donka

Yeah, I’ve not a good feeling about it. 
 
That reads to me as, from v3 it’ll be different. 
 
I really really hope we don’t get any Canva crap to deal with and subscription stays away. I’m not that loyal. 
 
 

I love you guys, and I have a big load of respect about you, being a big evangelist of Affinity, but I'm not having a good felling on this. Canva is not what I could name a "professional software" partner. They want to be Adobe, not an adobe alternative.
The first insinuation of subscription model will break any trust on Affinity, and for the love of the goddess, I hope Affinity apps don't become a dumpster of stupid and crappy AI and cheap design tools that Canva really is.
I've read the FAQs you published… they don't give me enough reassessment that nothing is gonna change. Your company and your project is not yours anymore.
I wish to be wrong.

Yes and no. In the past, their anti-piracy was trivial, and honestly, it made me stick to their software for years. And I know I am not the only one. As soon as I started designing ads for a living, I bought the license and paid the monthly fee. Their software was trivial to pirate in the past - which is not the primary reason it is the Design Suite of choice nowadays - but it certainly didn't hurt them much.

Honestly, there is a bit of a chicken and, e.g. problem on Android. There aren't many exceptional design apps on the platform; however, Samsung is making more exceptional hardware for designing/drawing/etc. At the moment, I am using Infinite Painter and Design on my Tab S9, which are fine. Not great, just fine. Krita does the job but is primarily a simple desktop port and doesn't have an excellent UI for tablets. Which means I don't use it. There are a few more apps. But most of these are ad-supported garbage or straight garbage. When you look at the Adobe forums, there are hundreds of posts, each with hundreds of replies requesting Android versions of the iPad apps. There is quite a bit of demand for it. Because, at best, only 1% of potential users will actively request something from a developer.

I don't blame Serif for not creating Android apps yet (hopefully). The business/team isn't close to the size of Adobe's. However, I blame Adobe for not leaving their earlier drawing apps on Android. Their actions, in this case, told their Android users to piss off by just deleting their existing apps. It's one of the reasons I started looking elsewhere for my design needs.

I won't switch back to iPads because I'm not particularly eager to work with iPad OS and its overpriced ecosystem. Samsung hardware is not cheap, but it's more feature-complete right out of the box. 

Anyway, thank you for your comment and have a great day.

Would love the Affinity suite on Android tablets, especially the Samsung Galaxy Tab range which I now much prefer over the iPad. Those big, beautiful screens and included S-Pen. Would be a winning combination.

Would love the Affinity suite on Android tablets, especially the Samsung Galaxy Tab range which I now much prefer over the iPad. Those big, beautiful screens and included S-Pen. Would be a winning combination.

Would love the Affinity suite on Android tablets, especially the Samsung Galaxy Tab range which I now much prefer over the iPad. Those big, beautiful screens and included S-Pen. Would be a winning combination.

Ridiculous that threads like this have existed for YEARS and have been entirely ignored by Affinity. What's the deal? Why are they so intent on ignoring a clearly very popular request? It's not like games are some niche thing anymore. DDS support is huge and is currently keeping a lot of people locked to photoshop.
 
I don't understand why we can't at LEAST get a response. If they just showed up and told us "No, we aren't adding dds support because we hate money" then at least there would be an answer, it's just that they keep ignoring it.

I'm another looking for DDS support. The new MS Flight Simulator 2020 requires DDS textures so I need to stick to Photoshop to export my work for this sim.

Please 'like' this post to add your vote for .BMP support in Affinity -
 
Yes! I would love Affinity to add support for the .BMP format

So much bikeshedding on this thread, BMP is the best or only or most convenient tool for some jobs and debating its relative merits won't nullify the actual users with real world problems on this thread.

File formats don't rot, BMP's simplicity is a feature and makes it excellent for many use cases (including ease of implementation for the Affinity team).  Would I find BMP optimal for saving an image?  Yeah, definitely in some contexts, and it seems weird to have that dismissed by people who have no idea what other AP users' needs are.
I could never imagine the equivalent arguments being made with a straight face if, say, a paid spreadsheet program couldn't export a CSV ("have you tried exporting as a PDF instead" or "this is obsolete and legacy, you should export with a newer format like <fancier binary format with better compression that doesn't solve the user's problem because, for instance, it can't be processed with a company's existing tools or won't work with a different third-party application it needs to work with>").

I will never understand peoples' willingness to jump on this thread just to tell people they don't want what they say they want.  Things like "have you tried using another format" or "have you tried converting it after", of course users have explored alternatives before posting on the forum (and maybe making an account to do that, too).  At least I did, and there's been plenty of people explaining that they know the alternatives, and they do actually need BMP for what they're doing, and that converting or using different software is just a pain, and then getting told they don't actually want BMP like they say they do.

And there are other people jumping on the thread just to wonder out loud about why Serif has not implemented it yet.  Someone mentioned testing and maintenance, as if this is a hard format to test or the code would need constant attention once written.  I write computer software and this argument is just rationalization and mental gymnastics.  If they have architected the software in such a way that either of those concerns is valid then they have done a poor job predicting how the software will need to change.  That also has nothing to do with the fact that AP is not solving real users' problems in the real world, and those users are respectfully voicing interest in a BMP export for the future of the program on this thread.

Why don't I go use another image editor?  I like AP, I'm sold on it, I like its features and I want to use it for more things.  That's been rough for me because I can't actually export in my target format right out of AP and my target format is stupid simple.

I'm another looking for DDS support. The new MS Flight Simulator 2020 requires DDS textures so I need to stick to Photoshop to export my work for this sim.

I'm another looking for DDS support. The new MS Flight Simulator 2020 requires DDS textures so I need to stick to Photoshop to export my work for this sim.

This has been fixed for RC2 - the menu should (and now does) work in any tool apart from the hand / view tool.
Cheers,
A

Adding my voice to this. Was using the beta for some non critical work and really found this a chore. Hopefully fixed soon or presumably for the full release. 

Status: Beta
Purpose: Features, Improvements, Fixes
Requirements: Beta Access to TestFlight
App Store: Not submitted
 
Hello,
We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the first beta of Affinity Photo 1.8 for iPad.
Photo 1.8 is a significant change to the currently shipping 1.7 version, so, as ever, I would strongly urge users to avoid the 1.8 beta for critical work. This is a pre-release build of 1.8 - we will release more builds before 1.8 ships. Things will be broken in this build - please use it to explore the new features and not for real work.
If this is your first time using a customer beta of an Affinity app, it’s worth noting that the beta will install as a separate app - alongside your store version. They will not interfere with each other at all and you can continue to use the store version for critical work without worry.
It’s also worth noting that we aren’t done yet - we are still working through reported bugs from previous releases and hope to fix as many as possible before the final release of 1.8. 
With all that said, we hope that you will enjoy the new capabilities introduced in this release and we look forward to any and all feedback you give to us.
Many thanks (as always),
Affinity Photo Team  

Changes Since 1.7
 
- PSD smart object import support (enable in preferences).
- Customisable keyboard shortcuts.
- New stock brushes (your custom brushes will not be lost).
- Improved handling of RAW files when using batch processing.
- Improved channels panel behaviour when disabling alpha.
- Updated PANTONE palettes to include new Solid and Bridge sets.
- Added support for user-editable metadata fields, including IPTC).
- Improved quality & file size of results when exporting JPEG.
- Improved unsharp mask “threshold” slider.
- Improved selection refinement performance & quality.
- Improved the noise reduction filter result when applied to JPEGs.
- Improved precision of Gaussian algorithm (to reduce banding).
- Improved performance of operations with large selections.
- Improved memory use with alternate futures and when replacing image layers.
- Embedded document fixes.
- Fixed Styles to show styles that would normally be invisible.
- Fixed crash when loading some corrupt JPEGs (valid image data, but corrupt following data).
- Fixed deletion of brushes / styles / etc. not reducing disk usage correctly.
- Fixed PSD export of hidden layers.
- Fixed Pixel Selection appears incorrectly when started near page edge.
- Fixed rasterising a fill layer goes wrong after changing document size.
- Fixed Marquee Selection not constraining to a square if you drag across the right diagonal.
- Fixed failure to load some PSB files (and failing to report errors).
- Fixed missing EXIF data for CRWs.
- Fixed crash importing PSD files containing embedded colour profiles with unicode characters in their names.
- Assorted other small fixes and improvements.
- Localisation improvements.

Another vote for BMP export support. I’m working on textures for a game franchise where the SDK requires 24bit BMP files. I can do all the necessary editing of the PSD templates In Affinity Photo but need to export as PSD and switch to desktop to use an app like Photoshop or GIMP to be able to prepare the BMP files. 

Another vote for BMP export support. I’m working on textures for a game franchise where the SDK requires 24bit BMP files. I can do all the necessary editing of the PSD templates In Affinity Photo but need to export as PSD and switch to desktop to use an app like Photoshop or GIMP to be able to prepare the BMP files. 

In my line of work it is essential that I am able to export my images to 8 bit .BMP  Is it possible that this option may be added, or is there a simple alternative....without resorting to PhotoShop?

Status: Beta
Purpose: Features, improvements, fixes.
Requirements: TestFlight Acceptance.
App Store: Not submitted
 
Hello,
We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the latest beta of Affinity Photo 1.7 for iPad.
Photo 1.7 is a (very) significant change to the currently shipping 1.6 version, so, as ever, I would strongly urge users to avoid the 1.7 beta for critical work. This is a pre-release build of 1.7 - we will release more builds before 1.7 ships. Things will be broken in this build - please use it to explore the new features and not for real work.
Please note that any 1.6 documents you load into this beta will subsequently fail to load back into 1.6 - please make copies first!
If this is your first time using a customer beta of an Affinity app, it’s worth noting that the beta will install as a separate app - alongside your store version. They will not interfere with each other at all and you can continue to use the store version for critical work without worry.
With all that said, we hope that you will enjoy the new capabilities introduced in this release and we look forward to any and all feedback you give to us.
Many thanks (as always),
Affinity Photo Team  
 
Changes Since 1.6 Release
Performance
- Second generation Metal hybrid compositor, now 100% shared code with macOS Photo 1.7. All Metal accelerated features are now significantly faster - sometimes by over 100%.
- We have tweaked a number of app features to work better on both new and old iPad hardware.
UI
- All UI has been reworked aiming to make the usable area of the canvas bigger and the controls less intrusive.
- A new “monochromatic iconography” switch has been added to preferences - it does the same as the desktop version.
- The small buttons on the content bar (without labels) are gone.
Brushes
- Significant improvements in brushing performance and responsiveness.
- Photo 1.7 introduces a new “sub-brush” mechanism, developed in conjunction with Paolo Limoncelli (DAUB® Brushes). This exciting feature allows any brush to have a list of other brushes attached which will draw at the same time.
- Symmetry (up to 32-way) is now supported - including on-canvas controls and optional mirroring.
- Wet edges and accumulation are now available on colour brushes and brushes with HSL variance.
- Brushes with multiple nozzle textures have always chosen the nozzle at random. In 1.7, the nozzle choice has a dynamic controller and ramp for greater control.
- ABR brush import has been improved - preserving controller options correctly.
RAW
- The denoise algorithm has been rewritten.
- Added support for CR3 RAW.
- Show which autofocus rectangles were in focus and which were selected by the camera (yellow, green respectively).
Filters
- New “Voronoi” filter.
- Denoise, Clarity and Shadows / Highlights filters have been rewritten (using technology from the Develop Persona).
- More filters are now available as Live Filters - including the new Procedural Texture filter.
- Live filters have been rewritten to improve performance - especially when multiple filters are used in a document.
- Improved Polar to Rectangular and Rectangular to Polar filters.
- Added round dot type to the halftone filter.
- Bilateral blur accuracy improvements.
- New “Procedural Texture” filter with advanced presets support.
- New “List mode” - like adjustments.
- Ability to add Live Filters directly from the filters studio - avoiding rasterisation.
Adjustments
- The HSL adjustment layer has been rewritten. It now supports custom hue ranges, a new algorithm, new UI and picker controls.
- The Levels adjustment layer now supports output levels - a common feature request.
- The White Balance adjustment layer has been rewritten.
- The Selective Colour adjustment layer has been rewritten.
- PSD import / export of adjustments has been improved.
- The Vibrance adjustment layer has been rewritten.
- The Recolour adjustment layer has gained a lightness slider.
Layers
- Layers page - added ability to tag layers with a colour - including PSD round-trip.
- New “Duplicate Selection” item in Layer menu (old behaviour). Duplicate now duplicate the whole layer ignoring pixel selection.
- Hide / Show / Show All Layers options in layers menu.
- Ability to either rasterise or rasterise and trim a layer. Previously recorded macros will trim.
- Allow adding an empty group from the Layer menu.
Selections
- Significant improvements to selection refinement.
- When using selection tools with no pixel selection, default to New / Add as appropriate.
- Added “Alpha Similarity” to Select Sampled Colour tool.
Tools
- The Crop tool has been rewritten - it now supports resolution changes, absolute pixel size and has a much improved preset mechanism.
- The Sponge Brush tool now gives more correct / pleasant results.
- Added a “Reveal Canvas” checkbox to the crop tool - defaults to off.
- Added new “Transform object separately” mode into Move tool.
- A general tools overhaul has been performed - providing editing of grids, guides, page origin, across multiple tools (not just in the Move tool)
- All brush tools can now be axis constrained once brushing has started - not just the pixel tool.
- Preferences now has a spline for controlling pencil input pressure.
- Preferences now allows you to assign actions to a pencil barrel double tap.
History
- “Alternate futures” for document history have been added. Traditionally, if you roll back the undo history then do something else all your changes after that point are lost. Photo will now display a small branch icon in the history tab when you do this. Pressing that button will cycle between all the different “futures” after that history entry - meaning you will never lose work you have done.
- Snapshots are now available from the history panel.
I/O
- HEIF images can now be loaded directly into Photo. If they contain a depth map, this will also be loaded as a second layer. Because depth maps are typically lower resolution than the main image, optional “smart” upsampling will be performed.
- TIFF export now has user selectable compression method.
- Added support for 12bit TIFF files.
- Introduced new metadata mining - completely rewritten to improve performance, flexibility and correctness.
- Metadata is now dynamically synchronised with your document - so if you resize then export, the values will be correct.
- Added Focal Length to metadata summary view.
- Support 16bit CMYK TIFF import.
General
- Official support for iPad Air 3, iPad mini 5.
- The “Stock” panel is now available in Photo iPad. Tap to search and long-press-drag to drop content into your document.
- Added an “Assets” panel to Photo.
- The modifier keys on a hardware keyboard now work (alt, cmd, etc.). If you enable on-screen modifiers, a symbol has been added next to each one indicating which key it corresponds to.
- New ability to control how macros are scaled / aligned when playing back.
- Ability to create a document from the contents of the clipboard.
- Add “Fill with Primary / Secondary” to the Edit menu for fast access.
- “Lock guides” added to menus.
- A new blend mode - Linear Burn - has been added.
- The Hard Mix blend mode has been improved.
- Numerous text improvements have been made - including new features.
- Significant PDF import / export improvements and fixes.
- Wonderful new samples.
- Numerous bug fixes - too many to list!

You can do that today with Apple's free Shortcuts app. Download that if you haven't already, select the Open In shortcut, uncheck the option to prompt for an app and you can then select which app you wish to open in. You can select Affinity Photo and also set the properties of the shortcut to be available from the share sheet and only for image files.
Now, say you are in Photos looking at an image and you wish to edit in AP, you just hit the Share sheet, tap the shortcuts icon and select your shortcut. It is simple to set up and use and is only a single tap longer than native share sheet support.
I can provide a better tutorial if you are new to shortcuts.

Another vote for this. The ability to use AP as an extension for iPad Photos would make up for some of the deficiencies in file management in AP.

This can be hidden for full screen apps - it is up to the developer so it appears this should be possible for Affinity Photo.

Pretty easy once you know how. Add your mask and select the mask in the layers studio. Now tap the channels studio and tap on the 3 dots to the right of the mask alpha layer. Select invert layer from the pop up menu. Return to mask layer and paint away with white brush to reveal what is covered by mask.

Hello all, 
I have been developing hundreds of RAW photos in AP and its amazing, but after I’m done I have to go in and one by one close all of the images I’ve developed. I wish there were a way to close all of them with a single command, or perhaps a select option so that we could choose multiple to be closed. Thank you!

I keep suggesting how the likes of Photogene works. This lets you browse all the images in the Photos app without the need of individual imports. You can nip in and out of images and make all the various edits you wish which are stored in Photogene unless you export back to Photos. This means you keep Photos as the 'DAM' app but leverage AP for all editing and exporting as required.
This is like a half way house between what we have today and a dedicated DAM application but works on iOS.