View modes and other suggestions

[jlhopes]

Thank you so much for all your work on this! It is exciting to think we might have a real alternative to Adobe soon!

I use InDesign a lot, and here are a few things I noticed or would like to suggest:

1. One thing I use all the time in ID is being able to switch back and forth between seeing the document marked up with guides, text frames, bleed, etc., and then seeing it in "Preview" mode with no obstructions. ID uses the "W" key for this, which makes it so easy. I noticed that we can use Ctrl-W in Publisher for a similar effect, but having a toggle right in the UI would be nice, too.

2. Another user mentioned this already, but we should be able to see bleed when it's added (and turn it off for a clean preview).

3. The method for making images linked rather than embedded is not really useable for a large document with many images in it. Images should be linked automatically, no embedded automatically, or we need to be able to set a preference for it. And the Resource Manager gives us no ability to get to the linked image in Finder and possibly open it to make changes.

4. In InDesign, when you place a photo or image, you can of course change its size, but you can also move the image around in the frame, and use the frame to crop the image. I do this all the time, it is so useful. Would be nice to have this feature.

5. After placing an image, I can't see how to round the corners or change the shape of the frame at all. I can make a rounded rectangle, but I can't place an image in it.

6. Another useful tool in ID is being able to transform an object by changing its size by a percentage. Not essential, but it's nice.

7. Not sure what's going on with the file size. I've got a single page document with one text box (with effects on it), a couple of simple shapes, and two copies of the same photo (linked), and the file size is 8.6 MB. Seems way too big.

That's all I've picked up on so far. Right now, on the whole, Publisher is feeling rather like Designer with a few extras thrown in for text and multiple pages (and other illustration-oriented features removed). I hope to see it evolve into a full-fledged page layout program! Thanks!

[Patrick Connor]

@jlhopes

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums and thanks for taking the time to give such comprehensive and useful input.

[MikeW]

#1. A key stroke is a keystroke. Maybe it can be customized in Preferences. I dunno as I haven't tried it.

#2 is already in the next release.

#3 This will be a preference, but I dunno which would still be a default action.

#s 4&5

Like in AD, you can nest an image into, in your case, a rounded rectangle and by selecting the rounded rectangle itself in the Layers Panel, you can still adjust the radius of all or any corner.

Likewise, you can select only the image in the Layers Panel and move it around.

 

#6 You can use percentages in the Transform panel.

#7 File sizes in Affinity applications are just an issue altogether. There are stated reasons for this.

[jlhopes]

Thank you for the tips about using layers panel! I see that the contextual toolbar also gives a lot of options. A few more questions:

1. I still don't see any option for using percentages in the Transform panel -- where is that?

2. I can now move an image around in a frame and resize it in the frame. But what if I what to get the image back to its original proportions? How can I do that?

3. It seems that if I turn a layer into a Picture Frame I can get some special options like "Properties". But, should I do this for the frame or the image itself?

4. The Properties dialogue for a Picture Frame doesn't seem to be changing anything -- am I doing something wrong?

5. The contextual toolbar for a Picture Frame has the "Replace Image" button twice (see screenshot)

Many thanks again!

[MikeW]

Percentages. For instance, if I wanted to increase the size of any type of selected item and use percentages, I could make sure the aspect lock is on and then type *150% in the width field, press enter and it is resized by that amount. There is a help file topic about using math expressions and different units in entry fields. So if I wanted to increase the point size of selected text by 8 points, I could enter the following in the text size field: +8. And if I wanted to increase that text by 14 pixels but I am using points in that field, I could use +14px

But I am away from a computer to check if the above is truly correct (except percentages, I did use it when I first posted).

#2 is a problem. There is no means of changing it back to its original state other than manually.

#3 I don't if I have placed something into a "vector" container. No need and it also breaks any connection to a Live Shape if that is what was used.

#4 Hmm. I cannot recall having issues here. But I am away from the laptop and would need to try.

#5 Here too I would need to fire up APub and look. Sorry. I may fail to remember to come back to this thread when I am able to get back on the laptop. So hopefully someone else would chime in.

Take care, Mike