[AD 1.7.0.367] Ctrl-A doesn't work in the corner-tool

[Friksel]

Ctrl-A doesn't work in the corner-tool to select all nodes.

Ctrl-A does work in the node tool and on some on other places in the software. Ctrl-A here to select all nodes would speed up the proces a lot, 'cause than we don't need to zoom out when working in high detail, just to select all nodes.

[Sean P]

Hi Friksel,

When you're doing a Ctrl+A is it on a specific shape object rather than a Curve object? I've found that it doesn't work if I'm using a Shape, but if I convert that shape to curves prior to selecting the Corner Tool, then Ctrl+A will work.

[Friksel]

6 hours ago, Sean P said:

Hi Friksel,

When you're doing a Ctrl+A is it on a specific shape object rather than a Curve object? I've found that it doesn't work if I'm using a Shape, but if I convert that shape to curves prior to selecting the Corner Tool, then Ctrl+A will work.

It's indeed a shape object. When just using a rectangle and than pick the corner tool ctrl-A isn't working indeed, but it is working when converted to curves.

Ctrl-A not working is problematic in the following workflow I have to quickly crop and round screenshots of screencontrols:

Like the video below:

• paste a raster image from the clipboard
• use the vector crop tool to crop the image
• select the created mask (created by the vector crop tool)
• select the corner tool to create rounded corners
• TRY TO CTRL-A (but it doesn't work), so we need to zoom out first, just to select all the 'nodes')
• round the corners.

In the video I accidentally round the corners in the viewport because I needed to zoom out anyway because ctrl-a wasn't working, so it wasn't a problem. But normally I want to stay zoomed in instead to be able to see the result of the new rounded corners as set in pixel values in the top bar, to see if they fit the current pasted rastergraphic, so I need the inputbox on top to enter the radius values in pixels.

Without ctrl-A we need to zoom out to select all 'nodes' and zoom back in to adjust the corner value. So ctrl-A would make the whole workflow a lot more efficient and less time consuming when having to 'edit' a lot of screenshot-pastes like I have in my project at the moment.

Hope my explanation makes sense

[Aammppaa]

Some observations…

1. Ctrl + A doesn't work when using the Corner Tool, because the Ctrl key is a shortcut to temporarily use the Node Tool.
2. Applying curved corners to a Shape automatically converts it (without warning) to a Curve, so you may as well Convert to Curves prior to using the Corner Tool (Ctrl + Return, then Ctrl + A).
3. There may be a simpler workflow than in your video…
   Why not skip the Vector Crop tool, and simply draw with the Rounded Rectangle tool or Ellipse Tool if you want to crop to a circle? Then nest the raster image inside your shape.

[Friksel]

17 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

Some observations…   1) 2) 3)

1) Great! I didn't know ctrl was used to temporarly activate the node tool when using the corner tool. That's good to know! 
But than ctrl-A would make even more sense to be able to do at that point and is technically not conflicting with just a ctrl-drag.

2) I didn't know that using the corner tool automatically converts the shape to a curve, and understand you expect a warning of some sort (no popup please! just some message somewhere in the interface would be better). But I don't really mind either. It makes sense to me corners aren't possible on sometimes complex shapes with all kind of properties and most of the time my output is curves anyway.

3) I don't use the Corner Tool to create circles. Only in this example video I did that. Otherwise I would probably have picked a circle to mask. The screenshot taken from the profiledata of @Sean P just happened to have a photo as a circle. In my work this week I used this workflow to round corners to fit rounded corners inside a screenshot. So I could add a soft dropshadow to the crop that fits the cropped screenshot.

Yes, I could start cropping with a rounded rectangle tool, but it wouldn't be that much simpler. I think it may be harder to use for this usecase.

But the tip about converting to curves first is actually very useful to have a better workflow and avoid ctrl-a not working! With this help my workflow would be now:

• Press C to switch to the crop tool (custom shortcut) and crop the image with adjustments in higher zoomlevels
• While stayling zoomed in I select the created mask-layer from the layers panel
• Press ctrl+enter to convert to curves (while still being zoomed in)
• Press the C again to toggle to the Corner tool (which is toggling because Designer has two 'C'-keystrokes for two different tools, so toggles between the two. pretty handy!!)
• Ctrl+A to select all nodes of the crop-mask (now working, because the rectangle mask is converted to curves)
• Fill in the radius value in the top bar which would probably fit the rounded corner in the raster image and while still zoomed in adjust it to fit the best
• Done!

So your comment was very helpful to improve my workflow @Aammppaa and educative because I learned new keystrokes. Thanks for helping and letting me know! 

 

[Aammppaa]

3 minutes ago, Friksel said:

I didn't know ctrl was used to temporarly activate the node tool when using the corner tool.

Status bar shows all the available modifiers, but the context can be very specific. With the corner tool, the modifiers are different depending upon whether you are hovering over a node or not!

5 minutes ago, Friksel said:

understand you expect a warning of some sort (no popup please! just some message somewhere in the interface would be better).

Affinity has the concept of an Assistant which 'handles' situations like this. Sometimes it does use a small discrete popup in the top right corner to let you know that the software has made a change that you may not be aware of. An example would be when starting to paint with a pixel brush without first creating a pixel layer. The assistant tells you that an empty pixel layer has been created on your behalf.

However there are numerous times that the software changes something and doesn't tell you! Or will not permit a certain operation because the wrong type of object is selected, or because there is no object selected.

In my opinion the Assistant should have more of there warning popups - but we should also be able to turn them all off, and also turn off warning per situation - for example if I no longer need reminding that Shapes become Curves when adding rounded corners.

 

[Friksel]

13 minutes ago, Aammppaa said:

Status bar shows all the available modifiers, but the context can be very specific. With the corner tool, the modifiers are different depending upon whether you are hovering over a node or not!

Yes it's very informative. I should look more often on it.

14 minutes ago, Aammppaa said:

Affinity has the concept of an Assistant which 'handles' situations like this. Sometimes it does use a small discrete popup in the top right corner to let you know that the software has made a change that you may not be aware of. An example would be when starting to paint with a pixel brush without first creating a pixel layer. The assistant tells you that an empty pixel layer has been created on your behalf.

I know about the Assistant Manager in the software, but never really invested time  to get to know it better. But it's a pretty clever concept which is obviously well thought through and a great way to make software help you while still letting users switch automatic behaviour off in case they don't like it. Pretty great thinking and it's making the software more flexible. I like the idea they bundled these automatic behaviour things in one place, other than putting it all inside the settings on random panels, like some other software does.

I'm sure it's a matter of time there will be more options added to it to iron out those inconsistencies you're talking about.