SallijaneG

I saw that; I don’t understand why if I have version 2 of the 3 programs I would need to update to a specific .x version—I guess that makes some sense, though one—at least I—would not expect that important a change outside of a major version upgrade, which I have done from 1.x to 2.3 for Publisher, 2.2.0 for Designer (current is 2.2.4.2), and 2.2.1 for Photo (also latest 2.2.4.2). I have gotten a new drive to offload some stuff and make more room (done some already), so yes, I will do that. I was wondering if it was seeing the 2.2.0/2.2.1 versions, which I would have thought would play nicely with Publisher 2.3—I guess I am wrong, I didn’t really see any way to check that. O.K., this is beyond weird to me: I just checked for Publisher updates, because why not?, and it says, “Publisher 2.2.4.2 is now available—you have 2.3.0. Would you like to download it now?” Weird world where 2.2.4.2 comes after 2.3.0! I guess I found my answer, though! Thanks.

I used to use it automatically, not knowing the name Studio Link, but since I updated Publisher it no longer seems to recognize the other programs. I have in fact used Designer on its own not sure about Photo; will try opening each. I have Version 2 of all 3, though I have not updated Designer nor Publisher to the latest “.x” version—space issue on my computer, which I am addressing. See attached screenshot: all 3 programs open (all Version 2), but Studio Link is inactive.

Yes, I enjoyed the historical architectural trivia, too, and was amused by the name’s appropriateness to this discussion.

Yes, I still have a computer with InDesign CS4 installed, though happily using Affinity since 2019 or earlier. I expect to stick with Affinity as long as they have the “pay for the version as you need it” model, so hoping for a solid few years at least.

Being semiretired, I cannot afford to go back to Adobe, nor do I want the constant drip of my funds. I expect to stay with Affinity as long as they do not go to a subscription mode; if they do, meaning that I would likely have to save up for Quark, I can do that—but will use the last version before subscription in the meantime, as I did for mreo than 5 years with InDesign. (I still have an old computer with InDesign CS4 installed for when/if I want to update an old file.)

I am not concerned with Adobe; they can have that high-end market (I opted out of it when it went to a subscription model—my income was not consistent enough to trust that I could comfortably pay that fee for a decade or more). I do want quality software for those of us with high-quality aspirations but low budgets, and what is important for me is whether Canva will help or hurt that goal. Time will tell; prediction is difficult. (Having it free in schools does help train the upcoming work force in it, which is a good thing.)

My interpretation is that “high-end” professionals are those who are deeply involved, often at the production level, in the creation of materials that have very strict quality standards, that are usually with a commensurate high budget and equipment/software with the capabilities necessary—often corporate (for profit or large NGO), government, etc. “Mid-range” would be lower-level folks in those departments, would be doing similar work for entities that do not have the resources to meet those standards, though they are generally striving (as all of us are) for the best results possible given the resources available. I was never more than “mid-range”, doing layout for newspapers and directories, and a movie-fan magazine, and now for small, low-budget grassroots groups, and never a designer—I always worked with art and graphics generated by others, or with clip art or stock photos. I need more resources than Canva, for sure, but don’t miss much from Adobe InDesign back in CS4 (IDK what new features have been added since). I really appreciate being able to use Designer and Photo—it was never worth it for me to get Illustrator or Photoshop, and Gimp was difficult—and I have upgraded my skills since I have had that option. It is less about education/credentials than the quality level of work that they are producing.

Yes, certainly the marketing money that Canva can bring to the table will enable many more users to find Serif and upgrade from Canva to the Affinity suite.

Just another reason to NOT pay for Amazon Prime—much like what happened to cable TV. Showing my age again, how many here in the U.S. remember the sales pitch: pay for cable, no ads! How long did that last?

Yeah, I saw that too—creepy. As it is, without AI, spell-check has improved drastically since the 1990s and “DamnYouAutoCorrect”! (No hashtags back then, amazingly enough.) (Am I old or what?)

Yes, it is a fun movie.

I have often seen disclaimers on contact forms that warn against submitting ideas, as the company will not pay for them; sort of “submit at your own risk/cost”.

Well said!

Thanks for this analysis; as a USAmerican, the background on the Australian economic situation is of interest. I did not realize that Canva had bought both Pixabay and Pexels (I do remember Pixabay no longer being searchable through Affinity, that might have been the reason for the change), and I have been using both along with Openverse. I do feel that I have seen more ads than before, but they are both good image sources for me. I also noted a post that mentioned Canva buying Flourish, a program of which I was unaware and looks interesting. They have certainly been on a buying spree!

That is a reasonable use case, to be sure. I used a grassroots non-profit’s account for a month long project with 6 social media posts daily, and between cloning and scheduling posts, it worked well. I would not use it for any high-end items, though; it is clearly for those without specialized knowledge.

Nice! I hope that things go as well as you expect; I’ll stay around for now to watch the developments.

I was using Aldus PageMaker very happily when Adobe bought it. I transitioned to PageMaker, and used Quark for one client/employer, but was free-lancing when Creative Suite came along. I bought InDesign CS4, the last one available on disk and without subscription, and limped along with an old laptop (which I had bought because my G4 desktop could no longer run the new InDesign software—that might have been about 2010) until I found Affinity in, I believe, 2016. I have V2 and am happy with it, no rush for V3 for me.

That is one of the more encouraging things I have heard. IDK that Adobe buying Canva could have survived antitrust, but it is a risk better avoided.

“can save up and make single purchases, but subscriptions not so much” This is me, too, especially when I was free-lancing and income was very variable. It is also a principle to own what I buy, not pay rent endlessly, as much as possible.

There are features missing from Canva that are important to me in doing layout. If the programs merge in such a way that (1) all the Affinity features I need remain available to me with a perpetual license that I can choose to upgrade to new versions or not, on my schedule, or (2) the programs remain separate, with selected features of either being added to the other, and again, the perpetual license for Affinity remains, then I will remain a happy camper. I will stay around for now and watch developments.

Actually, for what it is—a way for nondesigners to make pretty things—it actually is decent. For making and posting a series of daily graphics for Ranked-Choice Voting Month, Jan. ’23 (1-23), to be posted to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (that’s 93 posts; 3x31), it provided a good assembly line process—but that is mass production, not high-end graphic design or publishing. Here is one day’s worth; basic, nothing exciting, copy/paste/adjust size/schedule, repeat.

Yes, that is what I did with PageMaker/InDesign—though I don’t think they had new versions every year back then; treadmill was slower! I would skip 1 or 2 versions but was sure to upgrade often enough (with 1 dumb, expensive miss) to keep my discounted upgrades active.

Started in 2016 and very happy with the Affinity apps and the perpetual license. Hoping that it keeps on keeping on.

Agreed about approaching retirement age, though I think about 2 multigenerational family farms that recently changed hands here in Bergen County, N.J., just west of New York City. One family went to the town for a variance to build a strip mall; the other sold to employees with a deed restriction to ensure that the land would remain a farm. I think you can guess which one I support. It will be interesting to see if the professionals and amateurs will both have a path to continue on their preferred program, Affinity and Canva, respectively. If they are both maintained with some cross-pollination but without diminishing ease on one side and features on the other, with a choice of subscription or version purchase, great. I think that is overly optimistic, but we will see what happens.

Love the sign-off! Yes, a couple of grassroots groups with whom I work use the free nonprofit version of Canva, so I have used it there, and about the only useful thing it does better than other programs is convert a design into stock sizes for various social media platforms (and even then, it needs customization) and allow for scheduling of posts without another program to do that. A colleague makes graphics for our radio show with it, and I am constantly looking for features that she, as an amateur, would not know are missing (sometimes I just know that they have to be there and can teach her some tricks). IF—big if—they continue with a perpetual license for Affinity, I will continue; otherwise, I will need to be looking for alternatives as I continue with the last perpetual version for as long as possible. (It took 5 years from the time I left InDesignCS4 until I found Serif.)