Micrografx Picture Publisher

[Auggybendoggy]

I'm coming from a very old photo program called Picture Publisher 10 and I can't wrap my head around how Affinity P works.  In Publisher you could mask an area and it would become an object.  In AP it seems a mask is only a layer on top for which you want things to show through.  

I'm trying to acheive the same affec as Picture publisher.  For example, in PP10 if I mask a left eye and select the pick tool, the eye becomes it's own object (on it's own layer) I can then apply color shifts or what ever effect to the eye.  I could do the same with the right eye and apply a total different set of effects to the right eye.   I can then move either eye around at will over the image.

In AP if I mask the left eye, I can't move it.  Even as I've been able to make copies of a mask and past them, like making multiple eyes, if I try to apply any affects to them like a hue shift, nothing happens.  The only area the hue shift affects is the masked area, not the copies.  If I click on a copy I can see it's object outline but I can't do anything to it.  I tried the order of the layers and all but nothing works.

Uhhhh this is really hard to change my way of thinking.

[firstdefence]

What you need to do is make a selection, there are multiple ways to do that but the easiest would be to use the Selection tool and then use copy/paste, this will copy the selection to a new layer.

[Auggybendoggy]

And here lies my frustration.  I did exactly as you said and got a different result.  My copy resulted in the entire layer being copied.  I didn't get a new layer with just the eye.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Auggybendoggy

[Auggybendoggy]

Ok so here's why I think I got a different result.  I created a blank document then placed the image and stretched it to fill the entire blank canvas.  I think that has something to do with it.  Not sure why the selection tool doesn't work if I do that but I end up with a different result than you.

 

[Auggybendoggy]

I believe the only way to achieve your instructions is to use "copy flattened"  - copy doesn't do the trick.

[Kaffeepause]

If you open an image via File > Open, it is loaded as a pixel file. If you bring an image into your document via File > Place, it will be loaded as an image file. There are several useful reasons for this.

In the screenshot, layer no. 1 is an image that I have opened via File > Open. You can see a small checkerboard pattern symbol to the left of the layer image.

I brought in layer no. 2 via File > Place . You can see a small image symbol next to the layer image.

The two behave differently: With layer 1 you can make your selection and then press CMD+J (Mac) or CTRL+J (Windows) and the selection will be inserted as a new layer.

To do the same with layer 2, it must first be converted into a pixel layer by right-clicking + Rasterize from the context menau. Then the selection CMD/CTRL+J will also work. Instead of CMD/CTRL+J you can of course also use Copy and Paste.

[Auggybendoggy]

Kafee, 2 questions:

1) How do they behave differently.  You only mention that they do and how to convert but you didn't explain what the difference is.

2) in firstdefence's example, the eye, how would a feather be applied to it?

[Kaffeepause]

1) I apologize for not providing an explanation. I didn't want to make my response too long.
I think it's best to provide you with the link to the relevant entry in the manual. The special feature of the image layer is explained here.

https://affinity.help/photo2/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Layers/layerImage.html?title=Image layers

2) Unfortunately, I can't think of a way to make a selection with a gradient, except via a quickmask. Here is the explanation from the manual (they can explain it better than I can 😊)

https://affinity.help/photo2/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Selections/selections_create.html?title=Creating pixel selections

I'm sure one of the many experienced people here in the forum will be able to give you a better answer to this question than I can. I usually make soft gradients by copying the whole layer and then placing a mask on this copied layer, which allows me to control the gradient well. I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer.

[Bit Disappointed]

Usability and Affinity Photo do not mix

Image layers and pixel layers - concepts average customers never understood. Gets even harder to understand when there is no feedback in the software or hints when you run into unexpected behavior. Or no result, no feedback.

And then, for example, these steps from the official help, which, if anything, prove that Photo's user interface was cobbled together by programmers.

To convert a pixel layer to an image layer:

1. With a pixel layer selected, from the Edit menu, select Copy.
2. From the Edit menu, select Paste Special, then choose Device Independent Bitmap.

To convert an image layer to a pixel layer:

Do one of the following:

• Select the Paint Brush Tool or another brush-based tool and paint on the layer.
• From the Layer menu, select Rasterise.

After that, get ready for decimal pixels:

So don't feel stupid or behind if all of this doesn't make sense to you. Photo is chaos.

[R C-R]

44 minutes ago, Auggybendoggy said:

2) in firstdefence's example, the eye, how would a feather be applied to it?

One way is after making the selection (so you get a "marching ants" outline around the eye or whatever you want to copy), in the context toolbar click on the Refine... button. In tyhe window that pops up, use the Feather slider or enter the feature amount directly in the numeric field.

[Auggybendoggy]

LondonSquirrel,

I'm def not an average user.  Total beginner moving from PP10.  I don't even know where the manual is.  In the app there's help links and I use those but they don't really explain much.  There's also video tutorials which I've been watching and that's about it.  Is the manual the same thing as the "affinity photo help"?  I looked up feathering but I could not find why my layer (like the eye above) was not qualified to use the feathering option in the pull down menu (it's greyed out).

[R C-R]

4 minutes ago, Auggybendoggy said:

I looked up feathering but I could not find why my layer (like the eye above) was not qualified to use the feathering option in the pull down menu (it's greyed out).

Which pull-down menu do you mean?

[Auggybendoggy]

Help - 

[v_kyr]

Beside the Affinity app's included help system, there's also the Affinity online help (-->  https://affinity.help/), which is often overal much better searchable, especially via  common internet search engines ...

• search term1 search term2 ... site:affinity.help
• Trivial example:  "preferences site:affinity.help"

For common web based searching see also related ...

 

[walt.farrell]

13 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Trivial example:  "preferences site:affinity.help"

Better, though, if one includes the relevant application name, such as "preferences site:affinity.help/designer2"

[v_kyr]

3 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Better, though, if one includes the relevant application name, such as "preferences site:affinity.help/designer2"

I've already showed and told that before in another help related thread ...

 

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, Auggybendoggy said:

I looked up feathering but I could not find why my layer (like the eye above) was not qualified to use the feathering option in the pull down menu (it's greyed out).

If you mean the Feather... item on the Select menu, as long as you have made a "marching ants" selection with any of the Marque Selection Tools, that option should not be greyed out. If you do not have an active selection there is nothing for it to act on, so that option along with the similar options like Grow/Shrink..., Smooth..., Refine Edges..., & Outline... will be greyed out.

[R C-R]

FWIW, regarding Image, Pixel, & other layer types there is a list of them in the About layers help topic. It may be worth bookmarking the web page for quick reference while learning how to use the app & its many different types of layers.