Cannot select on pixel layer within Artboard

[philippe martin]

Hello,

Versions: Windows 11 & Affinity (Photo & Designer 2.5.7).

Context: I have been using artboards to do organize my Character/Environment design.

On one artboard I eventually noticed I could not select my sketches (See pixel "Select Here" layer in enclosed).

If I keep deleting objects around that layer, eventually selection works again.

Am I missing something obvious?

Regards,

Philippe

 

Cannot Select.afphoto

Edited January 17 by philippe martin
Trying to add file

[philippe martin]

PS: Just realized if I opened that file in Publisher, after apparently mandatory conversion of Art Boards to spreads, the selection works - could be a work around to use Publisher to organize.

Are there known cons in using Publisher as the aggregator/front end if most work is done in Designer&Photo?

Regards,

Philippe

 

 

[walt.farrell]

On 1/17/2025 at 3:18 PM, philippe martin said:

after apparently mandatory conversion of Art Boards to spreads

There is no mandatory conversion of Artboards to spreads, so I'm not sure what you mean by that. There is an optional conversion, but it's your choice whether to leave them as Artboards or convert them to Spreads.

On 1/17/2025 at 3:06 PM, philippe martin said:

On one artboard I eventually noticed I could not select my sketches (See pixel "Select Here" layer in enclosed).

Looking at your file (in Photo, on my iPad), I can see that the Select Here pixel layer is selected in the Layers panel, and it is in the Artboard named AB1. And it appears to have no pixel content in it. You also have an active pixel selection positioned over Artboard AB2, and no content in that Artboard.

What object/layer are you trying to select, and are you trying to do a pixel selection or a vector object selection? What tool are you using to perform the selection? 

Note that you have a pixel layer named Ink which has a small amount of pixel data at the top, but is much larger if you look at its bounding box by selecting it in the Layers panel. And you have a slightly larger pixel layer named Sketch which fully overlaps and encloses it on the screen, but is lower in the layer stack. And Sketch is Locked (and Hidden) so you won't be able to select it on the screen using selection tools. And if you're trying to select pixels in the Ink layer, the Locked/Hidden Sketch layer is perhaps interfering.

But I don't want to guess further before checking on my Windows machine, and without knowing exactly what you're trying to select and how.

[carl123]

I can select your "Select Here" layer in the Layers panel on AB1 and it does contain pixel data but I do not get the regular bounding box I would have expected to see

This is due to there being an active Pixel selection on AB2. If you deselect that pixel selection you will be able to select your "Select Here" layer with the Move Tool active

But I am now unable to create a new pixel selection using (e.g.) the Rectangular Marquee Tool. I either get no or strange results

It's looking like there may be a corruption in the document somewhere or I'm missing something

- and I've no more time today to investigate further

 

Windows 11

 

[philippe martin]

3 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

There is no mandatory conversion of Artboards to spreads, so I'm not sure what you mean by that. There is an optional conversion, but it's your choice whether to leave them as Artboards or convert them to Spreads.

........

But I don't want to guess further before checking on my Windows machine, and without knowing exactly what you're trying to select and how.

Hello @walt.farrell,

You are correct, I can see now how the conversion may be bypassed - and I see the problem also in Publisher if it is.

- Try to select any region on the pixel layer named "Select Here" using the free hand selection tool.

Regards,

Philippe

 

[philippe martin]

Hello @carl123,

Thank you, perhaps the Affinity staff can confirm whether it is a corruption issue.

Regards,

Philippe

 

[NathanC]

Hi @philippe martin,

Can confirm I can replicate the issue in your file, deleting AB2 restores the pixel selection function. I've not been able to re-produce the issue in a new document, but i've logged your sample file with the developers.