Save Path in Affinity Photo

[KCP]

Is there a "Save Path" function in AP2? I searched the Web and only found a hack that uses the Assets Folder, although it seems inaccurate, at best. I've been doing a tool-by-tool comparison of PS and AP2 to determine whether I can transition to AP2 as my default editor for commercial work. Some of the workhorse PS tools, so far, have commensurate options in AP2, although an important one (Save Path) seems unavailable. I use this function regularly in composite work and retouching. 

[walt.farrell]

What functions does that tool provide in PS, @KCP, and which of them do you use.

[KCP]

19 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

What functions does that tool provide in PS, @KCP, and which of them do you use.

Masks, selections, etc. I sometimes have hundreds of layers in a composite file and need quick access to selections to apply adjustment layers, constrain dodging and burning, and many other functions. And if I liquify something that already has a saved path, I can activate that saved path and reshape it to fit the liquified, warped, etc. asset. I noticed that AP2 allows you to save a selection as a channel, although clicking on it does not activate the selection but rather pulls up the channel. Ahh, I just discovered that you have to right-click and load the selection.

[lepr]

8 hours ago, KCP said:

Is there a "Save Path" function in AP2? I searched the Web and only found a hack that uses the Assets Folder, although it seems inaccurate, at best. I've been doing a tool-by-tool comparison of PS and AP2 to determine whether I can transition to AP2 as my default editor for commercial work. Some of the workhorse PS tools, so far, have commensurate options in AP2, although an important one (Save Path) seems unavailable. I use this function regularly in composite work and retouching. 

 

An Affinity vector Curve object or parametric vector object such as a Rectangle or Ellipse, Donut, etc, is equivalent to a Photoshop Path.

Affinity lists all objects/layers (except the Pixel Selection and Spare Channel objects, which can be found in the Channels panel), raster and vector, in the Layers panel rather than having a separate Paths panel.

You don't need a Save Path command in Affinity. After creating a vector object, it is a permanent first class citizen of a document until you explicity delete it or perform an operation that consumes it, such as merging it into another object.

There are commands for producing 'marching ants' from a vector object (or any object, in fact), or creating a raster mask from a vector object (or any object, in fact). Vector objects can also be directly used as masks and as clipping shapes.

[KCP]

4 hours ago, lepr said:

 

An Affinity vector Curve object or parametric vector object such as a Rectangle or Ellipse, Donut, etc, is equivalent to a Photoshop Path.

Affinity lists all objects/layers (except the Pixel Selection and Spare Channel objects, which can be found in the Channels panel), raster and vector, in the Layers panel rather than having a separate Paths panel.

You don't need a Save Path command in Affinity. After creating a vector object, it is a permanent first class citizen of a document until you explicity delete it or perform an operation that consumes it, such as merging it into another object.

There are commands for producing 'marching ants' from a vector object (or any object, in fact), or creating a raster mask from a vector object (or any object, in fact). Vector objects can also be directly used as masks and as clipping shapes.

I understand how that would work with a shape, although I'm specifically talking about paths, like cutting out objects in an image for further adjustment layer manipulation. I tried creating a path around different parts of a consumer product with the pen tool to change product colors for a catalog. AP2 does not create an equivalent of the path layers in PS, nor does it create a vector shape or vector mask in the regular layers panel. In other words, I'm not seeing a way to save those paths—not shapes.

Update: When I create a path, a layer named "curves" appears in the layers panel. I named it path and when I click on it, the path reappears, so I guess this is how AP2 is saving paths. The developers might consider adding a paths panel like PS because scrolling through potentially hundreds of layers in the regular layers panel to find paths is needlessly time-consuming when trying to meet deadlines. Nonetheless, it can save them, which is a start. 

[Circulus]

You can use any drawn vector shape as mask as long as it is filled.
 

 

[KCP]

36 minutes ago, Return said:

You can use any drawn vector shape as mask as long as it is filled.
 

I 

I discovered that you don't need to make it a shape. If you create it as a path, a layer called Curves is generated in the layers panel. You can rename it and reuse it at will. Apologies for the sound. I didn't know that the mic was on. 

[lepr]

2 hours ago, KCP said:

AP2 does not create an equivalent of the path layers in PS, nor does it create a vector shape or vector mask in the regular layers panel.

Oh yes it does. Anyway you went on to discover that

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, KCP said:

I discovered that you don't need to make it a shape. If you create it as a path, a layer called Curves is generated in the layers panel.

To clarify a bit, the layer you created is a curve layer, not a curves layer, which is a layer containing more than one curve object. All curve objects have paths, which may or may not have a stroke and/or fill color applied to them. Your amorphous shape has no fill color & a zero width stroke, effectively making it invisible unless selected, so its  path becomes visible.

[Circulus]

7 hours ago, Return said:

You can use any drawn vector shape as mask as long as it is filled.

 

 

[KCP]

3 hours ago, R C-R said:

To clarify a bit, the layer you created is a curve layer, not a curves layer, which is a layer containing more than one curve object. All curve objects have paths, which may or may not have a stroke and/or fill color applied to them. Your amorphous shape has no fill color & a zero width stroke, effectively making it invisible unless selected, so its  path becomes visible.

Correct. Call it what you will, although my only concern was whether you can save a path in AP2, which you clearly can using this curve layer technique. My sole purpose in all of this investigation has been to determine if AP2 has the equivalent of PS's tools to handle a commercial workflow. So far, I've discovered that it does have the tools needed to handle most of my tasks. PS has an extensive toolbox and an intuitive workflow, although the price has gotten out of hand. It was easy to offset the cost when I had a design firm with a half dozen employees producing commercial art every day, although I'm now retired and handling a dozen of so clients as a freelancer, which makes Adobe too expensive. My guess is that some of Serif's less-than-intuitive tools are the result of trying to include them without causing copyright or patent issues with Adobe.

Here are a few examples of the type of work I do, to show my typical workflow. The headshot retouch was a personal project, so I can show layers. I'm not at liberty to show layers on the before/after swimsuit image, although there were many. This is why I have to really stress-test the Affinity Suite before committing to it as my default editing suite. 

[walt.farrell]

11 hours ago, KCP said:

Call it what you will,

Eventually, you will probably find the distinction to be important in some workflow, so it's best to use the correct term to avoid confusion.