Open Multiple images at once

[waltl]

Dear Friends,

I am trying out Affinity. Obviously I am new to it. I have done a lot of Photoshop. I can't seem to open more than one image at once. I am sure there is a simple answer this can you help?

Thanks.

[MEB]

Hi waltl,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Go to menu File ▸ Open and select multiple images, or simply drag them to Affinity workspace (no documents open otherwise the images will be added as layers to the existing document).

To open new images with an existing document open drag them over the toolbars on top.

[csbc]

I'm new to Affinity [1.5.1] and new software is always a challenge. I've been using PS for decades and if I wanted to open multiple images at once I'd just drag them to the Dock icon [as with any other app I can think of]. 'Go to menu File ▸ Open and select multiple images' is clear and simple, but I don't have the option, just Open and Open recent.

I've not come to terms with 'workspace' but if it it what I think it is I don't have one unless an image is already open ...

[R C-R]

I'm new to Affinity [1.5.1] and new software is always a challenge. I've been using PS for decades and if I wanted to open multiple images at once I'd just drag them to the Dock icon [as with any other app I can think of]. 'Go to menu File ▸ Open and select multiple images' is clear and simple, but I don't have the option, just Open and Open recent.

I've not come to terms with 'workspace' but if it it what I think it is I don't have one unless an image is already open ...

I tested with both Affinity Photo & Designer, with a mix of native .afphoto & .afdesign and .png & .svg files. Dragging multiple items to the Dock icon of either app or selecting multiple items from the File > Open menu works fine for me. Each file open in its own tab, visible below the Context Toolbar sort of like Safari or Finder's tabs but darker so you might not notice them if you don't look carefully.

 

Regarding the workspace, that is the window where documents appear. If no file is open it is possible you have closed the window (with CMD+W or by clicking on the red 'traffic signal' icon in the upper left corner of most Mac app windows). The only way to get a workspace window back again if you have done that is either to open one or more files as above or create a new document from the File > New menu or with the standard CMD+N keyboard shortcut.

 

This is all fairly standard Mac app behavior. Don't let it throw you.

[Fixx]

If you work in separated mode you necessarily do not have any "workspace". That is also standard behaviour, documents have their own windows.

You can open multiple images with open command using shift or cmd -keys.

[csbc]

I tested with both Affinity Photo & Designer, with a mix of native .afphoto & .afdesign and .png & .svg files. Dragging multiple items to the Dock icon of either app or selecting multiple items from the File > Open menu works fine for me. Each file open in its own tab, visible below the Context Toolbar sort of like Safari or Finder's tabs but darker so you might not notice them if you don't look carefully.

Thanks RC-R. Before reading your post I once again dropped multiple file icons on the Affinity Dock icon and low and behold multiple tabs. I can't be sure, but I do feel that I'd have noticed them before, despite the blackness. 

I have to say that I deprecate the 'black look' that has become so common, it does not add clarity to say the least. Clearly neutral colours are necessary to reduce the mess introduced by users' less than ideal working environments, but there is nothing in the 'book'  that says neutral has to be nearly black!

Thanks again.

[rah1861]

The program allows you to open several images at once, each in its own tab. But what if I want to see 2 images (or more) at the same time - i.e. a windowed view? I do not see any way to do this, and I think it is important. For example, if I have taken several burst-mode shots with a digital camera, I like to compare 2 or more side-by-side to pick the sharpest. I cannot see any way to do this in Affinity Photo.

 

Somewhat related to this, it doesn't seem possible to clone from one image to another. Perhaps I should start a new thread on this, but you often do this type of operation by using windows to view the "source" image beside the image to receive the cloned area.

 

I like the program very much so far, but windowing is a needed enhancement, IMHO.

[MEB]

Hi rah1861,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

If you are using a Mac go to menu Window and check (enable) Separated Mode.

On Windows just drag the document tab below the main toolbar to the centre of the work area to detach it.

 

To clone from one image to another, select the Clone Tool in the image you want to use as the source, set the origin pressing the ALT key and clicking on the area you want to clone from, then go to the content toolbar an press the Add Global Source button. Change to the image you want paint with the Clone Tool, go to the content toolbar, set the Current Layer dropdown to Global and paint on the image. The source from the original image will be used.

[rah1861]

Wow! That's excellent, MEB! I figured for sure that the multiple windows option would be "coming in the future," but it can do it already! Very cool! I am a Windows user. Maybe this dragging down of tabs is a typical Mac operation, but I have never seen it before in any software, and I never would have thought of it.

 

Thanks for the tip on cloning from one image to another. Here again, I figured it couldn't do it now and that I'd need to do a work-around (like using the clipboard to copy to a new layer, etc.) But APhoto can do what I wanted already. :) 

 

I am a VERY long-time Corel PaintShop Pro user and I'm now leaning strongly towards abandoning it in favor of Affinity Photo. It seems to have better tools and better implemetation of the many tools where they overlap (e.g. the selection brush tool). So I am very impressed! Thanks again for your help.

[MEB]

You're welcome ^_^

Glad to know you're enjoying Affinity Photo.

[rah1861]

Oops, I spoke too soon. I have tried the clone tool as specified and cannot get it to work. 

 

After setting the source origin (via alt-click) and clicking the Add Global Source button, when I go over to the other image (to do the clone), I first pull down the Current Layer dropdown and pick Global, and then click in the image, but it gives me the message "you must alt-click to set a source," even though the it now says "global" in that dropdown box.

 

I have attached a screen snapshot of the area showing the message.

 

I figured maybe I am doing the sequence incorrectly, but regardless what I do, it absolutely insists that I first do alt-click in the receiving image before it will even consider doing a cloning. If I do that alt-click (in the receiving image) to get rid of that error, and then try the cloning with the dropdown on Global, it paints nothing - i.e. it doesn't clone from itself, but it doesn't clone from the original source either.

 

If it is supposed to work as specified, it must either be a bug or I am doing something wrong that isn't obvious (to me anyway).

 

EDIT: OK, I figured it out (by reading the Help - go figure!) - I had to view the Sources Panel and pick the entry in there that I wanted to clone from. It appears that unless you do that (pick a particular entry in this sources panel), it will not work. But I do see now how it works, so that's fine (and very advanced!). :)

[Fixx]

ahem, this is so convoluted process that it is virtually unusable.

In PS this works just like you would be cloning the same document. I know AP is not trying to be PS, but I would prefer it to be EASIER, not more complicated!  :angry:

 

I must add – WAY MORE COMPLICATED!

Edited December 20, 2016 by Fixx

[MEB]

Hi rah1861,

When you move to the second image, the Sources panel should become visible. If it didn't appear for you go to menu View ▸ Studio ▸ Sources to enable it. The image and source area (marked with a circle in the thumbnail) you created should appear listed there (you can add more than one source if needed). Make sure you select it/highlight it in the Sources panel and then paint on the image. The source you selected from the Sources panel will be used. Let me know if you still have trouble.

 

@Fixx

It may look like so described by words but it's far from being complicated.

[carl123]

The Global Cloning video here (https://vimeo.com/149628411) does not even mention the Sources Panel and following the instructions it does not work until you go into the sources panel and double click your source 

 

(It may have been made for an earlier version of AP)

 

 

This later video on Global Cloning is much, much more informative

 

https://vimeo.com/192599318

[rah1861]

Yeah, the problem is that, at least in the latest Windows version, the Sources Panel does not appear automatically (and isn't on-screen by default). So unless you are familiar with the way it works (or read the Help), you just think it isn't working. I don't actually think it is too complicated, but I do think that it should automatically pick the latest alt-click source, regardless of whether the Sources Panel is showing. Then it would work even if you didn't have a clue about the existence of the panel.

[R C-R]

In PS this works just like you would be cloning the same document.

But in PS, can you set multiple clone sources from one or more other documents to clone into the current one, & quickly change from one source to another without going back to each of those documents?

 

I just started playing with this in AP but I can already see how powerful it is -- you can even close the source document(s) after adding them to the Sources panel & still use them as clone sources. That's amazing!

[MEB]

Yeah, the problem is that, at least in the latest Windows version, the Sources Panel does not appear automatically (and isn't on-screen by default). So unless you are familiar with the way it works (or read the Help), you just think it isn't working. I don't actually think it is too complicated, but I do think that it should automatically pick the latest alt-click source, regardless of whether the Sources Panel is showing. Then it would work even if you didn't have a clue about the existence of the panel.

 

Hi rah1861,

This is an oversight in the Windows version. I've checked it now and it doesn't display the Sources panel automatically as soon as you click the Add Global Source button as in the Mac version. I will log this to be looked at. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

@carl123

As far as i know a single click is enough to select the source in the Sources panel. Am i missing something?

[R C-R]

@carl123

As far as i know a single click is enough to select the source in the Sources panel. Am i missing something?

It works that way in the Mac version. Maybe it is another thing overlooked in the Windows version?

[MEB]

No, it's the same on Windows. A single-click should be enough and seems to be working fine there.

[carl123]

 

@carl123

As far as i know a single click is enough to select the source in the Sources panel. Am i missing something?

 

Yes single click seems to work

 

But in the video

 

https://vimeo.com/192599318

 

at around 1:20 - 1:25 he says double click, which is why I did it that way initially

[R C-R]

At least on the Mac, I really find this feature to be an amazing bit of programming -- it doesn't even seem to eat up an appreciable extra amount of memory if I add several different sources to the panel from different documents & close them. Plus, I still have the ability to use the preview feature to instantly see the source & change the clone source point, which also takes me back to the current document when I alt-click on that new point.

 

Until Affinity came along I used various versions of PS Elements, which I know could be a bit different in this respect from the full PS version, but one of the things I hate most about it (aside from having to buy new versions every other time I upgraded OS X) is the ridiculously large amounts of memory & disk scratch space it requires to do much of anything, & how unresponsive it can be because of that.

 

Regarding automatically selecting anything from the Source panel so it would work even if you did not know you needed to do that, I kind of think it is good that it doesn't do that -- if it did, you might never learn how powerful it is.

[rah1861]

I just started playing with this in AP but I can already see how powerful it is -- you can even close the source document(s) after adding them to the Sources panel & still use them as clone sources. That's amazing!

Thanks for mentioning this. I was looking at the Sources Panel myself earlier and thinking "but what if you've already closed the image?" I didn't try it, but I believe you, and yes, that is pretty amazing! :)

[DeputyDawg]

Hello,

 

Regarding opening multiple images.  How does one do that?

 

If I try the file/open this opens finder where I can select a file or files. However, I want to open a file within the Photo's library, which isn't a file per say.

 

I tried dragging from photos in Affinity, but that didn't work either.

 

Thoughts?

[R C-R]

For files in the Apple Photos app library, one way to do this is to scroll down (if necessary) in the Open Dialog window until you see the Media > Photos item in the sidebar. It has a camera icon that looks the same as the Pictures folder sidebar icon in regular Finder windows. (If you see the Media item but not the Photos one indented under it, hover the pointer over the Media item, which will reveal a "Show" item. Click that to show the Photos item.)

 

Clicking on the Photos item exposes a pane in the Open dialog with the Apple Photos library (& any other libraries for Apple apps you have installed with photos in them) at the top. Click on the Photos one to see thumbnails of all the photos in the library (or on the disclosure triangle to see the library categories) listed in the lower pane. You can then select multiple photos in the usual ways, like shift clicking or dragging out a selection marquee. Click the Open button & each one will be opened in a new tab or window in Affinity.

 

This also works for any other app that supports the Media sidebar. Depending on the app, it may show a Photos, Music, Movies, or some combination of these media categories.

[MEB]

Hi DeputyDawg,

Welcome to Affinity Forums.

The methods R C-R outline above only allow you to open images from Apple Phopto. as JPG's.  If you want to open the original RAW files for editing you have to use the Edit in Affinity Photo extension for Apple Photos to send the RAW's to Affinity Photo or export them manually from Apple Photos as originals (menu File ▸ Export ▸ Export Unmodified Original) to a folder on your computer and then open them in Affinity.