Using the Bucket Fill Tool

[user099]

What is the secret behind the use of the tool?

With many Affinity tools, it seems there's an "execute" button missing. 

Clicking doesn't do anything:

 

1. Open image. 

2. Use eyedropper to select color. 

3. Use magic want tool to select those portions of the image with the same color. 

4. Use color selector (or sliders) to find new color. 

5. Make sure that new color shows in the foreground on the slider panel (the name of this panel isn't obvious)

6. Open Bucket Fill tool, with the new color still showing. 

7. Click on the area of the image where you want the color to be changed. 

8. NOTHING HAPPENS. 

Where is the hidden, secret, "execute" code?

[R C-R]

Make sure that a layer is selected -- if no layer is selected there is nothing for the tool to fill.

[toltec]

As R C_R said. Make sure a layer is selected.

 

It also won't work if it is an Image layer. You have to Rasterise it first so it becomes a Pixel layer.

 

Just click and drag to the right. As you drag it sets the tolerance.

 

I clicked on the blue wings and dragged to about 30%. You can keep clicking and dragging to add more area.

 

 

[user099]

I'm working off the background layer. 

This is a pixel layer. 

So I need to create another layer?

Dragging the fill bucket does nothing. 

Selecting and clicking still does nothing. 

Screenshot: http://imgur.com/a/DHDW2

 

[MEB]

Hi user099,

No, you don't have to create another layer, you can use the background layer.

Make sure the layer is highlighted in blue (selected) in the Layers panel. If you have a pixel selection active you must click inside the selection with the Flood Fill Tool (bucket tool), otherwise it will do nothing.

Make sure the tolerance is NOT set to 0% otherwise it may be filling just a single pixel if you are clicking on an area which doesn't have a solid colour area.

[toltec]

If you want to fill the letter G there is far too much colour variation inside to use the fill tool. It only really works by replacing an existing colour as you click on it.

 

I suggest you select the black (because it is much easier to select) Invert the selection Select > Invert Pixel Selection and fill by using Edit > Fill  and choose your colour.

 

[MEB]

3 minutes ago, toltec said:

If you want to fill the letter G there is far too much colour variation inside to use the fill tool. It only really works by replacing an existing colour as you click on it.

 

That's why there's a tolerance setting in the context toolbar.

[toltec]

Just now, MEB said:

 

That's why there's a tolerance setting in the context toolbar.

 

I tried but the letter G had too many different colours in it.

 

[MEB]

It doesn't matter. Set the tolerance to 100% and click inside the selected area.

[toltec]

This is 100% tolerance

 

It will not select or fill the white,

 

 

A bit like the colour replacement tool.  No colour, no change.

[toltec]

Could be a bug

[MEB]

You have selected the letter first, right? It must fill the whole selection. Don't drag the tool inside the selection, just set the tolerance to 100% and click once inside it.

[toltec]

That's odd. I tried again but have got some very strange things happening here.

 

Like a black shape in the back.

 

I selected the G (selection brush), set the fill to 100% and got this.

 

 

 

 

 

very odd.afphoto

[toltec]

I restarted Photo and it started working properly.

 

 

One of those things I guess. 

[toltec]

I  did a bit more testing.

 

I found that you have to be very careful to just click, if you click and drag the tiniest bit it seems to change the brush mode. Then no matter what you do, it won't fill. You have to change the tolerance to something like 99% to reset it to maximum fill

 

Still doesn't explain why I got an odd shape fill. Surely a bug 

[GeoVictor]

Hi everyone. Is there a way to fill between lines without draw a shape around it?

Sorry for the comparison, but something similar to "Live Paint Bucket tool" (Illustrator) or "Fill Bounded Areas" from Inkscape. As it seems to be a basic tool, I think it exist, but I just can't find it. Maybe @MEB can help me.

See figure for example.

Thank you.

[GarryP]

Currently Designer has no way for you to fill areas bounded by vectors with a vector-based fill.
You can convert the layers to pixels (via the Rasterise process as shown above) and then use the Flood Fill Tool in the Pixel Persona but you will lose the ability to later change the vector lines.

[GeoVictor]

This is a pity. Do you know if it's one of the priorities for Affinity's developers?

It is an important tool because it save a lot of time and it seems to be a basic feature in all vector based softwares.

Do you know if there is an official way to ask for improvements for Affinity? 

Thank you

[GarryP]

I don’t know what Serif’s priorities are.
Everyone has their own list of important tools but the developers can’t work on them all at the same time.
Anyone can add a feature request in the relevant forums section but there’s at least one there for this already: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/114760-fill-tool-between-intersecting-vector-curves/

[konrad4488]

On 12/4/2020 at 2:26 PM, GarryP said:

Currently Designer has no way for you to fill areas bounded by vectors with a vector-based fill.
You can convert the layers to pixels (via the Rasterise process as shown above) and then use the Flood Fill Tool in the Pixel Persona but you will lose the ability to later change the vector lines.

 

[RKS]

I'm having a similar issue. I stopped using Photoshop because of the rip off subscription fees and switched to Affinity but I'm getting SO frustrated that simple tasks like using the paint bucket tool, creating a percentage based grid to find the centre of an image/divide it into 4 equal quarters, seem to be beyond the capability of the app. I do everything as would seem to be logical: select the layer or create a new layer as a background, click on the bucket tool, select a color, and then NOTHING HAPPENS. So I end up having to do a ridiculous work around of doing a color overlay on the layer or insert a color filled shape... Why doesn't the bucket fill tool work as easily as it does in Photoshop? These seem like basic things that an app like this should do without any weird tricks needed...

[MEB]

Hi @RKS,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Most basic tasks are also simple in Affinity Photo and a few quite similar to Photoshop. I don't know exactly the cause of the issues you are having without a screenshot or a small clip showing the interface/layer panel but here's a small video showing how to perform these tasks (use paint bucket to fill a layer, divide the document in four equal parts). There's other ways to accomplish them (for example you can use a Fill Layer if you want a layer filled with colour - go to menu Layer > New Fill layer and select a color from the Colour panel to fill it) but I've used the Flood Fill Tool (Paint Bucket Tool in Photoshop) since you mentioned it.
To divide the layers, I've used guides (and demoing a rectangle shape being snapped to them), setting the values to percentage. For simpler tasks like centering an object on the page you can simply activate Snapping with Snap to Spread and Include spread mid points options enabled.