PSD mock-up files in Affinity Photo

[NevraArts]

I was trying to open a PSD mock-up file (several, actually), I checked the import smart object and everything, but still it doesn’t work.

 

what am I doing wrong?

 

can someone show me the process? Thanks!

[stokerg]

Hi @NevraArts,

What happens when you try to open the mockups? Could you upload one of them to our Dropbox here and i'll see whats happening.  Altho, its likely they are using a feature that we don't support yet but i'll know more once i see the PSD file  

 

[NevraArts]

In the best case they simply don’t show the logo I put in at all.

 

in the worst case it is not even created an embedded file so it’s impossible to actually put the logo into the mock-up.

 

I can’t upload the PSD because it’s legally owned by me under license and it’s not legal to share it, but I upload a couple of screens to show what happens.

The  comparison is between the file how it should work in Photoshop and how it works in Affinity Photo.

 

in the last one, the one with the library, it is also impossible to actually make the substitution of the logo with my original.

[MEB]

Hi @NevraArts,
Without the PSD files there isn't much we can do to inspect/fix the issues. Stokerg provided you an upload link to ensure the files will be sent directly to us so they are not shared publicly. They will also be deleted after being inspected. We have no other interest in them other than fixing any issues that may exist with our PSD importer.

[NevraArts]

4 minutes ago, MEB said:

Hi @NevraArts,
Without the PSD files there isn't much we can do to inspect/fix the issues. Stokerg provided you an upload link to ensure the files will be sent directly to us so they are not shared publicly. They will also be deleted after being inspected. We have no other interest in them other than fixing any issues that may exist with our PSD importer.

I didn’t notice that, I’ll fix

[NevraArts]

uploaded three samples but it happens with more. I'm on a Mac.

[MEB]

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[NevraArts]

15 hours ago, MEB said:

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Very welcome, did you or someone have the time to check this?

[NevraArts]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:55 PM, MEB said:

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Sorry to insist, but I’m having working issue and it would be great to know how to fix this 😉

[MEB]

Hi @NevraArts,
Sorry the delay getting back to you. I've checked all your files, most of the issues are coming from non-supported features - lack of support for Satin Effect, smart filters applied to smart objects (which we currently discard), smart objects clipped to smart objects which do not work in specific layer constructs as well some rendering bugs/issues with the perspective live filter which is failing to render properly in specific circumstances. I'm logging (or updating if they already exist) those issues in the hope they can be improved as app development progresses.
I'm afraid the only way to work around them is reconstructing the effects/features we do not support/import correctly using Affinity tools/features and adapt/re-order the layer structure to make certain effects work (like restricting reflections to the logo area by clipping the reflection image inside the logo layer etc.

[NevraArts]

I see, thank you.

this is  really disappointing for me as I was really hoping to get a change to fully get to jump to Affinity and to leave Adobe.

 

But this issue should be really addressed and fixed by Affinity, as this is a key feature that people working in the field cannot avoid to use on a daily basis.

[MEB]

We do try, the issue is PSD is a poorly documented/closed format which makes implementing it properly a difficult task.

[Old Bruce]

8 hours ago, NevraArts said:

But this issue should be really addressed and fixed by Affinity, as this is a key feature that people working in the field cannot avoid to use on a daily basis.

And that is what Adobe wants, and that is why Adobe (and most every other software company) designs their file formats the way they do.

[PaulEC]

There are lots of things in Photoshop that don't, and probably never will, work in Affinity apps.

What we really need is for people who make and sell mock-ups to produce versions of their mock-ups specifically designed for use in Affinity. Maybe instead of buying PSD mock-ups and trying to make them work in AP/AD, it would be better to contact the vendors and ask for a version for Affinity. I'm sure if there was enough demand vendors would start to make mock-ups for Affinity. As far as I can see the major thing with making mock-ups is the initial set-up while the extra work to make different types of layers / effects etc is comparatively minimal. (This might sound a bit "pie in the sky", but there are now quite a few brushes, add-ons, etc that come in both Adobe and Affinity versions.)

[NevraArts]

15 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

And that is what Adobe wants, and that is why Adobe (and most every other software company) designs their file formats the way they do.

of course, but this is what a big competitor such as Affinity should fix to get that part of Adobe customers, programming is not an issue that a user should think about.

and this is not a complain, but a simple thought from a user that recognizes the potential of Affinity but sadly cannot fully rely on it .

14 hours ago, PaulEC said:

There are lots of things in Photoshop that don't, and probably never will, work in Affinity apps.

What we really need is for people who make and sell mock-ups to produce versions of their mock-ups specifically designed for use in Affinity. Maybe instead of buying PSD mock-ups and trying to make them work in AP/AD, it would be better to contact the vendors and ask for a version for Affinity. I'm sure if there was enough demand vendors would start to make mock-ups for Affinity. As far as I can see the major thing with making mock-ups is the initial set-up while the extra work to make different types of layers / effects etc is comparatively minimal. (This might sound a bit "pie in the sky", but there are now quite a few brushes, add-ons, etc that come in both Adobe and Affinity versions.)

I do not agree: as I just said, it is Affinity’s (or any other competitor) duty to do the best to get clients from other companies, to increase their share of the market.

And this is for a simple reason: we have to work, not to waste time contacting random creators asking to redo their work (and hoping they will actually do it, and they mostly won’t, so che their money is already granted though Adobe).

Why? Very easy to explain: designers already have a huge stock of owned mock-ups for which they already spent a lot of money on, so there is no way you can ask a designer to reinvest money and time on something they already own, if you want them to jump from Adobe to your company.

 

and I say this, while I am already a quite happy Affinity designer user (but o still made a list with key missing feature there too.

 

15 hours ago, MEB said:

We do try, the issue is PSD is a poorly documented/closed format which makes implementing it properly a difficult task.

Thanks for trying, hope you can find a way through this.

[PaulEC]

I'm not really disagreeing with you, But I also have a "small" stock of various PSD mock-ups. Some work well in Affinity, some work with quite a bit of messing around to get them to work, and some just do not work at all.

Personally I think it would be good if it was possible to get mock-ups made specifically for Affinity. As MEB said implementing all the features of PSD files is a difficult task. I look forward to any improvements Serif can implement, but I doubt that they will be able to do much, at least in the short term,  as long as PSD remains a closed format. (and that's down to Adobe, not Serif!)

I'd much rather spend a bit of time asking vendors to consider making Affinity specific mock-ups, rather than spending a lot of time messing with existing mock-ups, trying to get them to work properly! As I said, people make other "things" specifically for Affinity apps, I'm sure if there was evidence of enough demand, they would also design mock-ups for Affinity. I would prefer that to going on paying for PSD mock-ups, (which don't work properly in Affinity,) until "such time, if any" that Serif can fully implement support for PSD files. 

(edit - FWIW: According to my wife, who uses the Adobe apps, some PSD mock-ups no longer work even in Photoshop since the latest update! So I look forward to Serif being able to get PSD files working better than Adobe! 😁)

[R C-R]

12 hours ago, NevraArts said:

of course, but this is what a big competitor such as Affinity should fix to get that part of Adobe customers, programming is not an issue that a user should think about.

Whether users want to think about it or not, there is so much that Adobe has not documented about the PSD format that it would take a huge amount of time & effort just to reverse engineer a small fraction of it before they could even begin to try to support it, & of course Adobe could change some part of the format to break whatever they come up with at any time.