Expression / "formula" based "live" masks

[kirk23]

For example a mask which would be a live blending/calculation result  of certain specified layers in the layer stack   based on expression. Something like( layerA + LayerB) * LayerC  max LayerD.      

It would allow to automatize a lot of routine operations, would make the layer stack a lot more simple,elegant and readable.  Would give a lot more flexibility seen only in node based image editors.   

 

Current layer system having no Photoshop styled chain/transform links doesn't allow to do so at all  while having all necessary blending modes.  ( in Photoshop it's possible theoretically but so inconvenient making it useless)

 

Such self adjustable masks , following some  specific properties , a canvas impasto depth/ cavities or texture for example, composed scene depth, scene lighting intensity, certain color / material masks  etc,   could provide so huge amount  of creative possibilities never seen in Photoshop    and could make Affinity soft truly innovative. 

 

 

[Medical Officer Bones]

Sounds like a very specialized feature aimed at 3d compers and texture artists. Perhaps too deep and advanced for 98% of the Affinity Photo users?

Not saying it wouldn't be welcomed by me (also working in 3d), but I'd like to see how this can be implemented in an intuitive and easy-to-use way. After Effects has expressions like these, although I doubt many Affinity users would see the benefit of having these in a general image editor.

I feel it would be better to do complex texturing tasks in Substance Designer and Painter anyway. Aside from the missing transformation links, (many) more features are missing to turn Affinity Photo in a texture editor.

Cobbler keep to your last, as the expression goes.

[kirk23]

Yeah, The idea is from After Effect but I personally don't find AF especially convenient.  It's  imo only good thing about it.       Photoshop can do it right now  with clipping group idea  and a stack of layers within such group where layers  are chain linked to their same clones in other clipping groups.     What I am offering  is  basically  same  thing without necessity of smart object clones and chain transform links.    For my taste it would be so much more intuitive and easy-to-use.

 

As of Substance Designer and Painter  while they somewhat suited for textures and at least capable do its job  and they are what I  actually have to use   still  I  can't consider them even being  close to be named a convenient soft.   Many things just amaze me there as if developers never saw Photoshop or any other image editor  in general.     For example   I have  been  regularly asking them  to do a proper 2d transform node in Substance Designer  where we could scale things around arbitrary center , have a rotation reset and scale values related to original.   It's been a decade already   they never even said anything.   Their HLS node is so terribly inconvenient for adjusting colors even Photoshop4 would be a super cool thing comparing to that.     Substance Painter brush system not even up to level of  Affinity one and I bet they never try to look at  Corel Painter brushes.   Their projection mode is hardly usable at all since transform gizmo works same as 2d transform in Designer.     Somehow they have a huge number of features I could perfectly live without and at the same time lacks in very basic.   

 

I believe what I offered is not  just for 3d compositing or textures. it's just a way to make Affinity flexible enough for a huge number of purposes,  not solemnly a photo retouching.  I think the idea of "live" dynamic masks  could be very useful even in  simple photo collages . It would let you not care of any mask at all since they would be adjusting automatically every time you would change your mind and have to re-compose something.