Sharing/Linking brushes between AP and AD

[CaroleA]

Using AP and AD 2.6.3 and Windows 10.

If I create brushes in AP, I can link them to "share" them with AD, but they are only available in the Pixel persona. That part, I understand.

In the brushes panel, in AD, I see that brushes are also linked but where are the linked to? I don't see them in AP. Is there a different "persona" in AP like in AD to see and use those brushes? 

[PaulEC]

2 hours ago, CaroleA said:

In the brushes panel, in AD, I see that brushes are also linked but where are the linked to?

I haven't checked but I would assume to the Designer Persona in APub. (There's no Designer Persona in APhoto.)

[h_d]

6 hours ago, PaulEC said:

I haven't checked but I would assume to the Designer Persona in APub.

I have, and you can indeed access the brushes in the Designer Persona in Publisher.

But I think the link symbol means they are linked to your Affinity Account.

 

The brushes you're referring to @CaroleA  are vector brushes, and they create vector curves with a bitmap pattern.

If you draw/paint with them in Designer, you can then save the file and Edit in Photo.... You can then modify the curves using the Node and Pen Tools and the Stroke panel just as you can in Designer:

Original Designer:

Save the file and switch to Photo:

Editing in Photo:

 

What you can't do in Photo is change the brush style. But as long as you don't rasterise the curve, you can save the file again, Edit in Designer and change it there:

 

Add: you can also copy and paste the brush strokes/curves from Designer directly into a Photo document:

 

[GarryP]

18 minutes ago, h_d said:

But I think the link symbol means they are linked to your Affinity Account.

From the Help:

[CaroleA]

I have created some vector brushes in Designer. Initially, they don't have a "link" icon so they would only be usable in Designer.

But if I look at Publisher (which I never used), I don't even see a Brushes panel. Are those brushes created in Designer really used in Publisher? If so, where?

[walt.farrell]

18 minutes ago, CaroleA said:

But if I look at Publisher (which I never used), I don't even see a Brushes panel. Are those brushes created in Designer really used in Publisher? If so, where?

In the Designer Persona of Publisher you'll find a Brushes panel. 

[CaroleA]

4 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

In the Designer Persona of Publisher you'll find a Brushes panel. 

Ah, I see. So the Photo app, has no additional persona, the Designer app has an additional Pixel persona (kind of matching the photo), and Publisher has additional Designer and a Photo personas. And that is how the raster-based or vector-based brushes can be used.

Thank you all for this clarification. For a newbie, this is far from obvious but now, I understand it.

[walt.farrell]

21 minutes ago, CaroleA said:

So the Photo app, has no additional persona

It has several, as you can see on the Toolbar, or in the File menu, but not ones relevant to using the brushes we're discussing:

Further described in the Help for Photo: https://affinity.help/photo2/en-US.lproj/pages/Introduction/about_Personas.html (and similar pages for the other Affinity apps).

[CaroleA]

1 minute ago, walt.farrell said:

It has several, as you can see on the Toolbar, or in the File menu, but not ones relevant to using the brushes we're discussing:

Oh, thank you. I didn't realize those were also called Persona. And you are right, they wouldn't be relevant for this Brushes discussion.

[h_d]

1 hour ago, CaroleA said:

this is far from obvious

Indeed. I think the reasons are historical - Publisher (2019) was introduced quite a lot later than Designer (2014) and Photo (2015) and came with a few more bells and whistles. Under the hood, the Affinity apps are all the same, but only certain elements of their functionality are exposed in the user interface. That's why you can essentially open any Affinity document in any Affinity app.

[R C-R]

12 hours ago, h_d said:

But I think the link symbol means they are linked to your Affinity Account.

Probably obvious by now from what @GarryP posted but that is not correct.

Also, if you have a linked brush category selected in the Brushes panel & choose Delete Category... from the 'burger' menu. it gives you a choice of deleting that category either from just that app or all apps. Kinda obscure but it should be enough to at least suggest these links are not to your account but to your other Affinity apps.

[HCl]

The links are linked to the apps locally.
If bought and downloaded from the store, it shows a shopping bag icon and is auto linked through your account and linked in all the apps

[R C-R]

23 minutes ago, HCl said:

... it shows a shopping bag icon ...

Which to me does not look much like a shopping bag; maybe more like a type of handheld exercise weight, but that is probably just me.

[HCl]

17 minutes ago, R C-R said:

but that is probably just me.

nope it looks more like a printer icon to me but perhaps a cloud ,like in the account details ,would be a better option.

[Alfred]

17 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Which to me does not look much like a shopping bag; maybe more like a type of handheld exercise weight, but that is probably just me.

It could be a bag, but with those sloping sides it looks more like a handbag/purse than a shopping bag.

[R C-R]

So we have at least 3 different interpretations of what the icon represents. This does not speak well for its design, I think.

[PaulEC]

2 hours ago, Alfred said:

it looks more like a handbag/purse than a shopping bag