[aPhoto Windows] Curves Adjustment - Multiple Point Selection

[sveto]

25 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I don't understand why the inability to select more than one point on the curve at a time forces you to use stacked Curve Adjustments layers. What is it that you can't do, even if you have to adjust one point at a time?

You didn't read my initial two posts, it seems.

I quote myself then:

Quote

It's part of my workflow. I often establish a good combination of contrasts for different parts of the curve that i like and then want to raise or lower a broader part of the curve without destroying the relation between the points.

 

[R C-R]

56 minutes ago, sveto said:

You didn't read my initial two posts, it seems.

I did read them more than once but I still don't understand why you cannot raise or lower part of the curve by adjusting points on it individually. Changing any points on the curve changes its overall shape, whether you do that by moving the points one at a time or together, so I do not understand what you mean about destroying the relation between the points. Either way, that changes a broad part of the curve.

And I still do not understand what harm you think could be done to your file, since all adjustment layers are non-destructive.

[sveto]

5 hours ago, R C-R said:

I do not understand what you mean about destroying the relation between the points.

Why don't you try it out? You seem like practical person, judging by your posts. How would you compress the highlights but simultaneously keep midtone contrast the same?

 

5 hours ago, R C-R said:

all adjustment layers are non-destructive

I'm well aware of that. The question is: Is the result the same between case 1 and case 2? Or is case 2 worse quality because of rounding errors?

Case 1: i achieve a certain thing with just one curves layer

Case 2: i need to use several curve layers to achieve the same thing

[walt.farrell]

33 minutes ago, sveto said:

Why don't you try it out? You seem like practical person, judging by your posts. How would you compress the highlights but simultaneously keep midtone contrast the same?

Or, why don't you give us a sample photo, where you want to compress the highlights but keep the midtone contrast the same, and show us a screenshot of the existing curve, and mark it to show the curve you want to get. And we'll see if we can tell you how to do it.

(I propose this to make sure I understand what you want to accomplish, and because (to me) speaking of "compressing the highlights but keeping midtone contrast the same" is somewhat vague. I don't really see the problem with doing that, so probably I don't understand exactly what you're trying to accomplish with the curves adjustment.)

[sveto]

My example was a theoretical one. In practice my curves a more complicated.

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

I don't really see the problem with doing that

It's not that i don't know how to do it. My point is that in Affinity it would cost me double or triple the time compared to Photoshop, because i need to adjust each point separately when i decide to change a broader part of the already edited curve.

I thought that stacking curves might be the answer because i can do it faster and keep it editable.

What i don't understand is why do i need to explain my workflow in detail when all i ask is a technical question with a probably easy answer from an Affinity employee with inside knowledge. Is this not an official Affinity forum?

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, sveto said:

The question is: Is the result the same between case 1 and case 2? Or is case 2 worse quality because of rounding errors?

Case 1: i achieve a certain thing with just one curves layer

Case 2: i need to use several curve layers to achieve the same thing

Unless you can at least explain what this "same thing" is in more than the vague terms you have so far used, how do you expect anyone, staff included, to give you a meaningful answer?

We need something to serve as a standard of comparison. The usual way to provide that when words alone do not make it clear is to provide an Affinity format file or a screen recording. Can you do that?

[sveto]

Of course i can do that. When i find the amount of time that is needed for:

- choosing a proper example so that everyone can understand

- searching for the right image in my archive

- checking publishing permissions

- making an understandable explanation in English, which is not my main or second language [EDIT: this post alone took me 10 minutes to write]

- making probably additional graphics of curves that go with the written explanation

So, basically, you are asking me to write more or less a short article, because i asked a simple technical question that can be answered by official staff in seconds? Wow.

[R C-R]

The only thing you are being asked to do is to provide enough information so that you can get a meaningful answer to your question It is not the simple technical one you seem to think it is. If it was, you almost certainly would have gotten a simple, straightforward answer from either the staff or other users shortly after you started the topic.

To do this you don't need to prepare anything elaborate or particularly time consuming. You could just provide 2 use cases, one achieving some specific thing with just one curves adjustment layer & the other using several of them to achieve the same thing. The image can be anything, for example a file from any of the stock photo sites available in the Stock panel. You don't need to provide extra graphics unless you want to. The file itself should be enough for a comparison, or at least for a starting point to make sure we are all on the same page talking about the same thing.

[sveto]

I see what i can do. No promises. I'm on the verge of giving up on Affinity, with all the problems i had recently and the time i lost.