I would like to create a path around a selection as I would do in Photoshop.

[Krolly]

I haven't located a 'paths' pallet. What are paths called and can I turn a selected area into a path and subsequently that path into a clipping path?

In Photoshop I had a path which I was going to convert to a clipping path and save the file as an EPS. My Photoshop expired unexpectedly. I want the possum to overhang the edge of a piece of paper (not the curled on on one of my layers, just an edge) and hold on to it. As I can't find how to retrieve or recreate the clipping path in Affinity Photo and as a hand-drawn clipping path is way better than one generated by software, I've given up trying that. I thought I'd just have to manage some other way.

My problem is I don't know what tools and pallets are called. Is there a glossary of terms so I don't have to spend so much time experimenting and asking dumb questions? I should mention that I have used Photoshop and Illustrator since they originally came out, but while I took ten years off travelling the country, they turned into Creative Cloud and left me behind. I may as well jump ship to Affinity but it's frustrating starting from scratch.

baby ringtail copy 2.psd

baby ringtail copy 2.afphoto

[Gabe]

Hi @Krolly ,

Welcome to the forums. 

I'm not really sure what is it that you want to do. The possum is already on top of the paper piece. 

As for the Paths, we do not have an equivalent. What do you want to achieve exactly? 

Thanks,

Gabe. 

[Krolly]

You've answered my question. No paths. How bizarre. Is there an equivalent for being able to activate a select area. If I draw with the pen tool, is there a way to keep that 'path' for later?

This possum is going to be on the top of a Certificate of Appreciation for vet clinics who help native Australian animals. I want to have it looking real or it will be pretty dumb so I want to come to grips with this  new software.

Thank you for your advice. It breaks my heart the time I put into that path around the possum's fur and whiskers only to lose it all. Beggars can't be choosers.

[Gabe]

Have a look at this: 

Selections and Masking

• Making Selections
• Refining Selections
• Pixel Selections from Layers
• Quick Masks
• Mask Layers
• Exposure Merging
• Clipping vs Masking
• Vector Masking
• Using Adjustment Layers on Masks - YouTube / Vimeo

If you want to keep a selection for layer while using the pen tool you have 3 options: 

• Before you turn the path into a selection or mask, duplicate the layer and hide it. 
• Save the selection using Select > Save Selection
• After you turn your path into a selection, Create a spare channel from the Pixel Selection channel, in the channel studio by Right click on the Pixel Selection channel > Create spare channel. 

  8 minutes ago, Krolly said:

  No paths. How bizarre.

  We do have paths, but not a dedicated View / Studio as PS does.  

[firstdefence]

Control clicking on a layer will create a selection and from that selection you can create a mask.

[toltec]

1 hour ago, Krolly said:

You've answered my question. No paths. How bizarre. Is there an equivalent for being able to activate a select area. If I draw with the pen tool, is there a way to keep that 'path' for later?

Use the Pen Tool to draw a path around the image, then on the Context Toolbar, click on Mask.

That places the image inside a clipping path, which you can edit with the Node Tool.

It keeps the path too.

 

 

 

[MEB]

Hi Krolly,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Affinity Photo is a little different from Photoshop in this regard. As GabrielM said, there's no dedicated path panel but you can still work with paths and perform the same things as in Photoshop. The vector paths are kept as layers in the Layers panel. To do what you want use the Pen Tool to draw the a path around the mouse, then in the Layers panel drag the mouse image layer over the path layer you just created (not over its thumbnail but over the area on the right) to use it as a clipping path.

[Krolly]

Thank you

And when I save that file as an EPS the clipping path will deep etch it out of its background?

 

[hifred]

11 hours ago, MEB said:

Hi Krolly,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Affinity Photo is a little different from Photoshop in this regard. As GrabielM said, there's no dedicated path panel but you can still work with paths and perform the same things as in Photoshop. The vector paths are kept as layers in the Layers panel.

One of the key differences between path based selection in Photoshop and APhoto is that the former convert to pixel based masks, while the latter creates a harsh clipping path. Hence I would not say that one can do the same things with paths as in Photoshop.

I think for the task of creating a good mask for most subjects a pixel conversion makes a lot of sense and is way more flexible. One may continue to use pixel based tools on the mask and use all tools of the Refine Mask toolset. One might see having an editable path as an advantage in Affinity – but then again Photoshop still stores the mask in the Path palette as well.

I very often use the path tool in Photoshop for the somewhat simpler portions of a selection or those which don't have a lot of contrast to the background and combine this preselection with the magic wand for the more complex/hairy areas of the subject. Doing the same in Affinity sure somehow is possible as well  – but it will require workarounds.

[MEB]

Hi hifred,
After creating the path in Affinity Photo you can also convert it to a pixel based mask for further refinement. Click the Selection button in the context toolbar with the Pen Tool selected to convert the path to a selection then click the Mask Layer button on the bottom of the Layers panel to convert the selection to a mask. You will have to duplicate the original path before if you intend to keep it. Maybe we can add a new button in the context toolbar to convert the path directly to a pixel mask.

[hifred]

Thank you MEB :o)

I see this option now – but wow – it's not exactly discoverable (at least for those with a Photoshop background).
Honestly I don't find this hooked up in a convincing way. You should get your pixel mask if you want it and there's
absolutely no point in the tool automatically deleting the path for your convinience ;o).

Only having the path selected with the selection tool or the path tool and pressing the Layer Mask icon should do.

___________________

In the current implementation I run into a bad bug when I execute what you say: As soon as I click the "Selection" button I get an empty layer stack...
There may be some way to get back to a workable state – but I hope that you agree that this dead simple task is made unneccesarily convoluted.

 

[MEB]

Hi hifred,
If you are not interested in the clipping path at all and all you want is a mask from a path do the following:

- create you path with the Pen Tool to get the overall shape
- with the Pen Tool still selected click the Selection button in the context toolbar (you should now have a selection above the image layer);
- go to menu Selection ▸ Refine Edges... or change to any of the selection tools and click the Refine... button in the context toolbar
- refine/adjust the selection with the Refine Selection dialog controls/tools and set the Output dropdown to Mask (on the bottom). Click the Apply button.

You should end up with a mask nested to the image. You don't have to use the Refine Selection dialog if you don't want it: from the second step simply click the Mask Layer button on the bottom of the Layers panel and adjust the mask with the usual brush tools.

[hifred]

Thanks again, this is better and I have to admit that I initially hadn't even looked in the context toolbar .
That toolbar simply isn't where a Photoshop user would expect that functionality (and that damn toolbar is too far away for my lazy hands anyway).

It would be nice to be able to skip converting to selection when one wants to create a mask anyway (so clicking the Mask Icon with the path selected should suffice).
For selection only there should be a more direct way in situ, such as a context menu entry. Missing. Even better was clicking the path with the last modifier
key combo which isn't taken yet...  

Having that conversion only work from within the path tool also doesn't make sense to me.
The selection tool should work as well, otherwise one hides a simple functionality for no proper reason.

And what's the point in automatically deleting the path?
Keeping it and turning it off (or making this behaviour configurable) sounds friendlier to me.

Just sayin... Cheers!