Publisher: Hide picture frames?

[feklee]

Is it possible to hide picture frames?

Background: I want to draw an illustration on top of a picture frame with text styles used from Publisher. The diagonal lines in the picture frame are annoying. The only way to make them go away is to enter preview mode, but then I also loose the guides, which I need.

[firstdefence]

Could you not just use a rectangle shape with no fill

[feklee]

No. Even semitransparent images placed into a picture frame let the diagonal lines shine through. In general, this is fine, but not always. It would be really nice if there was an option to toggle these lines.

[firstdefence]

Try this, this is a completely transparent png file no fill no stroke.

[feklee]

Thanks, but I don't want to add unnecessary objects. I would like to toggle the diagonal lines. A white rectangle works, this I have already tested. Semi transparent objects don't.

[firstdefence]

In that case you will have to make a suggestion in the feedback forum here: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/65-feedback-for-affinity-publisher-on-desktop/

[feklee]

Done. Thanks!

[Wosven]

You can dupplicate the image in your picture frame (or copy and paste it above), put it above the picture frame the timr you need to draw or add comments, etc.  and delete it when it's finished.

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, feklee said:

Background: I want to draw an illustration on top of a picture frame with text styles used from Publisher. The diagonal lines in the picture frame are annoying. The only way to make them go away is to enter preview mode, but then I also loose the guides, which I need.

Why have a Picture Frame if you're not going to fill it with a picture?

Couldn't you just use a rectangle instad of the picture frame, or draw your illustration on the blank page?

[feklee]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Why have a Picture Frame if you're not going to fill it with a picture?

Because it's on the master. If it was possible, I would love to fill it with my illustration, but it isn't.

Here it is a technical drawing, and for annotation I am using the same text styles as in the document. I don't see another way to solve the problem other than drawing on top of the picture frame.

[walt.farrell]

42 minutes ago, feklee said:

Because it's on the master. If it was possible, I would love to fill it with my illustration, but it isn't.

Here it is a technical drawing, and for annotation I am using the same text styles as in the document. I don't see another way to solve the problem other than drawing on top of the picture frame.

Thanks.

You could delete the Picture Frame on that document page. With the document page selected, go to the Layers Panel. Right-click on the Master Page layer that contains the Picture Frame, and choose Edit Detached. Then expand that layer in the panel, select the Picture Frame, and delete it. Then click Finish.

[feklee]

That is a decent workaround, thanks! Interestingly, after finishing edit detached, the modified page still picks up all other changes from the master page: I initially thought that detaching a master page creates an independent copy. It seems however that only changes are stored, which is good.

Anyhow, the very best solution would be if I could add the technical drawing into the picture frame and annotate it with text using styles from the main document. I admit that for complex typesetting projects, I'm spoiled. Here I use LaTeX, and there it is possible to import technical drawings with text and have that text typeset using styles from the main document. This is a very powerful feature.

[walt.farrell]

6 minutes ago, feklee said:

Anyhow, the very best solution would be if I could add the technical drawing into the picture frame and annotate it with text using styles from the main document.

Right now you can only remove the frame, or hide it, as mentioned earlier in this thread. It could be a simple Rectangle with a white fill, sized to match the Picture Frame, with your technical drawing on top of it.

However, as long as you do your annotation work within Publisher you should be able to use the Text Styles you have setup. Or if you were to prepare your technical drawing as a .docx file any styles you used in that file should be picked up when you Place that file into the Publisher document.

[feklee]

6 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

annotation work within Publisher you should be able to use the Text Styles you have setup.

That's what I'm doing. Still, the annotated drawing not being in a picture frame means that its position won't get updated when the master is changed. Anyhow, I wouldn't use Publisher for typesetting a long technical document, but that's OK. Each tool has its purpose. LaTeX is harder to set up, but then you get full automation and more sophisticated typography tools. For the short document that I'm doing now, I appreciate the visual workflow that Publisher allows.

[carl123]

Even reading the thread twice I'm still not 100% sure what you are trying to do.  But the following may be of use to you. If not it may be useful to someone else in the future.

Use a Text Frame on the master page not a picture frame and set the text frame to the size of your illustration image

On the normal page add a single "space" character into the text frame to "semi-detach" the text frame from the master

On the normal page add your illustration image into the text frame and Pin it using the Float option

On the normal page create your (text) anointment in a new text frame then drag it on top the image and also pin it using the float option

(Repeat as necessary for more anointments)

With everything pinned to the master frame text frame when you move the text frame on the master page, everything moves with it in sync

[PaulEC]

16 hours ago, feklee said:

Because it's on the master. If it was possible, I would love to fill it with my illustration, but it isn't.

Here it is a technical drawing, and for annotation I am using the same text styles as in the document. I don't see another way to solve the problem other than drawing on top of the picture frame.

I'm probably missing something, but why can't you use two Master pages. One with a picture frame, and one with a shape in the same position? Just apply whichever you want to the appropriate pages.

[feklee]

Thanks for the suggestions! However, I just want to have one master page, and semantically the illustration is an picture. Maybe in a future version of Publisher it will be possible to add the illustration into a picture frame. Until then the best workaround is the one suggested by @walt.farrell. It wins by simplicity and it allows me to keep one master, albeit with the disadvantage that if I move picture frames on that master, the position of the illustration will not get updated.

 

[Wosven]

4 hours ago, feklee said:

if I move picture frames on that master, the position of the illustration will not get updated.

Since you've got text with this illustration, it's best to have to do it manually instead of having only the illustration's position modified.

Another option would be to open your illustration and import your APub styles in ADesigner (Text > Text Styles  > Import Text Styles...) and place this file in the picture frame.

[alecia]

I have a question about designer. It appears there used to be a convert to picture frame option but is has been removed in 1.7. I'm making a template for social media and I want it to be easy for users to swap out the photos I place as placeholders. How can i do that? I tried adding photos with the Inside the selection button but it doesn't seem to swap photos just puts another on top. any suggestions?

[v_kyr]

Nest and clip them under the layer region of interest and rename the clipped layer placeholder to something meaningful ("Your image here", or something like that).

[GarryP]

To add to what v_kyr said above, you can replace an image by selecting the image layer and pressing the Replace Image button in the context toolbar.
You could also use placeholder images that contain some help text, such as my attached example, to give people a hint.