Best way to make knockout text partially overlapped with solid background

[lineweight]

I'm using Affinity Photo (maybe I should be doing this in Designer?)

Is there a 'correct' or cleanest way to non-destructively generate what I've shown above?

The way I've done it is

group (a): the grey block with the text on top of it in an 'erase' blend mode

group (b): the text in grey, with a block on top of it in 'erase' blend mode to chop off the top

and then I manually align group (a) on top of group (b).

That's a rubbish way to do it though, because it relies on me aligning the two parts by eye and if I want to change the text, I have to change two copies of it.

What I really want is a blend mode that inverts 'grey' and 'transparent' so I can just place the text on top of the grey block and get the above result.

Any suggestions?

 

[Pšenda]

8 hours ago, lineweight said:

aligning the two parts by eye

Use snapping, alignment is easy and accurate.

 

8 hours ago, lineweight said:

I have to change two copies of it.

It would use the Symbol for this (ADe), but unfortunately also copies his Blend mode.

It is a pity that Symbols can not set which properties and parameters are to be synchronized.

[lepr]

.

 

[lineweight]

17 minutes ago, >|< said:

Use a nondestructive Boolean: select the shape and the text and then alt-click the Combine command.

Perfect - exactly what I need! That will save me quite a lot of work today. thank you!

[lineweight]

As a matter of interest is there a similar thing that will work with pixel rather than vector layers?

[lepr]

.

[lineweight]

2 hours ago, >|< said:

Affinity apps lack the blending mode, typically named XOR (meaning exclusive or), which is equivalent to the Combine Boolean.

 

Ah, ok, thanks. That clarifies that I can't achieve this using blending modes in Affinity.

[toltec]

Hi @lineweight 

If you create a compound layer of the shape and the text.

In the compound layer, click on the small Boolean indication icon and you can choose Xor

The text remains fully editable at all times.

 

[lepr]

.

 

[toltec]

13 minutes ago, >|< said:

@toltec, I showed that Boolean solution hours ago.

It's a XOR blending mode (that could be used for any type of object/layer, not just vectors) that's missing from Affinity apps.

 

Quite right. But using Add and Xor instead of Combine might be useful too.

Combine seems a bit 'unnatural' for text and a shape. Still it works well 

[lepr]

.

[toltec]

Oh yes.

I need more coffee 

[JimmyJack]

6 hours ago, lineweight said:

As a matter of interest is there a similar thing that will work with pixel rather than vector layers?

Maybe more sleight (corrected. Thanks Alfred) of hand.... but it does work .
(the group needs a Color or Gradient overlay FX, so this won't work over an image... But you did specify a solid background )

 

 

knockout pixel text.afdesign

[Alfred]

2 hours ago, toltec said:

I need more coffee 

7 minutes ago, JimmyJack said:

Maybe more slight of hand.... but it does work .

*sleight