Placing Designer and Photo files into Publisher

[Petar Petrenko]

Hi,

I don't know if these are bugs, request for new features or maybe done by design, so please put this topic in the appropriate forum.

1. Files from Designer or Photo placed into Publisher are shown flattened -- just without layers. What if there is a need to put several instances of the same file on different pages and show/hide some layers or effects? Do we have to have as many files as we need?
2. I placed three images into Publisher, selected them and tried to apply a "New Adjustment Layer" but it was applied only to the first placed image. Is this a bug?

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Files from Designer or Photo placed into Publisher are shown flattened -- just without layers. What if there is a need to put several instances of the same file on different pages and show/hide some layers or effects? Do we have to have as many files as we need?

If you mean using File > Place, the placed files should be shown in the Layers panel with either a "(Linked Document)" or "(Embedded Document)" suffix, depending on the File > Document Setup > Image Replacement Policy setting. At least in the current Mac Pub beta, linked documents are not working correctly -- they are embedded even though shown as linked in the Layers panel.

Just like with embedded document layers in Designer or Photo, to edit the contents select & then double-click on the layer in the document window. The layer will open in a new window or tab with all of its layers available. It will be titled "<Embedded>" (or maybe "<Linked>" when that is working correctly). Make your edits there & then close the tab or window. The changes will be shown in the Affinity Publisher document.

For more than one instance on different pages, much like in Designer you could make the first instance a Symbol & place other instances of the symbol on other pages  or on the same page. Alternately, copy the embedded/linked layer & paste that wherever you want.

4 hours ago, Petar Petrenko said:

I placed three images into Publisher, selected them and tried to apply a "New Adjustment Layer" but it was applied only to the first placed image. Is this a bug?

Can't say if this is a bug or not without more info. Are all 3 placed images on the same page? Are they shown as "(Image)" layers, "(Pixel)" layers, or something else? If on the same page, are they grouped or nested in some way that the adjustment would be applied to all of them like in Designer?

Basically, does this behave like it would in Designer or not?

[Petar Petrenko]

11 minutes ago, R C-R said:

If you mean using File > Place, the placed files should be shown in the Layers panel with either a "(Linked Document)" or "(Embedded Document)" suffix, depending on the File > Document Setup > Image Replacement Policy setting. At least in the current Mac Pub beta, linked documents are not working correctly -- they are embedded even though shown as linked in the Layers panel.

Just like with embedded document layers in Designer or Photo, to edit the contents select & then double-click on the layer in the document window. The layer will open in a new window or tab with all of its layers available. It will be titled "<Embedded>" (or maybe "<Linked>" when that is working correctly). Make your edits there & then close the tab or window. The changes will be shown in the Affinity Publisher document.

For more than one instance on different pages, much like in Designer you could make the first instance a Symbol & place other instances of the symbol on other pages  or on the same page. Alternately, copy the embedded/linked layer & paste that wherever you want.

Can't say if this is a bug or not without more info. Are all 3 placed images on the same page? Are they shown as "(Image)" layers, "(Pixel)" layers, or something else? If on the same page, are they grouped or nested in some way that the adjustment would be applied to all of them like in Designer?

Basically, does this behave like it would in Designer or not?

1. I didn't mention linking or embedding...
2. or double clicking.
3. Symbol from a picture/Image? With all layers (if existed)?
4. Images are on the same page, as images not pixels, not grouped, not nested.

[R C-R]

23 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

1. I didn't mention linking or embedding...
2. or double clicking.

Which is why I did. For either placed linked or embedded document layers, to edit their content, you must select the layer & then double-click on it. In this respect it is just like embedded document layers in Photo or Designer.

Symbols work just like in Designer. They can contain vector object, pixel, or Image layers, etc.

Adjustment layers also work just like in Designer. Try it for yourself: select 2 or more ungrouped layers in Designer of any kind (shape, pixel, image, whatever) & choose an adjustment from the Layer > New Adjustment Layer menu. Do the same in the Affinity Publisher beta. In either app, the adjustment layer will only be applied to one of the selected layers.

Since all these things work the same in the Pub beta as in the Designer retail app, I think it is reasonably safe to assume they are not bugs.

[Petar Petrenko]

Try this:

1. Add an adjustment layer to a picture and save it as Photo file.
2. Place it in Publisher.
3. Duplicate it.
4. Double click on any of them and uncheck the layer effect.

As you see you get the same on the other picture, which I don't want.

[Petar Petrenko]

About the second example with three pictures:

How you can apply an adjustment layer effect at once on 2 or more selected pictures? Not one by one.

[R C-R]

14 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Try this:

1. Add an adjustment layer to a picture and save it as Photo file.
2. Place it in Publisher.
3. Duplicate it.
4. Double click on any of them and uncheck the layer effect.

As you see you get the same on the other picture, which I don't want.

Try the same thing in Photo & in Designer. All three apps behave exactly the same way in this respect, which is why I think it is reasonably safe to assume they are not bugs.

16 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

About the second example with three pictures:

How you can apply an adjustment layer effect at once on 2 or more selected pictures? Not one by one.

The same way as in Designer, for example by grouping the layers & adding the adjustment layer to the group.

[Petar Petrenko]

4 hours ago, R C-R said:

1. Try the same thing in Photo & in Designer. All three apps behave exactly the same way in this respect, which is why I think it is reasonably safe to assume they are not bugs.

2. The same way as in Designer, for example by grouping the layers & adding the adjustment layer to the group.

1. So, if I have to put more copies of the same picture with different layers, I need to make the same number of files, instead of showing/hiding layers of only one picture?

2. Hmm, I don't find it logical, but... OK. I'll try to survive somehow.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Petar Petrenko said:

1. So, if I have to put more copies of the same picture with different layers, I need to make the same number of files, instead of showing/hiding layers of only one picture?

2. Hmm, I don't find it logical, but... OK. I'll try to survive somehow.

1. If you don't need independently editable copies, you can use Symbols for that (& reduce file size, just like in Designer). If you do, maybe detaching or un-syncing the symbol instances would work for that, but I have not tried it so try it for yourself if you want. Otherwise, I think you probably do need to make copies, each with a different name, & place each of them in the APub document. Note that some of this might change by the time the retail version is available for purchase, & that the beta is not meant for production work.

2. It is no more or less logical than the way it works in Designer. Adjustment layers can be applied to groups, which affect only the items in the group, applied to just one layer, or to everything in the layer stack below the adjustment layer. AFAIK, it has always worked like that in Designer, so it should not be too surprising that it works the same way in APub.