Jump to content
You must now use your email address to sign in [click for more info] ×

Affinity Photo Windows Customer Beta - 1.9.0.815


Recommended Posts

Click here to download the latest beta

Status: Customer Beta
Purpose: New features, performance, fixes
Requirements: A valid product key (for Affinity Store purchases), or an installation of the full retail version from the Microsoft Store

As this is a beta it is considered to be not suitable for production use. This means that you should not attempt to use it for commercial purposes or for any other activity that may be adversely affected by the application failing, including the total loss of any documents. We hope you enjoy the latest build, and as always, if you've got any problems, please don't hesitate to post a new thread in this forum and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks once again for your continued feedback. 

If you have a general question about the software, please head over to the Questions Forum, or if you have any suggestions, please head over to the Feature Requests forum.

New Feature: Product registration and store content streaming

We have now added the ability to link your Affinity app to your Affinity account through a new app registration process. This will have the advantages of you being able to stream any content you have purchased or received for free from the Affinity store directly to all your apps without having to manually install them. This is of particular use to customers who have more than one of our apps, or run our apps on different devices and operating systems as all your content will automatically be available across all of them.

If you register the beta app you will initially receive a free brush kit (the luminance brush kit) for testing purposes. This might be a kit you already have, but if you don’t you will get it for free. In a couple of weeks this will be expanded to include all of the store content you may already own.

While this is the full scope of what we are implementing for 1.9, the link between your account and your apps will open up the possibility for us to offer other features and services in the future which we think you will like.

Known Issue: 23/10/2020 @ 7:30am GMT, this issue is now resolved.

Users with certain locales are being presented with an Internal Server Error when trying to register their applications. We are aiming to resolve this issue (server-side, no application update required) tomorrow morning. I will update this post when the issue has been resolved. 

Changes

  • Added Affinity Registration and Content Sync
  • [Installer] Fixed crash when the current monitor profile is set to a virtual profile
  • Fixed Curves panel Y values being reversed
  • Fixed Curves panel not updating when tabbing through the X and Y boxes
  • Fixed Curves panel difficultly dragging nodes
  • Fixed Keyboard Shortcut Preferences for Undo/Redo showing the name of the last action
  • Fixed Keyboard Shortcut Preferences not showing Ctrl+Shift+1 to 9 as being used
  • Fixed Studio Presets not being reset when holding down Ctrl at start
  • Added Image Placement Policy option
  • Added Resource Manager to menus
  • Added Show/Hide Text Overflow toggle

1.9.0.791 release notes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything went smoothly including the registration process on both apps. But.... I quit using some software (ON1 the most recent) as you must be logged in to use them. Yes it has some advantages but you have to give up on your privacy to a certain point and I hate that, it's close to spying on users. I hope that in the future I will be able to use the app and all the stuff I bought without having to be logged in. 

-- Window 11 - 32 gb - Intel I7 - 8700 - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
-- iPad Pro 2020 - 12,9 - 256 gb - Apple Pencil 2 -- iPad 9th gen 256 gb - Apple Pencil 1
-- Macbook Air 15"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, AlainP said:

Everything went smoothly including the registration process on both apps. But.... I quit using some software (ON1 the most recent) as you must be logged in to use them. Yes it has some advantages but you have to give up on your privacy to a certain point and I hate that, it's close to spying on users. I hope that in the future I will be able to use the app and all the stuff I bought without having to be logged in. 

I agree about offline mode. I appreciate the thought behind the Resource Manager (tons of potential) and I am looking forward to trying it later tonight, but I too am concerned about the possibility of needing to be always online to use Affinity. In most cases I am always online so it will not affect my day to day use, but the times I am not I want to be sure that I am not locked out from the programs. Needing to be online to receive patch updates and the like I however do not mind and I hope that us users will be able to manage updates and installs of the Affinity Suite through the new Resource Manager down the line.

Anyway, looking forward to trying it out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Staff

Yeah, we’re very interested in hearing feedback on the reg / content streaming stuff.

 
A few comments:
 
  1. Signing in is purely to give the ability to stream content from the store directly into your apps. If you decide not to sign in it will have no other impact at all - you will be able to use the apps as usual.
  2. All store content will continue to be available to download and install in the old way if you would prefer for whatever reason not to sign in to get it.
  3. Once you are signed and install your content that will be available to you in future whether or not you are connected to the internet.
  4. The only thing is if you physically decide to sign out of the app you will then lose access to that store content. You can get it back at anytime by signing in again (or alternatively installing the old way as per point 2.)  This will not be the case in the next beta - if you sign out you will be able to choose to keep your store content installed.
  5. We are absolutely not collecting any usage data or anything else while you are signed in.
 
The issue with allowing your store content to still be available if you sign out of the app is that it could be open to abuse (i.e. credentials for an account which has purchased all content could be passed around for 1,000s of people to sign in, install and then immediately sign out of). Of course this concern isn’t directed at you guys, but something we need to think about ;)
 
But yes we are very interested in your feedback on all of this and are definitely listening.

Managing Director

Help make our apps better by joining our beta program!


MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) / Apple M1 Max / 64GB / macOS 12.0.1

iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd Gen / iPadOS 16.2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Ash said:

The issue with allowing your store content to still be available if you sign out of the app is that it could be open to abuse (i.e. credentials for an account which has purchased all content could be passed around for 1,000s of people to sign in, install and then immediately sign out of). Of course this concern isn’t directed at you guys, but something we need to think about ;)

I'm sure you guys know what to do in this case. Adobe and other companies allow you to have 2 computers connected to the store. You could allow 2-4 different locales to be connected from, to the account, after which the account is suspended and the owner is informed of illegal activity.

2017 27” iMac 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 • Radeon Pr 580 8GB • 64GB • Ventura 13.6.4.

iPad Pro (10.5-inch) • 256GB • Version 16.4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Staff

Yes we'll allow n devices to be connected for sure and all of them have access to the content simultaneously. The point was more that if we said that content would remain if you signed out, then in fact you wouldn't need 100 devices all signed in at once, just 100 devices which had signed in, even just briefly, at any point in the past if that makes sense.

 

Managing Director

Help make our apps better by joining our beta program!


MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) / Apple M1 Max / 64GB / macOS 12.0.1

iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd Gen / iPadOS 16.2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Seneca said:

I'm sure you guys know what to do in this case. Adobe and other companies allow you to have 2 computers connected to the store. You could allow 2-4 different locales to be connected from, to the account, after which the account is suspended and the owner is informed of illegal activity.

Many of us don't use Adobe for a reason.  Please don't use them as any sort of model of what Affinity should be doing.

I own multiple computers (a proud supporter of Affinity and strongly encourge anyone that has any remote interest in visual art of any form to jump on board and pay the very resaonble entry fee).  I appreciate the fact I'm not limited to just a couple installs for the machines I personally use (one at a time of course).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Ash said:

Yeah, we’re very interested in hearing feedback on the reg / content streaming stuff.

 
The issue with allowing your store content to still be available if you sign out of the app is that it could be open to abuse (i.e. credentials for an account which has purchased all content could be passed around for 1,000s of people to sign in, install and then immediately sign out of). Of course this concern isn’t directed at you guys, but something we need to think about ;)
 
But yes we are very interested in your feedback on all of this and are definitely listening.

I am sure there is a healthy way of preventing this without abusing your users. And yes, requiring an user to be constantly logged in to have access to own tools is abuse. Once I buy a software or digital goods, I want to be able to have access to that good in my terms, not in seller terms. There is a law in this regards, by the way.

Now, in terms of preventing abuse, you can limit connections by preventing an account to connect from multiple locations in a short period of time. Also, upon logging in, the account owner should be requested confirmation in their email. If an account would be shared, having to confirm access by email, would make it impractical for abusive purpose (imagine that you are the person sharing the abusive credentials, would you spend your time to manually grant access to all sorts of requests from random people?). Also, as mentioned above, if the requests would come from all over the world, that would be a clear sign of abuse and the accoint can be permanently banned from using the service.
You may be concerned that if user has to email confirm every log in, it will become frustrating. Not if the assets are being installed locally on log in. This means that once logged in, one doesn't necessarily have to log in again until new assets are purchased/added to the inventory and they have to be installed on the specific terminal.

You must understand better than anyone that you CANNOT prevent piracy. You may make it less appealing, you can control the level of abuse, but in the end, piracy is part of the game. Moreover, is in your benefit (yeah, surprisingly, piracy is beneficial for commercial software, under certain conditions).
Also, I switched from Adobe to Affinity for the ethical stand... I won't support you if you take the control-freak path... please be ethical in your actions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, derei said:

Once I buy a software or digital goods, I want to be able to have access to that good in my terms, not in seller terms.

4 hours ago, Arceom said:

Hmmm this content registration thing just put me on alert mode, to me is a big red flag. Lets wait and see...

 

Please read the entire post of Ash:

13 hours ago, Ash said:

All store content will continue to be available to download and install in the old way if you would prefer for whatever reason not to sign in to get it.

No one is forcing you to log in to use the content you bought. It is up to your preference.

Cheers,
d.

Affinity Designer 1 & 2   |   Affinity Photo 1 & 2   |   Affinity Publisher 1 & 2
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad   |   Affinity Photo 2 for iPad   |   Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad

Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

the link between your account and your apps will open up the possibility for us to offer other features and services in the future which we think you will like.

More than curious about the new features and services!

The new feature ran without issues on both AD and AP with English UI on a German PC. I just notice a small lag, when I select the Luminance brushes. Keep up the good work!

------
Windows 10 | i5-8500 CPU | Intel UHD 630 Graphics | 32 GB RAM | Latest Retail and Beta versions of complete Affinity range installed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a legal user I have nothing against you guys trying to prevent or make harder piracy (because nobody ever prevented it entirely) etc.
I would love to see option to save on my account, on your server settings to each app. Upon re-installing for whatever reason I could just synchronize settings instead of having manually set it up. Its not that I am re-installing often, but when I do this would be more then welcomed option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, dominik said:

 

Please read the entire post of Ash:

No one is forcing you to log in to use the content you bought. It is up to your preference.

Cheers,
d.

you are missing the point: the reason why Affinity is being designed that once you opt in for the account you must always be logged in, is to avoid abuse, as from what they say. Now, the same "abuse avoidance" can be achieved by means which allow freedom to users and at the same time don't force one to be constantly logged in. What happens if internet drops, for example? Will Affinity compensate me for possible losses? I doubt.
And I also doubt that you understand that freedom and privacy rights are not subject to status. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, derei said:

Now, the same "abuse avoidance" can be achieved by means which allow freedom to users and at the same time don't force one to be constantly logged in.

I do not want to fight with you but in the quote that i refer to it says explicitly that the users are not forced to use the sign up process. They are free to download their content the old way and turn off the internet completely.

I do not opose to your position (or critisism) towards constant online connection. I try to point out that this is only one of two options and the user has the freedom to choose.

Cheers,
d.

Affinity Designer 1 & 2   |   Affinity Photo 1 & 2   |   Affinity Publisher 1 & 2
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad   |   Affinity Photo 2 for iPad   |   Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad

Windows 11 64-bit - Core i7 - 16GB - Intel HD Graphics 4600 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
iPad pro 9.7" + Apple Pencil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, derei said:

you are missing the point: the reason why Affinity is being designed that once you opt in for the account you must always be logged in, is to avoid abuse, as from what they say. Now, the same "abuse avoidance" can be achieved by means which allow freedom to users and at the same time don't force one to be constantly logged in. What happens if internet drops, for example? Will Affinity compensate me for possible losses? I doubt.
And I also doubt that you understand that freedom and privacy rights are not subject to status. 

If your internet drops, you're still technically logged in, you're just disconnected. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

If your internet drops, you're still technically logged in, you're just disconnected. 

This, and the fact that you can still download content in the "old" way if you want to, seems to me to make this a very useful new feature.

I'm sure that Serif are aware that not everyone has a reliable internet connection and that some people have to pay for the time they are connected.

Acer XC-895 : Core i5-10400 Hexa-core 2.90 GHz :  32GB RAM : Intel UHD Graphics 630 : Windows 10 Home
Affinity Publisher 2 : Affinity Photo 2 : Affinity Designer 2 : (latest release versions) on desktop and iPad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, PaulEC said:

This, and the fact that you can still download content in the "old" way if you want to, seems to me to make this a very useful new feature.

I'm sure that Serif are aware that not everyone has a reliable internet connection and that some people have to pay for the time they are connected.

Yep, and we consciously designed it in a way to support portable / disconnected devices, as the apps are available on iPads...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, PatrickM said:

I would have much preferred to be able to synchronize all the apps from the same directory on my hard drive (for brushes, colour palettes, etc. etc.).

I would find this really useful myself. It would be good if both options were available.

Acer XC-895 : Core i5-10400 Hexa-core 2.90 GHz :  32GB RAM : Intel UHD Graphics 630 : Windows 10 Home
Affinity Publisher 2 : Affinity Photo 2 : Affinity Designer 2 : (latest release versions) on desktop and iPad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, dominik said:

No one is forcing you to log in to use the content you bought. It is up to your preference.

I support this option as long as it remains an option.
The concern of some users is not about the present, but about the possible future. We all see the negative example of Adobe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines | We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.