It's too huge of an app, any 2D anim or video editing tool...not as ever changing context as the extensively debated web design wysiwyg tool, but the market status in those worlds is super demanding, of very high level, super complex, takes a lifetime to develop a really solid animation tool that could at least try to survive among so much fierce and specialized (for decades) competition. Some have said, addition as a light feature, so, not a pro thing...IMO, that's a dangerous road, a mix of "styles" of doing things. Affinity seems to be heading to the serious, advanced hobbyist, the freelance professional, and companies of any type, without leaving out, in any sense, home or basic users (but they are not just basic tools for basic users, by any stretch).
Going back to products niches/target users (basic users only) with a scope like the legacy products had (still has ! These products are still on sale, just there seems not to be enough super high level staff to produce 20 products at a time), IMO could be a wrong decision now, business-wise. Most of all because also, these UIs are SUPER intuitive, so the basic user is covered, just like before (it was not harder to learn, those UIs than these. If anything, I like these much better ,they have a pretty easy learning curve) . So, adding a half baked feature, wouldn't feel professional at all, and reviewers could have there a weak spot to attack (and competition often pays some to do exactly that.. ) You can't fit a really good animation UI into an already full UI made for other purposes. If anything, most graphic apps, specially animation, at times do benefit in working with two desktop screens, as you need a complex UI setup. Again, no way; at least if you are trying to do things right. But that is definitely not my main point. Main is that they have already too much in their plate, with AD, AP, the tools for tablets, APub beta, and some other stuff they have some how ventured that could be done. Producing extra software, even if we read 'there is no plans for that', I wouldn't understand from it that will be impossible for ever. Only that unless some magic huge funding arrives out of nowhere, enabling to pay a couple of armies of seasoned ninja coders, chances of seeing the next Affinity Premiere or Affinity Effects (J/K, who knows if that might have already probs with trademarks stuff)) are not too likely, any time soon. But even when saying that "we don't have plans for that", some people understand that there could be a close future possibility of it, if giving pressure in the forums (?) (in stats, is close to nothing, I mean, in numbers). Different case is when someone spots a bug, or gives any sort of feedback, that is extra useful, as far as I've seen working inside some software development companies.
And I don't think is a bad thing to ask for new apps... It shows that you like the way of doing of the company, and/or its UIs, and/or the usage philosophy and workflows it provides you. I just mean that given the certain size of a company, one needs to have realistic expectations (not a prob if not, but is a bit of a waste of own's energy, too...) in terms of number of the top, pro market level, applications that it can create, produce, give support and maintain at a time...I have been working somehow doing 2D animation, 3D animation and video editing. And we are speaking about tools that provide very complex workflows, with demands of extremely complex functionality here. And super duper high levels of quality, accuracy, complexity expected, etc, etc.
Also, as a freelance and employee (as one switches the situation often), I don't see the point in waiting for....everything, even some days of delay can destroy any project or client connection. I'd just grab ANY of the so many free or mid cost apps already available, (or high end if one is fine with that way of doing, and finances allow) and many are wonderfully evolved and mature, solve my problem for whatever the gig or work at a company, and to the next project .I recon I do learn stuff as I get certain request. IE, I learnt to configure deeply certain e-commerce solution -bit too far from the profile of someone that pushes pixels and polygons- just because a gig like that arrived... With software tools, the same. I tend to purchase, of spent the needed time with a free tool whenever my work needs it, rarely before. (years ago I was A LOT more geek about these things. )
