RayCJ
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Posts posted by RayCJ
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Yes John, each flamingo had a metal band above it's knee. See here. BTW: This photo needs editing yet for another reason. (LOL)...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/33021567168/in/album-72157706239377544/
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Here's a handful of the latest shots from a trip yesterday to the Baltimore zoo. It was clear cold day with temperatures just a little below freezing. Skies had some clouds that often broke-up the harshness of the sun. All photos processed with Affinity (and a couple were done with the Beta release software). Perspective was adjusted on the conservatory building. ID bands were removed from the flamingo's leg. Tone enhancement on the Cheetah... All of these are from RAW images. For me, productivity is good with Affinity and except for fixing touching-up the flamingo leg, these only 5-10 minutes to process. When I used other software, I could _not_ get things done that fast.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/45978176495/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/39927250753/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/45977358545/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/31950618927/in/photostream/
Ray
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7 minutes ago, hifred said:
Well, I was talking about a well functioning bridge between two programs (in the way one also brings Affinity Photo files into Publisher).
RAW processing within a DAM is broadly established, and popular apps of that kind aren't excactly known for being complex or even bloated.
Yes, and if Affinity wants to include a package that serves as a bridge, sure, that's OK. I just hope that the bridge tool does not have editing capabilities similar to the products that are being bridged. In summary, there was too much feature-overlap between Aftershop and PaintShop Pro.
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2 minutes ago, hifred said:
In my opinion exactly that ist the only way to attract users who edit RAW files not just on occasion – but regularly and in great volumes.
The question I think is rather how seamless the transfer between RAW processor and the layer based compositing app is. Maybe Corel didn't do a good job with Aftershot and PSP but I can say that the same task works very well with ACR and Photoshop.Here is a comparison: I presume you are you familiar with "Swiss Army Knives". The are big cumbersome pocket knives with a great many blades that serve different features. They have screwdrivers, toothpicks, tweezers, combs, spoons, forks -and all kinds of individually useful things -that are packaged in a way to make them unusable.
I hope that does not happen to Affinity.
Ray
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49 minutes ago, Steps said:
You forgot to mention that PSP is also incredible slow and low performant in direct comparison to Photoshop Elements and Affinity Photo.
What "integration bugs" do you mean?
When going from one tool to the other, which often required converting a particular image to different file types (such as JPG, TIFF etc) the EXIF data would get damaged. Sometimes, pure rubbish would be introduced into the EXIF data, sometimes the fields would get merged etc...
Also, the same image, viewed under the same level of magnification, sometimes did not render with the same clarity between the two tools. The colors were the same but, there was noticeable differences in image detail and clarity. I found numerous other minor and moderate bugs in the Corel software -but they were just normal (less annoying) software issues.
Anyhow, the flaws with the EXIF data was a real turn-off for me leading me to discover Affinity.
So far, I've only found one technical flaw with Affinity which I cannot reproduce at the moment.
All programs have bugs, strong points and weak points. Right now, Affinity has fewer bugs and more strong points than weak points.
Ray
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A couple months ago, I first started doing digital image processing. Adobe's subscription-based service was a show-stopper. I started using Corel's Paintshop and Aftershot. It confused and frustrated me. I had to switch back & forth between two tools -and then came the integration bugs (which I won't discuss unless someone wants to hear about them). Corel's integrated file/image management feature was a bloated monster that created all kinds of confusion about which images existed and where they truly resided.
Yes, they got their money out of me by making me purchase 2 packages by cleverly distributing key features across 2 products. The joke is on them because the cost of maintaining two "similar-but-different" software products will give me the last laugh. FWIW, I'm retired from product development (mainly software) after 42 years earning my living from it.
Affinity is on the right track for now, sticking with it's core strengths. If they want to integrate an efficient cataloging feature as a front-end, that would be fine. IMO, it should just be a file/folder manager capable of invoking the Photo or Designer tool. The instant they incorporate editing/manipulating features directly into the file manger, they take the first step on the slippery slope of doom (been there, done that).
I hope Affinity is able to keep their Photo tool concise and effective. That will be a difficult job. Hint: Teaching the theory of how to use the key features, rather than adding preset buttons to do everything, is the secret ingredient.
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Expuery
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” -Leonardo Da Vinci
Ray
PS: I have constructive thoughts about the training videos on YouTube and will share once I find the appropriate forum.
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Oh, BTW: The twisty vine is only about 3 inches (~8.5cm) from the bottom to where it intersects the diagonal twig with buds on it. The little loop at the bottom is about 3/4" (~2cm) in diameter. It's a wee little thing and in the summertime, tiny hummingbirds perch on branches like that. If I somehow manage to get a photo that close-up of a hummingbird using a macro lens, I suspect there will be a Pulizter prize in store for me
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Ray
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6 hours ago, John Rostron said:
Well done! You have brought out the foreground from the background nicely, despite that they are not too different in hue.
What lens and aperture did you use?
John
Thank you John!
The lens is a Leica (made for Panasonic) DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 (the camera is a Panasonic/Lumix G9). The shot was at f4.5, 1/200, ISO 200. A tripod was needed because the subject distance was about 30cm (1ft) or so. [FYI: The camera is a 4:3 sensor format, the crop factor is 2x so, the equivalent focal length is 90mm]. I needed f4.5 on this shot to force the image to have two focus zones through the image plane. I tried to re-position for a 3rd focal point but, it didn't work out.
BTW: The curly twig is from a wisteria bush in front of my house.
Ray
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22 minutes ago, smadell said:
I think your image is lovely in its simplicity. It is a wonderful "first photo." Welcome to the club...
Thank you for the kind words. -Much appreciated!
I'm enjoying digital photography. No chemicals, or countless hours in the darkroom. I am spending a good bit of time at the computer learning this new software though
Ray
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This is the first picture I attempted to post-process using Affinity Photo. This was finished a couple hours after loading the Demo software. I'm fairly new to digital photography editing and only used some other software for a couple weeks. When I discovered Affinity and loaded the Demo software, it seemed just perfect and immediately, I wanted to start learning the keyboard shortcut keys.
This picture is not very creative and the image was captured in a few moments in front of my house just to test a new macro lens. The background blur (bokeh) is totally natural from the lens. The processing was to make a mask to separate and de-saturate the background and add a tiny bit of saturation to the curly twig. It was a fun first project with Affinity.
Regards
Ray
- Wosven, GDPR-365024 and stokerg
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Hi... I'm Ray C and wish to thank the folks responsible for creating Affinity Photo. What a wonderful breath of fresh air! The software has great features without being bloated. The videos available on YouTube are relevant, clear, concise and address all the right topics. Great Job! Thank you!
I'm not new to photography and spent a few decades using 35mm, medium format and large format cameras. In the last few years, I've used some "OK but not great" digital cameras but now I have a "nice" digital camera. I tried several software packages with OK results but, Affinity just steals the show from everyone else.
After 3 days of trying the Demo version, I was happy to purchase the package online.
Great job Affinity, great job.
Ray
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Clear Winter Day In Baltimore
in Share your work
Posted
... And while you're there, don't forget to look at this one. I wonder if this is some form of insult in vernacular of peacocks.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144281737@N07/39932246113/in/dateposted/