kaffeeundsalz

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

I've been following this topic now from the beginning on ... feeling seriously unhappy about the mutitude of personal vendettas going on here that distract from the core issues  (doing no good for this discussion).
Why do we all (or at least most of us) post here? I presume to express our insecurity with regards to the future of Affinity products. Many people involved here driven by a long term involvement in the product development process. Many users being scared of significant price changes or pricing models (subscription). Many people aware of the experience from former take-overs of sw companies - and the results. And - having general moral company integrity in mind - not trusting pledges and promises, since most companies did not keep those and betrayed their customers.
On the other hand, what do we try to achieve? Financiel decisions have been made. Affinity is no longer in the drivers seat. Marketing bullshit has been send out. Canva is aware of the lack of trust in them. Whinging around does not improve the situation! Lets ask Canva for commitment on their pledges. We will not change Canvas possible decision in the future to come up with a subscription model (what they announced already). We will not even be able to commit them on sticking to the promise to keep the perpetual license alive on a long term. Promises that have been broken in many other companies.
But for now, we can still try to get a better V2.5 and V3.0. (I hope the promise will last at least that long). Seriously - I don't trust, I don't believe. But since this decision is not in our hands (money is sadly not based on moral integrity). We still have things to gain! - The "No" is for sure ... the "yes" is an option.

And to make this clear: Serif: I'm very angry about you! You are jeopardizing the future of many creative people, since noone easily changes the design software like underware in the morning. To make it clear: giving up control just for the money! Just the opposite of the ideals you promoted for the last 10 years!
I just seriously ask Canva to keep the pledges! Don't try to copy Adobe, the original is always the better choice.
Cheers, Timo

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

In what way is this different from the situation before? Serif as well could have encountered turbulence, letting them reshape their business model. It is perfectly legitimate for you to distrust company promises phrased this way. But I don't see what this has to do with the acquisition.

In what way is this different from the situation before? Serif as well could have encountered turbulence, letting them reshape their business model. It is perfectly legitimate for you to distrust company promises phrased this way. But I don't see what this has to do with the acquisition.

In what way is this different from the situation before? Serif as well could have encountered turbulence, letting them reshape their business model. It is perfectly legitimate for you to distrust company promises phrased this way. But I don't see what this has to do with the acquisition.

In what way is this different from the situation before? Serif as well could have encountered turbulence, letting them reshape their business model. It is perfectly legitimate for you to distrust company promises phrased this way. But I don't see what this has to do with the acquisition.

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

As of GIMP 2.99.18, that's not true anymore. Granted, it's a developer preview, but non-destructive adjustments are already fully implemented.

Yes I do! Realise there seems to be a distinct lack of faith flying around here, but we'll be revealing more about our plans in the coming days and yes I'm sure you will all be pleased with what we have to say.

I'm not an offender of subscription models in general. If they are fairly priced (which I know is a highly subjective manner), I'm happy to give them a try. With Serif, I don't know. What I'd like them to be is a healthy competitor for Adobe because I think that benefits the creative market, and one-time purchases are one area where the two companies differ. That said, I'm also a happy Affinity user, so anything becoming more expensive for me would of course be disadvantegous. On the other hand, subscriptions don't necessarily mean an increase in pricing. There are countless examples where this was the case, but it's not set in stone and also depends on how the user handles updates, upgrades etc.
The more important point for me is the integration thing because I don't like user interfaces that try to cross-sell other products and services. I do accept Studio Link in Affinity Publisher because I really see the benefit of that level of integration (it's a dream to use) and after all, that's why there's a universal license that lets me purchase the entire suite for a fair price in case I want it. Also, everyone who decides to buy Publisher as a standalone application can very easily customize the main tool bar and get rid of the persona buttons. The same was true for the old Welcome screen: It did advertise addons, but you could choose to turn it off and never see it again. This is how it's done: Don't constantly give users the subliminal feeling that they are missing out on something or have just bought a lite version of your software. Don't let buttons triggering addon services that I'm not subscribed to eat up precious screen real estate. Let me hide every upselling attempt quickly and effectively because I really know best what I need and don't need to get the job done.
In other words: If Serif were to integrate big buttons with Canva logos on them that I can't hide, I'd be upset.

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

The question is: Why would they? For any company, it would be incredible stupid to rule out anything forever.

Hi All,

I am thrilled to announce that Affinity is joining the Canva family.
This is a moment of great excitement, anticipation, and profound gratitude for all of you who have been part of our story so far. 
We know that those of you who’ve put your faith in Affinity, some since we launched our very first Mac app, will have questions about what this means for the future of our products. Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish. We've worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. 
None of that changes today.
In Canva, we’ve found a kindred spirit who can help us take Affinity to new levels. Their extra resources will mean we can deliver much more, much faster. Beyond that, we can forge new horizons for Affinity products, opening up a world of possibilities which previously would never have been achievable. 
Canva’s revolutionary approach to design democratisation and commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with our core values and vision. This union is a testament to what can be achieved when two companies that share a common goal of making design accessible and enjoyable for everyone come together. 
I want to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible Affinity team. Your passion, dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence have been the driving force behind our success so far, and I can’t wait to continue this journey with you all. 
To our loyal users and the creative community, your support and feedback have been invaluable. You’ve inspired us to push boundaries and continuously improve, and we’re excited to embark on this new chapter together. 
The future is bright, and I am incredibly excited to continue our story together and create a world where design is within everyone's reach.
With heartfelt thanks,
Ash
For more information...
We have included some FAQs at the bottom of the announcement article here. A video message from me with some more background is on YouTube here.  

Additionally we will be setting up a Q&A session about this acquisition in a few weeks time. More info on how to take part in this will be sent on email and posted on this forum in the coming days.

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

The title pretty much says it all. Serif has been acquired by Cava:
https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/
Now I wonder mainly about two things:
1. Will the Affinity suite give up on its one-time purchase philosophy (given that Canva is a subscription service)?
2. Will we see integration of Canva services in the Affinity applications and if so, will users be able to hide it in case they don't need them?
I know that it might be a little early for definitive answers, but since we only have the Canva press release so far and no official statement from Serif yet, I was hoping that staff might be able to comment on this.

Can everyone please calm down. This is a programming and skillset issue, nothing more

Shift+Command+K is hardly the industry standard for creating a symbol (at least to my knowledge), it's just the keyboard shortcut that Serif chose to assign to this function. Since it triggers a menu command (Layer > Create Symbol), it's configurable! Just choose whatever key combination seems appropriate to you.

for your young students: rouph ant fust: bcourse tuim s monnie. (P.S.: wy is not symplo avery comand in da raitklik?)
Or: to avoid why-questions with complaints about loooong right-click menus that may require scrolling + make it tricky to find a wanted command …

Affinity Designer has had symbols since version 1.5 which came out in 2016.
I fail to see the difficulty of Shift+Command+K.

"These Forums are not for sharing AI created artwork, or discussions regarding AI prompts to create specific images.
The 'Share your work' section of the Forums are designed for sharing work specifically created within or using the Affinity apps.
When sharing work, we ask users to provide an explanation of the tools/workflows they used with the Affinity apps, so that other members can have a better idea of the possibilities of the Affinity apps functions - though this is not a strict requirement."
Opening a picture or photo and then printing or exporting it unedited is not sufficient to be covered under the term "using", even though technically English is unclear on this. "using" in that sentence means adding to or changing in a significant or non-obvious, novel or interesting way that others may appreciate.   

This. While the solutions posted here are all technically correct, they're not visually convincing. It just doesn't make sense that the mountains on the right have shadows while the one on left doesn't, especially since the direction and distribution of light in the scene strongly suggests that there should be at least some parts of the large mountain that are completely in the dark.

The comparison between those photobook websites and Affinity Publisher is what you came up with in your initial post. People are just picking up on it. So, to be clear: What you're saying is that Adobe InDesign is as easy to use as, say, Pixum? Or Blurb? I very much doubt so, and I think that comparison is unfair towards both InDesign and Publisher. Put an inexperienced user in front of an empty InDesign page and see how far they can get. I've done it sometimes, just as an experiment, at the beginning of InDesign courses at university. The overall result is that people are just completely lost if you deny them any guidance. The same is probably true for Affinity Publisher. But I think what's happening here is that you confuse intuitiveness with the fact that you just know how to use the software.

Hehe, back in the late 1980s, I had to figure out how to use Aldus PageMaker 3 without being provided any user manual. That was right after I finished the art school where we didn't work with DTP at all yet. Eventually I figured it all out, but it may have taken a few years, as I didn't have a chance to use a Mac very often, and I didn't own a Mac myself until 1999.
Yeah, to fully understand QXP3 – a buddy had a license and I was allowed to work on his Mac – I then bought Samuel Hügli's "Insiderbuch QuarkXPress". Well written and truly mind opening. I read it through within a few days, made some notes and the next time I had a chance to work on the buddy's Mac, it "just worked". 
Then I bought InDesign 2 with the rest of the "Adobe Design Collection", and while I didn't have to start all over again, I bought the "InDesign 2 Smartbook" nonetheless to get a grip on the essentials as well as on many details. Actually, same for Freehand 9, Flash 4, Logic 4 and some more. Heck, I even have a ResEdit Smartbook…  and of course, I read it.
Well written manuals are a great thing for those willing to learn.
~~~
@cirkē, a well meant advice:
Navigate over to https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/191879-unofficial-pdf-manual-expert-guide-to-affinity-publisher and download @MikeTO's absolutely brilliant and absolutely free "Unofficial PDF Manual - Expert Guide to Affinity Publisher".
Please don't forget to say "thanks" to Mike.
Happy publishing.
 

The comparison between those photobook websites and Affinity Publisher is what you came up with in your initial post. People are just picking up on it. So, to be clear: What you're saying is that Adobe InDesign is as easy to use as, say, Pixum? Or Blurb? I very much doubt so, and I think that comparison is unfair towards both InDesign and Publisher. Put an inexperienced user in front of an empty InDesign page and see how far they can get. I've done it sometimes, just as an experiment, at the beginning of InDesign courses at university. The overall result is that people are just completely lost if you deny them any guidance. The same is probably true for Affinity Publisher. But I think what's happening here is that you confuse intuitiveness with the fact that you just know how to use the software.