Herbert123

In the meantime you may want to test a dedicated raw processor, such as RawTherapee, instead. RawTherapee opens a X-Pro1 Raw in under a second on my older machine. And it supports Fuji X-trans demosaicing as well (Lightroom is still terrible at Fuji X-Trans, and it results often in unacceptable results compared to altnernative Raw processors). All meta data remains intact, and it displays all the lens information. Then setup Affinity Photo as the external application to receive a 16bit per channel Tiff, and send the result to Photo for further processing.

It is called "pixel art". There are a number of very good pixel art focused editors which rely on indexed colour palettes, and tools that work well with direct pixel manipulation, or "Pixel Pushers". In principle any image editor can be used to generate pixel art, but modern image editors (Photoshop, Affinity Photo) tend to be less suited for this type of work compared to applications which are modeled after the famous Deluxe Paint IV on the Amiga . One of the "industry standards" for pixel art is Pro Motion http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/index.php?Home_%28Pro_Motion%29 Unfortunately only available for Windows. It is used by many game studios to create retro pixel graphics for their games. It does not come cheap, however (more expensive than AF Photo!). Graphics Gale is another very popular pixel art tool: http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/ Again, unfortunately only available for Windows. For Mac a good alternative is GrafX2: http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2 Which is free, and available cross-platform. Another option is http://www.pixenapp.com/which I have never used myself. I hear it is missing essential features. I would not know of an alternative which can compete with Pro Motion on the Mac, sadly. :( Alternatively, you can also decide to run either Deluxe Paint or PPaint (another golden oldie) in an emulated Amiga system. That is what I do sometimes, alongside Pro Motion on my WIndows machine. To run these, you will need to purchase the original Amiga roms from Cloanto (get their Amiga Forever) and then use the cross-compatible content to run it on your Mac http://www.amigaforever.com/mac/. Deluxe Paint can be downloaded here: https://firedrop.com/13cf3124837644d5 Of course, modern image editors can obviously also be used. But you will need at least gradients which can be dithered and with pattern support, mix colours with dithering support, preferably an indexed colour mode, drawing tools which work in aliased mode, Layers are handy, of course, but even Photoshop cannot handle layers in indexed colour mode! And modern image editors such as Affinity Photo and Photoline do not even have an indexed colour mode anymore. Gimp can handle indexed colour mode and layers, and works quite well for retro pixel graphics - but the interface is not that great. Fireworks actually also works quite well for pixel art. But the latest Mac El Capitan causes all sorts of issues for Fireworks. And it does not come cheap at $299 (especially seeing it is a dead application which was discontinued in May 2013). Try GrafX2 first. The interface is based on Deluxe Paint and PPaint, so it is quite "non-standard", to say the very least :P But quite powerful and lots of fun for drawing retro pixel graphics. I have been using it myself for pixel art more and more lately - also because it runs on both Mac and Windows. And on my Android tablet. It also runs on iOs, I believe.

I am not certain about how far the GPL v2 reaches, but what if it would be implemented as a plugin - you would have to make the plugin open source, but not Affinity itself.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, InkScape's CDR import is not perfect at all. For simpler files it works well, but for more complex artwork it fails to import all the elements correctly. Having said that, the Affinity devs could probably just take that part of InkScape, and implement it in their software. It is, after all, open source. Even if only 50% of files can be loaded directly, it will be a workflow speedup.

InkScape supports CDR files, and will import CorelDraw files - up to a point. More complex artwork with clipped areas and gradients are not very well supported at all. Still, if you have a lot of black-and-white clipart in CDR format, and no access to CorelDraw, InkScape may be used to convert simpler CDR files to SVG, and then imported into Affinity. I agree with Top Cat: proprietary native file formats will always present issues. It is just not possible (without an extraordinary amount of time and effort) to achieve perfect imports. Even SVG (an open standard!) import still is problematic at times in most applications. It is unrealistic to expect perfect imports from formats such as PSD, CDR, AI, InDesign, and so on.

Your shadows are pre-multiplied with the original white background. What you need is a straight alpha for the shadows. See http://www.cgdirector.com/quick-tip-straight-alpha-vs-premultiplied-alpha/ If you are working in Poser: Render it with no background, and set the render options to render over black.

Oh, I apologize. I work both on Mac and Windows, and I am tool agnostic - I am always on the lookout for new interesting tools (especially with Adobe's digital serfdom, and on the Mac I use both Photoline and Affinity Photo - though admittedly still more Photoline than AF Photo at the moment. People here compare Affinity Photo continuously with Photoshop, and I indeed compare with Photoline in a similar fashion. Affinity photo misses certain features I use on a daily basis in Photoline (and used to use in Photoshop), and even Photoshop cannot compare with Photoline in terms of the layer stack (in my opinion). Of course, each application has its strengths and areas it could improve upon. For example, I do my digital painting in Krita nowadays, and AF Photo, Photoshop, or Photoline all pale in comparison for that type of work. I do not believe in the "one app for all jobs" paradigm: a good carpenter has many great tools in his toolbox - and so do I (but I will not rent my software - same analogy: why rent your hammers?). I suppose I stand out a bit because Photoline users are not that incredibly common - so when I compare both apps here, obviously I am kinda on my own (except maybe for one or two other users - Quarian? ;-). Most users compare Affinity Photo with Photoshop, and will not be called out on that - which is understandable, since it is a very common comparison to make. Every user here uses or has used Photoshop at some point, I assume. And I do really miss certain layer features in AF Photo - a smart object alternative would be great, for example. Or external file layers. Anyway, I think each application can learn from the others as to how improve certain areas. I also told the Photoline devs a couple of weeks ago how they could improve their application by looking at how Affinity Photo implemented features. For example, the on-canvas filters, i.e. the lighting filter (which I sorely miss in Photoline!). You gain some features, you lose some features. I will be more careful in future posts here, and compare less with Photoline. Or Photoshop ;-P

Smart Object support is a tough one to solve, since they may contain both Photoshop generated content and Illustrator generated content. The obscure and lacking documentation regarding the PSD format, as well as the ever-moving target (PSD) make it extra difficult to deal with SOs. The only application outside Photoshop that I know of that opens PSD files with Smart Objects is the latest beta of Photoline. It opens Smart Objects with layered PSD content, and it will open Smart Objects with pdf-based Illustrator content. Even more impressive: the actual content of both can be opened in a new windows (just like Photoshop), and even the Illustrator content can directly be edited in Photoline. Or sent to an external application such as InkScape. In Photoline SOs are opened as placeholder layers. It took those guys also a year before Smart Object support was added. It is possible, but not the easiest thing to pull off.

I just noticed that the newest beta version of Photoline supports PSD files with embedded smart objects with Illustrator content! And the content can be opened and edited directly in Photoline with its vector tools (opens in a new window just like Photoshop), and/or can be sent to an external application, such as InkScape, for a seamless round-trip editing workflow. That is actually quite impressive - I know of no other application outside of Photoshop that can pull this off - and even Photoshop is unable to edit embedded Illustrator files directly. PSD import has been improved yet again, with support for all adjustment layers (except photofilter) and vector shapes. Photoline converts smart objects to placeholder layers (which are almost identical to smart objects). Would be nice if Affinity Photo would support some sort of SO type of layer as well.

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

Krita is making progress in this direction. It already supports seamless texture painting and multiple axes mirror painting, HDR painting, and tangent normal painting was added a while ago. Full 16bit per channel integer AND float modes, as well as 32 bit per channel float support. Templates include standard texture formats as well (up to 8k and more if needed). The brush engine is fabulous. Multi-channel painting and a 3d preview are on the road-map. They are really listening to texture artists. If you wasn't aware of Krita already: it is open source and free, and focuses on digital painting. https://krita.org/ I am unsure Affinity Photo will ever introduce more specific tools aimed at texture painters: it might be too much of a niche market. But we will see.

Sorry, I do not understand your question? The slider allows for a seamless black --> dark --> neutral --> light --> very light grey overall GUI colour. If a user prefers a dark interface, slide it to the left. If the user prefers a light UI, slide it to the right. SImple as that. The icons switch from dark to bright ones automatically, depending on the overall UI brightness or darkness.

In Photoline layer masks can be grouped, and the opacity/strength of each layer mask can then be individually controlled with the layer opacity. I do not have access to Affinity Photo at the moment, but can't we do the same in Photo? Just change the opacity of the layer mask itself? What I really like in Photoline is that the mask opacity can be doubled up to 200% - effectively giving you a simple control to adjust the smoothing somewhat (and there is a separate layer property setting to control smooth masks as well). .

In Photoline the GUI colour can be controlled with a simple slider: And the overall background grey value is set by holding down <ctrl><alt> mouse-wheel while hovering the mouse in the mini browser panel or browser window. Very handy.

I do not think it will ever be possible to have 100% compatibility with Adobe's software - their file formats are poorly documented, and new features are added every release. Merely the base set of features in InDesign, for example, would take an extraordinary amount of effort to support. For example: even a dedicated InDesign to QuarkXpress converter such as ID2Q from Marksware cannot achieve a 100% correct conversion, requiring manual intervention (and we are talking about a product which has seen development since InDesign's inception!). Full compatibility is not going to happen, period. It is a pipe-dream. That is why the print industry works with PDF files for output: an output format meant to be published, based on standards which all print applications should support.

I predict that Adobe will be dropping Comet within five years, or so. Like they did with Edge Animate, Fireworks, Brackets, LiveMotion, etc. but to name a few.

Photoshop's 3d functionality is horrendously primitive and awkward in its implementation. I avoid it like the plague - the quality is questionable, and rendering 'speed' is like a slug crawling through molasses. I do my 3d work in Blender and Lightwave. Photoshop's 3d feature is a good example of why Photo would be better off sticking to becoming the best image editor, with perhaps a live link to various 3d applications.

OpenEXR support would only be possible when/if Affinity Photo supports 32bit per channel. OpenEXR is meant to be used in a 32bpx environment, and Photo only supports up to 16bpc. I wonder: is 32bpc in the works or on the road-map? Seems odd to me that 32bpc was left out - it is such an important fundamental feature in an image editor, and for a modern new image editor which professes to be aimed at professional creatives, it is a strange omission.

Why is Affinity bound to the image mode like Photoshop? Photoline's layer stack can freely mix and match images with any image mode (RGB, Lab, CMYK, Grey, b&w) in any bit depth (8, 16, and 32 bit per channel). Working with curves without the need to switch to a different image mode is just one of the advantages of this approach. The background layer decides the final calculated result: the image data in the layers remains untouched, even when switching the background layer back and forth between different image modes (from RGB to grey scale, to monochrome, and back to full Lab 32bpc: you will not lose any precious data of the original images used in the layer stack!). Another great idea to improve Affinity Photo.

Virtual cloned layers which respond in realtime when any changes are made in the original source layer. This is possible in both Krita and Photoline. Also allow for layer masks to be cloned, and re-used, and even adjustment layers. Super handy in Photoline.

Layer opacity with a range beyond 0-100%. Photoline allows for a range from -200% up to +200%. This allows for so much flexibility beyond what other image editors have on offer. Wish to double the effect of a layer's blend mode? Increase up to 200. Invert the effect of a layer (even an adjustment layer)? Use a negative value in the layer opacity. Tremendously useful. I keep wondering why no other software thought of this before.

First, Photoline is not free - it is shareware. After 30 days you must purchase a license (which is 59 euros). Photoline has its quirks (like any other sofware out there), but is a great image editor with vector and DTP functionality all combined into one. In terms of image editing it can do things no other software can: - layer opacity can be set from -200(!) up to +200 for easy inversion and doubling layer blending effects. This is tremendously useful, and I wonder why no-one else has yet incorporated this in their layer stacks. - any bitmap layer can be ANY image mode (RGB, CMYK, Lab, Greyscale, b&w), and ANY bit depth (8, 16 and 32bpc) in the same layer stack. The bottom most layer's image mode and bit depth decides the final result. Which means the user can freely combine a CMYK layer with RGB and Lab layers at different bit depths, and they all retain their original data! Switching the background layer's image mode and bit depth will not impact the original data, only the interpretation of that data. Which means Photoline uses a completely different approach to solve these problems compared to any other image editor out there (as far as I am aware of). - any layer, layer group, layer mask (group), adjustment layer (group), vector layer and text layer can be virtually cloned and instanced. These instances react in realtime on any changes made to the original source layer. They can also be used as layer masks, or part as other layer masks. Or be shared across pages. A much more flexible and efficient approach to Smart Objects for this. Krita also supports this type of virtual cloning, and it is a shame this is not possible (yet?) in Affinity. - Curves, histogram correction, and other colour adjustment layers allow the user to switch to a different image mode WHILE making adjustments! Thus, a curve adjustment layer can be added, and it is possible to switch from RGB to Lab, HSV, or HIS modes while adjusting the curves. In photoline almost any image editing related application can be turned into a plugin through its external application feature, which makes true round-trip editing possible with most other software. The user can send a layer, the document, or even nothing to an external application. Exchange formats are SVG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, and NONE. For example, in the latest beta I can send a vector layer to InkScape as a SVG, which opens it, and then I edit the file. I save, and the changes are automatically applied to the file I have open in Photoline. Even better: the link remains live, and I can keep making edits and see those update the master file in Photoline. This also works for just about any other image related application. It is a good alternative to Photoshop plugin issues (although Photoline also supports most popular classic Photoshop plugins). Anyway, just a couple of ideas for new features of the top of my hat. Just a couple of things which Photoline and Krita do better than the majority of image editors out there.

This is also a known issue in other applications - the web export in Illustrator is abysmal at low resolution, for example. Anti-aliasing vector art at lower resolution may disappoint at times. A work-around solution is to export at a much higher resolution, and then scale down the bitmap to the required size. Some applications allow the user to select Catmull-Rom algorithm based down-sampling when scaling down - I found this to yield the best results after having done many tests: both sharp-looking edges and great anti-aliasing.The results are superior compared to other down-sampling algorithms. (Photoline, ColorQuantizer, ImageMagick are applications which support this.)

Funny you mention Freehand: I found Photoline's tab ruler to be almost a copy of Freehand's version. The text ruler even rotates with the textbox, just like Freehand. :-) I agree with you that such a text ruler is very handy.

Also a good one (I forgot to mention that one for Mac) - although keep in mind that ImageAlpha (as opposed to ImageOptim) does a lossy optimization with up to 256 colours.