enigma

I'd like to add my voice to the chorus requesting Linux versions of Affinity software. I'm in the process of migrating from the Mac to Linux, and one of the few stumbling blocks is around photography software. As a Capture One / Affinity Photo user, it's disappointing that neither is available for Linux, although Capture One's FAQ coyly answers the question with "Currently, the Capture One software is only compatible with macOS and Windows.", which at least gives me hope for the future. As with some other commenters here, I'm being driven away from Apple by their expensive, locked-down hardware and some odd design choices, e.g. the keyboard fiasco and the touchbar on the MBP. I've looked at Windows 10 but it's as ugly as ever and has too many privacy and security problems. I've used Linux off and on since it's earliest days, and every few years I would reevaluate it to see how it was maturing. The last time, a few years ago, I had too much difficulty with driver support and HiDPI displays to persevere. However the maturity of recent distributions has prompted me to look again, and I like what I see. GPU hardware support has matured greatly, and thanks to Vulcan and Steam, Linux has even turned into a capable gaming platform. I'm not surprised to hear other commenters say that it's the standard platform in the VFX industry. Hardware vendors are getting on board, with Lenovo and Dell providing certified hardware, System76 creating capable laptops and workstations running their Ubuntu-derived Pop!_OS, and in Europe we have the likes of Tuxedo creating Ubuntu and Manjaro-based laptops. As other commenters have noted, the introduction of Snap and Flatpak has greatly simplified the question of app distribution, and virtually all of the leading distributions now support both formats as standard. I've decided to make the jump. I've moved to cross-platform versions of most of my software (e.g. cloud drive, password management, browser, note-keeping, office apps, productivity tools) and the process was much less painful than expected. I'm currently running both a MacBook Pro and a Linux laptop in parallel, and later in the year I plan to drop the Mac entirely and build a decent Linux workstation. I really hope that Serif will give an indication that they are willing to join me on the journey. If not, I'll make do with Darktable and GIMP/Glimpse while I wait for something better to come along.

OK I just took a shot using uncompressed RAW and imported to Apple Photos using the SD Card Adapter. I was able to import into Affinity Photo on the iPad without any problems. So it looks like the issue is with the compressed RAW format. I'll raise a feedback request with Apple, since their list of supported RAW format doesn't mention any issues with the compressed format. (It does have footnotes for some cameras, but not for most of the Fuji models).

Actually, let me investigate further. I'm using the Lossless Compressed RAW format on Fuji and I think Apple's RAW converter may be incompatible. The web page I linked above makes no mention of this. I notice that when I open the Fuji file in Apple Photos on the desktop it's actually using the JPEG and when I try to "Use RAW as Original" I get an error saying "Cannot Switch Original - Photos cannot switch to the original because the RAW is unsupported." So it makes me wonder if Apple Photos on the iPad is actually using the JPEG, even though it clearly displays "RAW" against the image.

Hi Callum, Thanks for replying. Apple's RAW engine does support the X-H1 (see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207972) and I'm able to open these files in the Apple Photos app on iPad and perform basic edits. It's only when I import the file into AF that I see this behaviour. Also, I've previously been able to open these files on AF on iPad, so I suspect a bug has crept into a recent release.

I should add that the files open OK in the latest desktop version of Affinity Photo.

Hi there, I was travelling this weekend with my 10.9” iPad Pro (running latest version of iOS), and was unable to open RAF files from my Fuji X-H1 in Affinity Photo (latest version 1.6.8). I had uploaded the files to Apple Photos using the SD card camera connection kit. When I select “Import from Photos” I can see the files, and it allows me to import, however I then get a blank canvas in AF, and the top of the screen says “RAW - No Camera data - ISO 0 f 0 0mm - - - s” I’ve previously been able to open files OK, so this seems to be a recent issue. I’ve tried opening files that previously opened and get the same result, indicating an issue with AF rather than the files themselves. Any suggestions?

Agreed, that’s great news. Thanks for letting us know Andy.

With my experimental workflow, the RAW file is imported into the Apple Photos app so is synchronised with iCloud and available via the photos app. From there, I can then import the RAW file into Affinity Photo on the iPad to work on it. (In fact, I've been experimenting with importing into Lightroom Mobile first, then exporting a TIFF to Affinity so that I can dodge and burn). I don't think there is a way to import directly from the SD card directly into Affinity Photo - I think you have to go through the intermediate step using Apple Photos.

I would second this request. I'd like Affinity Photo on both iPad and Mac to have the option to store the .afphoto files in iCloud Drive by default. I'm experimenting with an iPad-based workflow. I import images into the iPad when I'm out and about, and then edit them in Affinity Photo. It would be great if I could switch to the Mac when I get home and open the images from there. If the images are stored in iCloud Drive then this should be fairly straightforward. That's how Pixelmator works, so it would be good to see Affinity Photo working in the same way.