affinity designer Illustration Design using Designer

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This is an image I colored using Affinity Designer on the iPad. I love all the quick masking I can do without having to juggle and edit clipping masks, like in Illustrator. I created the raster line art in Medibang Paint for iPad; traced the art using Inscape; and finished the art in Designer, including making the BG pattern. I still have to tweak the BG print to fill a couple holes, but I really enjoy working in Designer to add the Pizzazz! 

If you are interested in the tracing presets I use in Inkscape to create a close-to-perfect trace, let me know and I'll post it here. 

For anyone who is interested, years ago I did a comparison between using Inkscape and Illustrator.

http://www.segtsy.com/2012/04/adobe-illustrator-live-trace-vs-inkscape-trace-bitmap/

Here's a step-by-step for Inkscape. I have adjusted my settings since this post.
http://www.segtsy.com/2012/04/bitmap-tracing-live-trace-with-inkscape/

 

[v_kyr]

So if I followed your workflow correctly, you only leaved the iPad for the tracing then, did you ever tried out Imaengine Vector or something like that on the iPad directly for such tracing purposes?

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@v_kyr

I haven't tried out any options for tracing on the iPad. I would be curious to see the results. From all the tracing software I have used in the past, I find Inkscape the most accurate, but I am always looking for something that could be even better!

Attached is the Inkscape specs cheat sheet that hangs up in my office. It works really well for my line art and keeps the number of points at a minimum.

 

I'll definitely try out Imaengine Vector! Thanks for the tip!!!!

S

[v_kyr]

Inkscape uses a slightly modified Potrace version (as a tracing engine) for tracing and AFAIK the Inkscape team once enhanced that one for color quantization, since initially potrace doesn't handle color tracing. Not sure what Imaengine might use here, but most tracers do either reuse the potrace or autotrace libs (the later initially supports color and center line tracing), so it possibly might use one of these too.

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42 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Inkscape uses a slightly modified Potrace version (as a tracing engine) for tracing and AFAIK the Inkscape team once enhanced that one for color quantization, since initially potrace doesn't handle color tracing. Not sure what Imaengine might use here, but most tracers do either reuse the potrace or autotrace libs (the later initially supports color and center line tracing), so it possibly might use one of these too.

Whatever Adobe Illustrator uses, their results look like a trippy 60s drippy candle to me.

[v_kyr]

In the past (longer time ago) I've used Illustrator from time to time and then also tried their tracing capabilities, but wasn't that thrilled by the results that gave. Thought they nowadays might probably have done it better, but maybe it just stayed the same as before. - However, I generally haven't seen that much progress in that tracing tools segment for some years now.

[Pariah73]

I feel Inkscape does a much better job at tracing than AI. Can't wait for an Affinity solution!

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I don't need Designer to trace if they don't want to. And I frankly wouldn't use their tracing feature unless they can meet or beat Inkscape. 

Does anyone remember when tracing in Adobe was a stand-alone program called Streamline. For some reason, I used to get better results using Streamline than the native tracing function in Illustrator. I wonder what they skimped on or what my role is in potential user error 

[v_kyr]

Well of course tracing can be done seperately with other apps here and the result then be taking over (imported or copied) into AD. On the other side integrating tracing capabilities directly into an app doesn't hurt either and thus can be seen as an beeing independent comfort feature, for quicker in app turn arounds without needing to use any other external app and an exchange format. Inkscape for example uses Potrace here internally for tracing bitmaps, as do a bunch of other third party apps. Incorporating the potrace tracing facilities into an own app isn't usually that difficult, I use that in some own custom tracing apps for Win/Mac ...

... though my implementations differ here due to the reused OS related programming APIs and language.

Streamline? Don't remember that one, probably I never tried or used that standalone one. Maybe they included it into Illustrator then. - AFAI recall most major vector tools like Virtuoso/Freehand, Illustrator, CorelDraw, MS Expression Design, Magix/Xara ... etc. do have some sort of build-in tracing facilities, though not all of those are producing really good results. It also always depends on the size and quality of the input source bitmap here, often the better the source bitmap the better the destination vector output.

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Since Inkscape is free, I'm okay with relying on it for tracing. I would rather the Affinity team focus on production and workflow issues, like color management. It's not as sexy sounding as new feature, but it gets me closer to leaving Adobe behind for good. 

I agree that it would be nice to have the tools on one device, but I am okay with having a hybrid work experience. We are still at the beginning of pro products on tablets and Serif and Affinity are leading the way!!!

 

S

[Pariah73]

Does anyone else hate the small size of the Trace preview in Inkscape? lol the results are worth it but it always drives me nuts that i can't see a much bigger preview

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@Pariah73 You're right! It is kinda nutty. I wish it had a live preview. Is it me or is Injector feeling really dated. Three things that are untouchable in Inkscape that other vector programs can learn from is their node-editing capabilities, tracing and that sickening Spiro tool. I also love the tweak, warp and rotate tool. I do all my enamel pin drafting in Inkscape. If I have to do straight drafting and drawing in a vector program, no one can beat them. It would be nice to see Designer hone their editing tools and the node types. They have a lot of similarities to Inkscape but Inkscape is still a little better.

S

[Pariah73]

There are so many great things about Inkscape and it's incredibly powerful but I think a mathmetician designed the user interface sometimes LOL. I swear everything in IS takes 2 or 3 clicks more than everything else and things are very technically named, without any real regard to simplicity. It's a learning curve from hell but it will do almost anything AI can do and for free so I have much appreciation for Inkscape, despite my bitchings lol

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9 hours ago, Pariah73 said:

There are so many great things about Inkscape and it's incredibly powerful but I think a mathmetician designed the user interface sometimes LOL. I swear everything in IS takes 2 or 3 clicks more than everything else and things are very technically named, without any real regard to simplicity. It's a learning curve from hell but it will do almost anything AI can do and for free so I have much appreciation for Inkscape, despite my bitchings lol

Totally agree. They completely changed something that was already complicate like line thickness when they didn't really need to and what's crazier is that they made it even more complicated. And the terminology they use sometimes just cracks me up. But the node editing is insane.

If Designer could figure out how Inkscape compensates when you delete a node between two nodes by keeping the integrity of the shape by auto adjusting the remaining nodes' handles, that would be GOLD!!!! This is why I primarily use Inkscape to draft. I can delete lots of unused nodes while keeping the art the way I intended. And the auto-smooth nodes are fantastic. I hope Designer's node types get to that level of polish ( @Dan C)

If you are interested, check out my "Step three" for creating enamel pins using Inkscape: 
BLOG POST ON MAKING ENAMEL PINS WITH INKSCAPE

Stephen

[Pariah73]

Thank you for the detailed explanation of how nodes are dealt with in Inkscape!

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On 4/13/2019 at 7:09 PM, Pariah73 said:

Thank you for the detailed explanation of how nodes are dealt with in Inkscape!

Thanks @Pariah73!!!! I would love Affinity to emulate some of Inkscape's node-drafting strength, especially since their approach with node type is so similar!

S

[Pariah73]

4 hours ago, segts said:

Thanks @Pariah73!!!! I would love Affinity to emulate some of Inkscape's node-drafting strength, especially since their approach with node type is so similar!

S

me too!!