Affinity Photo Editor for iPad

Starzee said:
I am hoping it will be an alternative to the $10 monthly subscription I have to Photoshop.

I was playing with the iPad version last night and I agree with the learning curve. I could not, for the life of me, change the color of the font. I finally deleted it, retyped and changed to every color in the rainbow.

And so it begins....
Click to expand...

This. Something as simple as making the pop-up menu for tools go away so you can see the entire image is not intuitive. Can you add multiple spotlights with the Lighting filter? Doesn't seem to be possible, but the help is not that helpful. How do you commit changes in the Liquify "persona"? Or Develop? WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

The Smart Brush for selections is great, but why isn't there a "dumb brush" for when the app chooses pixels incorrectly?

It is horribly complicated, yet it's so powerful that I keep trying. At some point, though, I may stop trying and only use it for specialized reasons, like Dehaze or spotlighting.
 
juryjone said:
This. Something as simple as making the pop-up menu for tools go away so you can see the entire image is not intuitive. Can you add multiple spotlights with the Lighting filter? Doesn't seem to be possible, but the help is not that helpful. How do you commit changes in the Liquify "persona"? Or Develop? WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

The Smart Brush for selections is great, but why isn't there a "dumb brush" for when the app chooses pixels incorrectly?

It is horribly complicated, yet it's so powerful that I keep trying. At some point, though, I may stop trying and only use it for specialized reasons, like Dehaze or spotlighting.
Click to expand...

Until they unveil the mind reading extension so the app just knows what you want to do and you don't have to select menu items any more.
 
juryjone said:
This. Something as simple as making the pop-up menu for tools go away so you can see the entire image is not intuitive. Can you add multiple spotlights with the Lighting filter? Doesn't seem to be possible, but the help is not that helpful. How do you commit changes in the Liquify "persona"? Or Develop? WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
It is horribly complicated, yet it's so powerful that I keep trying. At some point, though, I may stop trying and only use it for specialized reasons, like Dehaze or spotlighting.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have experienced just that.

HOWEVER.....

Selections are incredible. The Smart Brush is actually amazing and after reading your comment about a dumb brush I did a little more experimenting. If you reduce the smart brush size to be about 1-3 pixels and zoom in, it actually works like a dumb brush. In fact I find the Smart Brush works best if it's only about 6 pixels. After each selection you seem to need to go to the Refine Tool to actually save the whole selection to another layer. I did some refining and then went back to the smart tool and it lost all my refinements, so you can't seem to go back once you have Refined a selection. Some of the other brushes are a bit illogical too but extremely powerful.

The Edge tool only works after you have made an initial selection and this is probably the case for some of the others. Then you can save just the edge and can expand the size by pinching or pushing out with two fingers and you can decide what part of the edge you want - inner, outer, centre. I then went to the Refine brush and selected the centres. The outer edge came out a bit rough but I'm sure there must be a way to smooth this.

Snapseed.jpg

Finally found the Duplicate Layer option. I would logically expect it on the layers panel but you select the layer and it's the first option on the Command Menu Option (the three dots at the top).

It really does help to know that if you hold down the question mark at the bottom right, it will label all the controls.

Jerry, I think it's one of those apps where you discover that everything is fairly simple as soon as you know where to find it! And then when you know it you can't understand why everybody else finds it so difficult :lmao:. I think with the two of us working on this and a good handful of other Mobitogers like Ted and Star we can get this sussed.

Anybody else want to join in?? JillyG - your TWAC results makes me think you are a great candidate. Pity your iPad is not up to it FundyBrian. I think it's time to start saving for an iPad Pro.
 
For anybody interested in buying Affinity but want to 'press the flesh' first, check out these tutorials:

Opening, Saving, Exporting:
Interface:
Inpainting (healing and cloning in plain English):
Gestures: https://youtu.be/mOBPdKsEjc4
Adjustment Layers: https://youtu.be/mOBPdKsEjc4 (ie you can add contrast as a layer - what is called non-destructive)
Filters: https://youtu.be/kgn5z8YSMB0
Selection Refinement: https://youtu.be/WsUzQMCYrjo
Raw Editing: https://youtu.be/HwIM74EbsNg
Cropping and Straightening: https://youtu.be/UWRNbH42iYw
Haze Removal: https://youtu.be/nUcZ1ghgMZw
Dodge and Burn: https://youtu.be/dOMBwlP5D5o
Sky Replacement: https://youtu.be/uP-ujHOZl_I
Tone Mapping: https://youtu.be/hA2DSieONak
Mask Layer Compositing: https://youtu.be/jmPBKZMVOvU
RGB/CMYK/LAB Interworking: https://youtu.be/fItfKfkZA3Y
Making Colours Pop: https://youtu.be/dYs-Z8KzxJQ
Channels: https://youtu.be/E38WvIcLYSY
Saving Selections as Channels: https://youtu.be/O-cDIJRFNRo

I haven't been able to watch them all with my limited bandwidth but what I have watched has been very useful although perhaps more of an overview than I would have liked.
 
ImageArt said:
Yes, I have experienced just that.

HOWEVER.....

Selections are incredible. The Smart Brush is actually amazing and after reading your comment about a dumb brush I did a little more experimenting. If you reduce the smart brush size to be about 1-3 pixels and zoom in, it actually works like a dumb brush. In fact I find the Smart Brush works best if it's only about 6 pixels. After each selection you seem to need to go to the Refine Tool to actually save the whole selection to another layer. I did some refining and then went back to the smart tool and it lost all my refinements, so you can't seem to go back once you have Refined a selection. Some of the other brushes are a bit illogical too but extremely powerful.
Click to expand...

I had determined that in order to use the selection (create a mask, create a new layer) you have to refine the mask. Refine works great - with an obvious edge. Their example, of course, uses dark hair against a solid blue sky. They don't use lighter brown hair, with highlights from ambient light, against a wood or beige background. There are times when my eye can determine an edge that an app cannot. That's when I need a dumb brush. (I know you know that, but I always speak to a larger audience. The teacher in me.)

Changing colors for text, as Star observed, is not straightforward. There is no color picker under the Art Text tool on the left or the Text Studio on the right.

IMG_2405.JPG


You need to choose the text layer, then use the Color Studio just under the Layer Studio on the right.

IMG_2406.JPG
 
juryjone said:
This. Something as simple as making the pop-up menu for tools go away so you can see the entire image is not intuitive. Can you add multiple spotlights with the Lighting filter? Doesn't seem to be possible, but the help is not that helpful. How do you commit changes in the Liquify "persona"? Or Develop? WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

The Smart Brush for selections is great, but why isn't there a "dumb brush" for when the app chooses pixels incorrectly?

It is horribly complicated, yet it's so powerful that I keep trying. At some point, though, I may stop trying and only use it for specialized reasons, like Dehaze or spotlighting.
Click to expand...

I've only dabbled.
 
juryjone said:
I had determined that in order to use the selection (create a mask, create a new layer) you have to refine the mask. Refine works great - with an obvious edge. Their example, of course, uses dark hair against a solid blue sky. They don't use lighter brown hair, with highlights from ambient light, against a wood or beige background. There are times when my eye can determine an edge that an app cannot. That's when I need a dumb brush. (I know you know that, but I always speak to a larger audience. The teacher in me.)

Changing colors for text, as Star observed, is not straightforward. There is no color picker under the Art Text tool on the left or the Text Studio on the right.

View attachment 94831

You need to choose the text layer, then use the Color Studio just under the Layer Studio on the right.

View attachment 94832
Click to expand...
Well, the Colour Studio does provide a colour picker when in Text Mode and I suppose this is similar to packages like Photoshop. Actually, for a change I think this is quite logical because this means colour will work the same for all controls.

I happen to understand how the colour picker works because Procreate does something similar for paint fill.

1. Select the Text Tool
2. Open the Colour Studio (as Jerry mentioned)
3. At the top right you see a dropper. Tap and drag the dropper to the part of the screen that contains the colour you want and release. This puts the colour in the dropper. To select it as the main colour, tap the colour circle on the right and it is now added to the left circle and becomes the current colour. Now any text you write will be in this colour.
 
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By the way, they are continually adding new videos so I was able to work out how to add another image as a layer. Again quite simple if only one knew how! Instead of using the term Import they have used the term Place. So from the Command Menu at the top (three dots), you choose the third option, Place and hey presto you can add a photo. I mean I would never have guessed to try that command!
 
ImageArt said:
Well, the Colour Studio does provide a colour picker when in Text Mode and I suppose this is similar to packages like Photoshop. Actually, for a change I think this is quite logical because this means colour will work the same for all controls.

I happen to understand how the colour picker works because Procreate does something similar for paint fill.

1. Select the Text Tool
2. Open the Colour Studio (as Jerry mentioned)
3. At the top right you see a dropper. Tap and drag the dropper to the part of the screen that contains the colour you want and release. This puts the colour in the dropper. To select it as the main colour, tap the colour circle on the right and it is now added to the left circle and becomes the current colour. Now any text you write will be in this colour.
Click to expand...

I have to try this. I don't think it's the way I changed the color on the font. When I tried the drag and drop color it changed everything except the font. I've been watching the videos for the desktop version, too, assuming they are similar.

Yesterday, I spent an hour playing with selections, and "placing" photos. I had great luck with the refine selection tool.

I can't wait until I have more than an hour to spend! New software thrills me!
 
ImageArt said:
Yes, I have experienced just that.

HOWEVER.....

Selections are incredible. The Smart Brush is actually amazing and after reading your comment about a dumb brush I did a little more experimenting. If you reduce the smart brush size to be about 1-3 pixels and zoom in, it actually works like a dumb brush. In fact I find the Smart Brush works best if it's only about 6 pixels. After each selection you seem to need to go to the Refine Tool to actually save the whole selection to another layer. I did some refining and then went back to the smart tool and it lost all my refinements, so you can't seem to go back once you have Refined a selection. Some of the other brushes are a bit illogical too but extremely powerful.

The Edge tool only works after you have made an initial selection and this is probably the case for some of the others. Then you can save just the edge and can expand the size by pinching or pushing out with two fingers and you can decide what part of the edge you want - inner, outer, centre. I then went to the Refine brush and selected the centres. The outer edge came out a bit rough but I'm sure there must be a way to smooth this.

View attachment 94814
Finally found the Duplicate Layer option. I would logically expect it on the layers panel but you select the layer and it's the first option on the Command Menu Option (the three dots at the top).

It really does help to know that if you hold down the question mark at the bottom right, it will label all the controls.

Jerry, I think it's one of those apps where you discover that everything is fairly simple as soon as you know where to find it! And then when you know it you can't understand why everybody else finds it so difficult :lmao:. I think with the two of us working on this and a good handful of other Mobitogers like Ted and Star we can get this sussed.

Anybody else want to join in?? JillyG - your TWAC results makes me think you are a great candidate. Pity your iPad is not up to it FundyBrian. I think it's time to start saving for an iPad Pro.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking of a new iPad Pro but with the new models coming out in just a few months it seems best to wait a while. Or buy into instant old models. It's so frustrating to think that in a few months all our shiny new iPhone 7 Plus phones will be the "old" models.
 
ImageArt said:
By the way, they are continually adding new videos so I was able to work out how to add another image as a layer. Again quite simple if only one knew how! Instead of using the term Import they have used the term Place. So from the Command Menu at the top (three dots), you choose the third option, Place and hey presto you can add a photo. I mean I would never have guessed to try that command!
Click to expand...

"Place" is the word used in Adobe InDesign. Without knowing the proper word it is really hard to look things up in the manual.
 
And why on earth are the using the word "persona"?! As soon as I click on certain buttons it complains that I am trying to do something bad having something to do with persona and then I get irritated instead of trying to figure out what they mean. [emoji848][emoji851]
 
ubbyisis said:
And why on earth are the using the word "persona"?! As soon as I click on certain buttons it complains that I am trying to do something bad having something to do with persona and then I get irritated instead of trying to figure out what they mean. [emoji848][emoji851]
Click to expand...
Yes, a weird name to use for what I would call Modes. Photograph Mode, Selection Mode, Liquify Mode. These are the menu options at the top which they call Personas. They are basically saying that you have to be in the right Mode to use some of the buttons. So you can't use all the buttons if you are in the Liquify Persona. The Photograph Persona, with their logo, is the main one and most of the buttons can be used with this.
 
ImageArt said:
Yes, a weird name to use for what I would call Modes. Photograph Mode, Selection Mode, Liquify Mode. These are the menu options at the top which they call Personas. They are basically saying that you have to be in the right Mode to use some of the buttons. So you can't use all the buttons if you are in the Liquify Persona. The Photograph Persona, with their logo, is the main one and most of the buttons can be used with this.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman did a film called Persona in 1966. A very depressing film - as most of his films were...
 
My 365 for today uses Affinity.

I'm liking the spotlight Lighting effect in Affinity. Naturally my thoughts turned to the theatre. I thought I'd use a photo as a painted backdrop, create the stage floor in Reflect, add the curtain with shadow and lighting in Affinity.

IMG_2401.JPG
 
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