Tabs for text.

[10on12]

Can we have some "tabs" for setting text?

[klownshed]

A better (useable!) interface for setting tabs please.

[Stephen_H]

+1

 

Tabs in AD is like pure trial & error to get them right. It's fine if the tab is close the left side of the text box and you only one, but if you want a few on the far side, you have to draw boxes and measure them to figure out where to place them.

 

Is there no way to add a ruler to the top of the paragraph text box to at least display where the tabs are (I'm remembering how awesome FreeHand's solution to displaying tabs were – MUCH better than Illustrator's clunky Tabs palette.)

 

This would also serve to give immediate feedback on whether text is character or paragraph text because the current little extra dot in the bottom right corner is a bit vague when working quickly.

[Oval]

Would be great if AD would be the first app with real/optical tab stops. Characters would start/end at exactly n mm without left/right side bearing or optical correct, … A real USP!

[Herbert123]

+1

 

Tabs in AD is like pure trial & error to get them right. It's fine if the tab is close the left side of the text box and you only one, but if you want a few on the far side, you have to draw boxes and measure them to figure out where to place them.

 

Is there no way to add a ruler to the top of the paragraph text box to at least display where the tabs are (I'm remembering how awesome FreeHand's solution to displaying tabs were – MUCH better than Illustrator's clunky Tabs palette.)

 

This would also serve to give immediate feedback on whether text is character or paragraph text because the current little extra dot in the bottom right corner is a bit vague when working quickly.

 

Funny you mention Freehand: I found Photoline's tab ruler to be almost a copy of Freehand's version. The text ruler even rotates with the textbox, just like Freehand. :-)

 

I agree with you that such a text ruler is very handy.

 

[Stephen_H]

Funny you mention Freehand: I found Photoline's tab ruler to be almost a copy of Freehand's version. The text ruler even rotates with the textbox, just like Freehand. :-)

 

I agree with you that such a text ruler is very handy.

 

 

 

Yes… just like that! Always there, simple to use.

 

So few people use tabs and indents properly for good layout, and I think it's because it's usually a bit awkward or just hidden.

 

It's a pity so many people are constantly asking for Illustrator features to be worked into Designer, when FreeHand has better features that also match Designer a bit better. I'm enjoying Designer because it feels more like a modern version of FreeHand rather than an Illustrator-knockoff.

 

I see you working in PhotoLine. I dabbled in it a few years back and was impressed since it was one of the few image editors around that had CMYK support. If it's free, then I wonder if it's based on opensource code that might allow for easy/legal feature integration. (no patents to have to work around).

 

Here's a thought: Maybe we should all be looking to PhotoLine, Gimp, Scribus and InkScape for feature inspiration rather than Adobe, Corel and Xara. At least we'd know the features are available and possible, rather than blocked by lawyers.   :D   (Maybe this needs its own discussion thread)

[Stephen_H]

Funny you mention Freehand: I found Photoline's tab ruler to be almost a copy of Freehand's version. The text ruler even rotates with the textbox, just like Freehand. :-)

 

 

 

I've started a new discussion from your idea here:

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/13394-looking-to-opensource-apps-for-feature-ideas-rather-than-adobe/

 

Please can you contribute a few more PhotoLine features that might be handy – I don't know the application at all, but it's feature list on its website looks pretty good.

[Herbert123]

First, Photoline is not free - it is shareware. After 30 days you must purchase a license (which is 59 euros).

 

Photoline has its quirks (like any other sofware out there), but is a great image editor with vector and DTP functionality all combined into one. In terms of image editing it can do things no other software can:

 

- layer opacity can be set from -200(!) up to +200 for easy inversion and doubling layer blending effects. This is tremendously useful, and I wonder why no-one else has yet incorporated this in their layer stacks.

 

- any bitmap layer can be ANY image mode (RGB, CMYK, Lab, Greyscale, b&w), and ANY bit depth (8, 16 and 32bpc) in the same layer stack. The bottom most layer's image mode and bit depth decides the final result. Which means the user can freely combine a CMYK layer with RGB and Lab layers at different bit depths, and they all retain their original data! Switching the background layer's image mode and bit depth will not impact the original data, only the interpretation of that data.

 

Which means Photoline uses a completely different approach to solve these problems compared to any other image editor out there (as far as I am aware of).

 

- any layer, layer group, layer mask (group), adjustment layer (group), vector layer and text layer can be virtually cloned and instanced. These instances react in realtime on any changes made to the original source layer. They can also be used as layer masks, or part as other layer masks. Or be shared across pages. A much more flexible and efficient approach to Smart Objects for this.

 

Krita also supports this type of virtual cloning, and it is a shame this is not possible (yet?) in Affinity.

 

- Curves, histogram correction, and other colour adjustment layers allow the user to switch to a different image mode WHILE making adjustments! Thus, a curve adjustment layer can be added, and it is possible to switch from RGB to Lab, HSV, or HIS modes while adjusting the curves.

 

In photoline almost any image editing related application can be turned into a plugin through its external application feature, which makes true round-trip editing possible with most other software. The user can send a layer, the document, or even nothing to an external application. Exchange formats are SVG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, and NONE.

 

For example, in the latest beta I can send a vector layer to InkScape as a SVG, which opens it, and then I edit the file. I save, and the changes are automatically applied to the file I have open in Photoline. Even better: the link remains live, and I can keep making edits and see those update the master file in Photoline.

 

This also works for just about any other image related application. It is a good alternative to Photoshop plugin issues (although Photoline also supports most popular classic Photoshop plugins).

 

Anyway, just a couple of ideas for new features of the top of my hat.

 

Just a couple of things which Photoline and Krita do better than the majority of image editors out there. 

[peter]

I can see that APu Beta's arrival early 2016, can't come quick enough for some and I suspect that some of the requests will be realised in APu only, text wrap, spell checker etc...

 

PS

 

12 weeks till Xmas!

13 weeks till new Year's Day!