Quarian

Don't know if this helps, but here is a free utility (Mac/Win) that can help with organization of your files before starting work in APub. I have found that should I have to relink my assets, it helps to have a consistent folder hierarchy to work with. https://www.digitalrebellion.com/posthaste/
It is customizable and you can make your own templates to generate a folder hierarchy before you even open up APub for storage of your supporting assets. The below is an example for one I created for my publication layout and design work:
ProjectName/ (Your main layout files go here. I usually name mine with a date and a numerical designation to indicate which draft it is. For example: "ProjectName_25Feb20_001.afpub")
  ProjectName/Assets:
     ProjectName/Assets/3D ("Models" and "Renders" folders go within)
     ProjectName/Assets/Fonts (Any fonts I use in the piece are saved in this folder)
     ProjectName/Assets/Illustrations ("Raster" and "Vector" go within; APhoto compositions go here--original photography used in a digital photocompostion goes below)
     ProjectName/Assets/Photos ("Original" and "Working" go within; I'm old school, so all photography not supplied by the customer goes into "Original" (see below for reason why). All altered images (converted from CMYK to RGB and otherwise altered to include additional retouching but NOT digital compositing go into "Working.")
--------------------
  ProjectName/CSR ("CSR" stands for "Customer/Client-Supplied Resources"):
     ProjectName/CSR/Copy (any copy and/or text files that the client has supplied to you for inclusion in their layout. RTF, DOC, DOCX, or TXT files, for example)
     ProjectName/CSR/Documents (Meeting Notes, recordings, emails with pertinent information saved to either PDF or text files should be saved here)
     ProjectName/CSR/Graphics (any vector files, PowerPoint files--yes, I have had the occasion--and/or high-resolution PDFs that the client has supplied to you for inclusion in their layout. Bear in mind that if any of these files require conversion into a different format best handled further in AD or AP--the converted documents are best saved in the "Assets/Illustrations" folder under either "Raster" or "Vector," as appropriate. )
     ProjectName/CSR/Images (any photos and/or raster imagery that the client has supplied to you for inclusion in their layout. Bear in mind that original photographic images given by the client should be stored here; any of these images that have processes such as RGB to CMYK conversion--for example--subsequently done should have THAT version of the file saved in the "ProjectName/Assets/Photos/Working" folder.)
     ProjectName/CSR/Spreadsheets (any spreadsheet files that the client has supplied to you for inclusion of tables or data in their layout. XLS, XLSX, or CSV files, for example)
______________
  ProjectName/Drafts (This is where your PDF proofs are saved for emailing to the client. This way--until the job is done--there is a visual record of changes from one draft to the next. If your client is enlightened enough to make changes to your PDF via notes and comments, store those files in "../CSR/Documents" and keep them separate from your original draft files)
 
As always, hope this helps.

"How does VivaDesigner compare to Affinity & InDesign? If it's closer to them than Scribus, I'll have to give it a whirl."
http://www.viva.us/en/products/desktop-publishing/vivadesigner-desktop-version
As someone who tried out VivaDesigner soon after the arrival of the cloud...yes, THAT PARTICULAR cloud (before the arrival of Affinity Publisher)...I can say that--albeit using the free version--it is most impressive. The typographic tools are QUITE good (which SHOULD be expected from a software that was once sold by Linotype). The free version doesn't offer a facility for the full range of features included in the importation of graphic files, but--if one reads the web site--VivaDesigner is the single most impressive COMMERCIAL layout software ever devised for use under Mac, Windows, AND Linux. For starters, it is the ONLY package that imports AND exports files in .IDML format, imports PDF as native objects, AND imports .INDD files. I am planning to buy a copy of VivaDesigner to run beside Affinity Publisher to use it as a conversion tool.
Having said all that--and having used both of them--Affinity Publisher leaves VD in the dust in six areas.
1) Price: VivaDesigner is not sold on subscription but is about $399.00 USD from the straight buy ($299 if you're able to do a "crossgrade" from certain Layout packages) AND THAT IS FOR A SINGLE LICENSE with NO second computer being considered (at the time of purchase, Viva offers a second license for roughly $30-50 USD additionally).
2) UI: Affinity Publisher has a MUCH more inviting UI than VivaDesigner. Don't believe me? Download the free version of VD and use the stylesheets.
3) StudioLink: " 'Nuff said."
4) Support for Pantone.
5) Supported on the Linux platform
6) As mentioned before, it is the only layout package that will--independent of an InDesign installation--import .INDD files and export .IDML files.
I plan to buy it because--in addition to running Windows and Mac--I run Linux as a production environment (Blender, BlackMagic Fusion, Enve...). By the way, for those of you running AD on Windows, you should try running Enve on Windows and importing your SVG files exported from AD and animating them. Enve is an open source, 2D animation software that runs on Linux and Windows...  https://maurycyliebner.github.io/. Enve has a feel that reminds me of old school Macromedia Flash.

"How does VivaDesigner compare to Affinity & InDesign? If it's closer to them than Scribus, I'll have to give it a whirl."
http://www.viva.us/en/products/desktop-publishing/vivadesigner-desktop-version
As someone who tried out VivaDesigner soon after the arrival of the cloud...yes, THAT PARTICULAR cloud (before the arrival of Affinity Publisher)...I can say that--albeit using the free version--it is most impressive. The typographic tools are QUITE good (which SHOULD be expected from a software that was once sold by Linotype). The free version doesn't offer a facility for the full range of features included in the importation of graphic files, but--if one reads the web site--VivaDesigner is the single most impressive COMMERCIAL layout software ever devised for use under Mac, Windows, AND Linux. For starters, it is the ONLY package that imports AND exports files in .IDML format, imports PDF as native objects, AND imports .INDD files. I am planning to buy a copy of VivaDesigner to run beside Affinity Publisher to use it as a conversion tool.
Having said all that--and having used both of them--Affinity Publisher leaves VD in the dust in six areas.
1) Price: VivaDesigner is not sold on subscription but is about $399.00 USD from the straight buy ($299 if you're able to do a "crossgrade" from certain Layout packages) AND THAT IS FOR A SINGLE LICENSE with NO second computer being considered (at the time of purchase, Viva offers a second license for roughly $30-50 USD additionally).
2) UI: Affinity Publisher has a MUCH more inviting UI than VivaDesigner. Don't believe me? Download the free version of VD and use the stylesheets.
3) StudioLink: " 'Nuff said."
4) Support for Pantone.
5) Supported on the Linux platform
6) As mentioned before, it is the only layout package that will--independent of an InDesign installation--import .INDD files and export .IDML files.
I plan to buy it because--in addition to running Windows and Mac--I run Linux as a production environment (Blender, BlackMagic Fusion, Enve...). By the way, for those of you running AD on Windows, you should try running Enve on Windows and importing your SVG files exported from AD and animating them. Enve is an open source, 2D animation software that runs on Linux and Windows...  https://maurycyliebner.github.io/. Enve has a feel that reminds me of old school Macromedia Flash.

"Added 'Save as package' feature for easy delivery of a complete project"
MattP....bless you, my son...ANYONE who used to use Ill*str*t*r and had to shell out extra bucks for a software like "Art Files" to package up all of the fonts and assets on an intricate poster or piece of artwork has felt my pain.

Hi all
I come from the “only bring plain text in" camp, with one exception - tables.
Indesign has a superb function to import word documents, but allowing you to remove styles and formatting, and crucially import the tables as “unformatted tables.”
This then gives you the basic structure, to apply paragraph/table styles and build up a styled document, without any of the junk formatting Word brings with it.
This was a MASSIVE step forward when introduced to Indesign (I think it was V2.0, almost 20 years ago!).
For those producing long, technical documents in Publisher, this should be a real roadmap priority.
Well done to Affinity for getting the Beta out – look forward to seeing it progress quickly.
Cheers, Christian

I am a designer but I was fortunate to work with a few prepress houses back in the early days before direct-to-press. You had to do separations to film and then burn plates. Film was not cheap so you HAD to get it correct almost from the very beginning.
 

I am very serious. Carrying over attributes, especially from Microsoft, to any other application can cause issues with your files. I've seen it too many times and ask designers not to use imported or copy/paste text from MS Word. These issues also occur in digital design when copying text from Word and pasting it into an HTML document. In print, your provider may be charging you additional money for fixes in your files due to attributes and you wouldn't know because it's considered as a hidden production charge.

If it helps, Scribus DOES have this feature implemented by way of a Python script called "Scribus Generator." I mention this because--until Publisher arrives--I'm using Scribus in conjunction with Designer (as they both work with littleCMS for Color Management) for my multipage publication development.
 
The original page on Scribus Generator is here:
 
http://www.ekkehardwill.de/sg/
 
and the GIthub page for it is here (it has since had newer features added to it; the Github page houses the newest incarnation):
 
https://github.com/berteh/ScribusGenerator
 
Hopefully this helps the community and the Devs.

Pulled down the APub Beta last night...moving right now so I probably won't get to really testing it until next week. Spent until 1AM here watching/rewatching the tutorials you posted. Just wanted to come up here and thank the devs and everyone else who worked on getting this one out on time. Thought for a minute we'd be looking at September, but you guys pulled together and got it out. Didn't expect you to release BOTH Windows AND Mac versions in Beta at the same time. No WONDER you were struggling. Hope your boss at least gave you pizza and a four-day weekend (I'm in the states...don't really know if labor day is celebrated over there), you deserve it!!!
If I may, a suggestion to my fellow forum readers: if presently you have no projects to properly test on APub, go to Project Gutenburg's website, https://www.gutenberg.org/, and pull down some public domain text from a classic book, and use that to practice laying out some text in APub. This is how I test the typographic capabilities of "new-to-me" layout packages. As it's unformatted text, you can use your imagination on how you'd like to see it formatted. Pick a topic/title, if possible, that you like so you can have some "buy-in" to your overall publication design. That said, I DO understand that it's a beta and we might not be able to do everything we want...yet.
My one suggestion to the devs is this: IDML import. IDML is an open specification and both S*****s and the big Q now have it. That said, thank you for the PDF import. I haven't yet used it, but have been seeing GLOWING reviews about it online.
My one suggestion to the marketing team--assuming they're the ones who make the tutorial videos (great job, by the way, ladies and gentlemen)--do one on how to import text info for tables. The current table video only shows how to create a table INSIDE the program without external input. Most of us are bringing tables in from outside. If that is a forthcoming feature, then I apologize for jumping the gun and will wait for you to implement it and put the tutorial up.
Great job, guys. The interface is very inviting. Some software packages you open and it's stiff city. Interfaces are so intimidating that you're not sure where to start, APub ain't one of those. Hopefully, I'll be sending you a sample or two once I get settled in my new place. Kick back and have a beer and a brat...you've earned it.

Pulled down the APub Beta last night...moving right now so I probably won't get to really testing it until next week. Spent until 1AM here watching/rewatching the tutorials you posted. Just wanted to come up here and thank the devs and everyone else who worked on getting this one out on time. Thought for a minute we'd be looking at September, but you guys pulled together and got it out. Didn't expect you to release BOTH Windows AND Mac versions in Beta at the same time. No WONDER you were struggling. Hope your boss at least gave you pizza and a four-day weekend (I'm in the states...don't really know if labor day is celebrated over there), you deserve it!!!
If I may, a suggestion to my fellow forum readers: if presently you have no projects to properly test on APub, go to Project Gutenburg's website, https://www.gutenberg.org/, and pull down some public domain text from a classic book, and use that to practice laying out some text in APub. This is how I test the typographic capabilities of "new-to-me" layout packages. As it's unformatted text, you can use your imagination on how you'd like to see it formatted. Pick a topic/title, if possible, that you like so you can have some "buy-in" to your overall publication design. That said, I DO understand that it's a beta and we might not be able to do everything we want...yet.
My one suggestion to the devs is this: IDML import. IDML is an open specification and both S*****s and the big Q now have it. That said, thank you for the PDF import. I haven't yet used it, but have been seeing GLOWING reviews about it online.
My one suggestion to the marketing team--assuming they're the ones who make the tutorial videos (great job, by the way, ladies and gentlemen)--do one on how to import text info for tables. The current table video only shows how to create a table INSIDE the program without external input. Most of us are bringing tables in from outside. If that is a forthcoming feature, then I apologize for jumping the gun and will wait for you to implement it and put the tutorial up.
Great job, guys. The interface is very inviting. Some software packages you open and it's stiff city. Interfaces are so intimidating that you're not sure where to start, APub ain't one of those. Hopefully, I'll be sending you a sample or two once I get settled in my new place. Kick back and have a beer and a brat...you've earned it.

Pulled down the APub Beta last night...moving right now so I probably won't get to really testing it until next week. Spent until 1AM here watching/rewatching the tutorials you posted. Just wanted to come up here and thank the devs and everyone else who worked on getting this one out on time. Thought for a minute we'd be looking at September, but you guys pulled together and got it out. Didn't expect you to release BOTH Windows AND Mac versions in Beta at the same time. No WONDER you were struggling. Hope your boss at least gave you pizza and a four-day weekend (I'm in the states...don't really know if labor day is celebrated over there), you deserve it!!!
If I may, a suggestion to my fellow forum readers: if presently you have no projects to properly test on APub, go to Project Gutenburg's website, https://www.gutenberg.org/, and pull down some public domain text from a classic book, and use that to practice laying out some text in APub. This is how I test the typographic capabilities of "new-to-me" layout packages. As it's unformatted text, you can use your imagination on how you'd like to see it formatted. Pick a topic/title, if possible, that you like so you can have some "buy-in" to your overall publication design. That said, I DO understand that it's a beta and we might not be able to do everything we want...yet.
My one suggestion to the devs is this: IDML import. IDML is an open specification and both S*****s and the big Q now have it. That said, thank you for the PDF import. I haven't yet used it, but have been seeing GLOWING reviews about it online.
My one suggestion to the marketing team--assuming they're the ones who make the tutorial videos (great job, by the way, ladies and gentlemen)--do one on how to import text info for tables. The current table video only shows how to create a table INSIDE the program without external input. Most of us are bringing tables in from outside. If that is a forthcoming feature, then I apologize for jumping the gun and will wait for you to implement it and put the tutorial up.
Great job, guys. The interface is very inviting. Some software packages you open and it's stiff city. Interfaces are so intimidating that you're not sure where to start, APub ain't one of those. Hopefully, I'll be sending you a sample or two once I get settled in my new place. Kick back and have a beer and a brat...you've earned it.

I use InDesign CS6 until Affinity Publisher is out of Beta. With Parallels and I can use legacy software like Ai CS5 or even Freehand. Don't ask me about the speed of it. I just open old files. I'd guess since it's old software it should run reasonable fast.

QXP now has JavaScript (and GREP JS) and part of that is a data merge that that can in-line merge. Since version 9, XML was dropped. But I transitioned all my XML clients to tagged text and haven't looked back.
As regards say Em Data's merge XTension...I use it in ID as well as Q because ID's data merge has historic bugs in it and because of all those stupid frames it creates with multiple record merges. Any merge I do cannot actually be handled in ID's native merge anyway. I also use Jo Letter XTension in Q for similar--but way better--merges than ID is capable of. I don't use it as often as Em's solution, though for certain work it is great.
Xtensions/plug-ins are great. I don't know how long it will take, if ever, for Serif to open up the means for third-parties to extend what APub may never be able to do. If for no other reason that is why the other layout software will have a larger market share.

Haven't been up here a lot lately (Hi Jens!)...but am still loving Designer and Photo. Working them into my Fusion, Natron and Blender workflows. Been trying of late to get more of my Motion Graphics on (Btw, if you save your Designer/Photo files out as layered PSD, Blackmagic Fusion will import them and you can animate the separate layers...just a tip  ).
 
Saw this thread and decided to jump in because sadly I bit the bullet and bought Quark a couple of months ago when QX2017 came out. Like many Affinity users, I understand that Serif is taking their time to get it right for version 1.0 (or even for a public beta, at this point) but could realistically see the likelihood increasing with the passage of time as it's been four years that I would either have to sell my soul and subscribe to *nD*s*gn's cloud version (right now, I'm still on CS6 for which a perpetual license was purchased), keep Freehand MX on life support for multipage layout, or purchase a perpetual license of Quark while waiting for APub. I love Freehand but--all things being equal--I can't use Freehand on my Macs without having to partition the drive for Snow Leopard and the current Pantone and OpenType support on FHMX, due again to the passage of time, are nonexistant. I do have licensed copies of the last two versions of PagePlus (X8 and X9), but neither of those will install natively on my Macs (they ARE kept around on my PC though, as Quark--without the purchase of some pricey plug-ins--will not do data/mail merges from CSV files as *nD*s*gn or PagePlus will. MikeW also mentioned Viva Designer...tried out their free version...from what I can tell, also a solid choice in terms of features and functionality.
 
I say that "sadly I bit the bullet" because I really wanted to wait for APub, but there are some things going on behind the scenes here where I may quickly need something with the most stability that can be had at the moment without selling my soul.
 
I'm using AD and APhoto alongside Quark at least until APub arrives and/or shakes out the bugs. Sorry guys, I tried.

After so long of waiting for publisher, I have quietly resigned myself to "it gets here, when it gets here...as long as it's done right when it gets here." In the meantime...I'm learning Quark. I will still support Affinity through AD and APh (I've got both versions for Mac and Windows) and will buy Publisher when it comes out couldn't wait any longer as I need something I could work with on a project and couldn't see myself going back and forth betwixt PC and Mac all day (there are some Mac-only workflows unfortunately tied up in this from the client's end). Bought a copy of quark 2015 with my tax refund and am waiting for it to arrive. Got my $50 ready for publisher, too, whenever it's ready.
 
This is not said in any way to badmouth APub. It's just going to take as long as it takes, and we need to recognize that and move on...until it's ready.

Using inkscape and importing the trace back into Designer. It works!
 
By the way, Potrace is the open source tracing engine that is included in Inkscape. Glad to see someone made a Mac-native version.

A couple of weeks? "It's beginning to look a lot like christmas..."

Thanks to everyone who posted here. I was having the same issues and thought it was just me.

Hi

The Affinity range will run on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 64bit :)

Hi WillAdams,
Welcome to Affinity Forums :)
Only 64 bit versions of Windows will be able to run Affinity.

And it better NOT BE Windows 10 only. We've been waiting TOO LONG for this. :)

Mr. Hildonen, thought I would come back to this thread and update you. The open source drawing/painting software known as Krita has a new beta in which they have now included an animation module. This module works on the concept of drawn animation so there is no automated in-betweening (or "tweening") in it. I didn't know if such a package would interest you but I figured I would post it on this forum in case it serves someone else who may be looking for an answer. Hope this helps.
 
https://krita.org/item/krita-2-9-animation-edition-beta-released/
 
Here's the sample video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqYFsupj7qI

In the meantime you could do worse than trying out Photoline for Windows. Quite powerful.

Hey, another PhotoLine user! Not to say that Affinity Photo is lacking in any way but the wise carpenter uses more than one tool in his belt.
 
I also work cross-platform and PhotoLine allows me to work in Windows when I'm working with PagePlus.

Wilfred Hildonen, the only things I could offer you as far as an animation tool for traditional 2D animation in the digital realm might be:
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 7. It will only allow you to do a flipbook @ 1080p max. I think it will only allow you to make an animation of 10 seconds @ 24fps but it will give you something to work with that will allow you to export the frames as .PNG files. It also includes onion-skinning and coloring of artwork. Adobe Photoshop. With the CC versions (or the CS5/CS6 Extended versions), I've been told that you can draw and do your own in-betweening using it's animation palette. Adobe Flash. While you can't draw in Flash. I have seen tutorials wherein animators have done their drawings/in-betweening in Photoshop and saved the frames out to PNGs and imported them into Flash to run the animation and export the video files.  
The remaining software packages listed here are open-source:
Synfig Studio. Synfig Studio will allow drawing although it's main strength is to create animation of vector drawings without the user having to do all of the in-betweening. Pencil2D. Reminiscent of Sketchbook Pro's flipbooks. Full drawing workflow. In beta. Blender. In the Grease Pencil mode, it is possible to accomplish hand-drawn, 2D animation. Examples of all of these softwares being used for creating 2D animation are available for viewing on youtube with a search.
 
Hope this helps.