Odd results with Outline Layer Effect using the inside alignment option

[R C-R]

This feels like a bug but I suspect I am just missing something that should be obvious:

If it is not obvious, the blue outline set to inside alignment is outside the black stroke. Moreover, if I remove the shape's yellow fill, for all 3 alignment options the outline extends to both inside & outside the stroke, & only how far it extends changes when I vary the alignment. This is happening in both Affinity Designer & Affinity Photo, with any shape, which makes me think I just don't understand how it is supposed to work.

Outline fx inside alignment.afdesign

[firstdefence]

The Outline is Inside the stroke by 5px, if you increase the size of the outline it will reduce the width of the stroke until you get to 15px and then the outline will overrun the stroke and obliterate it. I suppose the assumption is that the outline starts at the fill edge not the stroke outer edge, but it is correct as far as I can see.

Also removing the Stroke moves the Outline to the edge of the fill and overlaps it by 5px so again that is correct.

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, firstdefence said:

The Outline is Inside the stroke by 5px ...

Maybe I am just being dumber than I usually am but what I see is that the blue outline is not inside the black stroke, it is outside it.

4 hours ago, firstdefence said:

I suppose the assumption is that the outline starts at the fill edge not the stroke outer edge, but it is correct as far as I can see.

The stroke is aligned to center & not set to draw behind the fill, so I do not see how that is a reasonable assumption if "Alignment > Inside" is supposed to start at the fill edge & extend inside the shape. But even if I set the stroke to align to inside, the blue outline remains outside the black stroke & has the same 5 px outside border. Odder still, if I set the stroke to outside alignment, I get this:

4 hours ago, firstdefence said:

Also removing the Stroke moves the Outline to the edge of the fill and overlaps it by 5px so again that is correct.

That is the only time the outline aligned to inside makes sense to me. In every case with a stroke, the outline is not completely inside the stroke & expands the size of the object, so I still do not see how this is correct.

Basically, the outline is applied to the stroke, which sort of makes sense, except that if that is true then it should have no effect at all if there is no stroke.

[firstdefence]

The Outline when set to "Inner" is being placed inside the stroke width, it starts at the outer (external) edge of the stroke and moves in 5px, this is true whether the stroke is set to inner or centre lined.

 

The unexpected behaviour starts when you set the Stroke to Outer Align. When this is set and Outline fx is set to Inner and applied, the Outline is applied to both edges of the stroke and moved 5px inwards from the outer edges of the stroke and it is also applied to the Fill.

Setting the Outline fx to Outer applies the Outline correctly and setting the Outline fx to Centre applies an Outline to both edges of the stroke and aligns them centrally to the edge of the stroke.

 

[Dan C]

2 hours ago, firstdefence said:

The unexpected behaviour starts when you set the Stroke to Outer Align. When this is set and Outline fx is set to Inner and applied, the Outline is applied to both edges of the stroke and moved 5px inwards from the outer edges of the stroke and it is also applied to the Fill.

This is a confirmed bug that I've logged with development this morning, thanks guys!

[R C-R]

12 minutes ago, Dan C said:

This is a confirmed bug that I've logged with development this morning, thanks guys!

So what I understand from this discussion is that the Outline fx should always be applied to the stroke of the object rather than to the overall object itself. But if that is true then why, if I set the object's stroke to "Align Stroke to Inside" and to "Draw behind fill," does setting the Outline fx Alignment to "inside" do anything? 

IOW, if the stroke is behind the fill & aligned to its inside edge, why isn't the Outline completely hidden?

[lepr]

.

[John Rostron]

Could you not get the same visual effect by duplicating the base stroke, then setting the lower one (in the stack)  to blue and 20p, then the upper one to black and 10px?

John