Feature request to improve studio panels on desktop

[TonyO]

I can't be the first one to think of or suggest this (i only did one quick forum search), but it would be more than awesome to be able to have a secondary studio panel for lesser used panels that operates like the ipad version, where click the icon to show the panel, and it auto collapses once you click off of using it. Even using the ipad side bar offset from the main studio panels.

Something like the screenshot. 

[Pšenda]

13 hours ago, TonyO said:

and it auto collapses

I don't use the iPad version, so I don't know exactly how this "automatic" function works, but how does the application know that it should "automatically" collapse the panel because I no longer need it?

[TonyO]

On iPad, a panel will pop out when you click the icon, you interact with it, and when you're done you start working in the canvas again and the panel disappears. If you want it to stay persistent, like photoshop panel popouts, you can click a pin icon. 

If you haven't worked with Affinity on iPad, you are definitely missing out!

[Pšenda]

Thanks for the explanation.

7 minutes ago, TonyO said:

and when you're done you start working in the canvas again and the panel disappears

But that doesn't correspond at all to my panel display needs, so I wouldn't use this feature on the desktop.
But for the needs of a small iPad display (and thus a very small workspace) it can be handy.

 

[TonyO]

Right. This suggestion is for a quick and easy way to interact with panels you rarely use but still want immediate access to. I use Affinity for illustration mostly, so i would have the color, transform, stroke and layers panels docked to the right as full sized panels. Then on the smaller panel i would keep text tools and or quick effects since I use those intermittently. It's an idea for an additional option for docking, not one you would have to use. 

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, TonyO said:

Then on the smaller panel i would keep text tools and or quick effects since I use those intermittently.

For these purposes, I use Personas in APublisher, because each persona can have its own specific settings of panels and tools. So when I draw - I switch to the Designer persona, and I have all the appropriate/necessary panels available. When I need to work with text, I switch to Publisher persona, where I already have prepared Character/Paragraph/Text styles panels, which of course I don't need when drawing.

[TonyO]

This only works in Publisher, Designer and Photo don't use studio link. Most users won't use pub for anything other than multipage publication design, since that's it's primary function. Even with personas though, having any more than 3 or 4 stacked studio panels can get cumbersome. 

[Bryan Rieger]

This is essentially a copy of the (auto) collapsible iconic panels in the Adobe interfaces, which I use a lot, especially with plug-ins that have UI panels. It just helps to get everything out of the way, and not have to remember where the panels are, or what persona they may be in. Not sure if this impinges on any Adobe patents, but it's a nice quality of life improvement, both on the iPad and desktop IMHO.

[TonyO]

1 minute ago, rgba said:

This is basically the (auto) collapsible iconic panels in the Adobe interfaces, which I use a lot, especially with plug-ins that have UI panels. It just helps to get everything out of the way, and not have to remember where the panels are, or what persona they may be in. Not sure if this impinges on any Adobe patents, but it's a nice quality of life improvement, both on the iPad and desktop IMHO.

Off topic a bit, but what are all those plugins in AI? Do they make bezier drawing any less of a slog - AI is the worst when it comes to node editing tools, haha. 

[Pšenda]

2 minutes ago, TonyO said:

Most users won't use pub for anything other than multipage publication design, since that's it's primary function.

I use APublisher precisely for the StudioLink function as the default application - so I also open *.afdesign and *.afphoto files in it.
That's why I wrote this easy-to-implement requirement (https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/168870-personas-changing-according-to-the-extension-of-the-file-being-launchedopened/)

[Bryan Rieger]

6 minutes ago, TonyO said:

Off topic a bit, but what are all those plugins in AI? Do they make bezier drawing any less of a slog - AI is the worst when it comes to node editing tools, haha. 

They're the Astute Graphics plug-ins which I've found are indispensable when using Illustrator. Find And Replace, Vector First Aid (clean up geometry) and Phantasm (non-destructive, full vector colour adjustments) are the main plug-ins I use, but I do often find myself using many of the other tools as they're just better (especially the drawing tools) than many of the Illustrator ones. The lack of Astute Graphics type features in Affinity Designer is one of the main reasons I still use Adobe Illustrator—that and compatibility when working with others.

[TonyO]

8 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

I use APublisher precisely for the StudioLink function as the default application - so I also open *.afdesign and *.afphoto files in it.
That's why I wrote this easy-to-implement requirement (https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/168870-personas-changing-according-to-the-extension-of-the-file-being-launchedopened/)

This may be a good solution for a single one-off design or the such, but when you illustrate multiple items at once and need the expandability of an infinite pasteboard outside your canvas for extra elements, brainstorming or reference images - as well as the use of multiple artboards, the benefits of a publication based design app becomes fleeting. 

Everybody has different needs, Publisher can't handle a workflow that looks like this. 

[TonyO]

11 minutes ago, rgba said:

They're the Astute Graphics plug-ins which I've found are indispensable when using Illustrator. Find And Replace, Vector First Aid (clean up geometry) and Phantasm (non-destructive, full vector colour adjustments) are the main plug-ins I use, but I do often find myself using many of the other tools as they're just better (especially the drawing tools) than many of the Illustrator ones. The lack of Astute Graphics type features in Affinity Designer is one of the main reasons I still use Adobe Illustrator—that and compatibility when working with others.

I'm the opposite, I've literally used everything from Corel Draw and Fireworks, to Inkscape, and finally Affinity Designer to avoid using AI as much as possible. My illustration work depends completely on fast and easy to use bezier tools and the out of the box Illustrator tools are the absolute worst I've ever touched, haha. 

I've heard alot of good things about Astute, I may have to give it a shot.

[PaulEC]

2 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

I use APublisher precisely for the StudioLink function as the default application - so I also open *.afdesign and *.afphoto files in it.
That's why I wrote this easy-to-implement requirement (https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/168870-personas-changing-according-to-the-extension-of-the-file-being-launchedopened/)

I can't see much point in having different file extensions if they all open in APub! As Old Bruce pointed out, in reply to your previous post, many people want to use the full features of APh and AD, so it would be a real PITA if the various file types didn't open in the appropriate app. If you want all three app extensions to open in APub, you can either change the extensions on your files, or set Windows to default to APub to open all of them. 

[TonyO]

Just now, PaulEC said:

I can't see much point in having different file extensions if they all open in APub! As Old Bruce pointed out, in reply to your previous post, many people want to use the full features of APh and AD, so it would be a real PITA if the various file types didn't open in the appropriate app. If you want all three app extensions to open in APub, you can either change the extensions on your files, or set Windows to default to APub to open all of them. 

And file extensions are controlled by the OS anyway. Just open a "Get info screen" on any Afdesign file, set it to Afpub as default and click "apply to all" and it changes what app that extension opens in. Not really something the developers need to implement. 

[walt.farrell]

15 minutes ago, TonyO said:

Everybody has different needs, Publisher can't handle a workflow that looks like this. 

Yes, it can. Just start the project in the Designer Persona.

[Bryan Rieger]

32 minutes ago, TonyO said:

I'm the opposite, I've literally used everything from Corel Draw and Fireworks, to Inkscape, and finally Affinity Designer to avoid using AI as much as possible. My illustration work depends completely on fast and easy to use bezier tools and the out of the box Illustrator tools are the absolute worst I've ever touched, haha. 

I tend to use Designer more as a replacement for Fireworks. Being able to work with both vector and bitmap art in one application is such a no-brainer today. For illustration work that isn't entirely vector there just isn't anything that touches Designer. The bezier tools in Designer are definitely easier to use than Illustrator, but I'm still mourning the loss of Freehand. It was by far the best vector drawing app I've ever used.

[TonyO]

10 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, it can. Just start the project in the Designer Persona.

Not quite. Unless there's some feature that I'm missing, there doesn't seem to be any way to add artboards to Publisher, and the canvas isnt infinite vertically, it cuts off just above and below the currently active page. Can you show a screenshot of Publisher using artboards and an infinite canvas and how you created the file? Even opening an Designer file in publisher won't allow those 2 features. 

[Pšenda]

29 minutes ago, TonyO said:

Publisher can't handle a workflow that looks like this. 

Have you tried it? I don't see anything that APublisher/Designer persona should have a problem with (except Export persona of course).

[Pšenda]

27 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

I can't see much point in having different file extensions if they all open in APub! As Old Bruce pointed out, in reply to your previous post, many people want to use the full features of APh and AD, so it would be a real PITA if the various file types didn't open in the appropriate app. If you want all three app extensions to open in APub, you can either change the extensions on your files, or set Windows to default to APub to open all of them. 

It is clear that you did not understand my request at all - please try to read it.

[Pšenda]

34 minutes ago, TonyO said:

And file extensions are controlled by the OS anyway. Just open a "Get info screen" on any Afdesign file, set it to Afpub as default and click "apply to all" and it changes what app that extension opens in. Not really something the developers need to implement. 

Yes - that's why it's also not the subject of my request. But I assume you understood correctly that I (because I set up my OS and the assignment of the APublisher application to all affinity extensions) if I run APublisher with a *.afdesign file, since it is obvious (see the extension type) that I will most likely work in Designer persona so that this persona is automatically selected for me.

[Bryan Rieger]

26 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, it can. Just start the project in the Designer Persona.

Unless I'm missing something, I can't actually select 'Create artboard' when creating a new document in Publisher via the Designer persona. 

I think it's disabled (using an ever so slightly darker grey) rather than a bug.
If I can't create an artboard in this manner, it probably shouldn't even be presented as an option on the new document screen.

[TonyO]

2 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

It is clear that you did not understand my request at all - please try to read it.

No, he totally understands what you are asking for, and that is the correct answer.

Publisher does NOT support all features of the independent apps in each of the personas, the file setup is not the same, and it does not fit the needs of all users.

Publisher doesn't support infinite canvas or artboards, slicing exports, and many other features of the standalone apps. Publisher is a multipage publication app, equivalent to InDesign, it is not designed for UI, illustration, photo editing or general multi-format design. Each individual app has features that the others don't. Publisher files are setup in page format for a reason, if you don't need pages or mail merge or other multi page/publication based needs then you may be better off using the others apps. 

[walt.farrell]

19 minutes ago, TonyO said:

Unless there's some feature that I'm missing, there doesn't seem to be any way to add artboards to Publishe

If you start in the Designer Persona you'll find that File > New includes the option to create an Artboard. It will be active if you turn off Default Master.

Additionally, which I overlooked before, if you have a document which contains only one page, and no Masters, you can use the Artboard Tool in the Designer Persona to add an Artboard. 

 

[Pšenda]

3 minutes ago, TonyO said:

No, he totally understands what you are asking for, and that is the correct answer.

Publisher does NOT support all features of the independent apps in each of the personas, the file setup is not the same, and it does not fit the needs of all users.

Publisher doesn't support infinite canvas or artboards, slicing exports, and many other features of the standalone apps. Publisher is a multipage publication app, equivalent to InDesign, it is not designed for UI, illustration, photo editing or general multi-format design. Each individual app has features that the others don't. Publisher files are setup in page format for a reason, if you don't need pages or mail merge or other multi page/publication based needs then you may be better off using the others apps. 

Did he notice what I responded to? I think your reaction is completely out of line - because what you write was not discussed at all in Paul's post. File extensions were "only" talked about!