Kit_L

Just make Aperture again, but better. Done.
--Darin

You don't necessarily have to get the data in and out.  I work with a > 20 year old software which can apply its edits to any file. Any file.  So for example, you could work on a tiny jpeg on the iPad and syncing via cloud, have those same edits applied to a full sized file somewhere else.  I'm sure that AFP will have something along those lines.  They have also talked of feature parity with the desktop version.
 
As to whether or not Apple can be trusted for pros going forward, sadly I have to agree with you.  As an Aperture user, I very much doubt that I would *ever* trust Apple for pro application use again.  The cavalier way that one of the most wealthy companies in the world 'dumped' us, was unbelievable.
 
The downside of the Surface, is Windows.  Nothing they currently say can make that any better.

Hi Ronny, you are obviously talking from the viewpoint of a graphic designer, not as a photographer/videographer that has to grapple with thousands of RAW files/terabytes of video on a daily basis. The iPad is pretty much dead in the water however much Apple adds a "Pro" to the name, simply because they have crippled it with regards to input/output options. There's simply no way to get the required data in and out fast enough through wifi or lightning connector, not to mention limited internal storage, to make it a usable tool for pro's like myself.
 
Not to mention the fact that by opting for a separate OS there's simply no professional software available (yet, and I doubt any is about to surface that will be considered "pro" by professionals like myself anytime soon, Affinity's iPad app included).
 
Microsoft's newest Surface offerings look real good in comparison to anything Apple's been able to come up with lately except for the fact that I'm so heavily invested in the Mac platform that the switch is going to really hurt me in terms of software licences should I decide to switch.
 
But in hardcore video circles Apple is now pretty much extinct, and I fully understand why, as Apple have pretty much ignored that user base (which once upon a time was the most die-hard fanbase) after Tim Cook became CEO of Apple. I'm pretty sure a lot of stills photographers will follow suit very soon unless Apple shows renewed commitment to their professional user base by updating the Mac Pro, give the MacBook Pro line a real boost in performance etc.

No, that's not what I meant.
 
The guy's top level ... Senior Engineer for Aperture.  Does it get better?  He's left Apple and decided to carry on with that work.  Aperture is an absolutely superb piece of software in the view of many people, myself included.  I tried Lr three times since it was launched, but always found it lacking by comparison, particularly as a DAM, as have many others, notably lots on here.  Also the UI, Aperture is superb and Lr is ... well uggghh.  Adobe have never ever made the slightest effort in UI.  So what's interesting for us photographers, is that this guy is working away to produce a solution.  First step, a really very nice looking raw convertor, with some excellent features.  v1.5 will doubtless add missing features.  v2? from his comment ... maybe a DAM and that would be excellent, because as Aperture's Senior Engineer, he's likely to produce a pretty damned good DAM. :)

Hello
 
I used Aperture for a long time. A very good dam system. Included with sound recording which is very comfortable when you have a camera with this option. Especially for press photography. Lightroom has also this option. Now I have to switch to another editing application why aperture does not have perspective control and Apple has stopped with this app. So I bought affinity photo. A very good alternative for photoshop. But when you shoot a lot of  pictures and have to develop them, I miss digital asset managing  in which I can do the most basic development included with IPTC options. So I would be very glad when a DAM version would be developed.
I read that this is coming soon. I am waiting.
 
Gerrit

I think tablets are a dead end and would apprexiate the Affinity team not wasting any more time on it. Touch interfaces have (for now) the wow-factor for the masses, but I think most real pro's eyes are just glazing over by now. I "get" that you are supposed to work with lo-res proxy files, but that inevitably leads to a lot of potential syncing issues and preview rendering time I'd rather not deal with (been there). Not to mention how a touch interface slows you down and inevitably leads to ergonomic nightmare when working long hours compared to touch-typing shortcuts on a keyboard, and using a Wacom pen in combination with a dedicated controller like the Countor ShuttlePro v2, that can be programmed with all the macros you need/want in the palm of your hand, with physical keys and wheels that you can feel with your fingers without having to look at them, without taking your eyes away from the screen (ok, someone will correct me here and tell me that you don't have to take your eyes away from the screen when the input device IS the screen, but that leads back to the ergonomical nightmare part again, when you have to wave your hands over a large surface all day your shoulders and neck will start to hurt after a while). As "cool" as the IPad Pro/Surface may seem, there's of course also issues related to colour management and calibration. I get it, real pro's are in the minority, the majority of paying customers are amateurs or semi-pro, but I get kind of sick every time I see "pro" features announced that have everything to do with coolness and wow-factor and very little to do with actual pro usage. Like Apple's MacBook Pro announcement days ago, where they showcased the MBP with two 5K dispalys and two RAIDs and promoting it as a pro workstation. I tried that once before, and the fans on my MBP died. I don't think their cooling technology have improved that much in the couple of years passed. Most seasoned pros rightfully stick to the tested and true KISS principle. Which means hard keys and dials and beefy desktop workstations and calibrated displays.

amazme1, what you say about LR being "the one exception" is not correct.  Capture One Pro and ACDSee, to name but two, can do this (DAM + photo editor).

I'm sorry to disagree with you.  I have been editing my photos in LR for three years under the Develop Module (Camera Raw) which supports 
Camera raw formats DNG TIFF JPG PSD CMYK files PNG AVI, MOV, MP4, and other video files  I only use PS6 standalone when I have to, because it is too complex for the average task unless you want to spend a lot of effort in Layers..  I used Aperture until Apple abandoned it.  My MacPhun, NIK and Topaz plugins support editing not available in LR. Dam (LIBRARY MODULE) in LR is excellent contrary to what some other posters have said.
My interest in Affinity photo is as a replacement for Photoshop and LR because I don't want Adobe's subscription crap and they are making updates difficult for those of us without cc subscriptions.  But it all depends on how you handle your Dam when it materializes.  It needs to at least allow for a folder naming convention like this:  
"YYYYMMDD Location Description".  

Hi amazme1,
Welcome to Affinity Forums :)
Lightroom is not a photo editor but a RAW developer. It's editing tools are not up to what Photoshop offers. Affinity Photo is both a RAW developer and photo editor.
We already announced plans for an Affinity DAM software which will work seamlessly with Affinity Photo.

Hi, everyone!
 
My name is Jan Groh. I am from Berlin, Germany. I am a hobby photographer - and photography is the main reason why I use Affinity Photo. Thanks for this outstanding program, Affinity team. Great job. If I may ask for something which I would probably love even more than AP it would be a "successor"/alternative to Apple's Aperture. A RAW developer with great DAM and - if possible - deep integration into the system so that digital assets would be available from within many if not all other programs on my Mac. And - having a tendency towards prosopagnosia - I would very much appreciate if a face recognition was included in this program.
 
Looking forward to further programs by Affinity.
 
Best,
 
Jan

I see another member of FredMiranda.com here already; this is auspicious! Fred's site is how I learned of Affinity Photo.
 
I am an ex-commercial photographer (John Deere last big client), and currently videographer. I have been a reluctant user of Ps for many years, but have not upgraded since CS5, and just hated the Creative Suite (or whatever it was called) while comparing FCPX and Premier Pro.
 
I have spent the last hour watching the tutorials (fantastic body of information there) while downloading the program. My reason for looking into AP is the demise of Aperture (though I still use it for Q&D galleries for Facebook (on the workshops we present) and it's fine for that. I also own C1Pro 8, but that interface has never really gelled for me.
 
My interest in AP is mainly the Raw developer area of the program; I do little retouching, preferring to get it more-or-less right when I shoot (legacy of 25 years of shooting film).
 
If there's a link to the AP back story, I would love to read it. Sincere thanks.

Hello, I'm John Biondo. A professional photographer based in Vero Beach, Florida.
I am trialing the software, but so far I am impressed as heck. I am sure I will be purchasing in another day or so of working with it.
Thanks for building an awesome product and making it subscription free. <3