Affinity Photo Customer Beta (1.5.0 - RC2)

[Andy Somerfield]

Status: Release Candidate

Purpose: Fixes

Requirements: Purchased Affinity Photo

Mac App Store: Not Submitted

 

Download: 1.5 RC2

 

Hello all, 

 

We've been cooking a couple of new features which we decided we would include in 1.5 if everything worked out - looks like it has:

 

- Optional automatic lens corrections when opening RAW (Develop Assistant panel).

- Optional automatic noise reduction when opening RAW (Develop Assistant panel).

 

Also, we've got a number of improvements / fixes done:

 

- Improved performance of Develop when using Denoise.

- General denoise improvements.

- Recreate HDR clone sources on demand.

- PDF export tweaks.

- Welcome screen tweaks.

- Font flyout improvements. 

- Store 32bit preview options more reliably.

- EXR export defaults to 32bit full float.

- Equations / Apply Image performance improvements.

- Slide export rounding tweaks.

- Improved reliability of Equations / Apply Image red error text.

- Numerous stability improvements when editing document in Google Drive.

- Touch Bar implementation (partial).

- Updated help.

 

- Fix numerous macro recording crashes.

- Fix for odd positioning when undocking tools panel.

- Fix for panels disappearing / reappearing in full screen mode.

- Fix for occasional crash when copying text layers.

- Fix for lighting filter in 32bit mode.

- Fix for Touch Bar crashes.

- Fix for missing progress bar in Develop.

- Fix NaN/Inf issues with Levels in 32bit mode.

- Fix crashes when using some menu items with no document loaded.

- Fix for “bong” sound when using Cmd+Space to pan.

- Fix for panels going missing when hiding / showing left / right studio.

- Fix for “Lock Children” bugs in the Move Tool.

- Fix for continuous export making the document dirty.

 

More as it happens folks! Thanks again for taking the time to use this beta - we couldn't do it without you :)

 

Affinity Photo Team    :ph34r:

 

 

Here's a recap of the new features in Photo 1.5, along with beta versions of the (excellent, in my opinion) tutorial videos which will accompany the features...

 

Focus Merge Support

 

Focus merging allows you to generate a detailed composite image from a number of images focused at differing lengths. Use File -> New Focus Merge to get started.

 

Video tutorials:

• Focus Merging
• Focus Merge Retouching
• Focus Merging Bracketed Images

 

HDR Merge Support

 

HDR merging lets you create a deep, unbounded 32-bit image from a number of exposure bracketed source images. Use File -> New HDR Merge to get started.

 

Video tutorials:

• HDR: Merging and Tone Mapping
• HDR: Tone Map Presets
• HDR: Panoramas
• HDR: Preprocessing
• HDR: Advanced Editing
• HDR: Ghosts Removal

 

New 32bit RGB Editing Mode

 

Photo now offers a full compositing / editing environment for 32bit unbounded images.

 

Video tutorials:

• HDR: 32-bit Editing

 

32bit Develop

 

Photo can now Develop RAW files directly into a 32bit document - so all highlights / shadows are preserved and recoverable at any time.

 

Video tutorials:

• 32-bit Raw Development

 

OCIO (OpenColorIO) Support

 

Photo now support end-to-end OCIO colour workflows.

 

Video tutorials:

• OpenColorIO Setup
• OpenColorIO Adjustment

 

Tone Mapping Persona

 

Full tone mapping Persona for both HDR and LDR images. This is obviously best used with an image merged by HDR merge - although you can use it on any image.

 

Video tutorials:

• Regular Tone Mapping

 

OpenEXR / HDR (Radiance) / 32bit TIFF Import / Export

 

Photo can now import and export .hdr (Radiance, RGBE) and .exr (OpenEXR) images. It correctly deals with 0-alpha cases (as per the OpenEXR spec) and generally operates in linear space. It support multi-layer EXR files and offers control (through Preferences) over alpha association and premultiplication.

 

Video tutorials:

• OpenEXR Multichannel Import/Export
• OpenEXR Import Options

 

Macros

 

Using the View -> Studio -> Macro and View -> Studio -> Library menu items, you can access new panels which will allow you to record actions, save them, then play them back later. You can also store them in a handy gallery.

 

Video tutorials:

• Macros
• Macros: Equations

 

Batch Processing

 

Using File -> New Batch job, you can queue up processing on a large number of files. You can resize, convert format and apply any number of macros to each file. The batch processing happens in the background - so you can continue working whilst the jobs are processed.

 

Video tutorials:

• Batch Processing

 

Live Projections

 

Photo 1.5 contains a new mechanism which allows you to edit an image in different spatial domains - we currently support the “Equirectangular” domain (360 pano - Ricoh Theta, etc.). You can use all tools when editing - and you can convert back once you have edited. This is especially useful for cleaning up stitching artefacts, or artefacts at the zenith / nadir of the image. Use the options in Layer -> Live Projection to get started.

 

Video tutorials:

• 360 Live Editing
• 360 Advanced Editing
• 360 Retouching
• 360 Multiple Views
• Live Perspective Projection

  

Improved Pixel Tool

 

The pixel tool is improved in 1.5 - you can hold shift when dragging to constrain the direction of painting (sorry we did not get this working sooner!). You can also select what happens when you hold Alt and drag - erase to transparent, erase to background colour, or erase to whatever the nominated snapshot / history location is (like in the Clone tool).

 

New “Pixel Art” Document Resizing

 

Photo now contains an alternative way to resize a document - using well known pixel-art resampling algorithms. If you work with pixel art and want to use this feature, it’s located under the Document menu.

 

Video tutorials:

• Pixel Art Resize

  

New “Accumulation” Brush Dynamics

 

Many users have asked for “Opacity Jitter”. For us, opacity is a constant thing and will remain constant. However, we have added a new property to brushes - “Accumulation” - which should allow you to get what you need  :)

 

Text Styles

 

Affinity Photo now has the same Text Styles support as Designer - it’s all shared code so it should work right out of the box  :)

 

New Marquee Modes (Polygonal, Magnetic)

 

Photo now has 3 modes for the freehand selection tool - Freehand, Polygonal and Magnetic.

 

Even more RAW cameras supported

 

Over 70 new RAW cameras are supported.

 

Improved Metadata Mining

 

Our detection of RAW / JPEG / etc. metadata has been upgraded and some serious bugs have been fixed.

 

Massive Improvements to Export Persona

 

Our Export Persona has seen huge upgrades in this cycle - you now have total control of exactly what resolution sets get exported. You can also use our handy batch export builders to quickly generate content for external consumption - ie. Xcode .assets - even Spline compatible metadata can be generated!

 

Layered TIFF Interop

 

Users have constantly asked us to support “Layered TIFF”. Layered TIFF is not a thing. TIFF with embedded data is a thing - and I’m happy to report that we now import embedded PSD / Affinity data and can write TIFF with embedded Affinity data.

 

Halftone Filter

 

We have a marvellous new halftone pattern filter in 1.5 - it can approximate monochrome, colour, circular and line halftones.

 

Video tutorials:

• Halftone Scanlines Effect

 

Improved Apply Image Filter

 

Users can how use the current layer as the source for Apply Image - or drag any layer from the layers tab into the dialog to use that as thr source. We also offer handy equations in the filter to control how channels are transferred - in an arbitrary colour source.

 

Video tutorials:

• Apply Image
• Apply Image: Equations

 

Improved Select Sampled Colour Filter

 

You can now select by intensity in the select sampled colour tool.

 

Equations Filter

 

A new Equations Distortion filter allows users to create custom spatial filters.

 

Video tutorials:

• Equations filter
• Macros: Equations

 

Dust & Scratches Filter

 

Many user have asked us for a “Dust & Scratches” filter - so we have made one. It’s extremely useful for removing sporadic small defects in images. Please let us know if it works for you.

 

Video tutorials:

• Dust & Scratches Filter

  

“Edit in Affinity Photo” Photos extension

 

This is something which we didn’t think we could do - a Photos extension for Mac OS 10.9 and above which simply allows you to use the full Photo app to edit your images - and stores the changes you have made as a layered document.

 

New Colour Picker Tool

 

After literally thousands of requests, we have implemented a dedicated picker tool for colours.

 

New Clone Sources Panel

 

We now have a new studio panel which allows you to store up an unlimited number of global sources for the Clone / Healing brush - it even works across multiple documents.

 

Video tutorials:

• Clone Sources
• Clone Sources: Texture Creation

 

Direct PSD Write-Back

 

One of the most requested features - direct write-back to PSD. A number of 3rd party DAM applications will happily deal in PSD - but until now, Photo required you to File -> Export for PSD. No longer! You can now just hit File -> Save! You will need to turn this on - in File -> Preferences - please read the warning there carefully!

 

No Thumbnails Option

 

This is more a Designer feature, but I promised it some time ago so here it is - you can choose (in Preferences) not to write out a thumbnail with your documents. This has the advantage of making your documents use less space - but obviously you won’t get Finder thumbnails, etc.

 

Improved Vectorscope

 

Our old HSL vectorscope is no more - replaced by a vastly more appropriate Rec.709 YUV scope with an improved graticule  :)

 

Improved Photoshop Plugin Support

 

We have found a significant bug with our plugin code - it has been fixed  :) We are now finding the majority of plugins work properly.

 

Multi-monitor Colour Profile Support

 

Sorry it took so long to get this fixed - we now can profile different on different monitors.

 

Adjustment Performance Improvements

 

Found and fixed a simple issue which made changing adjustment parameters appear to be slow. Fixed.

 

This update also includes literally hundreds of fixes and small improvements, some of which are listed below:

 

- User control over two pass rendering on Retina devices.

- PSD import / export improvements.

- PDF import / export improvements.

- Snapping improvements - candidate-free snapping, gaps-and-spans (Alt key in Move Tool), so much more!

- Performance and stability improvements for macOS Sierra.

 

Download: 1.5 RC2

[Reggie1958]

Simply wow people, I just can't keep up with the new toys to play with, thank you so much.

[anon1]

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/26512-perspective-on-embedded-doc-promovid/?p=127566

so please fix that bug so that the promotion video material of AD 1.5 is actually possible to do

and please fix the macro recording issues for moving and grouping  :o

 

and please include other minor improvements to curves and picker as well, or sample from below for the smudge tool?

 

cheers

[lhodaniel]

Great work, guys!

 

I'm still getting sRGB renders or panos direct from nefs with RC2. Even more troubling, I just ran a single nef through develop to try out the lens/noise stuff. In develop persona, the file is listed in 32-bit sRGB linear even though I have prefs set for Prophoto RGB linear. When I apply develop, the rendered file is showing Prophoto RGB.

[CekariYH]

You guys and girls are fantastic... No time to testify for some days but will play around now and then . 

[Andy Somerfield]

lhodaniel,

 

The pano thing looks like a bug - we'll look at that. The develop things is, at the moment, by design.. In linear unbounded 32bit, all RGB profiles are effectively the same (because values can be > 1.0 or < 0.0). We might change it to be ProPhoto (ROMM Linear) though - so people don't think they are constrained by sRGB primaries..

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andy.

[Nana]

Thanks Andy.  This is great.  Well done.

 

I have, however, discovered a bug in the automatic lens correction with SerifLab Raw engine.  The auto-lens works well with the Apple Raw engine but not the SerifLab Raw engine.  Please see the attached images.

 

Cheers,

 

Nana

[Andy Somerfield]

Nana,

 

Thanks - this looks like it is specific to the RAW file / camera / lens you are using - can you provide us with a sample RAW file?

 

Andy.

[W.Ingendahl]

Affinity Beta 1.5.0- RC 2 does not work, under Mac OS X 10.10.5  :(

 

See Beta_Report.

 

 

Beta_Report.rtf

[Andy Somerfield]

W.Ingendahl,

 

Thanks - we will get this fixed!

 

Andy.

[MelG]

 

 

- Fix for odd positioning when undocking tools panel.

- Fix for panels disappearing / reappearing in full screen mode.

 

YES!!!

[livetheshot]

Affinity Beta 1.5.0- RC 2 does not work, under Mac OS X 10.10.5  :(

 

See Beta_Report.

 

 

W.Ingendahl,

 

Thanks - we will get this fixed!

 

Andy.

 

Wish I had seen this before I installed RC2 :D

[Nana]

Nana,

 

Thanks - this looks like it is specific to the RAW file / camera / lens you are using - can you provide us with a sample RAW file?

 

Andy.

 

 

Hi Andy,

 

Please find attached a sample RAW file.

 

Cheers,

 

Nana

[Andy Somerfield]

Nana,

 

Thanks - we have now fixed the issue for RC3 :)

 

Andy.

[gdippe]

The developed Sigma RAW files (.X3F) are still jagged and ugly  :(

 

I and I'm absolutely sure a lot of Sigma users out there would be extremely happy to be able to develop Sigma RAW in Affinity Photo!

 

Link to RAW images for testing.

http://www.photographyblog.com/previews/sigma_dp0_quattro_photos/

 

Cheers

Gunther

[GFS]

Does the 1.5 beta support Pentax K-1 pixelshift files?  Would be very very nice if it did.

[mfarooqi]

once again.. "shutt upp" :)

 

you guys are really competing an other compnay.. i think.. does any body know their name.. ummmm... some thing like..... adopt photoshop :P ??

[mfarooqi]

This would be a great upgrade (I haven't seen all features yet) but I've noticed a few must to add things.

 

1. The "Rectangular Marquee" tool, when selecting a rectangular shape on the document, should have an option to move the selection (like we do in Adobe PS by holding down spacebar). and once we are ok with the beginning of left top position of selection we can release space bar. (I have my photoshop demo expired, Please try if you have that) it's not only in photoshop but in you take screenshop in mac by pressing [command+shift+4] in mac and drag a box on screen.. and before release mouse you press space bar and now move your mouse, you can get the same feaure.

 

2. There is any way to intersect selection? (using any predefined key combinations opt, ctrl or command) etc?

 

3. UI is too disturbing.. I'm using macbook pro 13. Can't scale down or collapse studio panels sideways. 

 

3.1. On the left I've to keep toolbar in two columns. If I keep that in one column I can't see all the tools. there should be an easy option like.. if one column than I can scroll the items what are not in visible area. also please just make 2 or 3 or more columns by dragging on the right side of toolbar.. instead of going view->customise toolbar and then 2 columns ... (i'm again not copying adobe, but why do a long way action if possible in easy ways).

 

3.2. The layers panel is another must to keep thing on screen. This is good that a double click can collapse unwanted studio panels. But those should be autocollapse able too..(if i collapsed, and just clicked again that remain uncollapsed)

 

3.3. There is no snapping if I want all my tools on the right side, like character/paragraph studio panels can be snapped in left or floating. But If I want them all on the right side (multi columns) those should be... (please don't' restrict your users)

 

3.4. All the studio panels should have a vertically collapse option too (like in adobe's )

 

 

 

 

 

3.5. Please make easy to switch user interfaces .. like ...

 

 

 

 

 

[nwavi]

Macros being able to record export function would be very useful for those of us resizing everything for web. Just tried it here and message comes up saying not possible :(

[Bernd]

'Adjustment' - 'Levels' - 'Gamma'-Slider doesn't work in this version.

 

It can be moved, but it doesn't make any changes.

Tested with tiff, jpeg, png and developed cr2.

[MEB]

Hi Bernd,

You're right. Thanks for the heads-up. Issue logged.

[LilleG]

I'm loving most of the new features.  But having View/Studio/Show Left Studio turned on by default is a PITA.  It's a constant irritant to have to go in and turn that off not only every time I open a new image but also anytime I hit Undo one time too many.  Please let that be a user choice option.

[aslusers]

Have 2 bugs to report and a request  - these in the 1.4.3 retail version, but persist in the new 1.5.0 beta.

 

 

1) in the liquify persona - if I uncheck "show mesh" - the uncheck status stays each time I open the persona, but the mesh comes back. I have to check then re uncheck to turn off the mesh overlay.

 

2) in the crop tool - the rotate orientation keyboard shortcut (Shift + O) does not work.  Orientation stays unchanged.  

 

3) related problem (may be a programming decision rather than a bug?) - if I choose 5x7 crop mode from the drop down menu, my crop selection box becomes huge and all four handles are outside my work area and are inaccessible.    Please change so that the resized crop selection aligns with the largest edge so it stays within my image and is more manageable.    

 

Thank you so much!  Love this program and love you guys!

[alan48]

The panorama problem that I've described for the previous Beta/RC's is still present in this update. I am getting exactly the same behavior showing up for my band group shot.  I can provide original 4 jpegs if you want to check this for yourself. The panorama process works properly in 1.4.3.  

[smadell]

I can confirm that the Gamma slider within the Levels panel doesn't seem to be functional. Tested on AP native file, JPG, and TIFF.