Tool shortcuts cycle tool by default, or swap back to previous tool if there is only one tool in group. Makes "muscle" memory harder.

[gammprog]

Hey,

I've noticed that when I've been swapping tools using shortcuts in Affinity Photo, the single letter can do multiple things, leading to a cognitive burden as you need to always remember which tool you're on instead of just blindly hitting the key (which makes usability, for me, worse), otherwise the shortcut will do something other than intended based on current context. I know it doesn't sound bad, but I've been constantly pressing "M" for marquee and accidentally changing the marquee type instead of just re-selecting the previous marquee tool (since I was doing some layer moving and forgot that I had previously had the marquee tool selected and had no visual indication on the mouse since I was over the layers). Same with the "V" for the move tool etc...

It would be amazing to have an option (if it doesn't exist already) for the shortcut to only select the tool and then use a keyboard modifier + letter to change the tool (and also stop the swapping of tools with the same shortcut). That way every shortcut only does one thing, making muscle memory work a lot better (as no context is needed only the desire for the tool). Aka, Hitting "M" will always without a doubt select the previously used marquee tool.

Anyway, this is a subjective issue, but the option to change the behavior to the above would be nice.


Cheers,
Mark

[TheHexVex]

Well said Mark. This is eloquently put and accurately describes the situation while at the same time it echoes my exact thoughts on why it's so difficult to train oneself in the way of the context-hotkey. It's terribly infuriating and I don't know that Ic an get used to it which is the worst thing.

 

Is there a fix any where that people have found...an option/update that I've missed!?

[MEB]

Hi TheHexVex,
Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

You can customize the toolbar adding individual tools rather than keeping the groups of tools then setting a custom shortcut for each of them. To customize the toolbar go to menu View ▸ Customise Tools. To set shortcuts for each one go to Affinity Photo Preferences, Keyboard Shorcuts section, set the first dropdown to Photo and the second to Tools and choose/set the shortcuts you want.

[TheHexVex]

1 hour ago, MEB said:

Hi TheHexVex,
Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

You can customize the toolbar adding individual tools rather than keeping the groups of tools then setting a custom shortcut for each of them. To customize the toolbar go to menu View ▸ Customise Tools. To set shortcuts for each one go to Affinity Photo Preferences, Keyboard Shorcuts section, set the first dropdown to Photo and the second to Tools and choose/set the shortcuts you want.

 

Hey MEB,

 

Cheers for the speedy response and the welcome.

 

I think I understand what you're saying and it sounds like that will stop the cycling through of tools which have the same shortcut. However, I don't think it will solve the thing I'm struggling most with - which is ensuring every time I hit 'V' for example that it goes to the Move Tool - I don't want the two most recent tools to cycle back and forth. I only every want the tool that I've selected with the hotkey, with no chance of it skipping back to the previous one used. Does that make sense? I can elaborate with a faux scenario if need be.

 

Peace

[MEB]

Hi TheHexVex,
Yes, i understand what you mean but there's no way to turn this behavior off. Feel free to add a feature request for this specifically (like a setting in the Preferences or similar) in the Feature Requests section.