Absolutely. Gaussian blur is a very different thing from negative clarity. All types of blur I'm aware of do what the name implies, but in slightly different ways. Negative clarity keeps hard edges crisp but blurs soft edges more. The effect is a very romantic glow, and it tends to reduce blemishes of any sort, whether wrinkles on someone's face or spots on the sky from rain-spots on your lens. I've used it extensively for years, and taking away that ability would make my work unrecognizable.
I've stayed with Photoshop CS6 for years, unwilling to tolerate their hands in my pocket every month, but saw Affinity on the App Store a couple days and bought all three apps, hoping I could make the switch from Adobe to Affinity. And I still hope I can, but the RAW converter in general and negative clarity in particular look like deal-killers if I can't figure out workarounds. I just so hate to think of having to "upgrade" to Adobe CC! Help for a rank newbie, please!!
Steve Mouzon got a reaction from Alfred in Negative Clarity