[Designer] Convert Pen Tool form to Selection?

[Angel Luis]

This is a question that I've googled a lot, but the lastest builds of Designer (late 2018) are different and there isn't any "Selection" or "Mask" button into the Pen tool contextual menu. 

[toltec]

15 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

This is a question that I've googled a lot, but the lastest builds of Designer (late 2018) are different and there isn't any "Selection" or "Mask" button into the Pen tool contextual menu. 

I don't think there ever was in Designer, Photo only.

If you fill your path with a colour, you can put it above the image layer and right click, then choose Mask to Below.

You can also Ctrl + click on the filled shape layer's thumbnail, which makes a pixel selection.

Then just click on the image to move the selection focus to that.

The path you draw must have a fill colour, or it won't work!

[Angel Luis]

18 minutes ago, toltec said:

I don't think there ever was in Designer, Photo only.

If you fill your path with a colour, you can put it above the image layer and right click, then choose Mask to Below.

You can also Ctrl + click on the filled shape layer's thumbnail, which makes a pixel selection.

Then just click on the image to move the selection focus to that.

The path you draw must have a fill colour, or it won't work!

I only want to cut a pixel image with the pen form. 

With curves I can perform boolean operations, but with curve-pixel I can't.

So I don't know how to perform this simple action in Designer.

[walt.farrell]

You seem focused on using the pen tool, and converting the shape you draw with the pen to a selection. But if all you need is a selection, there are alternatives.

For example, switch to the Pixel Persona, and use the Freehand Selection tool (Lasso) in Polygon mode. That allows you to click to make a selection just as you could click with the pen tool to make a shape. Then you have the selection directly, and can do whatever you want to with it.

25 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

With curves I can perform boolean operations, but with curve-pixel I can't. 

Correct. You can't do boolean operations on pixel objects, as those operations are for vector objects. If you're going to use pixel objects in Designer you should probably focus on using the pixel persona to operate on them.

[Angel Luis]

3 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

You seem focused on using the pen tool, and converting the shape you draw with the pen to a selection. But if all you need is a selection, there are alternatives.

For example, switch to the Pixel Persona, and use the Freehand Selection tool (Lasso) in Polygon mode. That allows you to click to make a selection just as you could click with the pen tool to make a shape. Then you have the selection directly, and can do whatever you want to with it.

Correct. You can't do boolean operations on pixel objects, as those operations are for vector objects. If you're going to use pixel objects in Designer you should probably focus on using the pixel persona to operate on them.

Yes, I can use the marquee/lasso tools but it's a pain do a selection of a circle with that tools, and the result it's very bad.

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

Yes, I can use the marquee/lasso tools but it's a pain do a selection of a circle with that tools, and the result it's very bad.

For a circle you could use the Free hand selection tool in magnetic mode, but perhaps the Elliptical Marquee tool would be even better.

[Angel Luis]

3 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

For a circle you could use the Free hand selection tool in magnetic mode, but perhaps the Elliptical Marquee tool would be even better.

The result of both tools is very sharper. I want a smooth circle like with the pen. That is the reasen why I want to first use the pen tool for this action.

[toltec]

43 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

Yes, I can use the marquee/lasso tools but it's a pain do a selection of a circle with that tools, and the result it's very bad.

Yes, well do what I said.

Draw the path you want, (fill it with a colour, any colour) then control plus click on the path layer thumbnail. That makes a pixel selection.

Select the image layer and hide the path layer. You are left with a selection on the image.

Add an adjustment layer. That will "mask the adjustment layer to the selection area.

It is slightly harder in Designer than in Photo (two more clicks) because Designer is an Illustration program, not a bitmap editing program like Photo but it is still very easy to do.

 

 

[Angel Luis]

9 minutes ago, toltec said:

Yes, well do what I said.

Draw the path the shape you want (fill it with a colour, any colour) then control plus click on the shape layer thumbnail. That makes a pixel selection.

Select the image layer and hide the path layer. You are left with a selection on the image.

Add an adjustment layer. That will "mask the adjustment layer to the selection area.

It is slightly harder in Designer than in Photo (two more clicks) because Designer is an Illustration program, not a bitmap editing program like Photo but it is still very easy to do.

 

I've followed your tutorial and I've obtained this selection:

Should I work with a larger workspace? As you can see, the selection is too much sharper.

Edit: I've extended the document size, the selection looks less sharper but this is the result:

[toltec]

This is what I get using a path to select the outside

[Angel Luis]

9 minutes ago, toltec said:

This is what I get using a path to select the outside

Using only a elliptical marquee...

I don't know why I have that toothed cut...

[toltec]

21 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

I don't know why I have that sharper cut.

Neither do I.

I just cut this flower out from a black background, drawing a path in Designer, exactly as I described. Nice and smooth?

 

[Angel Luis]

8 minutes ago, toltec said:

Neither do I.

 I just cut this flower out from a black background, drawing a path in Designer, exactly as I described. Nice and smooth?

 

I tried to cut that image and the shape was smooth.

I've uploaded the file.

I only want to cut the glow with the size of the blue circle. But I've tried all the options all the results are toothed.

How to cut this.afdesign

[toltec]

It is because the size is so small. There just aren't enough pixels, so the outline is following the shape of each pixel.

I enlarged your document, made a new selection and this is the result.

You can always make it smaller again.

[Angel Luis]

9 minutes ago, toltec said:

It is because the size is so small. There just aren't enough pixels, so the outline is following the shape of each pixel.

I enlarged your document, made a new selection and this is the result.

You can always make it smaller again.

Now delete the glow with that selection. What is your result? I've extended the document to 20000px and for me still its toothed!

[Angel Luis]

Finally redesigning the pixel to the new resolution it fixes the sharp problem. It's a weird behaviour, maybe a bug?

[toltec]

2 hours ago, Angel Luis said:

Finally redesigning the pixel to the new resolution it fixes the sharp problem. It's a weird behaviour, maybe a bug?

Sorry, had to go out.

Out of curiosity, I used the vector ellipse where you said "where to cut" and set the Layer blend mode to Erase.

See the file.

How to cut this.afdesign

[Angel Luis]

1 hour ago, toltec said:

Sorry, had to go out.

Out of curiosity, I used the vector ellipse where you said "where to cut" and set the Layer blend mode to Erase.

See the file.

How to cut this.afdesign

Very clever approach!

[Polygonius]

BTW: For what exactly the lasso-tool is useful? There are a lot of alternatives to select an item... Each of them seems to beat the lasso in its own way. Even for VERY quick rough selection the qucik-mask is better... So, where has the lasso-tool its unique power, i do not understand its legitimation???? 

[Angel Luis]

2 minutes ago, Polygonius said:

BTW: For what exactly the lasso-tool is useful? There are a lot of alternatives to select an item... Each of them seems to beat the lasso in its own way. Even for VERY quick rough selection the qucik-mask is better... So, where has the lasso-tool its unique power, i do not understand its legitimation???? 

I agree but it's a Photoshop tool so maybe some people can ask for that way to do the things, even if it's the worst way.

[toltec]

8 minutes ago, Angel Luis said:

I agree but it's a Photoshop tool so maybe some people can ask for that way to do the things, even if it's the worst way.

Yes. Some people are totally fixed on pixel selections but, like you, I prefer the accuracy of the Pen Tool.

I do use the Lasso Tool occasionally, but you do need to finish it off with some refining, which often takes longer than drawing a path.

Still, choice is a good thing.

[Angel Luis]

14 minutes ago, toltec said:

Yes. Some people are totally fixed on pixel selections but, like you, I prefer the accuracy of the Pen Tool.

I do use the Lasso Tool occasionally, but you do need to finish it off with some refining, which often takes longer than drawing a path.

Still, choice is a good thing.

I've started to work with vectors since I bought Affinity. I works with Photoshop since 2004 and all that time I've worked always with pixels. For that, sometimes me and a lot of people try to use pixel selection instead of curves and mask tricks. That are better and faster. So for that, thanks to Affinity team for that great (and cheap) tool!

[Polygonius]

2 hours ago, Angel Luis said:

I agree but it's a Photoshop tool so maybe some people can ask for that way to do the things, even if it's the worst way.

Nope. There are SOME things wich does PS better, but there also lot of things which are in AP better. AP should not copy PS, but it should take/"steal" SOME better concepts from PS, instead cooking a "own", but less powerful own-soup.

AFAIK in PS the preset-manager is much more better, especially the brush-manager. Also the UI is more clear. There is no pattern-fill in AP and something other RUDIMENTARY stuff is missing, like personal shapes... Maybe some more, like text-stunts...

But there is also a fresh concept and much more better handling of other things in AP!... No need for smart-objects (most filters are also "adjustments" and you  can transform whenever you need, the filters/adjustmenst are its own mask f you want..... the nest vs. crop option on the fly.... the brsuh/blendmode-preiew... ) each layer is already a kind of "smart object"...

Lot of things does AP better than PS  and lot of things does PS better than AP! .... However, lot of of things does PS better than AP and viceversa. The goal is not to create a clone of PS or AP: The goal is: take the best of booth, in the best and fastest and smoothest... UI, which most comfort and less mouse-ways and clicks and right-clicks and hamburgers (if a fore/back does the job better/faster...)... !