Asha

Madame, yes ON1 is standalone, but when it is installed, it also puts plugins into the Photoshop plugin folder. That way it can be accessed from the PS Filter menu. When I tried to link to ON1 with AP (I tried several permutations), I could not get AP to recognize anything from ON1. Using the same method, AP does recognize Nik and DxO, and they are present in the AP filter menu. However, Nik is only partially functional and DxO crashes AP.

I'm ok with a dark interface, but would like to have the option to customize it as needed.

Thanks for your response Sven. Let me add--one reason Adobe appears to be "complex" in terms of input is because of the way inputs developed for the desktop (mouse, keyboard, pen/tablet), where touch was a kind of afterthought on some Wacom tablets and shortcuts were relegated to keyboard commands, etc. After using a paint program like Procreate on the iPad, going back to PS on the desktop seems like a step backwards. I think that effective software design is a big factor that can't be discounted.

I also had AP unexpectedly quit when attempting to use DxO. ON1 is simply not recognized. I was able to get some Nik filters to work (all the Efex ones). It is possible to use DxO and ON1 standalone, but it is a big interruption to work flow.

I think I can see the logic of putting Flatten in the Documents menu but leaving Merge in the Layers. Flatten is generally a destructive command that affects the entire document. It is definitely a bit tricky for those of us who are used to PS ;)

DPR is an especially vitriolic forum, so I take most of the user comments with a grain of salt. However, I do think that AP would have an audience there based on the huge outcry against the Adobe CC subscription model. People are looking for alternatives! I agree with lack of filter compatibility being an issue. I can take a file to the standalone filter application, but that is a big interruption in workflow. I submitted requests to the three I use (DxO, Nik and ON1) for compatibility with AP. The more people that request, the more likely it will become a reality!

I was not able to get anything from ON1 to work with AP. I did submit a request to ON1 that they support AP, and created a feature request in the Affinity forum. ETA Here is the link for the feature request I made. Feel free to add your support :) https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/16165-affinity-photo-plugin-requests/?hl=plugin

Sven--I think that Adobe would like you to think it is "too complex". However, having seen software (eg Procreate) built from the ground up with maximizing iOS and processor performance, I can see that it is possible to have powerful apps on the iPad Pro. My sense with Affinity is that they also have this mindset, and I really look forward to seeing what they do with the apps on iOS.

My impression is that it is a quick way to get some punch out of a raw image before converting it to something like a tiff or native AF file. It reminds me of the sharpening control in Camera Raw. In that sense, I don't see it as being any better than the pixel based unsharp mask, but just convenient if you have raw in your workflow.

Gotcha, skiphunt. Are you asking about "Detail Refinement" in the develop persona? To me it looks like an unsharp mask.

In order to have the background be "paper", the document will need to have a transparent base. When you create a new document in AP, look for the "Transparent Background" checkbox, and check it. Then when you mask, it will mask to transparent instead of a background color.

This article is old, but the principles are still the same for photo sharpening. http://creativepro.com/out-gamut-almost-everything-you-wanted-know-about-sharpening-photoshop-were-afraid-ask/ ETA Here is the subsequent article--link from the comments of the article referenced above: http://creativepro.com/out-gamut-a-two-pass-approach-sharpening-photoshop/

I fully sympathize with the issues of a "broken" CS6 and extortionate subscription for CC. However, I think the iPad has such a gaping hole with respect to professional illustration and photo tools, that it is very sound reasoning to try to get there ASAP.

Hi Lille-- I tried it--to move a selection, you put your cursor inside the marching ants selection area. It changes to a 4-direction arrow, at which point you can move your selection "box". I was not able to move and then go back to resizing as you describe with any key combination. I tried various key combinations (as is done in PS) to try to draw a square from the center, to no avail. However, holding shift while drawing will constrain to a square shape (rather than rectangle). ETA MEB--very slick that we can go back and forth between quick mask and selection, thanks for pointing it out! I think having some key shortcuts can be more efficient--and I see Q will toggle the mask and V will switch to the selection tool. Woot!

Create an adjustment layer above your original and apply some initial settings Add a layer mask to the adjustment layer Fill the layer mask with black Using a white brush on the layer mask, paint the areas where the lens flares exist You will need to experiment with the correction layer settings and the brush size and softness to suit your image. Once you have a good mask, you can fine tune the correction settings.

You should be able to "reclaim" your background layer by flattening the file (Document > Flatten). This is different than merging layers, which can compress a set of layers with no background layer.

I would try using a color balance or selective color correction layer with a mask for the larger flares.

I also have TestFlight, iPad Pro and Apple Pencil--I would be up for beta testing.

Your photo has some severe scratching, so I'm not sure this will work for all of the marks, but it does well for dust and particles: Create a duplicate of the layer that contains the photo, and put it above the original Apply a Gaussian blur to the top layer Apply a Layer Mask to the top layer, and fill with black Using the brush with white on the mask (not on the blurred photo), paint the individual blemishes This is a non destructive method that requires some trial and error to determine the best type and amount of blurring, brush size, etc.

Are you talking about removing dust and scratches?

I am a long-time PS user, and I have found that Affinity Photo is the best PS alternative I've tried.

I just tried it and this is what I observed: If you start with a white fill on the mask: Black adds to the mask Erase adds to the mask White removes from the mask If you start with a black fill on the mask; Black adds to the mask Erase adds to the mask White removes from the mask Make sure you have the paintbrush tool selected when you try toggling from black to white--I made the mistake of trying to paint black or white with the eraser, and of course it didn't behave as I wanted, lol.

I've been posting about plugins in other threads, but it looks like this is the main one. After some trial and error, I was able to get the following Nik filters to work: Color Efex Analog Efex Silver Efex HDR Efex I was NOT able to get the following to work: Viveza Sharpener DFine As I reported in other threads, ON1 is not recognized and DxO Film Pack causes AP to "unexpectedly quit". ETA: The Nik Efex filters noted above work but do not create the effect on a new layer and place a layer mask as it does when used in PS. Within the filters that do "work", some of the fine adjustments don't always seem to be active (such as control point manipulation).

After copying plugins to the AP folder and authorizing them as described by MEB, none of my plugins work with AP: DxO--selecting Film Pack crashed AP ("unexpectedly quit") Nik--was able to select the filters, but the preview was not visible and none of the buttons worked ON1--not recognized by AP I'm running OS El Capitan on an iMac 5k and AP 1.4. ETA: I was able to get the Nik Efex to work, somewhat, but On1 and DxO still won't play nice.

OK I tried putting the plugins manually to Affinity Photo and working within the Preferences window to get unknown plugins recognized. Here is what happened: DxO--selecting Film Pack crashed AP ("unexpectedly quit") Nik--was able to select the filters, but the preview was not visible and none of the buttons worked ON1--not recognized by AP I'm running OS El Capitan on an iMac 5k and AP 1.4.