Exporting Macro - Very large afmarco file size?

[DaviG]

Using affinity photo 2 on Windows desktop.

First time using the macros feature, I created a simple macro, but when I export the macro, it comes to 900mb?

Do macros usually get his big?

The macro is to get around an issue with 360 images in general where after editing the image it creates a noticeable stitch line in 360 viewers (universal issue not a affinity photo issue).

The macro was created on a 72mp equirectangular image.

• It first resizes the canvas equally horizontally from 11904 px → 22904 px
• Copies the image, transforms it and snaps it to the left edge of the original image
• Copies the image again and transforms and snaps to right edge of image.
• Then resizes the canvas back from 22904 px → 11904 px

But 900mb for a macro seems large, I would have thought it's just storing instructions to replay?

Edited June 1, 2024 by DaviG
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[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums @DaviG

I don’t know much about macros but I would expect that the “Paste” function might have something to do with the problem.

What does it paste and where does it get the thing that it pastes?

If the thing it pastes is not copied from the document then it’s possibly held in the macro, which could be where the large size comes from.

[DaviG]

@GarryP

This is the macro essentially: 

[DaviG]

@GarryP Then I resize canvas back to original size

[DaviG]

13 minutes ago, GarryP said:

If the thing it pastes is not copied from the document then it’s possibly held in the macro, which could be where the large size comes from.

Well the image is RAW HDR merge, so could be this, but why would the paste action of the images be saved in the macro if it is just instructions?
If that is the intended behaviour, then it's a bizarre choice by Affinity. 

[GarryP]

As I said earlier, I don’t know much about macros but, if there’s no Copy step (or equivalent) then I would expect the Paste steps to contain <something> to paste. And that <something> will have to come from the macro, which may be where the space is being taken up in the macro file.

If I’m reading the macro correctly, it starts by resizing the canvas and then pastes <something>. Where does the <something> come from?

[DaviG]

1 minute ago, GarryP said:

If I’m reading the macro correctly, it starts by resizing the canvas and then pastes <something>. Where does the <something> come from?

The original image

 

[GarryP]

I can’t see a step in the macro that copies the original image, so maybe it's not doing what I think its doing, so it’s probably best if I leave this to the macro experts to help you with.

[DaviG]

@GarryP

Its most definitely copying the original image

But anyway, I changed the way I created the macro and file size has now dropped to 2kb

Edited June 1, 2024 by DaviG
spelling

[walt.farrell]

Macros remember things you Copy, and will Paste those same things again later when you run the macro. That can make them very large.

[Dan C]

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @DaviG!

As Walt mentions above, Macros will record the specific objects/layers that you copy & paste, and these are then saved within the macro to be recalled for other documents - hence the size of the macro you have recorded.

If I'm not mistaken, you can use Duplicate (CTRL/CMD + J) in a macro recording to duplicate the specified layer - this will be a dynamic 'duplicate' and when replayed for future documents, it will always create a copy of the currently selected layer, rather than 'pasting' in the saved image, such as in the macro you've recorded.

I hope this helps

[mopperle]

But TBH, isnt this a strange interpretation of „macro“? IMHO it is a set of commands (and declarations) which will be executed when called, but it does not contain any content.

[Dan C]

I understand your point of view, but imagine that you want to 'paste' a watermark in the same section of a batch of 100 edited images - the macro recording function recalling the specific object 'copied' allows for this, therefore the Macro feature was implemented with this as expected behaviour.

I believe this is also how PS Actions work when copy/pasting - though I don't have enough personal experience with them to be certain.

[NotMyFault]

It should be selectable by the user if paste uses data collected during macro recording or the „current“ data from paste buffer created when the macro is run. The design decision made by Affinity to always use the recorded data from macro recording is very short sighted. Even if PS behaves the same, this should not hold back Affinity to provide better choices in their own products.

still hoping that the scripting function shown some time ago will eventually arrive and give the users full control.

[DaviG]

1 hour ago, Dan C said:

If I'm not mistaken, you can use Duplicate (CTRL/CMD + J) in a macro recording to duplicate the specified layer - this will be a dynamic 'duplicate' and when replayed for future documents, it will always create a copy of the currently selected layer, rather than 'pasting' in the saved image, such as in the macro you've recorded.

 

Thanks, that's what I tried next, macro is now 2 kb 👍