Needs to be More Intuitive

[psiclone]

This program is amazingly unintuitive.  It's one of the main reasons I feel like I can't just jump ship from Photoshop or Illustrator to Photo or Designer.

 

For example, simple things like filling a selection should be reasonably intuitive.  I realize it's hard to target everyone's train of thought, but here's mine:

 

1) Open an image in Designer

2) Make a selection of what you want to fill

3) Use the 'Fill Tool' and draw in a fill within that selection based on whatever 'Fill Tool' options I've chosen.

 

However, all that happens is that I get a line that looks like Photo's 'Gradient Tool,' but nothing happens.  I go to Tutorials under the Help Menu, which takes me to a website, where I do a search for Fill Tool and I'm greeted with a myriad of things that don't apply.  So, I go to Help... under the Help Menu and look up Fill Tool and I'm greeted with the list of information below (which is neither descriptive enough to be useful, nor simple enough in application to be effective).

 

Considering the first two part of this list of information, where the fill tool allows you to adjust the fill, then I expect to be able to adjust from no fill to a fill and to apply the flood with a single click, but that never happens.

 

Taking this a step further, if I have a selection made and try to paint with the vector brush inside that selection, the paint doesn't obey the boundaries of the selection.  What's the point of the selection if it doesn't set boundaries?

 

Search results for fill tool

 

Fill Tool

The Fill Tool allows you to adjust the fill and line colors applied to vector and text objects.

 

Flood Fill

The Flood Fill tool allows you to fill in areas of your page, selection, or object with a single click.

 

Selecting colors

There are various ways to select and apply color in Affinity apps.

 

Swatches panel

The Swatches panel stores a selection of color, gradient and recently used document color swatches for applying to objects.

 

Gradient editing

Customize gradients for object fills and lines.

 

Keyboard shortcuts

A list of commonly used shortcuts.

 

Color panel

The Color panel is used to apply color to objects.

 

About Lines and Shapes

Open curves and closed shapes can be created and are controlled by nodes and control handles.

 

Artboard color and opacity

Discussion of artboard color properties.

 

Transparency Tool

The Transparency Tool allows you to apply and edit transparency gradients to vector and text objects.

 

Outer Shadow

The Outer Shadow effect is used to add a shadow to edges.

 

Transparency

Find out about transparency and how it is applied to your design.

 

Pen Tool

The Pen tool is used to draw very precise curves and shapes.

 

Pencil Tool

The Pencil Tool allows you to create hand-drawn lines and shapes.

 

Sampling colors

Pick up colors from objects on your page or pixels on your screen.

 

Transparency Editor

The Transparency Editor dialog lets you customize transparency gradients for object fills and strokes.

 

Move Tool

The Move Tool allows you to select, move, rotate, and resize objects.

 

Layer masking

Layer masks allow you to selectively hide layer contents to reveal layers below the masked layer.

 

Ellipse Tool

The Ellipse Tool takes the hassle out of creating circles and ellipses.

 

Corner Tool

The Corner tool rounds sharp corners on closed shapes.

 

Inner Shadow

The Inner Shadow effect is used to add a diffused shadow to the inside of an object.

 

Key features

An overview of Affinity Designer key features.

 

Color Picker Tool

The Color Picker Tool samples colors from anywhere on your document or screen.

 

Frame text

Use frame text for paragraphs with a formalized structure and layout.

 

[gdenby]

You seem to be laboring under a misconception. There are 2 fill tools, one for the draw persona, and one for the pixel persona. From your description, it appears you are trying to apply a vector gradient to a portion of a bitmap. Doesn't work that way. The gradient can be applied to an area of the bitmap that has been made a selection, or a vector object w. a gradient can be nested as a child within the pixel layer.

[Bri-Toon]

As Gdenby mentioned, the pixel tools and vector tools do not mix, but they do, however, have their mutual advantages. Pixel masks can be applied to vector layers, and pixel brushes can be applied to vector objects.

 

Taking this a step further, if I have a selection made and try to paint with the vector brush inside that selection, the paint doesn't obey the boundaries of the selection.  What's the point of the selection if it doesn't set boundaries?

 

That is because you are using a vector brush on a pixel selection. Instead, use the pixel brush on the pixel selection, though I don't think that is your intention. There is a feature on the roadmap to convert pixel selections to vector objects. That will accomplish this task easier.

[oquendoG]

My friend I agree with you with somethings, affinity photo needs to be more intuitive, but you want it be like photoshop and affinity photo isnt photoshop is affinity photo and you need to learn its logic how it works on the contrary you want affinity photo be photoshop, and in that case stay with photoshop, affinity photo is affinity photo not photoshop.