Paint Brushes Behaving Strangely After Updating AF2 to 2.3.0.2165

[Nikk i]

Hey there, I just updated my Affinity Photo 2 software to 2.3.0.2165 (after not updating for several months, so can't remember which version I was on before). After the update my brushes are all behaving differently than before the update.

I'm not too sure how to describe it but they all have the same settings as before but now the opacity is extremely light, even with pressing down hard on the tablet.

I wasn't sure how to go back to the previous version I had to show the difference in behaviours, but I opened Affinity Photo 1, which I used before AP2, and used the same brush with the same exact settings (wet edges off, blend mode set to normal). So, the AP1 photos are how it's supposed to work and AP2 photos are how they're now working for some reason.

I even exported the ones from AP1 to AP2 to make sure and they're still acting different

 

I'm not sure if the brush engine was changed, if this is a bug, or if I'm missing something very obvious that I'm doing wrong

Any help would be greatly appreciated cause this has been incrediblyy frustrating.

 

Thanks,

Nikki

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

It would help to have screenshots of the complete application window (not just the brush strokes on the canvas), for both V1 and V2, in addition to the ones you showed.

[Nikk i]

@walt.farrell Thanks Walt!

Do these photos help?

 

[Komatös]

I think, wet edges are active. You'll find this option in the option bar. Untick should solve your problem.

Edit: OK forget my solution. I'm to late. 

[Nikk i]

@Komatös They aren't. I've even toggled it on and off to see if it would help. Thank you though

[Komatös]

@Nikk i

When I compare the two pictures, it looks to me like different brushes are being used.

Are the brushes used the same in both program versions?

[Nikk i]

@Komatös Yes, they're the exact same brush that I've been using for years. As you can see in the brush setting photos I attached on the first post, they're the same. 

I even reimported it from AP1 to AP2 because I thought maybe settings got messed up with the update but it still behaves strangely.

It's not even just this brush though, every brush that I used before I updated the software is acting strangely and has very low opacity and whatnot now.

[Komatös]

 

9 minutes ago, Nikk i said:

It's not even just this brush though, every brush that I used before I updated the software is acting strangely and has very low opacity and whatnot now

That's strange, but unfortunately I'm out at this point.

[iconoclast]

I'm not sure if this could be the reason, but on the version 2 screenshot the pressure sensitivity is off.

[Nikk i]

@iconoclast Could you maybe point me toward where you're seeing that indication please?

[iconoclast]

It's on the left side of the middle of the context bar at the top of the GUI. A button with a sphere with a brush head on it. It is activated on your version 1 screenshot, but not on the second one. On the right side of the "More" button.

[Nikk i]

@iconoclast Hmm I think you might be seeing it incorrectly, they're both turned off. But regardless, I just tried painting with it toggled on + off in AP2 and it didn't change anything. Thank you though!

[StuartRc]

Hi

Looks to be the accumulation settings that are causing the issue you are highlighting. 
I believe that there have been a number of changed made to how the dynamics work over the time of your update.
If you change the accumulation Jitter to 0 and adjust the value in general tab the brush should function much better. 
+ I tend to avoid setting the spacing to 1%..It can slow down the brush!
 

Hope you don't have too many brushes! set this way. You could just copy the set and adjust the dynamics to get better results

[iconoclast]

8 minutes ago, StuartRc said:

Hi

Looks to be the accumulation settings that are causing the issue you are highlighting. 
I believe that there have been a number of changed made to how the dynamics work over the time of your update.
If you change the accumulation Jitter to 0 and adjust the value in general tab the brush should function much better. 
+ I tend to avoid setting the spacing to 1%..It can slow down the brush!
 

Hope you don't have too many brushes! set this way. You could just copy the set and adjust the dynamics to get better results

That might of course be the reason for the problem. In Version 1 the main Accumulation is set to 50%, while the Dynamics Accumulation is set to 100%. In version 2 it is the opposite. Think that will make sense.

[StuartRc]

Just now, iconoclast said:

That might of course be the reason for the problem. In Version 1 the main Accumulation is set to 50%, while the Dynamics Accumulation is set to 100%. In version 2 it is the opposite. Think that will make sense.

Yep I think this is the case for a few features of the brush dynamics.. Noticeable on the scale adjustment for the base texture

I pulled this from affinity spotlight:

Improved brush engine

You can now re-order nozzles by drag/drop and use any swatch for intensity brushes, including gradient and bitmap fills. There’s also a new distance controller and brush tip interpolation. Plus, the overall performance and accuracy of brushes has been improved.

[iconoclast]

Interesting! I will check my brushes tomorrow, if there are some changes compared to version 1. Thanks for the hint!

[Nikk i]

@StuartRc Aaah Stuart, you're a legend, thanks so much! I set the accumulation from 100 to 0 in dynamics and from 50 to 100 in general and it's functioning as it did before now.

I guess they must've changed how brush dynamics worked since I updated. And yeah, I do unfortunately have quite a few brushes to go in and change now haha.

In regards to the spacing though, I've never noticed slowness but what would you recommend I set it to?

Thank you again I truly appreciate it! And thanks everyone else for their input as well

 

[iconoclast]

The spacing should depend on the brush. Check out what spacing it needs to be painted seamless. It is of course good to have it as small as possible, but that needs more power and slows down computers if they are too weak. Often 10% are good enough, but you can't say that in general.

[StuartRc]

Just now, Nikk i said:

@StuartRc Aaah Stuart, you're a legend, thanks so much! I set the accumulation from 100 to 0 in dynamics and from 50 to 100 in general and it's functioning as it did before now.

I guess they must've changed how brush dynamics worked since I updated. And yeah, I do unfortunately have quite a few brushes to go in and change now haha.

In regards to the spacing though, I've never noticed slowness but what would you recommend I set it to?

Thank you again I truly appreciate it! And thanks everyone else for their input as well

 

No Problem.. It does not take too long but in the end the brushes work much better!...I had to update a lot of my brush sets.. not finished yet! to consider the changes in the brush engine. I tend to avoid accumulation unless I need the jitter! and and opt for a solid brush ..then using opacity to get a similar effect just using the keyboard keys 0-9

If you are adjusting your brushes have a play with the 'Distance' option in brush dynamics.. it is pretty powerful
Or you could play with these: in this thread

[Nikk i]

@StuartRc Haha, good luck on finishing them! I luckily only have a handful that I really use for my illustrations and they're nothing fancy. Ah, yeah I have a pressure sensitive tablet so I just paint lightly when I don't want a solid line, rather than adjusting opacity all the time, I'd go mad doing that every second lol.

I'll mess around more with the brush settings now that I have them updated though, see if I can make them even better. And I'll look into that Distance option, no idea what that does haha

Thanks again