Resize multiple objects at once

[Malauch]

Nice disscusion has developed here. I just want to add that you can mitigate using such an option like "resize each object", "replace objects with Symbols" or scripts only when you are creating some work by your own and in Affinity Designer from the beginning. In my workflow it is very rare. In most cases I use Affinity Designer to polish and prepare for print maps which were done in GIS software. It's necessary because you can't create true map in Designer or Illustartor and you can't create good map for print in any GIS software (they just lack functionality). In most cases these edits are small one but sometimes you need to edit few hundreds symbols. For now only option is come back to GIS software make some edits there and then one again make edits in Designer. It's extremly time consuming. And then all "batch edit function on objects" are the key one to finish the job quickly. This is also the case when I need to work on documents created by someone else in Illustrator or any other program.

I hope that Affinity will add more tools for workflows like these. I think that Publisher will be milestone here, becuse there is no true professional publishing without some sort batch edits/automation and etc. 

BTW I started using Desginer beacuse of need to edit huge maps. Illustrator just couldn't open big pdf files with reasonable time and in most cases not open all objects in the documents. Designer open these files, edits and save with lighting speed and accuracy.

[Jim Monson]

I used Transform Each in Illustrator hundreds of times and it worked beautifully. In Illustrator it is a matter of *not* having a group selected, only objects---and not all the object in a layer since Illustrator looks at that as a group. Here's how I do it in case the Affinity Designers programers did not notice it (I'm almost sure they have).

1. Go to Transform Each (only in Illustrator, not in Designer)

2. Select all of the objects to transform in a layer.

3. Turn off any one of the objects.

4. Enter the Transform info required = selected *items* (not the group) transformed without changing their positions (since they are no longer a group).

5. Go to the unselected object and transform it alone.

Meanwhile, without this feature in Designer I must take my objects back into Illustrator (yes, I am still paying my expensive dues to Adobe-ugh!), use Illustrator's Transform Each and then bring them back into Designer. Problem is that I do not want them as "curves" in Designer but as ellipses (much lighter weight and faster processing). I'm waiting not so patiently for Designer to have its own Transform Each that works on curves and ellipses. In the meantime, Designer is still great!

Edited April 13, 2019 by Jim Monson
Thought I had done this but foiled again by Adobe.

[Alfred]

3 minutes ago, Jim Monson said:

I'm waiting not so patiently for Designer to have its own Transform Each that works on curves and ellipses.

Have you tried the version 1.7 beta? 

[Jim Monson]

I have 1.7.0.9 which has some great new features, but as yet I have not found any Transform Each feature. If you know where it might be hiding, please let me know. Thanks.  

[Alfred]

My apologies, Jim. I’m not on my Windows system just now, so I couldn’t check for exactly the feature you’re asking about. I may have been thinking of the "relative" mode for the Point Transform tool, a control for which has been added to the Transform panel.

[Jim Monson]

Not to worry, Alfred. I'm a Mac user but sometimes must revert to Windows. Meanwhile, I'm tediously creating and resizing ellipses of hundreds of curves brought over from Illustrator (cut and paste). Your posts are always very much appreciated.

[lepr]

.

[gdenby]

On Mac, "transform separate."

[Jim Monson]

Looks interesting but I am not sure where you are doing this on the Mac. Could give me a hint? Thanks. Also, it appears that the positions of the objects change. This is the problem with AffDesigner. Transform will indeed change the size, but it treats the objects as a group and thus also changes the size of the entire group while changing the size of each individual object. If you can solve this, bravo, and please let me know.

I now see that you are in AffPhoto. Will give it a try.

[Mithferion]

32 minutes ago, Jim Monson said:

Looks interesting but I am not sure where you are doing this on the Mac. Could give me a hint? Thanks. Also, it appears that the positions of the objects change. This is the problem with AffDesigner. Transform will indeed change the size, but it treats the objects as a group and thus also changes the size of the entire group while changing the size of each individual object. If you can solve this, bravo, and please let me know.

I now see that you are in AffPhoto. Will give it a try.

Here. I made a short video showing how the feature works:

Best regards!

[Jim Monson]

I am very grateful for your video, Methferion. I finally realized that I could easily open it in Chrome rather than in Safari.

What you showed is exactly what I need. However, I cannot find the icon that you used in your toolbar. You appear to be using a Windows version of the latest 1.7 Designer Beta and I am using the Mac beta version. Could you send me the name of the toolbar icon so that I can inquire if it is coming soon for Mac users? I really hope so.

Thank you so much. This feature will save me tons of resizing time in  my very complex map work.

All the best!

[walt.farrell]

8 minutes ago, Jim Monson said:

However, I cannot find the icon that you used in your toolbar. You appear to be using a Windows version of the latest 1.7 Designer Beta and I am using the Mac beta version. 

It should be there, as gdenby showed earlier. It will only be available under some circumstances, though:

1. Move or Node Tool active; and
2. At least 1 object selected;. and
3. You have Designer configured to show the Context Toolbar.

When those conditions are satisfied, it should appear on the Context Toolbar:

The tooltip says "Transform Objects Separately", as gdenby showed previously.

[Jim Monson]

Thanks so much, Walt. I should have thought of that since this is dealing with nodes. Much appreciated for all advice above. 

I'm a much happier camper now and can't wait for AD 1.7 to be out of beta. These Affinity folks and these forums are fantastic

[lepr]

.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, >|< said:

It's in the Move Tool and not in the Node Tool in AD 1.7.0.9 beta on Mac, which seems sensible. Does it actually affect the Node Tool's behaviour on Windows?

Yes.

[Mithferion]

12 hours ago, >|< said:

It's in the Move Tool and not in the Node Tool in AD 1.7.0.9 beta on Mac, which seems sensible. Does it actually affect the Node Tool's behaviour on Windows?

This works in the Node Tool as long as all of the selected Objects are Smart Shapes, as seen in the attached screenshots.

Best regards!

 

[lepr]

.

[sk4nner]

Hi,

almost there. Now the only missing part of this feature ist the abilty to bring a number of objects i.e. into the same height/width. Really useful when importing a number of images with diferent aspect ratios and make them align nicely. Right now the transformation is being applied relatively.

[Bri-Toon]

11 hours ago, sk4nner said:

almost there. Now the only missing part of this feature ist the abilty to bring a number of objects i.e. into the same height/width.

For this to happen, it would be a neat additional option for the Transform panel to be able to transform each object individually as well. Reading the earlier discussion on this topic, right now, it transforms the overall selection bounding box instead. So, I agree there should be a way to have each object meet the same dimensions at once rather than to do each individually.

[BLamb]

Symbols was what I wanted!  I created copies of a shape but they really all represent the same thing.   So I too tried to batch resize.

So, this was a case of learning by fire rather than having fully learned all the features and capabilities first.

 

 

[RSL Designs]

On 4/13/2019 at 8:24 PM, gdenby said:

On Mac, "transform separate."

Kudos!

Everyday is a learning day.

[JOleg]

On 5/2/2019 at 12:20 PM, sk4nner said:

Hi,

almost there. Now the only missing part of this feature ist the abilty to bring a number of objects i.e. into the same height/width. Really useful when importing a number of images with diferent aspect ratios and make them align nicely. Right now the transformation is being applied relatively.

Hi,

I'm on AD v1.10.5 and I still don't see how to do this. Transform Object Separately does change them individually, but relatively. And I need to enter exact dimension numbers in the Transform layer panel and press [Enter] and have them be transformed individually [and proportionally] to the specified dimensions and not relative to each other. Is this possible?

[GarryP]

20 minutes ago, JOleg said:

Is this possible?

No, this (as far as I understand your requirements) is still not possible, as far as I know - but I would be happy to learn otherwise.

[Hjelmstad]

The answer is nearly always to use Inkscape. Inkscape is much better at transformations than affinity is. Tbh over time I am starting to use Inkjscape for everything except colors and typing, because it is more versatile and I think the devs keep track of forums like this and Adobes and simply add every feature that is consistently complained about but absent from either affinity or adobe. For instance blend shape/path, which Affinity still does not have even though it was a roadmap feature since launch, and arrays with transforms and edits that blend across the array at whatever angle you type in.

Affinity also does Isometric grids extremely well. It's still a great program but you should have Inkscape open at the same time. And it is free.