Bad_Wolf

@henryg You made a very good point about the lack of .exe extension. The exe is present inside the "AppData/Local/Microsoft/WindowsApp..." but when you try to point a third party app to this exe, you receive an error message that it is impossible. This is a known problem which Serif will fix as soon as possible. Serif has a temporary fix by writing a launcher for this, but they are not telling how you write it, how you save it and how to access it, so I am waiting for the fix by Serif.

Hi Billbir, I am more a Designer user than a Photo user. The user interface of V2 is much more logical organized than V1. What I also like is importing assets in Affinity Designer and they appear also in Photo and Publisher. The same is also true for Brushes, importing once, use in all 3 applications. Maybe as a Photo user it has no interest but in Designer the Shape Builder is great. I have to add, while I have both AD and AP, and switch regularly between the two, if you do not use AD then the Shape Builder is of no use to you. I agree with Lizod, the non-destructive RAW is priceless. Probably a lesser reason; you can now upgrade with a lovely discount which let your favourite applications remain up-to-date for probably a very long time. Chris

@R C-R and @carl123 I can only completely agree with both of you. When I bought the Affinity Suite years ago (I have two licences), I received a nice discount for one of them for which I am grateful. I find the hugh 40% discount for everybody very generous and fair from Serif. Am I more important with my 2 licences than somebody with 1 licence? Definatelly not! When I look around on this community, I see people helping people voluntarily to a great extend, I see astonishing artwork created and shared by members here. That are the people who earn even a much greater discount than myself. The discount is a true bargain for everybody. And above all, people receive new features and tools which makes their workflow easier and faster. Instead of whining, people should explore these new tools, see how much they can push them to the limits, start creating and earning money! That is the only way to go to let Affinity pays itself back. Creativity is the answer to succes, not the discount you received. Even at full price, Affinity will pay itself back for me. I want to close this subject by telling to people who feel disappointed because others receive the same discount: "be happy and gratefull for the nice discount you receive and grant other people the same joy!". Be happy and positive! Chris

@NBabout, You bought Affinity 5 months ago and you didn't use it at all, what is your problem then? Are you going to upgrade an application which you didn't use? I do agree with you, I am using Affinity since the beginning. However, at the time I switched many times I wished I remained with DrawPlus. By the way, I also renewed my DrawPlus licence just before the release of Affinity Designer and had to pay the same value as anybody else. Back in 2016, I just bought an Affinity licence, removed DrawPlus from my laptop and moved on without looking back. Correction, DrawPlus was removed a few weeks later because I found out, I was constantly switching to DrawPlus because I knew it better than Designer. It is what it is. This forum is not the place to complain about the pricing. I can only advice you to contact Serif directly and explain your case. Maybe in that way you can have your extra discount. I really do hope this kind of rants stop because they are not adding anything constructive any more. Maybe it is time for the moderators to close this thread. Chris

I think everything is already said what could be said about the matter. The solution is very simple, like somebody else already mentioned, buy an Adobe subscription or use free software and everybody is happy. Besides Adobe, we have Inkscape, Canva, Gimp all good COMPLETELY free alternatives. I would say; choices enough! Now I have to go back to work.

I can only agree with Psenda and Old Bruce. More than a year ago I bought a Udemy course for about 84 euros because I really was interested in it. The other day, I found out there was a promotion where the exactly same course was 9,99 euros. I indeed regretted that I didn't a day longer. I could have blamed Udemy for not letting me know the next day was a sale, but I didn't. I successfully finished that course and I used what I have learned to provide better services, better courses. The person who bought the course a day later, was just luckier than I. Another point is that as others already mentioned, if you visited the forum regularly, you could know that Serif was working on a V2 version. I cannot remember when the last V1 update was, but I assume it was early this year. There were even death rumours for the Affinity suite:). When reading between the lines, people should have known that the V2 upgrade was coming. I am using Affinity for Windows since 2016, with indeed free updates all the time. After a couple of years, I became concerned how a small software company like Serif could have enough revenue to sustain this "free" update model. For many people here, who are relying on Affinity, it is very important that Serif earns enough revenue. Only the Sun comes up for free! And for those who still do not understand an example. Lets say you make a drawing for a customer and that customer pays you for that drawing. Now the next day, that same customer asks you to make another drawing based on that first one. You know you are gonna work another 2 weeks on that second drawing. The second drawing is finished and you are delivering to that customer. But the customer said, I already paid for the first drawing, you have to give the second drawing for free. Do you see my point? Serif stated that they created version v2 completely from the ground up to make it truly multi-platform. This means that v1 and v2 are two different codebases. I am sure Serif can maintain both codebases perfectly by hiring more skilled staff. However and believe me, this will result in a severe price increase. To be honest, I think it will need a monthly subsciption plan to cover these costs because it will become an ongoing simultanious development process. So my suggestion to Serif is, make v1 a subscription plan of about 20 euros /month (that is the cheapest plan for Illustrator). This will fund the development for maintaining v1 and everybody is satisfied not? But you can also look it from another perspective. Indeed, you have to pay now 119 euros for the unversal licence. However, that licence gives you a lot more features and possibilities. After the upgrade, you can also raise your price for a drawing or publication. You can invest time to master those new features like the shape builder and once mastered, it can save you time or let you draw more sophisticated artwork. Negativity is your worst enemy and advisor. Keep positive, resourcefull and creative. Chris

@GDCo I regret to hear that you cannot afford the Affinity upgrades. We are based in Botswana (Africa) and therefore I do understand your situation. Serif is a small company and probably does not have the resources to update both v1 and v2. However, it is not common practice when a new version is released, that the old version is still supported. Users can use v2 and open v1 files which is another case. But maybe you do not need the universal licence. If you only need one application from the suite, then you can only buy that with the discount. But you say that you are fine with v1. Maybe it is better to tell here which bugs/problems you encounter. I am sure people here will come up with solutions or workarounds. Doing so will be more constructive dan shooting on Serif. Wish you all the best. Chris

I do agree with All Media Lab. We could use Affinity since 2016 (2020 for Publisher I think) for so many years with a single payment. Lets say you paid for Affinity in January this year. Now compare that with an Adobe subscription. Here is what you pay monthly: Illustrator: 24,19 USD InDesign: 20,99 USD Photoshop: 20,99 USD Which makes a total of 66,17 USD a month. I took these 3 applications because the universal license also cover these. Now you have to pay 119 Euro (a dolar is more than one euro on this moment) for the universal licence with the discount. Without discount it will 199 euro for a program which you can keep using, even when the next (v3) version will come out. When you make use of the discount, after less than 2 months you are winning compared with Adobe. Another advantage of Serif/Affinity is that the development team is listening to their users. Try that kind of support with Adobe and I can tell you, you run back to Affinity. In the past I had Adobe subscriptions for InDesign. Even when Affinity doesn't have all functionality of Adobe, I will not return back to Adobe for sure. For those who find this upgrade too little, think twice. Look at the Ragtime.de website how much you pay for the 64bit update for Ragtime 7 (from version 6.6.6). Normal price 737 EURO, discounted price until 16 december 637 EURO. For those who do not know Ragtime, it is a DTP application for businesses, comparable with Affinity Publisher. Despite being a Ragtime users since 1994, I do not recommend switching to Ragtime, Publisher is a better choice easier to learn and more visually pleasing. I also wished more for this upgrade. However, I understand that not all my wishes can come true in this release. I really would wish a blend tool which will not be for this version. But I am not moaning or disappointed for the lack of a blend tool. Instead, I already explored the other new tools which I am very satisfied with. And if 99% of Affinity is the same, then I interprete that as a compliment to Serif! Because it means that we only have to learn that other 1% which is a hugh time saver. To conclude my reply, even 199 euro would have been acceptable for me because then after 3 months I win compared with Adobe. I am using Designer and Photo since 2016, make your calculation over all those 6 years compared with Adobe and you see how much I already gained! For some people, there is really no shame and I mean it! Serif did a great job and we should at least give them our appreciation for their efforts to bring us new tools, features and creativity. Thank you Serif for the excellent applications you delivered! Chris

You only need internet once for the activation. After that you can remain working offline without any internet. I do not know if you use a laptop or computer but isn't it possible to connect short for the activation and shut down the internet after activation? Chris

No reason to be disappointed. Its simply too complex to maintain version v1 and v2 together. You are free to remain with version 1 which saves you the money for version 2 however, there are concequences which you have to accept. The discount for upgrading is a very nice one especially the Universal licence. I did upgrade but if I would have decided not to, I would accept the fact that the present v1 version should no longer be updated. Serif is not liyng when the say you can use the software forever. Even when you do not upgrade, the v1 version keeps working. If you no longer pay your Adobe subscription then the applications stops working. In other words, you can use the version you paid for as long as the Operating System support and run it. That is also the case with the Plus range (DrawPlus, PagePlus,...) people who didn't change to Affinity could remain using them. However, now it seems they are start to break with new OS releases by Microsoft. Only you can decide if you upgrade to v2 or not. If you decide not to upgrade it is your decision not Serif. You say that you are fine with V1, so what is your problem then? In other threads I read "Fraud", here I read "Lying". Please people, don't use accussitons which are not true. Be civil. Chris

Welcome Mike, When I understand correctly you need to be online for activation. After that, there is no more internet necessary except for the updates. I hope this helps. Chris

Very satisfied with the Affinity suite and surely NOT disappointed! We cannot have it all and some things have to be left to be looked out for in a future release. I would also liked a blend tool which was also on my wish list. But I do understand we cannot have it all. Something has to be left to look forward too. Thank you Serif - Affinity team for the excellent work done! This is a super-great new release. Indeed, something "big" happened today. Chris

@Pšenda I apologize for the wrong choice of wording. English is not my native language and I am not a perfect person. I did edit my reply so now it reads "...free updates...". Chris

@Patrick Connor I do not know you realized, but you just gave away (reading between te lines) that it is the Affinity Suite. By the way, I am happy to buy brand new licences again. We had free updates for much too long. Affinity always worked out for me despite some shortcomings. It let me do things which otherwise should be impossible for me. So whatever Serif will come up with, I will not be disappointed. I am looking forward to 9 November! I want to thank the whole Serif team for an excellent work they did and still do! Chris

By the way, I got 5 or 6 years of free updates in the V1.0 versions, I do not mind if I have to pay full price again. I like the Affinity suit so much and I am relying on it. For me it is far more important that Affinity's future is secured.

Hi all, I consulted my crystal ball and it is telling me on 9 november version v2.0 will be released. I am unanimously about it.

I am surprised about the kind of speculation here. First someone expected 26 October, now I read another person expect 25 November (Black Friday). Maybe some people should invest in a crystal ball. I used my crystal ball which tells me the release of v2.0 will be on 31 November! I am very sure about this date because my crystal ball is never wrong. The reality is that we all have to wait until v2.0 is released.

Hi @N.P.M. and @walt.farrell, Thank you both so much for your help. Now it is late here and I have to go to bed. Tomorrow evening, I will try out your suggestions. Your help is much appreciated. Chris

Hi All, Please, can you help me again solving my problem with referencing pages within a document? On one page I have the text "Solution on page 20". But I want the page number (20) be dynamic. So when I insert a new page before page 20 (lets say "page 20" becomes then "page 21", the reference text on the earlier page should read "Solution on page 21" automaticly. This document will be used for printing on paper. So an URL or bookmark will not be possible. I appreciate your help very much. Chris

Don't worry, I can live with that. Even without some of these features, I am sure V2 will be an interesting release. Kind Regards, Chris

Lets hope, we will find most of our wishes in V2!

Having a shape builder tool, together with a Knife tool and a tracing feature for v2, will be a dream. But I am afraid I'm asking too much.

Hi Old Bruce, Thank you for your reply. You are correct, it will certainly work with two tables each on its own layer. However, when using styles it is possible to get the same results in only one table. If for any reason, one table get out of alignment, it is immediatelly visible. I also think limiting the amount of objects on a page is very important. We are talking here about one crossword/maze puzzle. However, there are many present in that document. That is the reason I try to save resources and limit the chance on an error. One puzzle is easy and simple, but when you have 30 or 40, it can become rapidly very complex. That is what I try to avoid. Don't get me wrong, your suggestion is fine and I appreciate it, because each contribution will bring me better insights in Publisher I didn't had before. To be honest, my Publisher knowledge is very limited and every suggestion will help me understand this excellent application much better. Have a nice weekend. Chris

Hi Walt Farrell and Thomaso, Thank you so much for your input. I apologize for misusing the word "stylesheet" it must be "style" (I already changed in my original post). I want to create the puzzles/mazes directly in Publisher, no longer in Designer. In Designer they are hand-drawn, each one of them. I have a layer for the lines and one for the results. Initially, only those lines are visible. In the solution section, I make the results layer visible and then you can see everything. I do not need any calculation and I did express my needs wrongly. I like the table tool acting like a spreadsheet. So I can easily modify the width/height of each cell. In the meantime, I succeeded in getting 15 rows and 15 columns, aligned the content horizontal and vertical. I created a TextStyle named "results" and choosed the color. However, to make it invisible I deselected the checkbox near Character fill. When I want to make it visible, just check this box again. I could not use the layer solution from AD, because the table and its text always resides on the same layer. What I learned most today is that I still have to learn a lot about Publisher. Thank you both for putting me on the right track again. Have a nice weekend. Chris

Hi all, Please can you advise me on creating crossword, maze and instant word puzzles? I create my puzzles with Instant Puzzle Generator, which can output in image formats like jpg/png. What I do is export them to png format, then draw them over in Affinity Designer (AD). It is a very time-consuming way of working, but I have complete control over the results. The AD document has made up of layers. There is a layer for the lines and another for the resulting text (which is invisible at first). Most of these puzzles are squared, but some can have other shapes like circles, hexagonal, triangular and everything you can imagine. Needles to say I need spreadsheets for this, which I do not find in aPub. I tried the table tool but it is completely useless for my purpose. At first sight it is possible, however I found out I got completely stuck. In Ragtime I can put spreadsheets in almost every object. This seems to work fine for my purpose. Maybe I overlook something in aPub, I do not know. But I fail to accomplish my crossword/mazes with the table tool in aPub. Keep in mind that I no longer use AD for the crossword/maze puzzels but create everything in aPub. The results are in the same spreadsheet but hidden/showed by a styles assigned to it. When it has to be hidden, I assign transparent to its color, when it has to show I choose a color. All in one place with one click. I also need merged cells but vertical and horizontal. Any idea how to create a spreadsheet like puzzle with the table tool in aPub? Thank you so much for your input which will be appreciated. Chris