AD2: Bind Slice to Artboard

[D.VE]

How can I bind/connect a slice in the export persona with an Artboard, so if I move the Artboard the slices are moved as well?

At some slices I created this is the case, some are completely Independent 

 

-thx

[GarryP]

Each Artboard should normally, automatically, get a Slice that is ‘bound’ to the artboard – see attached video.

If this is not happening, can you show us an example? (Screenshots and/or video and/or the document would be useful for diagnostic purposes.)

[D.VE]

On 7/12/2023 at 9:33 AM, GarryP said:

Each Artboard should normally, automatically, get a Slice that is ‘bound’ to the artboard

I know. But I need more than one slice for each artboard. And if I move ANY artboard almost ALL slices are messed up.

[GarryP]

Why do you need multiple slices for an Artboard?

If you want to be able to create multiple (different) exports for an Artboard then you can do that via the Slices Panel – see attached image where the artboard will be exported three times, two PNGs of different sizes and one JPG.

Just press the appropriate ‘plus button’ to create more export ‘versions’.

[D.VE]

On 7/22/2023 at 9:14 AM, GarryP said:

Why do you need multiple slices for an Artboard?

Because I need to export different aspect ratios. A5 for print. And a square format for Instagram. 

[GarryP]

Ah, I see, I think.

I don’t think you will be able to do that easily, if at all, but I don’t use the Export Persona very often so maybe someone else has a good idea.

Alternatively, you might be able to group your designs into differently-sized invisible rectangles (outer one the biggest and inner ones dropping in size) and create slices from those but you could be ‘fighting against’ working inside multiple layers, and I’ve not tried it so don’t know if it would even work.

Basically, as I understand the issue, you’re trying to do something that the software wasn’t designed to do.

[D.VE]

36 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Basically, as I understand the issue,

I saw something like this on several YT tutorials.

I love the export persona. The idea is to automate the process as far as possible to export for different media and different languages.

Most time consuming is to rename all the slices (even with the copy functionality). Another variable with the document filename would be awsome.

What I miss the most, is the option to hide or show different layers depending on the export slice. So that you could export different languages with one click. I only have that many artboards because I create the cartoons in two languages. I copy the graphics via symbol, but need seperate Artboards for the text.

Happy for any ideas how to make this easier... :-) 
 

[Old Bruce]

Make your Artboards square and use the Margins to define the A5 size inside it. Do your artwork in the margins and then group all the layers. Use the Export Persona to export the Background and the Group (after making said Group a Slice).

here is a file for version 2 of Designer.

 

cartoon.afdesign

[D.VE]

28 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

Make your Artboards square and use the Margins to define the A5 size inside it. Do your artwork in the margins and then group all the layers. Use the Export Persona to export the Background and the Group (after making said Group a Slice).

Thanks for the answer... 

Which problem does this solve?

[Old Bruce]

19 minutes ago, D.VE said:

Which problem does this solve?

 

4 hours ago, D.VE said:

Because I need to export different aspect ratios. A5 for print. And a square format for Instagram. 

 

[Aammppaa]

Use Symbols?

Create your artwork as a Symbol, and then create your various artboards (Portrait, Landscape, Square, Small, etc) with a copy of the symbol on each.

Here's a simple example in Designer v2...

Artwork Symbol with Multiple Artboards Example.afdesign

[thomaso]

11 hours ago, D.VE said:

I need to export different aspect ratios. A5 for print. And a square format for Instagram. 

How about nested artboards? – It exports both as slices or 'normal' & moves all content with the parent (square) artboard & needs the content only once (A5). – Like so …

[D.VE]

On 8/1/2023 at 9:35 PM, Aammppaa said:

Create your artwork as a Symbol

I already do this, this caused the initial problem...
But the problem is that I have to rename all the slices for exporting... 

[D.VE]

On 8/2/2023 at 2:56 AM, thomaso said:

nested artboards?

Oh... This is a cool idea that could work...

Thanks will try it.

 

[Old Bruce]

The use of an Artboard instead of a Group makes a little nervous.

[D.VE]

On 8/2/2023 at 2:56 AM, thomaso said:

How about nested artboards?

Thanks again... Seems to be working... 
But now I have very fine lines on the edges of the artboards, if objects are larger. Even if the layers should be invisible because they are covered by other objects.

Seems like a glitch/bug... 

 

 

 

[Aammppaa]

Check that all your artboards are aligned to whole pixels (in the transform panel).

If artboards are at fractional pixels you will get unwanted anti-aliasing / transparency on the edges.

[D.VE]

22 minutes ago, Aammppaa said:

to whole pixels

Still the same... 
And the lines should be covered by another object that is far larger than the content that is shining through...
I don't understand why this is visible.

Artboard 
=> Frame
=> => Black object 

The Frame is larger than the Black Object... 

 

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, D.VE said:

But now I have very fine lines on the edges of the artboards, if objects are larger. Even if the layers should be invisible because they are covered by other objects.

Especially the second sentence makes me think they are a kind of guides. (similar to the inevitable UI gray page edge strokes in APub).
On the other hand they might be caused by your placed content: at the bottom of image #041 it looks like a part of the image. Also an indicator for being content related (rather than UI guide) is the irregular occurrence, e.g. different at one same illu in your two screenshots and not a full rectangle around the artboard or content.

– Does it scale accordingly to your zoom view level?
– Does it vary with a different bleed, margin or UI background gray setting?
– Does it move if you move the placed images?
– Do these lines appear on export?

Sorry I can guess only because I am unable to reproduce this in my V1.

[Aammppaa]

@D.VE Can you provide an example file so we can investigate?

[D.VE]

On 8/7/2023 at 1:02 PM, thomaso said:

a kind of guides

No... Look at the screenshit. The colors on the lines match the colors of the character. If I delete the content, the lines are gone as well.

 

 

On 8/7/2023 at 1:02 PM, thomaso said:

Does it scale accordingly to your zoom view level?

No... In AD it always seem to be a 1-Pixel-Line.

 

On 8/7/2023 at 1:02 PM, thomaso said:

Does it vary with a different bleed, margin or UI background gray setting?

I think no (not sure what "bleed" means in this context, I'm not a native speaker).

On 8/7/2023 at 1:02 PM, thomaso said:

Does it move if you move the placed images?

Yes

 

On 8/7/2023 at 1:02 PM, thomaso said:

Do these lines appear on export?

Only in PNG... Therefor the idea of @Aammppaa sounds valid. But the setting doesn't seem to have any effect.
 

 

14 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

Can you provide an example file so we can investigate?

See attachement... 
 

041 Depressionen.afdesign

[thomaso]

30 minutes ago, D.VE said:

I think no (not sure what "bleed" means in this context, I'm not a native speaker).

"Bleed" gets set as a document property. (It is a safety area around a page, used to avoid visual 'flickering' if a printed page gets cut with less than 100% precision. Although your placed image seems to be smaller than its artboard the violet line above and below seems to indicate a bleed.)

Since we don't know the culprit yet (unfortunately I can't open V2) it reminded me to a logged issue in V1 where a set bleed > 0 causes a strange offset of a pixel selection marquee.

• Another question comes to my mind: What file format is the placed illustration? Might it contain transparency at its edges? (although it seems to be not get hidden by your white frame fill / … which made me think of any kind of a guide).

• Does the issue disappear if you set the pasteboard colour to white in the app "Preferences" > "User Interface" > "Artboard Background Grey Level" ?

• … and/or if you move the nested artboard layer "#2 DE" outside its parent "DE Instagram #2"?

[D.VE]

20 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Another question comes to my mind: What file format is the placed illustration? Might it contain transparency at its edges?

Mostly drawn directly in Affinity Designer. Some importet SVGs.

 

22 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Does the issue disappear if you set the pasteboard colour to white

Nope 

I made a screen recording... Hope this works here:
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Aammppaa]

Try Settings > Performance > Use Precise Clipping.

With Precise Clipping enabled I am no longer seeing the black lines at the edge of your frames.

I also notice that many of your artboards are still not pixel aligned. This may be causing issues with semi-transparent edges on export.

You need to ensure units are Pixels and everything is on whole pixels. 

[thomaso]

In your video the unexpected rectangle appears as a blue line (not gray as before) … similar to the Affinity interface blue (which might indicate it as a bounding box of a layer you have coloured in blue within the Layers panel).

The thin artefact shown in your previous screenshot is possibly caused by an insufficient height of the layer "#1 Loch Abdeckung"?