New Features and Tools for Affinity Designer

[su per]

Currently, Affinity Designer has many limitations of functionality compared to other software like Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW. Below are several features that could enhance the professionalism and utility of the software by providing more advanced tools:

One thing is certain: if Illustrator users see advanced and highly useful features similar to those in Adobe Illustrator on Affinity Designer (which, despite being quite limited in functionality compared to Illustrator, CorelDRAW, etc., in 2024), many Illustrator users might switch to Affinity Designer

I believe that these changes would benefit not only me but also many other users.

images are at the bottom of the page

1) Blend Tool Images 1, 2

2) Repeat a Shape Along a Path (Vector)
Users should be able to perform this operation within the software without needing to export the file or resource (which unfortunately cannot be exported as a vector at this time). This functionality is already available in Adobe Illustrator. Images 3, 4

3) Vector Pattern Functionality
Similar to what is available in Inkscape and Illustrator, users should be able to create patterns within the software without having to export and then import the resource just to create the pattern. Demonstration starts at the 35-second mark in the video. Image 5

4) Font Identifier / Retype
A feature that identifies the font most similar to one selected from an image (as already available in Illustrator). Image 6 

5) Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts
Provide the option to set custom keyboard shortcuts and import shortcut files, such as (adobe-illustrator-cs2.xml), so that Affinity users can utilize the software with the same key combinations as Illustrator, without having to learn new shortcuts.

6) Optimize/Simplify Path Image 7  

Reduce nodes in a vector image or logo without altering the original path. Image 8 

 

Edited October 2 by su per

[Bryan Rieger]

All of these features (and more) have been repeatedly requested since the release of Designer v1 (Oct 2, 2014 - btw happy 10th birthday Designer!)

I'm sure the folks at Serif are well aware of these feature requests, and that hopefully now that Canva owns them, they might exert a little pressure to help prioritize filling many of those long-standing gaps in their products.

[deepblue]

I'm curious to see whether new functions will be added with the 2.6 version.

I'm very excited.😀

[Pšenda]

38 minutes ago, deepblue said:

I'm curious to see whether new functions will be added with the 2.6 version.

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Affinity forums, @su per.

For future reference, please note the Guideance provided at the top of the Feedback & Suggestions forum:

Quote

Suggestions, Discussions & Ideas

If you have any suggestions about how to make our apps better, please post them here. We read every idea which is posted, and in fact since launching Affinity we have added 100s of new features and improvements based on customer feedback

Just a few things to bear in mind:

• Please search first, it may well be that you have a suggestion that others also want. If so add your feelings to their thread.
• If you cannot find your idea, make a new post. Try to keep your post as concise as possible, and for the title of your post to describe the request as best you can.
• Please just do one suggestion per thread. If your post title is “Here’s a few ideas to improve Affinity Publisher” you’ll be asked to split them up.
• Please understand we can’t possibly do everything which is requested, but we try to make the best calls we can in terms of prioritising our work. Constantly nagging or being overly ranty that we haven’t implemented one of your suggestions will not help your cause, and such posts will be deleted.

The first one (search first) is appreciated.

The third one (one suggestion per thread) is very important. It is extremely difficult to meaningfully discuss suggestions when a thread contains several of them. I'm sure it's also harder for Serif to track the suggestions in their database when they're all in a single thread.

Thanks.