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On 4/6/2023 at 10:52 PM, MoonaticDestiny said:

My only issue is that the greater than and less than arrows "< & >" on the blend modes dont seem to be working

Thanks, that is a bug actually - it's just that the "double tap to reset to Normal" is trying to work even when you are tapping quickly on the < & > buttons. That shouldn't be happening.

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iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd Gen / iPadOS 16.2

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