graduation tools

[ianrb]

I'm thinking this is my first real rant about Affinity; so all up I must be liking it

BUT! Why does Affinity make basic masking so damn hard just like Adobe does?!!
In Lr; its just so easy to click on the grad tool icon >drag the bars to wherever >add numerous adjustments >click new >add another grad somewhere else >click new >add adjustments ............................ . And that's in the older Lr5 --- I believe the later versions are far better!
In On1 is very similar with the added bonus of having the masking bug to edit adjustments in layers; and then copy + paste those easy to edit masks into other layers . The On1 way is great Imo; when it works

Surely there is a better Affinity way for adding basic adjustment graduation masks in layers -- I very seldom use Ap develop . Btw; I gave up with the adobe grad tool many years ago
Please tell me I'm missing something!! Just like Affinity is also missing a good layers adjustment brush  
Rant over; sorry 

Next; I have not been able to find a layer mask overlay. Is there one? Where; and how? 
Cheers

[firstdefence]

51 minutes ago, ianrb said:

Next; I have not been able to find a layer mask overlay. Is there one? Where; and how? 

You can press Q (Quick Mask) to get a red overlay.

I get the rant, it can be frustrating when logic, useful functions don't exist, or don't work as expected in an app, but do in another app. The problem is Affinity can't just knock on Adobes door and ask for all their secrets lol! Adobe are also in a continual bug fixing feature improvement cycle, so its not as if they have achieved App Nirvana. Affinity have to start from the ground up get features to work then send it out into the field and wait for the flak and bug finding. Some might say why release a feature that still has bugs, but, they cannot account for the myriad of scenarios the feature will be used in and the systems that it will be used on, beta testing can get rid of a lot of that but there will always be someone who uses that feature in an unexpected way and finds a fault. 

I think Adobe has somewhere in the region of 15000 staff whereas Serif have I think about 80, of those 80 only so many will be programmers/coders,

Say in an Epic voiceover man voice
"Epic men and women, striving for the beautiful code, the holy grail of binary, an 0 and a 1 in perfect harmony, drinking copious amounts of Cuke and wearing out a keyboard a day, these binary heroes, the coders of Affinity, brain-storming at Mensa level meetings, to bring us Epic Affinityness"

[ianrb]

15 hours ago, firstdefence said:

 

Quote

You can press Q (Quick Mask) to get a red overlay.

Thanks for the reply --- I sort of knew about "Q" but I have been looking for something without the marching ants if you get my idea. I will look into our Q mate a bit more . 

I fully understand that Adobe is the big mob; but I like to give to little mobs ago .
IMO; adobe has been ripping us off years!

I have been rather vocal against those users expecting the smaller and newer programs to be clones of Adobe -- On1 copped a lot of that; possible as it was sold as 'the' replacement for Lr.   
I feel the "all in one program" for those into the more advanced digital photography and editing is still a pipe dream. I look to Affinity as an alternative; or more likely a replacement for Ps. 

Back to the rant, but not ranting lol. I was trying to say was Affinity needs to look away from the Adobe Ps way for the graduation tools. I have always found it complicated -- something made before there were better ways and never changed . Lr5/On1 have so easy to use grad tools and masks.
Keep in mind I haven't used or really needed more than PsCs3 / elements 12 / Lr5 so I'm not comparing to the newer Adobe stuff.  $$$$$, time, and frustration wise; I would be have been better to stay offline with Lr5/Pse12/Nic. But who doesn't like new toys?

Perhaps we are too demanding, and need to stop to think just how much digital editing programs can do  and how quickly they can do it when we expect a program to do something extra  . Damn amazing really when compared the darkrooms.