PurpleCrayon Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Hi, I use Affinity Photo for painting mainly, so I need to pick a color from the canvas all the time. With current version (1.6.12) there’s no easy reliable way to just keep picking color as you paint. There should be a button you tap and then select (zoomed) with the Pencil the color. Now there are only ways through going into the menu (or with a finger but that’s not reliable and without zoom). There are 3 ways I know of picking colors (labeled in the attached photo). #3 is the simplest of the 3, but still isn’t good enough. In the brush mode, tapping on the color (from bottom pannel), pops up the color wheel which blocks central part of the screen, now tapping and dragging the dropper icon to pick the color but half the screen is obstructed. And why the extra taps? The #2 way (labeled in the photo) seems most promising, but it doesn’t have zoom, and doesn’t work reliably because there’s a bug that makes it just stop functioning after using it 2 or 3 times. Could you please fix this way and give it a zoom? We really need a quick way to pick colors! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Gabe Posted January 29, 2019 Staff Share Posted January 29, 2019 Hi @PurpleCrayon, Not really sure what bug you're trying to describe. If you give us more information, we can have a look for you. All 3 methods have a "zoom circle" when you sample. You can also tap-hold-drag with one finger on the canvas to sample without switching the brush tool. Thanks, Gabe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCrayon Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 5 hours ago, GabrielM said: Hi @PurpleCrayon, Not really sure what bug you're trying to describe. If you give us more information, we can have a look for you. All 3 methods have a "zoom circle" when you sample. You can also tap-hold-drag with one finger on the canvas to sample without switching the brush tool. Thanks, Gabe. Hi Gabe, Thank you for the reply. I forgot to mention that tap and hold method you mentioned. Basically all these methods except #3 I referenced in the picture involve using the finger. I’d rather use the Pencil as even with zoom, it’s hard to sample from exact place. Pencil is a much better/precise tool. Tap and hold to sample was possible in previous versions, but was removed. Not sure about the reasons, but would it be possible to have a Sample toggle icon somewhere (always visible) that instantly activates the Pencil as a sampler? Basically in the picture, the dropper from way #3, could you take it out and place it on the always-visible menu? Oh, and there it doesn’t behave as the finger - where the center under the finger is shown in the zoom preview, which is the much preferred way of course. So please make the tip of the Pencil be what’s actually sampled (and previewed in zoom circle) In other words, be able to just tap something once, sample color with a Pencil, upon releasing the Pencil color is picked, and you continue painting, without going into menus and breaking the workflow. This way the app would be perfect, as with painting it’s all about the quick workflow. Really love Affinity Photo and always recommend it for painting! Thanks! P.S. The (possible) bug I mentioned with the way #2 is insignificant because it uses finger, and the fourth way you mentioned already does this better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Gabe Posted January 30, 2019 Staff Share Posted January 30, 2019 We have changed tap-hold to tap-hold-drag because it was interfering with short pauses while painting. However, you still have not described the bug though. Have a look at the top of this page for instructions on how to report a bug: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/38-bugs-in-affinity-designer-affinity-photo/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCrayon Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 Hi Gabriel, after checking a few times, turns out what I mentioned above to be a bug is not a bug at all, it’s another type of functionality. It makes the current color brighter/darker. So no bug, user error But regarding the color picker, do you know if it’s planned to make it simpler? I understand how it might have been not optimal previously (though I got along with it) For now, picking color with finger is too imprecise. And with Pencil too many taps. Would it be possible to implement a better way with the Pencil? One idea I have is, some sort of always visible button that when you tap, Pencil turns into the color picker. I think everyone who uses Affinity Photo for painting would greatly appreciate this. It would improve workflow immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1 Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Picking colour with finger is precise. It brings up a Zoom circle that you move around by sliding your finger over the screen to position the selection cursor (centre of zoom window) over the desired colour pixel.. Probably more accurate that a pencil tap. 73DBBAE3-DC2D-4A77-BE8A-1B086418A16D.MP4 Gabe 1 Quote M1 IPad Air 10.9/256GB lpadOS 17.1.1 Apple Pencil (2nd gen). Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Affinity Design 1.10.5 Affinity Publisher 2, Affinity Designer 2, Affinity Photo 2 and betas. Official Online iPad Help documents (multi-lingual) here: https://affinity.https://affinity.help/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCrayon Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 @DM1 It’s not clear from the video that it’s imprecise because the video doesn’t show the finger obscuring the location. See the image I’ve attached where there are three bells of same size, and I’m using my pinky to select the color from one of them. It’s unclear as to the location where the color is being sampled from because the pinky is covering the entire bell. I think it’s common sense that pointing at a particular location with the Pencil tip and getting a zoom preview circle of where the Pencil tip is ponting, would be the most precise way, wouldn’t you agree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1 Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Having experienced the earlier version where the pencil activated the zoom, I prefer the current implementation. Perhaps the developers could add a little more space between the zoom circle and the finger, if that’s possible. The small square in the centre of the zoom window is the selection point and seems easy to see. Quote M1 IPad Air 10.9/256GB lpadOS 17.1.1 Apple Pencil (2nd gen). Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Affinity Design 1.10.5 Affinity Publisher 2, Affinity Designer 2, Affinity Photo 2 and betas. Official Online iPad Help documents (multi-lingual) here: https://affinity.https://affinity.help/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Gabe Posted February 5, 2019 Staff Share Posted February 5, 2019 I'm not really sure why you're saying is not precise. The area below our finger is maximised in that circle. DM1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCrayon Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 @GabrielM that’s not a realistic example, plus you’re using a screen capture. There is no finger in the screen capture obstructing the view. Just load up any photo or a painting and try to sample the color with a finger. You can take a photo of your finger on the iPad same way I did if you believe that my example was misleading somehow. But I’m sure you will get the same result as I. A finger covers too much of an area underneath it, so a person doesn’t know where exactly he’s pointing. And the preview zooms in too much to be able to tell where exactly you are. This makes it imprecise. Is it good enough for some people? Perhaps. The fact remains - Pencil is a much more precise tool just as for painting, so too for color picking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Gabe Posted February 6, 2019 Staff Share Posted February 6, 2019 Got it! I will move this to feature requests as it's not a bug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCrayon Posted February 6, 2019 Author Share Posted February 6, 2019 25 minutes ago, GabrielM said: Got it! I will move this to feature requests as it's not a bug. Thanks! Appreciate it! Feel free to delete “has a bug, plus” portion from the original post title, so as not to confuse the reader (couldn’t find a way to do it myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.