Align and distribute

[Alan Preece]

Here I am after 2 hours of what should be a simple task. All I want to do is align some boxes and distribute them evenly. I have tried the align using the last button both horizontally and vertically.  Each time it is increasing the size of the bounding box. Here is the screen grab, any ideas welcome

[Circulus]

Was going to reply with the quickgrid but that's a version2 feature and you are using version 1
So here it goes.

 

 

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

I have tried the align using the last button both horizontally and vertically.  Each time it is increasing the size of the bounding box.

This is the normal behaviour if you apply h + v align together; the alignment options don't think in columns and rows.

If you don't want to recreate the objects as shown by @Return: Instead selecting all objects you need to select + align columns or rows separately, which requires to align the objects in several steps. For instance starting this way:

Unfortunately, this alignment panel is not only closed but also reset as soon as you click "Apply" or change your selection. Once you aligned one row + one column it can be easier for further steps to use the separate align buttons (that can get added to the Toolbar).

[Alan Preece]

Many thanks, I will give it a try. I just cannot get over the fact that the whole process seem counter intuitive.

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

I just cannot get over the fact that the whole process seem counter intuitive.

Yes. I my impression this feature is coded with a half-baked concept, "by design" for cumbersome usage, in multiple aspects:

• The pop-up dialog/panel needs to get reopened for alignment / distribution in several steps multiple times.

• The Spacing / Distribution option gets reset to "Auto" once the dialog is closed.

• The submenus contain quite a few Alignment options for special use cases (page, spread, margins) – while there are no submenu options at all (grayed out) for Distribution / Spacing.

• The submenus lack special options for spacing/distribution. For instance like "next neighbour" or a "radius" value or "grid" settings (column, row) etc.

• The "Apply" button is irrelevant + misleading: If you just leave the dialog (i.e. click in your layout) the current setting gets applied anyway / automatically.

[KarinC]

I agree on the issues with alignment. I use it constantly but find that it not very useful in many cases. It would be helpful to have more options with distribution. I saw a thread saying you first have to align them with the first three buttons which puts everything where you don't want them, then you get the options. I messed around for a long time and was not able to use the distribution like I hoped. I ended up using guides instead, hand calculating the distribution. All I wanted to do is distribute the objects from their respective centers. 

[Alan Preece]

Oh well, try something else? Still can't believe a paid for suite cannot do such a simple task. Many thanks to those who replied.

[KarinC]

 

15 minutes ago, Alan Preece said:

Oh well, try something else? Still can't believe a paid for suite cannot do such a simple task. Many thanks to those who replied.

What you need to do is super easy. Align vertically, then horizontally. Play around with grouping rows or columns, then align the groups. I made quite a few graphics just like what you are trying to do very easily. It's the complicated alignments of objects of different sizes that I have problems with, however...

I just watched a video from Affinity Designer on new tools for setting objects and spacing and aligning them. I think the new tools will solve my complicated aligning problems. 

 

[Alan Preece]

Yes, new tools are great providing you have V2.  I purchased V1 approximately 4 months before V2 with lifetime updates. My argument is that any progression is an update. Not only did they not update the software but it must have been under development at that time. Given the problems I am having the suite it makes me unsure as to whether V2 is worth the upgrade or are they going to introduce V3 in the future.

I realise I will be kicked of the forum for the harsh words, but you can only spend so much time on a project.

 

Again many thanks

[walt.farrell]

6 minutes ago, Alan Preece said:

Not only did they not update the software but it must have been under development at that time.

Yes, it probably was. And they were very generous to people who had purchased V1 within 90 days of the V2 announcement. It sounds like you just missed that cutoff.

But you were eligible for the 40% discount that they offered to early adopters of V2.

8 minutes ago, Alan Preece said:

or are they going to introduce V3 in the future.

I'm sure they will. But note that V1 was introduced in (I think) 2015, so it took 7 years before they were ready to introduce V2. We don't know if V2 will have the same lifetime before V3 is introduced, but they've said they don't plan on annual version changes, and I would guess it will be at least 4-5 years. And the sooner you purchase, the more value you get from your purchase if you keep using the application.

[Old Bruce]

11 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

... But note that V1 was introduced in (I think) 2015, so it took 7 years before they were ready to introduce V2. ... I would guess it will be at least 4-5 years. ...

A better way of thinking is that Publisher (v1) was introduced in 2019 and that completed their trio of applications. So 2019 to 2022, three years, could be the time between upgrades. I have a couple of applications I have been using for about 25 years and their upgrade cycle is about every 2-3 years.

Regarding "When will version 3 come out".  My best guess is just a guess from an ill-informed stranger on the internet. I will bet that there is a date which only the people at Serif know, and it changes by several months sooner or later every time they look at their calendar. It will happen when it happens and no one here really knows.

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, KarinC said:

I ended up using guides instead, hand calculating the distribution.

Just in case: alternatively to guides, defining a grid may be faster for horizontal + vertical guide creation. And, different to single guides, a grid enables you to move its origin (called "axis") to match one of your object nodes.

3 hours ago, KarinC said:

I just watched a video from Affinity Designer on new tools for setting objects and spacing and aligning them.

Can you post a link, or name the source? I find alignment content for V1 only, apart from the V2 help, where this Toolbar Alignment / Spacing / Distribution feature appears to be the same as in V1.

[v_kyr]

20 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

All I want to do is align some boxes and distribute them evenly.

 

• Distributing/spacing objects

[Alan Preece]

Many thanks for the replies. I did watch a few videos, this one included and yes it is fine if you want to distribute horizontally or vertically but if you have a matrix of shapes that you want to distribute over a page it becomes a nightmare. I have adopted the ctrl J option. I will try the grids tomorrow. So once again many thanks.

Walt, with the greatest respect I believe you missed the point. If it isn't broke don't fix it. Especially is you are going to charge for the facility. What you are suggesting is that I should be grateful to be offered a discount for upgrading a piece of software purchased prior to the launch of an upgraded product. Had they kept their word and offered lifetime upgrades I might have been happier. The very definition of version two is that it is progressive. Had they, in my opinion, renamed the product then it would not be V2. 

It is not a saving of 50% or 40% it is spending 50 or 60 per cent of hard earned money when you purchased a lifetime upgrade licence.

[Circulus]

32 minutes ago, Alan Preece said:

offered lifetime upgrades

It was never promised.
Lifetime means here; the software can be used during the time the user can install and reinstall and use with its credentials until the OS doesn't support it anymore.

[KarinC]

4 hours ago, thomaso said:

 

 

Can you post a link, or name the source? I find alignment content for V1 only, apart from the V2 help, where this Toolbar Alignment / Spacing / Distribution feature appears to be the same as in V1.

This is what I saw. It's called data entry but it looks like you can use it to align things right when you create them. It looks powerful.

 

[thomaso]

15 minutes ago, KarinC said:

This is what I saw. It's called data entry but it looks like you can use it to align things right when you create them. It looks powerful.

Thank you. Yes V2 has really new useful features for object creation, not only for power duplicate but also when placing images as a certain grid or in a bunch of existing picture frames. Unfortunately these options don't help if you want to align or distribute existing objects, as in this thread.

[v_kyr]

2 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

Many thanks for the replies. I did watch a few videos, this one included and yes it is fine if you want to distribute horizontally or vertically but if you have a matrix of shapes that you want to distribute over a page it becomes a nightmare. ...

For a matrix it's a two step horiz/vert approach, for example you first distribute/align the horizontal ones and group them. Afterwards you select the horizontal groups and distribute/align those vertically.

[R C-R]

8 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

My argument is that any progression is an update.

For decades, the software industry has made a clear distinction between an update & an upgrade. We don't have to like it but there is nothing we can do about it.

[thomaso]

9 hours ago, Alan Preece said:

Yes, new tools are great providing you have V2. 

Don't mind for this topic. V2 appears to have the same Alignment & Distribution options for existing objects as V1 and also requires to do it separately for h and v in several steps.

[Alan Preece]

Anyway, I think that I have taken the discussion off topic. I have an opinion and which may be wrong. The point I started this thread was discuss to the align and distribute. Many thanks for those who have taken the time to reply I genuinely appreciate it. Also thanks for putting up with my rant. 

With particular reference to KarinC That video was mind blowing. I think after about 10 watches I might be able to get my head around it (OK 20)

 

Again thanks to all