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[AD] Features request


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Hello all,

I would like to write a list of features that make Affinity Designer can be called application for professionals. I know that probably some forum users get angry with my words but please read my explanation. Currently this Adobe Illustrator is the standard application for professionals. With its help you can design a poster, large format advertising or packaging. You can also prepare a project READY FOR PRINTING. Sorry but AD currently does not have many features that allow you to easily design the packaging or a poster and  prepare the project for printing.

 

Below I will try to list all the functions which according to me is missing:

 

Missing designing functions:

- Selectable units (pixels, millimeters, inches)

- Possibility of dimensioning graphic elements (elements in the project, visible after saving)

- Tracing raster graphic

- "Offset path" function

- "Gradient mesh" function

- "Aling to selected object" function

- AI-style transformation/scale tool

- AI-style zooming tool (by selecting area and zooming, not photoshop-style zooming)

- Selecting by attributes function

- Locking/unlocking selected objects

- Creating a pattern function

- Creating a package of files (linked photos, used fonts + creating report one specified folder)

- Barcode generator

 

Missing "preparing for print" functions:

- Fist and MOST IMPORTAINT - Separation preview

- object "Overprint" atributes 

 

Without most of these functions AD has no chance to become a serious application that can be an alternative to the market leader.

No matter whether someone likes it or not but it's B2B determines what is standard in the market and what is not. Currently, the standard is Adobe Illustrator. There are several reasons. According to me, except that it offers a lot of interesting features, it is open to the external plug-in developers. We have a great design supporting plug-ins  from astute graphics, we have a great plug for preparation for printing and 3D visualization (from ESKO). They are extremely expensive but for the leaders of the market price is not such a problem. The opening up to third-party plugins creators seems to me to be one of the keys to existence as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Create your plug-in market oper to the third-part creators. Make money from a percentage of the profits (like Android Market, Apple Store).

 

Serif - please! Be a real alternative to Adobe. I am writing this as the holder of APh and AD (even though I do not need it - but I bought them to support you)

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  • 2 weeks later...

All the latest releases of Designer, Photo and Publisher (retail and beta) on MacOS and Windows.
15” Dell Inspiron 7559 i7 Windows 10 x64 Pro Intel Core i7-6700HQ (3.50 GHz, 6M) 16 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600 MHz (8GBx2) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4 GB GDDR5 500 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD UHD (3840 x 2160) Truelife LED - Backlit Touch Display
32” LG 32UN650-W display 3840 x 2160 UHD, IPS, HDR10 Color Gamut: DCI-P3 95%, Color Calibrated 2 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort
13.3” MacBook Pro (2017) Ventura 13.6 Intel Core i7 (3.50 GHz Dual Core) 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 1536 MB 500 GB SSD Retina Display (3360 x 2100)

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Hello all,
I would like to write a list of features that make Affinity Designer can be called application for professionals. I know that probably some forum users get angry with my words but please read my explanation. Currently this Adobe Illustrator is the standard application for professionals. With its help you can design a poster, large format advertising or packaging. You can also prepare a project READY FOR PRINTING. Sorry but AD currently does not have many features that allow you to easily design the packaging or a poster and  prepare the project for printing.
 
Below I will try to list all the functions which according to me is missing:
 
Missing designing functions:
 
- AI-style zooming tool (by selecting area and zooming, not photoshop-style zooming)
- Locking/unlocking selected objects
 
 
Missing "preparing for print" functions:
- Fist and MOST IMPORTAINT - Separation preview
 

MrFlexo,

 

I completely agree with you about wanting a separation preview, it would be a welcomed addition. I think most people are eagerly waiting for a more powerful way to select multiple objects and hopefully it will be added soon!

 

I do have a few questions about your list. There are already 2 different kinds of zooming in Designer, the regular kind that shows the box (maybe it is called "marquee" zooming) and scrubby zooming. Does Illustrator have a 3rd kind of zooming that I don't know about? Have you tried both kinds of zooming? I'm not sure why you added "locking-unlocking selected objects? You can lock and unlock items now in Designer. You can even lock things easily with a shortcut, the problem comes with unlocking. There currently isn't an easy way to unlock items without digging through the layers palette (which wastes time). An "unlock all" is what is needed. I'm not sure why but there is already an "unlock" shortcut in Designer but you have to have the object selected in order to use it (and you can't have it selected if it is locked). The only way to use it is if you have an item selected and you lock it, then you change your mind you can unlock it but once you click something else you have to travel to the Layers Palette. It doesn't make sense, unless there is something I'm missing? 

 

I am always requesting a "Hide/Show All" as well because it is a much needed time saver and it is hard to talk about a "lock/unlock all" without talking about "hide/show all". 

 

Hokusai

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Hey Affinity team, any development on an "unlock all" feature for 1.5.6?  Scrolling through dozens of layers searching for lock icons to check if it's the one I need to unlock is really not endearing. :-)

 

Yes you say... and it's configurable with the right mouse or control click scenario?  JOY! ;-)

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retrograde,

 

I'm hoping it will show up soon too! I'm also hoping for a "Hide/Show all" but I'm always hoping for that. The latest beta has a "Lock" & "Unlock" but I have no idea what good the "Unlock" is for? Do you? The only way (as far as I can tell) that it can be used is if you happen to have an object selected and you Lock it and then without unselecting it you decide that you want to Unlock it, you can. Otherwise it isn't much help because if something is locked, you can't select it unless you find it and select it in the Layers Palette which isn't helpful because if I have to travel to the Layers Palette to select it, I might as well Unlock it there anyways. An Unlock All would be great and I hope that the current Unlock manages to evolve into an Unlock All! I can hope!

 

Hokusai 

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The only way (as far as I can tell) that it can be used is if you happen to have an object selected and you Lock it and then without unselecting it you decide that you want to Unlock it, you can. Otherwise it isn't much help because if something is locked, you can't select it unless you find it and select it in the Layers Palette which isn't helpful because if I have to travel to the Layers Palette to select it, I might as well Unlock it there anyways. 

 

Hokusai 

Hokusai,

 

As far as I can tell, yes this is the situation I have encountered. "Hide/show all" too please... and thank you. :-)

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There are already 2 different kinds of zooming in Designer, the regular kind that shows the box (maybe it is called "marquee" zooming) and scrubby zooming. Does Illustrator have a 3rd kind of zooming that I don't know about?

 

Hokusai

 

Hokusai,

How do you get box/marquee zooming in Designer? If I click and drag I get scrubby zoom. If I just click I get step-by-step zoom. In Illustrator if you click and drag you define an area to which the document will be zoomed (it will zoom until that area firs the visible area of the window). This would be great to have. It it is already in AD I have no idea how to turn it on.

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fernandolins86,

 

Your welcome. I believe that If you still have the scrubby zoom enable you can hold down Option (Alt) when you have the zoom tool and it will give you the old zooming behaviour (the marquee rectangle style). This doesn't work with every tool though. I much prefer the marquee style zooming.

 

Best of Luck,

Hokusai

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Hokusai,
 
Unfortunately looks like there's a feature set difference from Mac to Windows. My Tools preferences window does not have an option for marquee zooming (on Windows 10) :/

 

[Edit:] Actually it doesn't have an option to turn off scrubby zoom, but you get the idea

 

My screenshot is in Portuguese but as you can see these are not the same options (not even same amount of options).

post-43463-0-60187300-1484341246_thumb.png

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fernandolins86,

 

Sorry, I'm not sure what the difference is? You are right though, there is a difference. I am using the Affinity Designer Beta (version 1.5.5) but I thought that this was added awhile back to the Mac App store version too. The Windows version must be a little behind or maybe the Mac App Store version doesn't have it yet either, I'm not sure. Maybe someone on the development team can tell you more.

Hokusai

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