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Affinity file support in other apps ?


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right now no file browser or os supports the .afphoto format which is a big issue for me because I more and more make use of it over .tiff or .psd.  i contacted camerabits /photomechnic  about this and got told affinity does not share the necessary information to implement support is this really  true ? 

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XNViewMP supports Affinity Files, well certainly previews.

XnViewMP Preferences

image.png.61dfa0aa78c82641f6f9d4560b741cfb.png

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47 minutes ago, csp said:

right now no file browser or os supports the .afphoto format which is a big issue for me because I more and more make use of it over .tiff or .psd.  i contacted camerabits /photomechnic  about this and got told affinity does not share the necessary information to implement support is this really  true ? 

I have mentioned this quite a few times, you should look into this link.  I have purchased it, but you may free trial for 15 days.  It sees EVERYTHING even if you have layers and smart objects in PSD format which I do.  It sees all affinity files and enlarges them for you in previews.  It is excellent and is simply a codec, that's it.

http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed.

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Do you mean that you can’t see the files with the browser you are using?
If I save a file as an Affinity Photo File, I’m able to see the file and a thumbnail of the image in which I worked simply if browsing with the Windows’ browser (with mine at least) but I can’t see a thumbnail of a file saved with ACDSee, whilst with the ACDSee’s browser I can see a thumbnail of any file saved as an Affinity Photo file. But maybe you have a Mac and then I don’t know how does it behave.

There might be problems to visualize Affinity Photo files with some browsers (as for example, in my machine, Corel’s PaintShop browser seem not to be able to see files saved as an Affinity Photo File, nor DxO’s browser is able to see Affinity Photo, Paintshop or ACDSee files), but not with all of them.

Tiff, jpg or raw files I can see with any of the programs or browsers mentioned.
 

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10 hours ago, Chris26 said:

I have mentioned this quite a few times, you should look into this link.  I have purchased it, but you may free trial for 15 days.  It sees EVERYTHING even if you have layers and smart objects in PSD format which I do.  It sees all affinity files and enlarges them for you in previews.  It is excellent and is simply a codec, that's it.

http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

Why buy that when XnViewMP is Freeware and is a well supported multi-platform app.

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2 hours ago, firstdefence said:

Why buy that when XnViewMP is Freeware and is a well supported multi-platform app.

I tried 4 of the main, popular programmes including the one you mentioned.  Two reason, very briefly, why I did not like them:

1.  I only need to see previews as I go through folders, and be ble to select and enlarge a preview (like in apple) in order to just check details.  I don't need a photo organiser since my brain operates faster than they can due to my organisation skills 😁.

2.  These programmes are too big and 90% of what they contain I never ever need.  I like to avoid extra hidden apps in the background, if there are any, and inneccessary use of computer resources, RAM and processing so to speak.

3.  Upon tryng them, one froze upon attempting to preview a psd, another one failed to see Affinity, another one was too illogical to operate and its UI was awkward, and silly things like that.  At Least two of the most popular programmes I tried loaded some PSD's and were not able to view others. 

This codec does not use system resources nor RAM and its speed at seeing  DNG's and even layered illustrator and PSD files and affinity's from a slow USB (2.0) stick is 100%. 

If its Disneys preferred choice, then it comes highly recommended 😄

Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed.

Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener.  Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door.

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I know quite a few photographers and most use Photo Mechanic to cull and tag their shoots.

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That's fine, but I never need to tag in 20 years.  And if you are a wedding or product photographer then you take hundreds of shots in a week.  But if we are conceptual or documentary photographers, by its very nature, we take less and cull less and sometimes take 10 minutes with a sandwich analysing a situation before that click in the camera is heard.  I was trained in the darkroom and used a film camera and developed my own, with only two films of 24 shots each we did not have the luxury of wasting clicks on maybe's, but learned precision and thoughtfulness.  No, I am not old,  that was my college trainig and it taught me that anyone can take a photograph but not many people can make images. I am at home with both black and white film and digital  Although i like technology in phtography I prefer to know that I am missing something and then find it, rather than find something and wonder how I can use it.   So Brevity is what is in-grained into me, a bit off topic I know, but I like a good waffle now and again.

 

Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed.

Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener.  Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door.

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Always like to hear peoples take on things.

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ok thanks for all the suggestions but I will not add another image browser just for affinity. photomechic is the best tool on the market for my needs with great support.  it would be really sad when affinity does keep the format closed even for companies like camerabits without offering a tool of their own. 

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2 hours ago, csp said:

ok thanks for all the suggestions but I will not add another image browser just for affinity. photomechic is the best tool on the market for my needs with great support.  it would be really sad when affinity does keep the format closed even for companies like camerabits without offering a tool of their own. 

Do you mean Photo Mechanics from Camera Bits? I have just checked their website and the basic version of their program (not the plus one) costs 139 U$S. Obviously, you already have it, but there are browsers which are even for free that can see Affinity files.

Maybe somebody can clear a doubt I have. How come that if Affinity has a closed format that does not allow other programs/browsers to see their files, it happens that there are paid and free programs and browsers that can see their files? It does not sound logical to me, but maybe there is a reason and an explanation for this. Does somebody know and could explain?

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My understanding, which may be incorrect, is that the Affinity applications provide access to the image thumbnails through standard, OS facilities on both Mac and Windows.

If other applications use the standard OS functions to read the thumbnails, they'll show them. But if they try to extract the thumbnails using their own custom code they won't, because they don't know the format of the Affinity files.

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1 hour ago, AlejandroJ said:

Do you mean Photo Mechanics from Camera Bits? I have just checked their website and the basic version of their program (not the plus one) costs 139 U$S.

 

yes it is not cheap  but I have not seen another solution yet coming even close.  it would be nice when someone from affinity could answer my question. 

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2 hours ago, MEB said:

Hi @csp,
Yes, the Affinity format is proprietary/closed. Currently third party apps are only able to access the thumbnail/preview included in the file, not its contents.

ok, thanks for the information !   I often save a lot of versions during my retouching process so it would be great to have a  larger preview because with the embedded low res image it is impossible to see subtile changes. maybe we can get a new media tool ?  

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19 minutes ago, csp said:

so it would be great to have a  larger preview because with the embedded low res image it is impossible to see subtile changes

That is why I suggested the free for 15 days Codec and then only 8 euros to buy......as recommended by Disney Works..😀

Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed.

Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener.  Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door.

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9 minutes ago, csp said:

.....thanks but im a Mac user and this software is windows only. 

Ah humbug, I never knew that.  Well sorry me ole mate - forgive me.  Then I have a mac also so have you seen this one 

https://macdownload.informer.com/xee/

Then I'll shut up I promise

Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed.

Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener.  Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door.

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4 hours ago, MEB said:

Hi @csp,
Yes, the Affinity format is proprietary/closed. Currently third party apps are only able to access the thumbnail/preview included in the file, not its contents.

And even that with difficulties and only via OS services, see for example this older conversation (Topic: afphoto file thumbnails). It seems in order to generally get an overall better and much more third party tools support, it wouldn't hurt Serif to publish a small minimal dev API (routines + short readme) to extract just the embedded thumbs portions of files. - And in order the file format changes slightly over time, just update that API so that third parties can adapt their preview integration accordingly!

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12 hours ago, Chris26 said:

Ah humbug, I never knew that.  Well sorry me ole mate - forgive me.  Then I have a mac also so have you seen this one 

https://macdownload.informer.com/xee/

Then I'll shut up I promise

ok, i do need to manage and know already a long list of essential software so adding another one just for .afphoto files which offers no other value is not on my list,  but thanks !

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10 hours ago, v_kyr said:

And even that with difficulties and only via OS services, see for example this older conversation (Topic: afphoto file thumbnails). It seems in order to generally get an overall better and much more third party tools support, it wouldn't hurt Serif to publish a small minimal dev API (routines + short readme) to extract just the embedded thumbs portions of files. - And in order the file format changes slightly over time, just update that API so that third parties can adapt their preview integration accordingly!

100% agree ! 

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