Enhancement request for Affinity Photo.

[JpLaf]

Hello,

What I'd like to see improved, to optimize the speed of work in Affinity Photo (Win 11), is that by default, when you add an adjustment layer or a dynamic filter, the area for renaming it opens automatically, rather than spending time clicking on it, to insert text.
If you don't want to enter anything in this field, it will be filled (automatically) with the default Affinity Photo label, and all you have to do, is confirm the choice, by pressing the "Enter" key.

Best Regards

JpLaf

[smadell]

+1 for this, with one additional suggestion: this should be the default behavior for all new layers. Bonus points if there’s an on/off option in Preferences.

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, JpLaf said:

Hello,

What I'd like to see improved, to optimize the speed of work in Affinity Photo (Win 11), is that by default, when you add an adjustment layer or a dynamic filter, the area for renaming it opens automatically, rather than spending time clicking on it, to insert text.
If you don't want to enter anything in this field, it will be filled (automatically) with the default Affinity Photo label, and all you have to do, is confirm the choice, by pressing the "Enter" key.

Best Regards

JpLaf

I would prefer an additional Preference like this one. In the User Interface section.

[smadell]

Good morning @Old Bruce. I don’t think I ever noticed that Preference in my iPad version of AP. Needless to say, I immediately turned it on. However, even after force quitting the app and restarting, and after rebooting the iPad, it doesn’t seem to do anything. Specifically, I’m not getting “ask(ed) for a name” on creation of any layer or group. Any suggestions as to how to get this to work?

[carl123]

1 minute ago, smadell said:

, I’m not getting “ask(ed) for a name” on creation of any layer or group.

It's not referring to any layer, it's referring to the special Container Layer (capital L) which is in Designer and Publisher (Not photo)

Try selecting 2 objects and grouping them together 

Windows 11

(I don't have an iPad to test it on)

[smadell]

Thanks for the response, @carl123. But, that Preference choice is part of my iPad version of Photo! Why is it there, if it doesn’t do anything? Bug or user error?

[smadell]

To add info - I enabled the Preference in my iPad version of Designer, and it does exactly what it (and you) said it would. Nice feature, too. But, as I said, the Preference exists in the iPad version of Photo (screen grab below) and, for the life of me, it doesn’t seem to change anything!

[Old Bruce]

15 minutes ago, smadell said:

the Preference exists in the iPad version of Photo (screen grab below) and, for the life of me, it doesn’t seem to change anything!

Photo doesn't have "Layer" layers. Does it work for Groups? For Groups here on my Mac it works.

[smadell]

It doesn’t work for pixel layers, fill layers, or any other type of layer (including a newly created “empty group”). I’ll have to try turning it on when I get to my desktop Mac, but my iPad version of Photo is playing dumb.

[smadell]

Another wrinkle! If I create an Empty Group with iPad AP it does not ask for a name. BUT, if I select one or more layers and group them (using the appropriate button in the Layers panel) it DOES ask for a name. So, this does sounds very bug-like.

Maybe a staff level moderator can provide guidance, or perhaps a Bug Report is worth considering.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, smadell said:

It doesn’t work for pixel layers, fill layers, or any other type of layer (including a newly created “empty group”)

It is not supposed to work for pixel layers, fill layers, or any other type of layer (object). It is for Layer layers, which you cannot create in Photo except by Opening a document from Designer or Publisher that already has them, or by using Assets created in one of those applications that has one. 

Even then, you cannot create a Layer layer in Photo except by duplicating an existing Layer layer, and doing that does not prompt for a name in any of the applications (though in my opinion it probably should).

It does not work for Empty groups, either. Perhaps it should.

It will work for non-empty groups in Photo on the iPad. Select multple objects in the workspace or in the Layers panel. Long-press and select Group, or tap the Group icon in the Layers panel. With the option enabled in the application Settings, you should be prompted for a name in that case (and I am prompted on my iPad).

[smadell]

@walt.farrell - it seems to work as you have said, which I discovered earlier (and for which I have found a couple of discussions on the forum, one of which prominently feature you). Somewhat anti-intuitive, but evidently “by design”.

[prophet]

Imagine I had a humorous cartoon of a chicken who was working as a mason.  I open that file in one of Affinity's apps and then created a particular organizational container above that illustration in the hierarchy. I  then place several illustrations of overlapping articles of clothing with which to "dress up" the character in said container and name it accordingly. If I then selected one of those clothing objects I will have chosen…

…wait for it…

one of the layer layer's "layers" Layer layers.

[Chris B]

I have logged this as a 'nice to have' for Pixel Layers - the developers will take this under consideration. Thanks all.

[JpLaf]

No, it's me who should be thanking you.

Best regards

[JpLaf]

Hello,

I also have another request to make:

When you apply a ‘Merge Option’ correction to an adjustment layer (the little wheel with teeth), there is no indication that this layer has been modified, and this is particularly annoying when you apply ‘Merge Options’ several times in your workflow if you need to make changes.
You no longer know where the settings are.
Could you add a ‘Flag’ to draw attention to the fact that such and such a layer has been modified?

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Best regards

[Chris B]

Hey JpLaf,

I sort of understand what you're asking for but... once you've merged the adjustment with a pixel layer you can no longer 'make changes' so I'm not sure why we'd need to flag the modified layer?

Can you give me a workflow example so I can better understand the request?

[JpLaf]

First of all, thank you for taking my comment on board!

One of the typical situations in which I encounter the problem described, is when I use several layers of ‘Selective Correction’ (French translation), settings, and when I apply the ‘Merge Ranges’ option to some of them, I don't know which layers have been modified.

There's nothing to indicate to the user that the layers have been ‘Adjusted’, and when the Workflow evolves, if you have to make modifications, it can become restrictive to search for the layers that have been modified.

Best regards.

[Murfee]

Do you mean the Blend Ranges Panel?

I would be very happy to see an icon on layers that have had the Blend Range applied

[JpLaf]

PS: For example, for landscape photos, I often process the sky independently of the landscape, which means I have to manage quite a few ‘Selective Correction’ layers, and I can have, for example, Blue, Cyan, White, Neutral, Magenta, Red layers, which can be stacked, on the one hand for the sky, depending on the case, but also for the landscape.

Best Regards

[carl123]

2 hours ago, JpLaf said:

When you apply a ‘Merge Option’ correction to an adjustment layer (the little wheel with teeth)

"Merge Option" is typically referred to as Blend Options or Blend Ranges

"the little wheel with teeth" is typically referred to as a cog wheel or gear wheel

I think the English/French translation is maybe confusing things a bit

PS What you have asked for has been previously requested several times so I'm sure it is already logged

[JpLaf]

 

[JpLaf]

This image gives you an example of the situation!

[Chris B]

Ah, sorry - I thought you meant clicking Merge in the Adjustment popup but wasn't sure what you meant by teeth.

I thought this was logged already but I actually cannot find it so I'll make one anyway

[JpLaf]

Thank you very much for your time.