Some suggestions...

[Nicole Who]

Hello fellow creatives!

First of all, let me say that I'm happy an application like Affinity exists. For us starving artists and hobbyists alike, applications like these are a God send. So a 100000x times thanks to Affinity and its team for sharing such an awesome gift to humanity! It really is! I'm pleased by Affinity's user experience, and BY NO MEANS do I intend to harm (aw) Affinity by what I'm about to say now. These are juuuuust a few (hopefullyjustafew) suggestions that I would like to share with Affinity to enhance the user experience (well... my experience anyway... shhh)... Without further ado, here is my list of grievances suggestions: 

1. The Search menu within Preferences... I don't know if it's me, but whenever I try to look for something as basic as a tool so I can change the shortcut, I get sent back to the starter menu. It's frustrating because a lot of unnecessary time is spent on searching for a tool, when other programs immediately show you the tool when you type it in the search bar, and you're able to change the shortcut right away. 

2. Aaaand on top of that, some other programs also warn you when that specific shortcut has already been taken, giving you the option to either clear the shortcut or to retain it. In Affinity Photo, I only see a yellow warning signal that the shortcut is already in use... and that's about it. It doesn't give you an option to replace the shortcut, or keep it. I have to go out of my own way to search ... and since the search bar isn't helpful, again a lot of unnecessary time is wasted.

3. Another thing about shortcuts, it's nice that within Affinity you can link it to other tools, but when I change the shortcut of one tool, it doesn't apply to the other tools that were linked to it as well. This is frustrating since I have to look for the other tools that were previously linked and apply the same shortcut by hand. Again, precious time is wasted simply by having to search.

4. Placing separate windows side-by-side. I know you can Float Windows, or Tile them. But you can't automatically place them next to each other. It would also be nice if you could instantly share the same Zoom and/or Location within separate windows. 

5. ...Maybe a pie menu so that you can swiftly select between brushes in Affinity Photo...? *bats eyelashes*

Alright, alright. I won't deny that I'm a spoiled brat ;), but I believe that by altering these very basic things, Affinity could become more user friendly, especially for those just starting out. And If not just save a lot of frustration and time... It's possible that I could be wrong, and if so, please tell me! I love being wrong! Also, I have to make lists now otherwise I will forget what I exactly moaned about in the future... I'll be sure to keep this thing updated in case I come across any new problems. Let's hope not. Take care!
 

[Old Bruce]

6 hours ago, Nicole Who said:

*bats eyelashes*

Misread that as the possessive "*bat's eyelashes*" had to restart my brain to clear the conflict. Other than that ...

+ 1 for each

 

[Nicole Who]

17 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

Misread that as the possessive "*bat's eyelashes*" had to restart my brain to clear the conflict. 

Bats DO indeed have tiny eyelashes... They're cute!  Or really scary... I can't decide.   

 https://www.foxnews.com/images/242558/0_21_061128_bat_face.jpg

Unfortunately I have found some new(er) issues within Affinity Photo.  Here are several additions to my list:

6. You can't change the shortcut (if there is one) for Increasing or Decreasing brush options such as Opacity, Flow, Hardness etc.  This is soooo important. Please look into this Affinity! I love you! 

7. When adding Adjustment Layers or Layer Effects, there is no option available to see a Before/After preview. Now I have to uncheck boxes in order to see without the effects... 

I found some other things that could use some improvement, but I'm sure others have mentioned them before or they're not that massive. Even though Affinity Photo at the moment can be rather crippling for an artist like me... I still refuse to give you up, Affinity! That's how much I love you! I'm willing to sacrifice my time and energy solely to get to know you better.