Unable to get the borders I require

[Alan Mark]

I am currently trying out Affinity Photo as an alternative to GIMP which I have used for many years.

I double border all my images I enter into local club competitions, typically inner border 2px black, outer border 1px white. In gimp the way I do this is to increase the canvas size by 6 pixels centred. I then add two layers and add a rectangle the size of the image (new size - 6px) invert the selection and fill black. Then on the other layer (top) I add a rectangle new size -2px invert the selection and fill white. May not be the simplest way, but it work painlessley.

I am trying to add a double border to an image in affinity photo 2 but I cannot even successfully add 1 border, let alone two. I have tried two ways:

1) I resized the canvas to make it 6px bigger and selecting the centre dot for anchoring. When I click resize there becomes a transparent border down the right hand edge of the image only. When zoomed in 400% left top and bottom edges of the image are flush and right hand edge has a fine line of transparancy. So I can't make this method happen and also don't understand why the canvass appears to only grow on the right hand edge, when I have selected centre dot for anchoring.

2) Following a youtube video, I decided to try adding a layer effect for outline. My original intention was to do this twice, first black, then white, but I cant even get it to work once. If I select a 2pixel outline aligned outside,which is what I want, nothing happens. When I select a 2px outline alligned inside (which isn't what I want because it then encroaches on the image) and hit return all that happens is that an outline is added to the right hand edge only (see example).

It is pretty frustrating, I assume I am doing something wrong, but I don't know what.

 

 

[Old Bruce]

Did you crop the picture? If you did then the image layer is larger than the canvas. And if you enlarge the canvas then there will be some hidden pixels that are revealed instead of the expected transparent edge.

You could first try (on a copy of the document) flattening the image, this will get rid of any "hidden" image pixels. 

[Alan Mark]

Ok, so tried that and I am getting closer, but still working a bit weird, also flattening the image appears to get rid of any adjustment layers I assume they become embedded.

So I assume if I want to double border a cropped image this means I will always have to flatten the image as soon as I crop and before any adjustment layers are added if they are to be non destructively retained?

Coming back to my issue. I flattened the image then added two outline layer effects: one was a 3px black border, the other a 1px yellow border. Now I get what I want on three of the four borders (right, top and left). But the bottom yellow border is missing. Also I have has to align the outlines inside, when really I want them outside.

 

 

[Old Bruce]

I see this sort of problem a lot and I don't understand why people work this way. I would use the Rectangle tool to add a pair of rectangles, one with a yellow boarder and the other with a black border. We can align the stroke/border to the inside or outside of the rectangle(s). Both rectangles should have no fill. Enlarge the canvas if you want to.

[Alan Mark]

Ah just tried exporting the image and the bottom border is there even though I can't see it in the Affinity environment.

 

[Alan Mark]

Old Bruce, that is in effect exactly what I do in GIMP and have done for 3 years. This is only my second day of using Affinity Photo and I have used it less than 3 hours so far, so I am still finding my way around it. I have focused up to now on development and then adjustment layers to get the image in the shape I want it to be. I am now moving on to borders. But the different way Affinity handles cropping is throwing me out a little.

[Old Bruce]

1 minute ago, Alan Mark said:

But the different way Affinity handles cropping is throwing me out a little.

Sorry to say that I am sure that this difference will continue to frustrate you. It has frustrated me no end for the past 8 + years. I have learned to live with it, but I do not like it.

[walt.farrell]

On 5/24/2024 at 2:13 PM, Alan Mark said:

So I assume if I want to double border a cropped image this means I will always have to flatten the image as soon as I crop

The Rasterize & Trim option immediately after cropping is what you need, I think, not Flatten.