Filter "Shadows/Highlights" does not work properly anymore

[Michail]

The "Shadow / Highlights" filter can unfortunately no longer be used. It has hardly any effect and distorts the colors (see attached example). In addition, the two Radius controls are now missing.
- Figure 1 shows the original *
- Figure 2 refers to version 1.7.0.333 (beta)
- Figure 3 refers to version 1.6.5.123 (I deliberately exaggerated)
* I added the original picture to the article later on!

[Gnobelix]

1 hour ago, Michail said:

In addition, the two Radius controls are now missing.

Let's hope that the radius controls will be reintroduced.

[PetervL]

29 minutes ago, Gnobelix said:

Let's hope that the radius controls will be reintroduced.

I totally agree.

[Ron P.]

Just installed the Beta 350 (RC-1) and sadly the radius control is still missing. Looks like it may be gone forever.

[Michail]

The missing radius controls are one thing. Much worse is that the whole filter does not work as expected.
In the second picture, the "Shadow Strength" control is set to 100% and has little effect. Instead of brightening up the dark image areas, they become bluer and bluer.

[IndigoMoon]

Indeed, the new S/H filter is a step backwards. Hm, unfortunately nobody didn't realize it before.

[Michail]

S u p p l e m e n t :
For a better comparison I added the original picture to my first post.

[IndigoMoon]

I'm sure you won't change this before release, but please check this again after the release of 1.7

- The former Shadows/Highlights filter was fine, or at least much better than the new rewritten one

- On the other hand the Shadows/Highlights adjustment layer needs a fine tuning compared to other app algorithms

Thank you very much!

[Michail]

On 5/31/2019 at 4:59 PM, IndigoMoon said:

I'm sure you won't change this before release, but please check this again after the release of 1.7

That would be a pity. And it would be a reason to wait with the update to 1.7. Probably the Photo Persona will not work in APub as a result.
Maybe it is possible that a mod says something about the state of things. I still don't know if this is intentional or an bug.

The way it works now, unfortunately, the filter is no longer usable.

[Steve Beeston]

Agreed, how is removing functionality an upgrade?

The new shadows/highlights is actually poorer now and is a huge disappointment.

This enough to make me re-install 1.6x

Edited June 7, 2019 by Steve Beeston

[Michail]

Because the problem persists in version 1.7, I continue the thread here:

 

[Markoesja]

Also noticed that the new Shadow/Highlights tool is really bad. The Highlights function does not seem to work at all, while the Shadows function is poor compared to the old one. I used the tool regularly in older versions, and it makes me want to revert to 1.6, to be honest. However, this seems to impossible - once you have the new version installed there seems to be no way to go back....

[Frozen Death Knight]

Tried it myself and from the looks of it, the new Shadows/Highlights filter does not reduce colour saturation when you use it to lighten up the shadows of your image. When it comes to real life colours, the brighter the light, the more washed out the colours become. Because of this the filter works fine when using it to make things darker where saturation can be much higher without looking as displeasing to the eye, but has the opposite effect for increasing brightness for the shadows.

The workaround is to use any desaturation tool like the HSL filter, but the developers should add a way to deal with the saturation that remains from using the filter instead.

[Guzzi]

Good evening!

This adaptation does not work satisfactorily. Compared to PS's "depths / lights" the results are useless, as you can see from the following examples:
Although I have created the examples with 1.7.1.404, in 1.7.1.404 Beta it looks the same.

Diese Anpassung arbeitet keineswegs zufriedenstellend. Im Vergleich zu PS's "Tiefen/Lichter" sind die Ergebnisse unbrauchbar, wie man aus folgenden Beispielen sehen kann:
Die Beispiele habe ich zwar mit 1.7.1.404 erstellt, aber in 1.7.1.404 Beta sieht es gleich aus.

Original:

Shadow/Lights 50 / -60 Aff. Photo

Tiefen und Lichter 50 / 60 % PS:

 

 

Tiefen und Lichter 50 / 75 % PS:

 

Shadow/Highlights 50 / -75 % Aff. Photo:

I have been working with AP for quite a while and am happy about the many good options, some of which are better than in PS. But this is an example why I still need PS. I would be very happy if you could revise "Shadow / Lights" so that it works really well.

Ich arbeite schon eine ganze Weile mit AP und freue mich über die vielen guten Möglichkeiten, die teilweise besser sind als in PS. Aber das hier ist ein Beispiel, weshalb ich PS immer noch benötige. Es würde mich sehr freuen, wenn Sie "Schatten / Lichter" so überarbeiten könnten, dass es wirklich gut funktioniert.

Grüße
Guzzi

 

[samojede]

Sorry das ich mich hier mit einhänge.

Das ganze hatte ich in meinen Beitrag, unter Punkt 3, schon bemängelt.

Bis jetzt keine Reaktion.

 

Sorry that I hang myself here. I had already criticised the whole thing in my contribution, in paragraph 3. So far, no reaction.

 

Roland

 

 

 

[Guzzi]

Hallo Roland!
In addition to yours and the other contributions:
a) for my needs (currently I only edit .jpg files) has already 1.6.5.123 not as needed and expected to work. So it would not do me any good to reinstall 1.6.
b) Meanwhile, we have new updates in both the customer and beta versions.
c) The more examples, the more likely the developers will see that really significant improvements are needed. I really hope so.

Ergänzend zu Deinen und den anderen Beiträgen:
a) für meinen Bedarf (derzeit bearbeite ich nur .jpg-Dateien) hat schon 1.6.5.123 nicht wie benötigt und erwartet funktioniert. Daher würde es mir auch nichts bringen. 1.6. wieder zu installieren.
b) Inzwischen haben wir sowohl in der Kunden- als auch in der Beta-Version neue Updates.
c) Je mehr Beispiele,  desto eher werden die Entwickler sehen, dass hier wirklich deutliche Verbesserungen notwendig sind. Da hoffe ich sehr darauf.

Grüße
Guzzi

 

[Frozen Death Knight]

@Guzzi From the looks of it, you are not using the Live Filter version of Highlights/Shadows, which from my understanding is the version they presumably changed/fixed in 1.7.1. As for the issue being actually fixed, I don't use that filter very often, so I can't confirm if it is still an issue or not. Can try it once I get the time though.

[Frozen Death Knight]

Okay, so I sat down and tried the Shadows/Highlights Live Filter and compared it to Photoshop's Adjustment version. From the looks of it, they are not really comparable. AP's version is non-destructive and have simpler controls, but at the cost of advanced settings that exist in Photoshop's version of Shadows/Highlights. Basically, the Photoshop version is basically 3 Adjustments rolled into one: Shadows/Highlights,  Levels, and HSL (at least the desaturation aspect of it). To get similar results as the Photoshop version inside Affinity Photo in a non-destructive manner, you need to use the Shadows/Highlights, Levels, and HSL Adjustment layers together.

I have no particular use of this Adjustment personally, but I am indeed curious what the design intentions are by the developers. Is it meant to produce the same results as the Photoshop version, or is it meant to cater to a different type of use? If it is the former, it is way, way off the mark.

[PaulEC]

I use the Shadow/Highlight filter quite often, and must say that it doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. The lack of being able to fine-tune with the radius settings certainly doesn't help.

[Guzzi]

@Frozen Death Knight  Yes, I did not use the live filter. As well as, because I did not get the idea to search under "layers" an adaptation / editing. Now I have tried it and the result is much better. Now the question is, why is this tool under adaptation, which still does not offer the possibilities as under Live Filter? I want to work a tool like PS and not three.

Ja, ich habe den Live Filter nicht verwendet. Wie auch, da ich nicht auf die Idee gekommen bin, unter "Ebenen" eine Anpassung / Bearbeitung zu suchen. Jetzt habe ich damit einen Versuch gemacht und das Ergebnis ist deutlich besser. Jetzt ist die Frage, wozu gibt es dieses Tool unter Anpassung, das noch dazu nicht die Möglichkeiten bietet wie unter Live Filter? Ich möchte ein Werkzeug wie in PS und nicht mit dreien arbeiten.

Grüße
Guzzi

 

[JoeSki]

Affinity 1.7 Shadows & Highlights under Layers Adjustments and top tab Layers/Live Adjustment/Shadows & Highlights doesn't work. I found they do work under top tab Filters/Shadows & Highlights. Version 1.7 does not show Radius, however in the popup, there is a Version option and you can select 1.6 where Radius is shown and everything works fine, at least in my mac version.