Bad_Wolf

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.

That's what you get when taking things too seriously.
You've completely misunderstood my words. It is because I fully realize how limited our lives are and that planning only goes so far, that I live each day to the fullest I can. That I enjoy every little moment, every experience, every encounter (that includes negative ones). Anyone who knows me in my real life knows me for my unbridled optimism.
And I look at the universe and the world with that same hope and optimism; and awe as if I were still a child. We don't know what we don't know. As conscious beings we are but an infinitesimal part of the whole that is the universe, a part that coalesces like a tiny vortex in a river that appears and seamlessly merges back in a infinitesimal moment, yet we still fill it through our uniqueness and influence the next moments, even if we exist but for that short moment.
Being aware of this interconnection and fragility liberates one to a tremendous freedom. The world is wonderful and existence fragile. If more people would fully realize this, humanity wouldn't make such as mess.
Anyhoo... Back to our regular programming 🙂
Only the future will tell us how this Canva story will unfold for Affinity. As I said, I hope for the best, and expect the worst.
Affinity's continued development falls outside my tiny sphere of influence. I've purchased V1 and V2, and will purchase V3 hopefully (see what I did there?).

I'm not surprised that there are over 31 pages of comments on this topic. The bottom line is that many users are used to their software suppliers manipulating/misleading them. This is NOT to say that Affinity is, but clearly previous uncertainty from other software sources breeds uncertainty.  The most I can do is recount my own experiences and what lead me to adopt Affinity Apps a few years back.
Originally I used PaintShop Pro as my main graphics editor, but that was back in the 2000s and most of what i did was altering photographs and making maps. PSP had a number of interesting features, such as using Python as a scripting languages; being able to rearrange your entire UI, and a vector drawing system that coexisted with the bitmap stuff. I used PSP for a long time (and recently came back to it as a "backup" app to be able to access over a 1000 images in PSP format). But when I started making webcomics I discovered Macromedia Fireworks. It was really good for making webcomics. I started with drawing on paper and scanning those in via PSP, but I'd use FW to do the layouts and place images into a page, adding text boxes, speech balloons and other special effects in FW. And then Fireworks was acquired by Adobe. 😔
I started making webcomics via screenshots from virtual worlds (most Second life) and I bought a copy of CS6 with Fireworks in it. that was handy as well because I started doing a Masters in Fine Arts and my university had Adobe apps on every terminal! It was their preferred software. As part of that I created a graphic novel of 126 pages. Honestly though, I hated drawing in Photoshop, and Illustrator's UI aggravated me endlessly. After reviewing the software available and discarding GIMP (with an UI almost as bad as Ai), and even simple programs like Paint Tool Sai (great fun to use but it was extremely hard to scale the images created) I chose Clip Studio Paint to draw  those pages, and formatted them in InDesign. Not exactly perfect but it worked. Couldn't use FW to do this as it was too vast a project for it, and after Adobe started the subscription model they killed Fireworks (re-imagined no doubt in a subscription app).
But I'm on a fixed income, on disability for years, and a subscriptions are problematic. I might be able to afford just one, but like streaming services, the more software firms that use that model, the harder it is to to afford them. I can save up and make single purchases, but subscriptions not so much (the only subscription I have is Disney+ basic, and that's for Doctor Who)The deal breaker came when I found that to use (and update) my CS6 apps I had to join "the cloud". I started looking for proper replacements for the Adobe stuff, and for Fireworks as well. I rejected half a dozen apps before settling on Affinity. I had replacements for Photoshop in Photo, Illustrator (and Fireworks) in Designer, and InDesign with Publisher.  I like these apps. Not because they're "better", but because they're fair easier for someone with visual impairments to use, and not only that, but (like Paint Tool Sai) they're FUN to use, especially the v2 apps. Designer is like Fireworks on steroids!
So I'm not keen on on any requirement to subscribe to other services (even a free subscription like the Canva Basic) to use. I still use CSP from time to time (using 3D figures to create poses, importing photos to line drawing, et cetera) but they have a Clip Studio service which you need to use for registration of the apps but that's bearable because you DON'T have to use it to to run CSP if you don't want to. The sort of options I'd like to see after the acquisition would be perhaps, something similar to that used by CSP (which evolved over time). That is, you can buy outright current version of apps; you can update the license (for a smaller fee) of older versions of the apps you have a license to, and you can just use them on a subscription basis if you want. But force me to have a subscription (even a free one) in order to use my apps, then I walk and look for alternatives. I did it before with Adobe, and used old versions of the their apps until I found alternatives, and I can do it again.


Hopefully it won't come from that. I'm optimistic in that I think Affinity and Canva will keep their word on this, but I understand the skepticism that users have on this, when other software developers have "changed the deal" (like Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back) on them .
Please, please, be the exception, and we'll keep using the apps, and supporting them as well. 

If you think rationally about it, the whole 'buy & kill' analogy with what Adobe did with Freehand makes no sense anyway. Freehand was a product that competed directly with an Adobe one. That is not the case for the Affinity apps vs. the Canva stuff.

I don't disagree with you @bbrother but I'm pretty sure that getting angry is never going to change anything.
I'd much rather be as supportive of Serif and Canva as I can as I'd like to continue to use the Affinity apps going forward—but that doesn't mean I won't be constructively critical (as I've always tried to be) of the massive list of issues and shortcomings in the apps that users have had to workaround for years. The ball is really in Serif and Canva's court right now. I already know my exit strategy (back to Adobe, I've been slowly migrating back already), and I'm willing to give them some time to make good on their promises/pledges before completely abandoning the products, company, and team that I genuinely prefer, despite all of their shortcomings.
I definitely wouldn't suggest not having a backup plan, but personally I don't have much to lose by giving them the benefit of the doubt for a little bit longer—I want them to make good on their pledges. The Affinity apps today are exactly the same as they were before the announcement (with a few onboarding tutorials added in 2.4.1), with all of their bugs and quirks, along with more than a few truly delightful features that make me not want to give up on them quite just yet.
Oh, and this acquisition has made me take a serious look at Canva, and I quite like what I see. They're not perfect (nothing is), but in all honesty I feel like they're probably the best owner/partner that Serif could have ended up with—and I'm really excited to see where this goes.

Thank you Ash and Patrick O'Connor for taking the time to explain. This is much appreciated. I am a satisfied Serif user since around 2009 because Serif apps let me do what I like to do. They never failed me, and will not fail me in the future.
From the very first moment I saw this announcement, I was positive about the new union. I use both Affinity and Canva Pro and both complement each other. Canva has a huge library of images and drawings, the Affinity suite has the professional tools to modify them. Canva lacks the tools Affinity has. So the combination can only be positive.
In many circumstances, subscriptions are needed to cover the costs. I use Softmaker Office, WPS Office, Cyberlink and others. If chosing a perpetual licence, there is no AI feature. AI features come with all three programs with a subscription. So a user has to decide if the AI feature is worth the subscription. I can testify that none of the companies with which I have a subscription, are abusing their power. They are all an important part of our daily operations.
To be honest, something I criticise is the update model of Serif. I paid in 2016 for my Designer and Photo licences and it was up until november 2022 that I had to pay again for V2. I asked myself several times during those 6 years free updates, how can they survive? In my opinion, they should make at least the .5 and .0 updates paid. In that way, they should have a more stable cash flow. I am surely willing to pay for a 1.1, 1.2,1.3,... update if that secure the future of the Affinity apps.
For our company, it is not the cost of the application which is important but also how secure its future is. We put a lot of our eggs in the Affinity basket, so it is important that the basket keeps full. The communication of Serif, assures my partner and myself that the future of Serif/Affinity is secure and stable. We never lost trust in Serif/Affinity and will will remain loyal Serif users. I can understand that many users are pessimistic and that your opinion will be different than ours. We have to respect that. However, also respect the fact that as professional users, we make our own decisions, which are in favour of Serif/Canva. Thank you for your understanding. Chris

@kaffeeundsalz,
I agree with you that you made a very bold statement there. I see many users here for the first time so that I can think the same about them not? However, if you see how high emotions are running, do you think it is not possible for people to feel the need to raise their concerns and opinions?
I find it a very risky assumption you made. Let's be fair and respect each other's opinion even when we completely disagree.
Canva is not so bad as many people think, in fact it is quiet good in what it is doing. The only thing is that many times, its results has to be edited. That is it! Canva is excellent but it is the one who is using the tools, which determine the final result. Because Canva is targetting the non-designers, it is  in that segment you see the crappy results.
However, we work with people using Canva for their products and I can tell you, they are very high quality otherwise we do not work with them.
What the future will bring, I do not know, Serif do not know and Canva does not know. But when this union succeed, we will all benefit from it. More powerful Affinity applications integrated with the cloud. Canva is a paradise for ready made graphics, slideshows, documents, which will come to Affinity too.
The only risk is Adobe, taking over Canva. If that happens, I agree, Canva/Affinity is dead! I was once a very satisfied user of Aldus Freehand but Adobe killed in favour of its lesser Illustrator. Let us hope that Adobe never get its hand on Canva/Affinity, that is the real danger for us.
I wish you all a long a pleasurable future with Canva/Affinity!

@kaffeeundsalz,
I agree with you that you made a very bold statement there. I see many users here for the first time so that I can think the same about them not? However, if you see how high emotions are running, do you think it is not possible for people to feel the need to raise their concerns and opinions?
I find it a very risky assumption you made. Let's be fair and respect each other's opinion even when we completely disagree.
Canva is not so bad as many people think, in fact it is quiet good in what it is doing. The only thing is that many times, its results has to be edited. That is it! Canva is excellent but it is the one who is using the tools, which determine the final result. Because Canva is targetting the non-designers, it is  in that segment you see the crappy results.
However, we work with people using Canva for their products and I can tell you, they are very high quality otherwise we do not work with them.
What the future will bring, I do not know, Serif do not know and Canva does not know. But when this union succeed, we will all benefit from it. More powerful Affinity applications integrated with the cloud. Canva is a paradise for ready made graphics, slideshows, documents, which will come to Affinity too.
The only risk is Adobe, taking over Canva. If that happens, I agree, Canva/Affinity is dead! I was once a very satisfied user of Aldus Freehand but Adobe killed in favour of its lesser Illustrator. Let us hope that Adobe never get its hand on Canva/Affinity, that is the real danger for us.
I wish you all a long a pleasurable future with Canva/Affinity!

@kaffeeundsalz,
I agree with you that you made a very bold statement there. I see many users here for the first time so that I can think the same about them not? However, if you see how high emotions are running, do you think it is not possible for people to feel the need to raise their concerns and opinions?
I find it a very risky assumption you made. Let's be fair and respect each other's opinion even when we completely disagree.
Canva is not so bad as many people think, in fact it is quiet good in what it is doing. The only thing is that many times, its results has to be edited. That is it! Canva is excellent but it is the one who is using the tools, which determine the final result. Because Canva is targetting the non-designers, it is  in that segment you see the crappy results.
However, we work with people using Canva for their products and I can tell you, they are very high quality otherwise we do not work with them.
What the future will bring, I do not know, Serif do not know and Canva does not know. But when this union succeed, we will all benefit from it. More powerful Affinity applications integrated with the cloud. Canva is a paradise for ready made graphics, slideshows, documents, which will come to Affinity too.
The only risk is Adobe, taking over Canva. If that happens, I agree, Canva/Affinity is dead! I was once a very satisfied user of Aldus Freehand but Adobe killed in favour of its lesser Illustrator. Let us hope that Adobe never get its hand on Canva/Affinity, that is the real danger for us.
I wish you all a long a pleasurable future with Canva/Affinity!

Thank you Ash and Patrick O'Connor for taking the time to explain. This is much appreciated. I am a satisfied Serif user since around 2009 because Serif apps let me do what I like to do. They never failed me, and will not fail me in the future.
From the very first moment I saw this announcement, I was positive about the new union. I use both Affinity and Canva Pro and both complement each other. Canva has a huge library of images and drawings, the Affinity suite has the professional tools to modify them. Canva lacks the tools Affinity has. So the combination can only be positive.
In many circumstances, subscriptions are needed to cover the costs. I use Softmaker Office, WPS Office, Cyberlink and others. If chosing a perpetual licence, there is no AI feature. AI features come with all three programs with a subscription. So a user has to decide if the AI feature is worth the subscription. I can testify that none of the companies with which I have a subscription, are abusing their power. They are all an important part of our daily operations.
To be honest, something I criticise is the update model of Serif. I paid in 2016 for my Designer and Photo licences and it was up until november 2022 that I had to pay again for V2. I asked myself several times during those 6 years free updates, how can they survive? In my opinion, they should make at least the .5 and .0 updates paid. In that way, they should have a more stable cash flow. I am surely willing to pay for a 1.1, 1.2,1.3,... update if that secure the future of the Affinity apps.
For our company, it is not the cost of the application which is important but also how secure its future is. We put a lot of our eggs in the Affinity basket, so it is important that the basket keeps full. The communication of Serif, assures my partner and myself that the future of Serif/Affinity is secure and stable. We never lost trust in Serif/Affinity and will will remain loyal Serif users. I can understand that many users are pessimistic and that your opinion will be different than ours. We have to respect that. However, also respect the fact that as professional users, we make our own decisions, which are in favour of Serif/Canva. Thank you for your understanding. Chris

Thank you Ash and Patrick O'Connor for taking the time to explain. This is much appreciated. I am a satisfied Serif user since around 2009 because Serif apps let me do what I like to do. They never failed me, and will not fail me in the future.
From the very first moment I saw this announcement, I was positive about the new union. I use both Affinity and Canva Pro and both complement each other. Canva has a huge library of images and drawings, the Affinity suite has the professional tools to modify them. Canva lacks the tools Affinity has. So the combination can only be positive.
In many circumstances, subscriptions are needed to cover the costs. I use Softmaker Office, WPS Office, Cyberlink and others. If chosing a perpetual licence, there is no AI feature. AI features come with all three programs with a subscription. So a user has to decide if the AI feature is worth the subscription. I can testify that none of the companies with which I have a subscription, are abusing their power. They are all an important part of our daily operations.
To be honest, something I criticise is the update model of Serif. I paid in 2016 for my Designer and Photo licences and it was up until november 2022 that I had to pay again for V2. I asked myself several times during those 6 years free updates, how can they survive? In my opinion, they should make at least the .5 and .0 updates paid. In that way, they should have a more stable cash flow. I am surely willing to pay for a 1.1, 1.2,1.3,... update if that secure the future of the Affinity apps.
For our company, it is not the cost of the application which is important but also how secure its future is. We put a lot of our eggs in the Affinity basket, so it is important that the basket keeps full. The communication of Serif, assures my partner and myself that the future of Serif/Affinity is secure and stable. We never lost trust in Serif/Affinity and will will remain loyal Serif users. I can understand that many users are pessimistic and that your opinion will be different than ours. We have to respect that. However, also respect the fact that as professional users, we make our own decisions, which are in favour of Serif/Canva. Thank you for your understanding. Chris

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

More bug fixes, more features, faster updates, what can we ask for more?
Let us wait and see what the future brings. Speculation will only bring more concern, emotions and anger.
Wait and see what happens over the next months. I remember the release of the V2 version, emotions and disappointments were running high. After a few weeks the storm was silenced and development continued.
Give this union a chance, I believe we will see new opportunities coming our way. Blending, image tracing, all features we want so much, are now coming this year.
Let's look positive to the future and in the meantime, let us do what we like to do... drawing and designing.

On the subject of trust, one thing I trust implicitly is that nobody can predict the future with any certainty. Consequently, all these comments about what Canva and the Affinity staff will or won't do in the future is nothing more than speculation & should be treated as such.
Personally, I think the sanest course is to wait & see how this plays out over the next several months, particularly if they deliver on the promise of the accelerated update schedule with more critically needed bug fixes so many of us are aware of & hopefully some new often requested features, but if you think otherwise, so be it.

Besides using all three Serif apps, I have a Canva Pro subscription which also benefit the Serif apps. I use Canva mainly to convert WEBp files coming from Dall-E (AI) into png. Subscription for Canva Pro is 11 euro/monthly, which is not too bad for the services which are delivered.
The advantage for this union is that Serif will have more funding to develop faster, implement more functionality and be serious competition for Adobe.I use all three Serif apps, and I have a Canva Pro subscription that also benefits the Serif apps. I use Canva mainly to convert WEBp files coming from Dall-E (AI) into PNG. The Canva Pro subscription is 11 euro/monthly, which is not too bad for the services. Even eventually the Affinity suite will go into a subscription model, I am sure the price will be affordable. You don't need a subscription to use Canva, you can do a lot without the pro functions.
So lets look forward to the future and just enjoy our Affinity Applications.  I am sure over a few years, many Affinity users will still be satisfied users!
Don't give up! Don't miss the boat of the future!
Chris

Besides using all three Serif apps, I have a Canva Pro subscription which also benefit the Serif apps. I use Canva mainly to convert WEBp files coming from Dall-E (AI) into png. Subscription for Canva Pro is 11 euro/monthly, which is not too bad for the services which are delivered.
The advantage for this union is that Serif will have more funding to develop faster, implement more functionality and be serious competition for Adobe.I use all three Serif apps, and I have a Canva Pro subscription that also benefits the Serif apps. I use Canva mainly to convert WEBp files coming from Dall-E (AI) into PNG. The Canva Pro subscription is 11 euro/monthly, which is not too bad for the services. Even eventually the Affinity suite will go into a subscription model, I am sure the price will be affordable. You don't need a subscription to use Canva, you can do a lot without the pro functions.
So lets look forward to the future and just enjoy our Affinity Applications.  I am sure over a few years, many Affinity users will still be satisfied users!
Don't give up! Don't miss the boat of the future!
Chris

I'm pretty sure that Macromedia and Freehand also saw a bright future on the horizon...
 
So yeah, a subscription based V3 is just around the corner.

I agree with Alfred; it is a bad idea to include the bleed in your page dimensions. A better way is to in Document Setup, put the actual page dimensions and in the Bleed section, set the bleed for all sides.
Chris

AFAIK, only people, not companies, get credit for puzzles the NYT accepts. Also, each day of the week the puzzles get harder, with Monday's being the easiest & Sunday's being both larger & much harder.

A variety of people submit the puzzles to the NYT for consideration. If accepted, they get credit for that, but it is always Shortz that edits them. I don't know who provides the clues but I assume it is Shortz that at least has the final say so on that.