Best way to change color of page background

[World View]

In the master page tutorial

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/tutorials/publisher/desktop/video/286534891 the presenter changes the color of the background by putting a rectangle around it and then changing the color.

I did that - but this causes picture frames to sink behind this rectangle and become invisible (if you do not precisely click on them)

Is there a better way to change a page color?

In Photoshop I'd select all and do a fill. The help doesn't show any entries for "fill" so there may not be such a command.

What's the best way to do this?

[carl123]

Assuming the picture frames are also on the master page.

With the master page selected, in the Layers panel drag the rectangle below everything else

[World View]

16 hours ago, carl123 said:

Assuming the picture frames are also on the master page.

With the master page selected, in the Layers panel drag the rectangle below everything else

Thank you. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, even if I drag the frame to the bottom, any picture frame place ABOVE it still hides below that frame with the new background color.

I have to click in the area where it is in order to see it.

Could it be a bug? Or is there anything I could have done wrong? Layers are straightforward, what's below cannot cover up something above. Except in this case it covers up the picture frames.

[walt.farrell]

I think you found a solution for this in your other topic about picture frames on Master Pages.

[World View]

Yes, Walt, it was just blending in. 

The problem is that rectangles and picture frames are linked via stroke color.

When I changed the stroke color for picture frames to red, the rectangles also changed to red, and the documents got a red frame - which didn't work out.

Here's something Serif needs to do: to let rectangles and picture frames have different stroke color - so you can take them apart. And I'd like rectangles blend in more and picture frames stand out more.

[walt.farrell]

10 hours ago, World View said:

Yes, Walt, it was just blending in. 

The problem is that rectangles and picture frames are linked via stroke color.

When I changed the stroke color for picture frames to red, the rectangles also changed to red, and the documents got a red frame - which didn't work out.

Here's something Serif needs to do: to let rectangles and picture frames have different stroke color - so you can take them apart. And I'd like rectangles blend in more and picture frames stand out more.

Rectangles and Picture Frames share a common "last color used" default for their strokes. But you can change the stroke color of any rectangle or any picture frame to whatever color you want. They are not linked; you're just seeing a default or initial value when you draw them, just as if you drew multiple rectangles. If you don't like the default, change it as you draw the next object.

[World View]

Thanks, Walt!

Is it possible to turn off this last color used feature? So I can have one color for regular rectangles, one color for text boxes, and one color for image frames. 

[walt.farrell]

13 minutes ago, World View said:

Is it possible to turn off this last color used feature? So I can have one color for regular rectangles, one color for text boxes, and one color for image frames. 

Not as far as I know.

[World View]

Ouch, this wasn't a solution.

Because changing the stroke meant that the picture frames are now in the real design in this awful blue color.

And I don't seem to be able to get rid of them.

I turned their opacity down to 0% - but they stay, blue and ugly and ruining my design.

 

How can I show outlines JUST for the design phase but have NO frames in the actual design?

 

This is a real problem: that the outlines of the picture frames blend in with a neutral gray background.

As of now, I have to turn the stroke to a visible color and then, when all is set, turn the opacity of the stroke to zero, one frame after the other - which is quite awkward.

 

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, World View said:

As of now, I have to turn the stroke to a visible color and then, when all is set, turn the opacity of the stroke to zero, one frame after the other - which is quite awkward.

If they're on a Master Page you should only have to make that change once.

Alternatively, perhaps you could do all your design work with the background rectangle hidden (you can do that on the Master Page), and then show the background when it's time to export or print or do a visual verification of how things are working?

[fde101]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

hidden

or set to a slightly different shade