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[ADe] Select same color / fill / stroke / appearance


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9 hours ago, k_au said:

wow, 11 pages! and I read them all to add another +1 ;)

 

Haha, yeah I skipped a hell of a lot to get here.

+1 for   Find & Replace

I wouldn’t even mind if global colours didn’t come to iPad for a good while - providing this suggested feature at least makes it to desktop first.

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Dear developer team,

Also I am really missing a this basic selection tool that would make my live so much easier. I often work with figures coming from different scientific programs and cleaning and unifying those up takes a lot of work as one has to chase all instances of a certain color, line thickness etc by hand... I am also sure that every graphical designer who change their mind mid-design would really be grateful for this feature.

Thanks for considering,

Lars

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On 7/11/2019 at 8:47 PM, spez said:

Haha, yeah I skipped a hell of a lot to get here. 

+1 for   Find & Replace

I wouldn’t even mind if global colours didn’t come to iPad for a good while - providing this suggested feature at least makes it to desktop first.

Hi community yep I skipped a lot too, to get to here.

Affinity Team, I understand your small and I love AD, AP, APUB, but is there an update for this thread other than "Ready when it's Ready"?

5 years seems like a hell of a loooong time & it seems there's a lot of professionals here requesting it.

+1

Motto - STUPID HURTS!

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On 6/19/2019 at 8:08 AM, JGD said:

But I'm not getting nearly the level of response I expected, considering the relationship I have with Serif (and which I'm not allowed to discuss with anyone but themselves but, suffice to say, if I'm ignored in this fashion, I can only imagine how other users' requests are considered).

Hi @JGD, what relationship are you referring to?

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Just now, robinp said:

While @JGD writes a novel in response (I mean this in a friendly way), maybe you could provide an update on the actual issue being discussed?

There isn't much of an update to give unfortunately. We've just shipped version 1.7 and now we're working out what should come next.

Despite what some of the posts in this thread have suggested, we do listen, and we do implement features and changes as suggested by our users. Designer was first released 5 years ago, and since then people have been receiving free features and bug fixes, many of which had been requested and debated on this forum ahead of time. We think that's pretty fair.

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25 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

There isn't much of an update to give unfortunately. We've just shipped version 1.7 and now we're working out what should come next.

Despite what some of the posts in this thread have suggested, we do listen, and we do implement features and changes as suggested by our users. Designer was first released 5 years ago, and since then people have been receiving free features and bug fixes, many of which had been requested and debated on this forum ahead of time. We think that's pretty fair.

I don't think I'm one who has suggested you don't listen. However, this request has been around for 5 years and it is a most basic of feature for a vector editing / creation tool. It is really concerning that despite this, it is still MIA.

edit: @Mark Ingram, maybe this is a chance to prove that Serif does listen?

Edited by robinp
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4 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

There isn't much of an update to give unfortunately. We've just shipped version 1.7 and now we're working out what should come next.

Despite what some of the posts in this thread have suggested, we do listen, and we do implement features and changes as suggested by our users. Designer was first released 5 years ago, and since then people have been receiving free features and bug fixes, many of which had been requested and debated on this forum ahead of time. We think that's pretty fair.

Quote

...people have been receiving free features and bug fixes, many of which had been requested and debated on this forum ahead of time. We think that's pretty fair.

Yeah, right, since we are paying customers.

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we do listen, and we do implement features suggested...Designer was first released 5 years ago

 *looks at thread life* - Sure ok, I guess we can take your word for it

Quote

We've just shipped version 1.7 and now we're working out what should come next.

Is this feature being discussed next, Yes or No?

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10 minutes ago, robinp said:

I don't think I'm one who has suggested you don't listen. However, this request has been around for 5 years and it is a most basic of feature for a vector editing / creation tool. It is really concerning that despite this, it is still MIA.

And, for example, have they developed this instead of the Artboard Tool, I would have had a lot of troubles some years ago for a very specific need in my job.

I’m not saying that I am more important, just telling you what happened in my case.

Best regards!

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3 minutes ago, QuietDesign said:

Is this feature being discussed next, Yes or No?

I dare to say “Yes” and also adding “but not immediately”.

Best regards!

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1 minute ago, Mithferion said:

And, for example, have they developed this instead of the Artboard Tool, I would have had a lot of troubles some years ago for a very specific need in my job.

I’m not saying that I am more important, just telling you what happened in my case.

Best regards!

You will notice that no where did I say that other important features have not been rolled out in this time.

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2 hours ago, robinp said:

I don't think I'm one who has suggested you don't listen. However, this request has been around for 5 years and it is a most basic of feature for a vector editing / creation tool. It is really concerning that despite this, it is still MIA.

Many would agree.

Honestly though, I'm fascinated at the hope shown in the posts here, and over such an extended period of time. It's clear that despite the many protestations, Serif and the AD team will not or cannot expedite this request.

Seriously, as a AD fanboy I have arrived at the position of having to work with what I have in it whilst contemplating the unfathomable—Adobe CC.

In part I kinda feel for you guys who need this functionality, TBH I do not depend on it, but there are several other features that I am hoping deeply AD will deliver, yesterday.

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Just now, robinp said:

You will notice that no where did I say that other important features have not been rolled out in this time.

I know, but sadly, we can’t have all the Features at the same time. And it’s a matter of coincidence if the way it has been developed works for you.

Best regards!

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1 minute ago, Mithferion said:

I know, but sadly, we can’t have all the Features at the same time. And it’s a matter of coincidence if the way it has been developed works for you.

Best regards!

You're really missing the point of this thread and the current discussion. If you think it is coincidental that would suggest Serif are completely out of control which I do not believe. There MUST be a thought process behind not delivering this feature after all this time. Given a) how basic this is, and b) the length of time it's been requested, you really have to wonder whether it is even a feature they EVER plan on adding.

If it is coming one day then they should just say that. If it is never coming then they should say that too. 

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18 minutes ago, Mithferion said:

And, for example, have they developed this instead of the Artboard Tool, I would have had a lot of troubles some years ago for a very specific need in my job.

I’m not saying that I am more important, just telling you what happened in my case.

Best regards!

Implementing this would take approx. 3 hours if the document object model is done correctly.

Implementing an Arboard system is a bit more complex.

You're comparing apples and oranges there.

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1 minute ago, robinp said:

If you think it is coincidental that would suggest Serif are completely out of control which I do not believe. There MUST be a thought process behind not delivering this feature after all this time.

The "thought process" was just that we prioritised other features ahead of this one. We realise this feature is important to a lot of customers (and potential customers).

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1 minute ago, Mark Ingram said:

The "thought process" was just that we prioritised other features ahead of this one. We realise this feature is important to a lot of customers (and potential customers).

I think part of the problem here is that it is such a basic feature that you have many many customers who probably would still be potential customers had they known AD doesn't have it.

It's like having a word processor without a find tool, ie unconscionable in 2019.

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34 minutes ago, robinp said:

You're really missing the point of this thread and the current discussion. If you think it is coincidental that would suggest Serif are completely out of control which I do not believe. There MUST be a thought process behind not delivering this feature after all this time. Given a) how basic this is, and b) the length of time it's been requested, you really have to wonder whether it is even a feature they EVER plan on adding.

If it is coming one day then they should just say that. If it is never coming then they should say that too. 

And you are missing some statements made in the Forums, one being that they plan to add it.

Now, as Mark said: they have prioritized other Features, and while you can argue that it's a bad move on their part, and to some extent you are right, the previous statement still remains: they plan to add it.

 

28 minutes ago, CLC said:

Implementing this would take approx. 3 hours if the document object model is done correctly.

Implementing an Arboard system is a bit more complex.

You're comparing apples and oranges there.

The comparison is being done for another purpose, not for the inherent complexity of the Features. 

Best regards!

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27 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

We realise this feature is important to a lot of customers (and potential customers).

And it'd be wise to stress enought, internally, the importance of this for a wider audience, and one with more demanding needs.

Best regards!

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7 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi @JGD, what relationship are you referring to?

Aha! Finally, some sort of answer. No need for novels. Do you want me to upload the NDA you had me sign, or is that against the rules it contains itself? Maybe there's thousands of us, yes, but in a sea of millions, we are indeed “special” by any measure, because we are indeed a 1%-ish minority of users.

By the way, ask your PR department to do a search on your e-mail servers for “João Gomes”, my real name. You'll see some of it is interesting, and some of it is rather… sad. And not through any fault of my own (other than writing big texts, I guess, but I stand by what I've always said, that your own employees should be held up to a higher standard here in the forums than your end-users).

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43 minutes ago, JGD said:

Do you want me to upload the NDA you had me sign, or is that against the rules it contains itself? 

'Disclosure of any details relating to Beta Test programs, to any party (outside of other registered beta test participants and Serif (Europe) Limited or Serif, Inc. personnel) is prohibited. Discussion, or comments about, the contents of Beta software program(s), Beta Test feedback or discussions, and software documentation in public (to mean any place where those who are not registered Serif Beta Testers may learn of details of the software program(s)) is prohibited'.

My NDA is from 2012 so has run out but i'm assuming these are the same rules?

BETA testing prior to Affinity was all closed for their software.

Maybe these Wikipedia links might be useful in the grand scheme of things: Serif Europe & DrawPlus

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57 minutes ago, JGD said:

Do you want me to upload the NDA you had me sign

 

1 minute ago, summersara said:

My NDA is from 2012 so has run out but i'm assuming these are the same rules?

Ah yes, those NDAs are from the Plus range beta testing period, they aren't applicable any longer. The beta tests for the Affinity range of products are done completely differently now.

 

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7 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

 

Ah yes, those NDAs are from the Plus range beta testing period, they aren't applicable any longer. The beta tests for the Affinity range of products are done completely differently now.

 

Actually, no, Mark, my NDA is much more recent than that (I knew of Plus way before Affinity was even a thing; you know, back when I sent you an e-mail right after Adobe went to a CC-only business model, basically predicting Affinity and betting, yet again, on the right “horse”, without even knowing it… but, deep down, I knew). In fact, I believe it's probably still ongoing, and that's why I never go into any details here (duh). Check for “João Gomes” on your NDA contract archive as well, then.

So, to recap, since I seem to have got your attention: yes, apparently I was such a dedicated and… I dunno, insightful user (i'm just assuming that should be part of the criteria for picking out people) that I was invited to sign one of those things. Time and time again I apologised profusely for not having contributed as much as I should have, because of that infamous MA thesis which sucked the better part of three years of my life. I am, however, willing and trying to make up for lost time, even if belatedly. The only reason I wasn't a more dedicated user was, well, for personal reasons, and I will always do whatever mea culpa I must. But no more than that.

You see, things took a turn for the worst recently and, as I've said, through no fault of my own (or maybe because of my early expectations from Affinity; then again, maybe it's your marketing message that's a bit too good to be true; as for my long posts, well, I'd rather reserve my summarisation abilities – which I do have – for all the character/word-limited academic stuff I'll have to write for the next four years of my life).

Succinctly put, I became increasingly disillusioned with Affinity apps, especially Designer (first it was the little nagging buts/zits, like tabbing between fields lacking polish, the Separated Mode being grossly un-Mac-like, etc., and then it escalated to me realising the document model was so borked I couldn't actually work with the app even for moderately complex documents).

But the real pièce de résistance was having your head of QA publicly insulting my intelligence here in your forums, as if I didn't understand the faintest bit about business models. Yeah, that really took the cake. I responded directly, right then and there, and afterwards informed your PR team, as well as your customer support via e-mail, and to this day… zilch. Absolutely zero response.

Put two and two together, and what do you get?

You see, if one of your users is kind of a pain – like me (heh), except full-out rude and disrespectful –, you can always kick them out. It's only one customer, after all.

If one of those users happens to be “a bit of an influencer” but is still in the wrong, well… It's not good, because you still lose them and whoever he may have influence upon, but at least it's contained-ish (depends; in my case, it could really be rather bad, even if I was a total idiot).

If, on the other hand, one of your employees publicly butts heads with a user, any user, that's really bad. If that user is one of the aforementioned type, and is a bit in the right (for all the well-deserved joking about the size of my posts, I still get support from other users in the forums, so clearly I'm not talking complete idiocy here), that's doubly so. And if it's a user who has a contractual obligation towards you (and I surely hoped to both maintain it and actually reinforce my end of the deal once I got more free time, which I finally did), that's triply so (unless, of course, there's so many of us lining up for the taking that you can just afford to consider the ones you already have as expendable and send out more invites; I mean, it's your company, you hold all the data and the cards, so do whatever you please and feel to be right).

Now, besides having that “special relationship” with you (to quote a very British diplomatic term), I warned you several times that I am a bit of a tech influencer around my area, and am also working my derrière off to become a design teacher (I already am, though it's a bit of a work-in-progress to become a full-time one – like, you know, doing a 3-year-long PhD programme… – , but I am indeed friends with several teachers and acquainted with many more already). Is that arrogant of me to say? I dunno man. But whether you like it or not, it's a fact, if I'm successful it won't change any day soon, and it does colour the entire experience for both parties.

For all my self-centredness, I'm more altruistic than you might think, and I will always, until the day I expire, put the interests of my students first, and if I'm telling you that I won't recommend your app to them, in their best interests, you'd better trust my judgment and at least listen, regardless of your crazy sales figures and accolades from Apple and other users. If you want to shut yourselves in an echo chamber of praise, be my guests, but rest assured that such choice will not help you grow in any way. It may motivate you, and that's great, but motivation alone won't move you forward (or in the right path, at least). I didn't escalate my criticism of your choices out of some sheer sadistic pleasure or some other sordid motivation; no, I became genuinely shocked with how unintuitive and poorly thought-out some of Designer's core features are (and that includes, yes, the lack of a “Select by same…” tool, but I'm actually much more worried with the entire document/artboard/layer model, as that seems much harder and involved to fix than adding this simpler feature). I was genuinely sad that I couldn't use it, and even sadder at the implications thereof. Sorry, I'm only being honest here. And I still give you praise when I must, but I always try to be 100% objective. And constructive. If you check my feedback, I don't just dish out criticism, I actually propose alternative solutions. Every. Single. Time. My consciousness is squeaky-clean when it comes to the quality of my feedback.

And I'm not alone in my assessment; João Brandão, another teacher who I trust deeply, and who'll likely become my PhD co-supervisor, has precisely the same view on Designer (he started out by “Steve-Jobsing” me, because I showed him Designer, then he forgot about it, and finally he came round a few months later showing it to me all excited and as if I'd never heard of it; but, as of late, yes, he's also become very disillusioned with it and wrote it off as well). As for the others, It's not even on their radar yet but, considering Professor Brandão's assessment (he's not some ignoramus, but a guy who actually has an excellent multi-touch calligraphy app of his own on the i[Pad]OS App Store, by the way, so do check it out if you're into that sort of thing; in fact, the guys at Serif might even be able to licence those patents and technology from him, for the iPad versions of Designer and Photo and macOS Catalina's brand new SideCar feature, if the deal was sweet enough *wink-wink* *nudge-nudge* *say-no-more* *knowhatahmean*), it's probably for the best that they haven't seriously noticed it. I know I won't even be speaking about Designer to them ever again until I feel I and my students (and they and their own students) can use it for at least 80% of their tasks (the other 20% being hopefully fulfilled by some ancillary, free app like Inkscape until Serif fills in those blanks; but that can only work if the core of Designer is actually fit for purpose).

So yes, to say that I'm disappointed is a bit of an understatement. And erasing/hiding entire, dozen-page-long threads without nary an explanation drove me from disappointed and sad to actually mad. With good reason. That stuff is [was? I haven't checked the other thread, but will do so right after the break] just wrong, man [Edit: Yeah, I just did; we were asked to tone it down by none other than yourself, and I did out of respect for the users and the moderators, but if it ends up going unaddressed… it's yet another strike against Serif in my book]. It will be frowned upon on any kind of forum. Get your act together [Edit: on the forums, at least]!

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So upon reading all the replies, and writing my two huge, off-topic posts on each thread with new replies, on to the matter at hand once and for all.

Yes, this is a dismal omission, there's no other way to slice it, and I'll always feel that delaying this so much was misguided. So: your first order of business should be, herculean a task as it may be in the background, adding a bare-bones version of this feature, ASAP.

This should absolutely not be a v.2.x feature, no matter what you may think (as I've said before, save a bad-ass FreeHand-like dialogue for… v.4.x or v.5.x if you must; users would be positively delighted, and you'd have plenty of time to get it right, because no one would really bother you with this anymore). No other threads are as big and as old as this one, and this is not an advanced, “nice-to-have” feature by any measure, and many users will feel nickel-and-dimed if this transitions to the v.2 roadmap.

This fellow commenter put the urgency of it better than I ever could:

14 hours ago, robinp said:

It's like having a word processor without a find tool, ie unconscionable in 2019.

The way I see it, to keep the user base relatively tame and confident it would actually be better to ensure a bare minimum of functionality – even if each of the tools was indeed limited when compared with the competition – than having a set of excellent, fully fleshed-out features many users can't even get to use because the really basic ones they absolutely need aren't in place at all yet. This one being one of those. Version 1.8 (or v.1.7.5, if you can manage that) of Designer should be your “Snow Leopard”/“High Sierra” moment, i.e. not a strictly flashy feature-packed version, but the one that “fixes” stuff and really sediments this thing as a workhorse for [nearly] everyone. Just my €0,02.

As for you being away from the forums: with all their limitations, which I've stressed before elsewhere, congratulations on your 1.7 releases, which are indeed full of new features and I'm sure kept you away for a long time. Seriously, we understand. And welcome back! Now, let's get back to work but, if you can spare the time, preferably with a bit more [healthy] interaction once again. ;) 

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15 hours ago, robinp said:

I think part of the problem here is that it is such a basic feature that you have many many customers who probably would still be potential customers had they known AD doesn't have it.

It's like having a word processor without a find tool, ie unconscionable in 2019.

Too right, I wouldn't have bought Designer if I knew it didn't have this feature. Now I recognise that's mostly on me because like you said, who would've thought in 2019 a professional design application wouldn't have a 'select same...' feature. Nonetheless, I'm not particularly keen on paying for a new version when I haven't got any value out of the version I bought due to a deal-breaking feature omission.

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