Beginner

[Ian G]

I am a beginner and total rank outsider. I have been kindly given a written challenge which I am finding difficulty to work through. Could someone pick up on this and help me understand the 14 instructions I have been given. Ian G

[Old Bruce]

17 minutes ago, Ian G said:

I am a beginner and total rank outsider. I have been kindly given a written challenge which I am finding difficulty to work through. Could someone pick up on this and help me understand the 14 instructions I have been given. Ian G

Welcome to the forums,

You have not included the 14 instructions.

[mopperle]

Sounds like a spam bot using something like ChatGPT

[Dan C]

18 minutes ago, mopperle said:

Sounds like a spam bot using something like ChatGPT

I can confirm this is a genuine Affinity Forum user - I understand the confusion but please treat all users here as 'legitimate' until the Affinity Staff indicate otherwise.

1 hour ago, Ian G said:

Could someone pick up on this and help me understand the 14 instructions I have been given.

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @Ian G 

I believe you contacted our team via email with questions regarding a specific workflow, and example steps were provided by our team.

Rather than including these steps here (as these are not a 'hard' requirement to achieve the document and only a potential suggested solution), I'd instead recommend posting the requirements you have for this specific document, the steps you have taken to achieve this so far, and any particular functions you are having trouble with.

This will allow forum users to better understand the document you're trying to create and how far you are in achieving this process.

I hope this clears things up!

[Ian G]

Without losing perspective.

Project: To deliver 4" by 4" x 1/8 (Varies up to 1/4 inch) mock ceramic tile.
The tile surface will incorporate a design. It will on occasion use a separate display stand.

The graphics are just to give an idea to represent the canvas area for printing or drawing.

Thank you for all the interest, I have been somewhat overwhelmed so back to the beginning came as a good suggestion. Well here goes - my orginal message, I managed to corrupt my first sending. 
 

Hi there,

I hope that by working through this list I will have a design tool at the end of it and may gained sufficient confidence to start my first project.

1. Switch to Publisher and open it
2. Add a Picture Frame.
3. Save and Close
4. View > Grid And Axis....
5. Select Advanced and choose a suitable Grid (for example I chose 2:1 Isometric)
6. Window > Isometric and then activate Plane "Top"
7. Take a photo of your blank 4" tile or browse the internet for a suitable blank head on picture of a 4" white tile.
8. Place the picture and keep selected
9. On the Isometric panel press "Fit to plane" (and it will skew to draw on the isometric grid )
10. Select the picture frame created in step 3
11. On the Isometric panel press "Fit to plane"
12. Resize the picture frame so it sits neatly over the picture of the white tile.
13. Group and replicate if more than one tile is needed.

Save the document as a template for future use. (see "Ian G Perspective Tiles.aftemplate")

To use this with your designs, recreate a document based on the template in Designer or Publisher
In the layer panel select the picture frame in the group
Choose Place Picture (in Publisher this would be on the context toolbar) and the image will be squashed to appear, export to the format you wish for the website (or in designer set up export slices in your template after step 14 to speed this step up).

Many thanks
Ian

P.S. Just as an after thought, would anyone consider using Chrome Remote desktop to get me started?
 

[KarinC]

You will learn more if you do this yourself using tutorials. There are a lot of good beginner Publisher tutorials on YouTube. There is a user here who give a full manual for Publisher for free. I'm sure he will show up and give the link. If this is for a course you probably should do it yourself.

 

edit: MikeTo has the manual.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Ian G said:

Save and Close

Saving is fine, but you wouldn't want to Close at that point, because the following steps require that you have a document open.

[thomaso]

7 hours ago, Ian G said:

help me understand the 14 instructions I have been given

3 hours ago, Ian G said:

to start my first project

Unfortunately you don't tell us about the wanted result of your first project nor about eventually workflow problem(s) you want to solve.

While you mention "14 instructions" in your first post, you then add a list of 17 (3 more) bullet points that seem to be missing the beginning or a possible introduction. The list mentions "picture frame created in step 3" while step 3 in your list says "Save and Close".

In case you want to create an illustration in isometric geometry you might like the various available tutorials for this feature. For instance:

https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/a-beginners-guide-to-grids-in-affinity-designer--cms-93818

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/how-to-use-the-new-isometric-drawing-tools-in-affinity-designer-17/

https://logosbynick.com/create-an-isometric-grid-with-affinity-designer/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Isometric+Affinity+Designer

[Ian G]

5 hours ago, KarinC said:

You will learn more if you do this yourself using tutorials. There are a lot of good beginner Publisher tutorials on YouTube. There is a user here who give a full manual for Publisher for free. I'm sure he will show up and give the link. If this is for a course you probably should do it yourself.

 

edit: MikeTo has the manual.

 

[Ian G]

Thank you Karin,

Yes, I definitely think that YouTube is the way to go.

I will contact MikeTo.

[Affinityconfusesme]

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/191879-unofficial-pdf-manual-expert-guide-to-affinity-publisher/

 @Ian G the guide is available right here.

[firstdefence]

Who gave you these instructions?

So this is an exercise to familiarise yourself with Affinity Publisher, to create a template for repeatable web graphic generation in publisher for export into file formats, such as png, webp and jpeg. 

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, Ian G said:

Without losing perspective

• Publisher is Open
• How do I add a Picture Frame.
• Save and Close

• To add a Picture Frame select the "Picture Frame Rectangle Tool" in the "Tools" panel and draw the object by click-dragging on the desired page. (-> help)
• To Save and Close select the commands in the "File" menu, named "Save" and "Close". (-> help)
• To save a custom perspective setting as design guide in Affinity choose the option "Create Preset" in the "Grid and Axis Manager" window. (-> help)

• To achieve the wanted results "without losing perspective" stay focused on your goal.

[Ian G]

I have gone back to item 6 - Window > Isometric isn't finding Isometric - therefore I haven't been able  to proceed.

[thomaso]

16 minutes ago, Ian G said:

I have gone back to item 6 - Window > Isometric isn't finding Isometric - therefore I haven't been able  to proceed.

As mentioned, the list you posted seems to lack in the beginning of the entire instruction. It starts with:

"1. Switch to Publisher and open it"

which indicates that you started in / switched from another application. Quite likely this is meant to be used again to open its Isometric panel.

[Dan C]

On 1/30/2024 at 7:49 PM, Ian G said:

1. Switch to Publisher and open it
2. Add a Picture Frame.
3. Save and Close
4. View > Grid And Axis....
5. Select Advanced and choose a suitable Grid (for example I chose 2:1 Isometric)
6. Window > Isometric and then activate Plane "Top"

It's not entirely clear from the steps provided originally, but it appears the suggestion was to switch from Designer to Publisher to add a Picture Frame, then return to Designer (see step 3) to complete the process.

44 minutes ago, Ian G said:

I have gone back to item 6 - Window > Isometric isn't finding Isometric - therefore I haven't been able  to proceed.

The reason for this is likely due to you still using Affinity Publisher, where this option isn't present. You will need to save and close this file in Publisher, then open Designer and Open the .afpub file you just saved to continue editing the document, with Designers Isometric Grid options.

Alternatively, you can use File > Edit In Designer... directly from Publishers menu to send the Publisher document to Designer to continue editing.

I hope this helps!

[walt.farrell]

29 minutes ago, thomaso said:

As mentioned, the list you posted seems to lack in the beginning of the entire instruction. It starts with:

"1. Switch to Publisher and open it"

which indicates that you started in / switched from another application. Quite likely this is meant to be used again to open its Isometric panel.

As I mentioned earlier, the transition from step 3 to 4 didn't make any sense, either. Once you've closed the document you can't work on the grid. So there's a bunch wrong with that set of instructions.

[walt.farrell]

8 minutes ago, Dan C said:

The reason for this is likely due to you still using Affinity Publisher, where this option isn't present. You will need to save and close this file in Publisher, then open Designer and Open the .afpub file you just saved to continue editing the document, with Designers Isometric Grid options.

Alternatively, you can use File > Edit In Designer... directly from Publishers menu to send the Publisher document to Designer to continue editing.

Or perhaps the Designer Persona of Publisher would work? It seems to have those functions.

[Ian G]

14 hours ago, Dan C said:

It's not entirely clear from the steps provided originally, but it appears the suggestion was to switch from Designer to Publisher to add a Picture Frame, then return to Designer (see step 3) to complete the process.

The reason for this is likely due to you still using Affinity Publisher, where this option isn't present. You will need to save and close this file in Publisher, then open Designer and Open the .afpub file you just saved to continue editing the document, with Designers Isometric Grid options.

Alternatively, you can use File > Edit In Designer... directly from Publishers menu to send the Publisher document to Designer to continue editing.

I hope this helps!

I have not been able to update Affinity Designer to Designer 2 - 30 day Trial. If I can get that right then switching between packages shouldn't be an issue. What will sort it out, instead of messing around, is to become a fully paid up member which has been the intention all along. All I need is a name and phone number and someone with the willingness to accept my credit card.

[firstdefence]

25 minutes ago, Ian G said:

All I need is a name and phone number and someone with the willingness to accept my credit card.

Nobody is going to do that!!! But, you're in luck, because Affinity's website will do that, click this link: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/ go to the website Click on BUY NOW...

[Dan C]

4 hours ago, Ian G said:

All I need is a name and phone number and someone with the willingness to accept my credit card.

Just to confirm, our team are unable to take payment for Affinity products over the phone - so please do not provide these details to any company claiming to be Affinity (Serif) via telephone.

As suggested above by firstdefence, the correct way to purchase an Affinity license is through the Affinity Store website   

[Ian G]

Sorry Dan C,

just my warped sense of humour poking through. What sense of humour I hear them cry!

I am now a Affinity V2 Universal Licence Holder as well as brand new Ipad owner which will be primarily dedicated to Affinity. I have had a lot of good advice on here and YouTube pointers were  a plenty.

So here's the plan (Revised). I came across this video and with the help of the forum I intend working through it, pencil stroke by pencil stroke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE8bTRzdurk&t=7s - I am struggling with setting up Affinity, where things are and where to access them which is making it a bit harder but once I can re-create the box and understands the how's and why's that go with it that will be a major hurdle overcome.

Speaking of hurdles, of course I fall at the first one. Right at the beginning of the video two red dots appear - 2 point perspective I think it is called - Question? How are they created (what tools) and are they aproximatly sited? 

[firstdefence]

The red dots are just marks that the tutor has created to indicate where line are going to converge. The vertical guide is the front corner of the box. If you draw a curve line from anywhere on that vertical guide to one of the red dots, you will start to create a shape that has two points of perspective: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/learn-to-draw-perspective/

The red lines are curves used as pseudo guides these are grouped and then locked. You can now use rectangles converted to curves and the nodes moved to fit to the pseudo guides.

[Ian G]

5 hours ago, firstdefence said:

The red dots are just marks that the tutor has created to indicate where line are going to converge. The vertical guide is the front corner of the box. If you draw a curve line from anyway on that vertical guide to one of the red dots, you will start to create a shape that has two points of perspective: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/learn-to-draw-perspective/
 

I have just scanned through https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/learn-to-draw-perspective/, that will be tonight's bed time read.

This the point where I realise how little I do know. How do I create the red dots to start with? I have got as far as opening a new document in designer. Next I intend working through the Tutorial line by line at my pace. I use a Kensington Expert so there is also a little mouse translation. I understand the principle of the guides, but the tools detail I am not coping with yet.

 

The red lines are curves used as pseudo guides these are grouped and then locked. You can now use rectangles converted to curves and the nodes moved to fit to the pseudo guides.

 

5 hours ago, firstdefence said:

The red dots are just marks that the tutor has created to indicate where line are going to converge. The vertical guide is the front corner of the box. If you draw a curve line from anyway on that vertical guide to one of the red dots, you will start to create a shape that has two points of perspective: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/learn-to-draw-perspective/

The red lines are curves used as pseudo guides these are grouped and then locked. You can now use rectangles converted to curves and the nodes moved to fit to the pseudo guides.

 

[Alfred]

Quote

I have just scanned through https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/learn-to-draw-perspective/, that will be tonight's bed time read.

This the point where I realise how little I do know. How do I create the red dots to start with? I have got as far as opening a new document in designer. Next I intend working through the Tutorial line by line at my pace. I use a Kensington Expert so there is also a little mouse translation. I understand the principle of the guides, but the tools detail I am not coping with yet.

 It’s a good idea to make sure that your cursor is below the box that contains the text that you’re quoting, so that what you type doesn’t confusingly end up looking like part of the quoted text.

As for your question about the red dots, it sounds as though you haven’t yet been able to spend sufficient time becoming familiar with basic tools such as the Ellipse Tool. Each red dot is simply a circular ellipse with a red fill.

https://affinity.serif.com/learn/designer/desktop/quickstart/