Add selection, is it broken or did I get it wrong?

[verysame]

Hi there,

 

2 questions about selections.

 

# 1

I have a selection, now a want to add some more parts with the lasso tool or the marquee.

I select the tool, then I click 'add', then when I move the tool over the selection to add more areas, the cursor is still the move tool and if I click to add, I actually move the current selection.

Subtracting, via ALT+click & drag, works, but adding doesn't. It works only if I add a selection starting from outside the selected area, not from within it.

 

# 2

CTRL+click on the mask works as expected, I get the selection of the mask.

Is it possible to add/subtract/intersect masks from other layers?

I thought CTRL+SHIFT would add a second mask's selection to the first selected mask, but it seems is not the case.

Is it possible or planned?

[SrPx]

1) Inside the selection, previous to your cursor drag, right click (right mouse button) and hold pressed. Now click and hold left mouse button. Don't move cursor and drag until you have those hold. Remember ALWAYS start with RMB clicn and hold, not with lmb. Takes a bit to get used to it, but to me, no biggie.

 

2) Yep ,I know what you mean. PS has an extremely productive approach for that. Ctrl click on layer thumbnail would select, ctrl shift click on another layer thumbnail would add its selection select. ctrl+alt would remove to the existing selection, the selection part that has been just clicked. ctrl+shift+alt, intersect selection among both (exitings and new clicked layer thumbnail) , this one being really convenient.

Solution (sort of) : Group layers, then ctrl click group, it will select all layers pixel content.  Cons : Is often extremely useful to do in a 20+ layers document to go adding selection from different layers, or subtracting, or intersecting, even being not all layers together, but each alone in a different area for the layers list. Grouping them to be able to select all masks/layer for an "added selection result", will or could break the layers order, which can be a disaster in a many layers file.

 

Now... maybe a slight idea for Affinity, though I am not inside, I don't know how internals go, workflow etc, so, this now might be non doable... Even so, here's my suggestion for even greater impact:  in order to grab huge user base, imo is better to keep equal shortcuts than in ps and similar workflows, but that's just my opinion. 

 

In this way, in 1),   I'd just leave alt+ LMB drag for remove selection, that's good, but use also the ps workflows for adding, easier on the fingers version of shift + drag LMB. In ps, just hitting shift and hold pressed already unable that appear the 4 arrows cursor to move selection, as with shift selected, is obvious that you are not there to move the selection, it detects that. 

In 2), I would just even try to clone PS shortcuts for it, or... if that's very inconvenient for app development or other reasons, have other shortcuts but allowing the described possibilities with any.  It is a speed up of big importance for comic authors (in coloring/editing colors stage), for photographers working often with many masks and selections (as you can combine any selection however you got there, with layer pixels based selections.)

 

But seen externally,what seems logical and practical, less painful for new comers (running from other apps), might be a major nightmare as for how the application is internally structured or something. Just suggesting in general, that having similar shortcutas, workflows, etc, will ease the entrance to a lot of the masses out there using PS since decades. If not possible, anyway, no big deal. I myself can adapt to any shortcut or workflow. What I need is the core functionality. (this is only a marketing/strategy advice (as if I could give any, lol...))

 

Anyway, my hugest worry is the brush engine... Absolutely any other feature I see it as less important for me, and for any user/2d package, almost. Meaning all this in image editing they have its workaround or alternative path. I have seen these recent days more newcomers, many complaining about brushes behavior, redrawing, aliasing, and a bunch with issues in what seems to be recent intuos, or immediately previous Bamboo models for what is recognizing the pressure. 

 

I mention it, as lately I don't mention suggesting features or fixes as to me the important thing is the brusg/drawing core engine.

But that there are 3 things that in an immediate second place worry me a bit (I know they will be ironed when possible, though, so, not really worried) :

 

 

-  Some new/slightly recent drawing tablet models do have no way to get pressure sensitivity, like modern Intuos, or previous Bamboos, (but might be the issue with the non Pro versions! I don't know) seems all being in the small and medium range (or just non modern, o non pro version), but can be that photographers, even highly professional ones working in studios seem to prefer small tablets. But as a solid data, there's  people like me not having issues with Large/XL/cintiq, or simply intuos 4 generation and its only usable driver "age"

 

- Maybe considering when possible as convenient the path of even providing identical shortcuts and workflows than in Adobe PS. Also as they have been really well polished over the years, and many of them are the most practical ways to get to do some stuff in an image.  This of course is not always the case, and not written in stone: Some procedures in PS are longer/more cumbersome than they should be, and so, several have pointed out they are already better in AP. I for one notice that once configured well to a maximum curve of sensitivity , I see to have way more range in pressure sensitivity than I ever had in all PS versions. (that's another reason why I deeply hope to see the redrawing/brush engine overhaul)

 

- Some crashes in some people (I only had one recently, already documented by someone and I believe fixed already in .39). But with crash reports from people, those will mostly get solved. (priority should be high, but again,  am sure these already are going to be a priority for the team...)

 

But really, IMO the rewrite of the graphic/brush refresh/aliasing, the graphic engine in its painting behavior, which probably includes one of the most bigger issues, the lag when starting brush strokes, is IMO essential, more important for a very high number of users, and massive hordes that will progressively come from PS. I myself can use my other free/commercial painters till a project stage in each one, but I would so much rather to use AP and AD as standalone solutions for each of their fields (vector editor and raster editor (IMO these days an editing package must have a solid painting engine/behavior, even if there would be no traditional media (oil, etc) painting brushes or the like, meaning: I don't need it to be Corel Painter or Art rage, but have solid brushes performance, behavior, no trembling, aliasing and paint zoomed out(IMO, this latest almost fully fixed)))

 

Please, sorry the OT. I just didn't want to leave it looking as if these suggestions of mine have even the slightest remotely imaginable weight compared to the graphic/brush engine. ;)

 

You know, I feel if I report more issues I'm maybe inferring I might give it the same importance... While a large majority of the many I read around in the forums, seem to be of quite less importance (no offense pretended to anyone posting issues! I just believe this is crucial).  But should have not gone OT, sorry. I hope to be sort of forgiven, ;) having provided the solutions for this thread ;) ;).

[verysame]

SrPx,

 

Thank you for the thorough explanation.

As for #1, I would have never got it right, I don't use the mouse! :)

That's actually a little annoying, as I've to switch between mouse and tablet. Same story for brush size.

The right+left mouse click combo, if I'm not mistaken, comes from the Mac adaptation... wished they will adjust to Windows in a more elegant way soon or later.

 

As for #2, yes, I really hope this will be added. Actually, I'd better add to the feature request ;)

 

Thanks again,

Andrew

[SrPx]

Perhaps could still do it fully with the tablet's pen side button (one of them) to RMB, and as we know, the pen tip is LMB. Anyway you 'll need the rmb for many many operations... A good combo is 1 side button with RMB, the other with ALT key. I instead set there ctrl z in one of them, and any other thing, I use an utility linked in my sig tut. But for simplicity's sake, you might just want to have so RMB in the tablet pen and that'd be it. :)