Transparent gradient. ANSWERED thank you

[ianrb]

Bit of a long coming rant

Is it really that hard / completed / confusing for others or am I just the dumb one ?.

Other programs like lr and on1 make it so easy even if I haven't use On1 for ages and have likely forgotten how it worked.

I call the whole grad tool thing "best to leave it tool" as i did with Ps programs --- easier the paint in / mask in the files or colours

Just seems impossible to make an easy transparent gradient to blend 2 files together or add a colour or adjustment to say one edge .

Honestly;   videos I have seen tend to jump in at the deep end or don't mention a transparent gradient 
 

I would really appreciate it if you can explain the basics of making a simple transparent grad in Affinity Photo.
Cheers  

[dutchshader]

Set the opacity of one color to 0%

[firstdefence]

1. Make sure the Colour Panel is showing
2. Add an adjustment to the image
3. click on the adjustment icon in the layers panel
4. Click on the Gradient Tool
5. Select linear gradient from the Gradient Tool context menu above the workspace
6. Drag a gradient out
7. The right node of the gradient will be automagically selected, change its colour to white using the colour panel sliders
8. Click on the left node and change its colour to black or change the opacity to 0% as dutchshader has mentioned.

The same process can work for masks

 

[ianrb]

 Thanks for the ideas and thoughts

LOL (not) ; just a few minutes in On1 2018 and I have more or less as I had in mind but I'm totally worn out trying in Affinity . I'm thinking Affinity would have more adjustments but On1 wins the basics battle hands down even if Ap is winning the overall war.

I get it sort of right in Affinity but then cannot do it again . Hopefully Affinity will be looking at better ways to do such a simply edit

Tomorrows is another fresh day; I will follow the above instructions then 

[ianrb]

As posted on the Affinity FB page
Without mentioning everyone; many thanks to all above. Sort of sorted. 
As with Ps; sometimes the "powerfulnes" overpowers the basic needs of many users. 
And yes my friends ---- everything is easy ---- once it has been learnt and understood . 

I still feel Affinity needs to have something a bit more basic --- grab it / drag it / edit it as is used in my older Lr5 and On1.

ended with up this for no other reason than I wanted something different; not that I have any really need for the file. Photography is just something I do these days for something to do .
 
Cheers  

[IanSG]

On 3/9/2019 at 6:04 AM, ianrb said:

I still feel Affinity needs to have something a bit more basic

I've said the same thing myself!   If you combine @firstdefence's excellent instructions with the old adage that "black conceals, white reveals" it might make things clearer.   I found using the gradient tools was one of the least intuitive things in AP, but once the penny drops it's an amazingly powerful tool - maybe this is a case of no pain, no gain?

[ianrb]

5 hours ago, IanSG said:

  I found using the gradient tools was one of the least intuitive things in AP, but once the penny drops it's an amazingly powerful tool - maybe this is a case of no pain, no gain?

Thanks Ian . That's why I have not bothered too much with the grad tool -- not sure it was much easier to understand in the older Ps apps. Not a tool I use a lot outside of Lr5 unless I'm feeling very motivated to adventurous; or totally bored :lol: 
Something like the very easy to understand / fast to use On1 2018 layers Masking Bug would be great  ( hint hint Serif ;)) 
And yes,  @firstdefence's   instructions were the best help I had. 

[kaffeeundsalz]

I'd like to understand the issue here, but I'm afraid you've lost me: How exactly would you improve the gradient tool to make it more intuitive? What is not intuitive about @firstdefence's approach? What does "Affinity needs to have something a bit more basic" mean?

[IanSG]

16 hours ago, kaffeeundsalz said:

I'd like to understand the issue here, but I'm afraid you've lost me: How exactly would you improve the gradient tool to make it more intuitive? What is not intuitive about @firstdefence's approach? What does "Affinity needs to have something a bit more basic" mean?

That's hard to answer - once you know / understand how to do something it's hard to remember why it was ever difficult.  Can you remember what it was like being unable to read, or ride a bicycle?  I think the problem is that (some) people see the gradient filter as just a digital version of a glass ND filter, so it should be just as straightforward to use, and just as inflexible. 

[ianrb]

On 3/11/2019 at 8:00 AM, kaffeeundsalz said:

  What does "Affinity needs to have something a bit more basic" mean?

Easy way to explain : Lightroom >click on the Graduated filter icon >drag out the tool the suit >add adjustments to suit . Many different graduates can be added to the same image. And yes; limited compared to Affinity but so easy to do.  
On1: Works very similar; however because it is layer based there are  more uses than my older Lr5. To blend two files together is so simple >two images as layers >select the tool >drag it out >adjust to suit >job done 
It were three mouse clicks to add this simple grad  to blend these files [how many clicks needed with Ap; if the user knows them all!!
That's what I call more basic / easier to use Ian 

To be honest; I tried to add a grad to an image late last night but gave up thinking a fresh mind would help . No! That's how I ended up back on this page . For some reason I never received a notification of your comment @IanSG  (??)
 Another good point with On1 is the larger layer icons -- so easy to see when compared to Ap as I suggested for Ap recently . The On1 way is very good IMO; limited in some / many ways to Ap; but I (and others) was experiencing too many dramas with the program so I moved to Ap.  Now it's open I might add the grad there (eek sorry )

[R C-R]

8 hours ago, ianrb said:

Another good point with On1 is the larger layer icons -- so easy to see when compared to Ap as I suggested for Ap recently .

Are you aware that the 1.7 customer betas now have an option to select from 3 Layers panel thumbnail sizes?

[ianrb]

11 hours ago, R C-R said:

Are you aware that the 1.7 customer betas now have an option to select from 3 Layers panel thumbnail sizes?

No; very interesting. Thankyou