Affinity Photo V2 - Sticky "alt" Key..

[WilbChris]

Hi,

When using the "alt" Key modifier to (for example to quickly switch to deselct when using the selection brush), the Alt key seems to remain stuck when released - so that it must be pressed again to release the focus from the menu items (File, Edit, Text,Document.. etc.) and unfortunately, when using the pen on my Wacom Tablet, I must actually press the alt key on the Keyboard.. which is a bit of a pain..

This has been the case in all versions of Affinity Photo 2 and ist quite annoying.

I use the EXE/MSI version as I do not want to use the MSIX/AppX variant. Computer is up-to-date with Windows updates etc. (Windows 10 22H2).

Would be nice if this could somehow be fixed.. or maybe there's some (hidden) setting that I'm missing..

[lphilpot]

Not exactly the same thing but I've seen the Inpainting brush become "hung" when using my Wacom tablet so that it remains active no matter what I select, click, touch, etc. Sometimes, switching to another app and back will reset it, but other times I have to restart Photo. I haven't run into it since 2.3 but I've not used it a lot yet. It definitely happened on prior versions.

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, WilbChris said:

When using the "alt" Key modifier to (for example to quickly switch to deselct when using the selection brush), the Alt key seems to remain stuck when released - so that it must be pressed again to release the focus from the menu items (File, Edit, Text,Document.. etc.)

I see that, too, but for me it doesn't matter. I can still do everything I want to do (keyboard shortcuts, etc.) even though Windows is still showing the meny items underlined.

What have you found that is actually impacted and causing problems in this situation. Perhaps it's just something I haven't discovered. (And I'm not using a tablet at this point; just keyboard and mouse.)

[WilbChris]

3 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

What have you found that is actually impacted and causing problems in this situation. Perhaps it's just something I haven't discovered. (And I'm not using a tablet at this point; just keyboard and mouse.)

I mostly use a Wacom Tablet and have the button on the side of the pen set to the "alt" key.

When I use it, however, although it works (e.g. to switch the selection brush to deselect), after releasing the button, "File" is highlighted on the menu bar and the pen no longer works (attempts are usually greeted with the windows "warning"/"error" sound) until I press the alt key ON THE KEYBOARD - pressing the button on the pen does not reset the "alt" state.

It does also "stick" when using the keyboard and mouse e.g. to deselect something, but as your already on the keyboard pressing alt again resets its state.

Does that explain my problem better?

[lphilpot]

2 minutes ago, WilbChris said:

When I use it, however, although it works (e.g. to switch the selection brush to deselect), after releasing the button, "File" is highlighted on the menu bar and the pen no longer works (attempts are usually greeted with the windows "warning"/"error" sound) until I press the alt key ON THE KEYBOARD

I don't have a pen / tablet button mapped to Alt, but that's exactly what happens when I use the Alt key to select a clone source. I almost always have to press it again to return to clone mode, since the OS mapping to 'menu' has overridden (or at least "piggy-backed" onto) the Photo mapping to clone source. I wish we could reassign that key, maybe to Ctrl or something.

[WilbChris]

2 minutes ago, lphilpot said:

I wish we could reassign that key, maybe to Ctrl or something.

Never had a problem with Alt in Affinity Photo V.1 and don't have a problem with it in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop elements 2018. 

Since Alt is also used in Lightroom and Elements, I wouldn't  want to reassign it just for Affinity Photo..

[Greg E]

This sounds like a Windows accessibility setting. Try looking in Settings>Accessibility>keyboard, and look for "sticky keys". It should be turned off. This function is made for people who cannot hold multiple keys at once. Windows 'helpfully' tries to turn it on at times, if you hold a shift key such as alt or ctrl for longer than it expects.

[lphilpot]

Sticky keys is off, has been off. Since it first appeared in, what, Windows 95?  LOL

[WilbChris]

26 minutes ago, Greg E said:

This sounds like a Windows accessibility setting. Try looking in Settings>Accessibility>keyboard, and look for "sticky keys". It should be turned off. This function is made for people who cannot hold multiple keys at once. Windows 'helpfully' tries to turn it on at times, if you hold a shift key such as alt or ctrl for longer than it expects.

Definitely not windows Sticky keys.. as already stated, only Affinity Photo v2 is affected, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements etc  don't have the problem 😥

[Dan C]

Hi @WilbChris,

Thanks for your report!

I've tested this with only a mouse and keyboard connected to my PC and I'm seeing the same behaviour as Walt - when using the Alt modifier, for example with the Selection Tools, the F in File & E in Edit etc is underlined, but the menu itself is not selected and I do not need to press Alt again to continue using the Selection tools.

What Wacom tablet are you using please?

On 12/2/2023 at 10:07 PM, lphilpot said:

I don't have a pen / tablet button mapped to Alt, but that's exactly what happens when I use the Alt key to select a clone source. I almost always have to press it again to return to clone mode, since the OS mapping to 'menu' has overridden (or at least "piggy-backed" onto) the Photo mapping to clone source.

Provided I am holding the Alt key down, the clicking on the canvas with the cursor with the Clone Tool active, this is working as expected for me. If I have the Cone Tool active and simply press the Alt key once, the Menu options are highlighted, again as expected.

Are you able to expand on the issue you're reporting here, as I may be misunderstanding your report. 

[lphilpot]

1 hour ago, Dan C said:

Provided I am holding the Alt key down, the clicking on the canvas with the cursor with the Clone Tool active, this is working as expected for me. If I have the Cone Tool active and simply press the Alt key once, the Menu options are highlighted, again as expected.

Are you able to expand on the issue you're reporting here, as I may be misunderstanding your report.

Sometimes that happens, i.e., the access letters are highlighted but the menu isn't activated and the clone brush remains active. But just as (if not more) often the top level menu items themselves (File, Edit, etc.) become selected with a highlighted background, so I have to press Alt again to reactivate the brush. I've seen it happen both ways with no discernible difference in what I'm doing. Even if only the letters are underlined, they remain that way until I press Alt again -- Even switching to another tool doesn't "cancel" them.

If we could have the option to specify an alternate (no pun intended) modifier key it would help greatly. Given Alt's intrinsic Windows association with menus, it's a "special" modifier and should be treated differently.

[WilbChris]

2 hours ago, Dan C said:

Hi @WilbChris,

Thanks for your report!

I've tested this with only a mouse and keyboard connected to my PC and I'm seeing the same behaviour as Walt - when using the Alt modifier, for example with the Selection Tools, the F in File & E in Edit etc is underlined, but the menu itself is not selected and I do not need to press Alt again to continue using the Selection tools.

What Wacom tablet are you using please?

Provided I am holding the Alt key down, the clicking on the canvas with the cursor with the Clone Tool active, this is working as expected for me. If I have the Cone Tool active and simply press the Alt key once, the Menu options are highlighted, again as expected.

Are you able to expand on the issue you're reporting here, as I may be misunderstanding your report. 

I use a Wacom Intuous Pro Tablet.. 

The menu options (usually "File") always remains active for me every time I use a tool with the pen's "alt" button as modifier (I have 2 pens - the one supplied with the tablet and also an extra  Wacom professional pen, but both behave the same).

Sorry if I'm not explaining the problem clearly enough..

As you've mentioned the Clone tool, let's stick with that as example..The order of events is that one needs to use the "Alt-Click" to select the source for the clone. When I do this with the pen I press the modifier button on the pen and touch it to the tablet to select my source, then lift the pen whilst at the same time releasing the button. If I then try to paint the cloned source with the pen, the Windows "error" tone sounds and I see that the"File" option on the menu bar is selected/active. Pressing the modifier button on the pen at this point does nothing (except sound the windows error tone). Only pressing the "Alt" key on the keyboard releases the Menu and allows me to the clone with the pen.

Does that make it clearer?

[lphilpot]

If it's of any value I'm using a Wacom Intuos S tablet with the bundled pen. I don't have any buttons mapped to Alt, I just use the keyboard.

[WilbChris]

Oh, just to add:

I use the same tablet, the same way in Lightroom (6.14) and Photoshop Elements 2018, and there I have no problem with the "Alt" key like in Affinity Photo V2 ( and also didn't have the problem in Photo v1 if I remember correctly)

[Dan C]

Thanks for the further information and patience here - I've been able to test this using a Wacom Intuos Pro (S) and I've been unable to replicate this issue, using either the keyboard ALT key, Wacom tablet button or Wacom pen button (both mapped to ALT).

As can be seen in the following recording, I'm able to create and subtract from this section using all 3 of the above options, without invoking the File menu -

 

The only way I could trigger this occurring, was if I pressed the ALT key without making any strokes on the canvas - but this is expected behaviour as without using the tool, the modifier would not be applied.

One thing I did note however, was that ALT (from any source) did not need to be held down, whilst making the Subtract selection stroke. Provided you are using the modifier when the stroke begins, any further input will continue to use the ALT Subtract modifier, until you pen stylus is lifted. Therefore you might want to try using the Subtract modifier briefly when beginning the stroke, but not holding down the key for the entirety of the stroke.

Unfortunately it's not possible to remap these modifiers at this time, though this has been requested previously and is something our team may look to add in the future

[WilbChris]

On 12/6/2023 at 5:56 PM, Dan C said:

One thing I did note however, was that ALT (from any source) did not need to be held down, whilst making the Subtract selection stroke

I've tried this and that could be a workaround for select/deselect but  I  just have the problem that in Lightroom (and Elements) the alt key has to remain pressed - confusing for the muscle memory 😥

I have also more problems with the clone tool... When selecting my clone source,  after lifting the pen from the tablet (and releasing the alt button on the pen) almost always focus remains on  File in the menu bar which is still highlighted..  I then do not see the clone preview in the brush circle 😥😥 also if I try and use the spacebar as modifier to pan around the image (in order to clone in somewhere else) without first and pressing alt again, I am unable to pan and receive the windows error tone..

Very occasionally it will work  but 90%of the time I need to press the alt key on the keyboard again after using alt button on the pen to select my clone source.. 

**Since pressing the alt button on the pen doesn't "release" the focus from the menu bar to clear it (to be able to see the clone preview which is sometimes absolutely necessary to line it up properly) I have to reach over to my keyboard and press its alt key.. A real PITA!!