Dpreview post on Affinity Shortcomings

[CorsairVelo]

Below is a copy/paste from a Dpreview post (http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57025622).  It's not my post BTW.

Not sure if anyone would want to address these here or in dpreview but since the author went to some time to post them, I thought someone with more AP knowledge than I might want to comment.

 

1. No canvas rotation too. You only can select a rotate right or rotate left to predefined values. Rotation by the crop tool is not the same. That rotated the *image*, not the canvas.

2. Does not remember "open recent" list between invocations of application. I do not understand this at all.

3. Lasso tool does not follow contours. The marching ant line that connects current position with the origin is very distracting. No convenient way to "add to" or "subtract from" selection. All you do in PS is use the modifier keys to invoke these modes of the selection tool. This type of implementation of features I am finding out is very lacking.

4. This is my problem. and probably not Affinity. Does not have the PS selection of color range tool. Instead, you have a "select reds", "select greens", and "select blues" type of functionality. I do not have a clue how this can work for me. I must not be understanding something here.

5. Here is one nitpick. The color selection ability uses a small circle inside of a larger circle to help provide a type of larger view in searching for a specific color. What the larger circle provides in functionality is offset by being very distracting at times. I find that much of the time I can do without the larger circle.

6. For something as making a selection and filling with the paint bucket, I first have to create a pixel layer. Why is this necessary? Shouldn't this be a decision that I should be able to make? This is counterintuitive.

7. Now here is the BIG deal breaker for me. Some PS plugins simple do not work with Affinity. One in particular reliably crashes the application. None of this happens with PS. I am using Nik, DXO, and Topaz plugins.

 

 

[kirk23]

My shortcomings are:

 

1. No scale /transform links in between layers nested within different groups  . A layer  always inherits transforms from its parent in its own group.   A very big deal.

 

2.  No layer compositions.  I actually want more advanced that Photoshop has with compositions remembering what layers on/off in embedded files    

 

3. No scale from specified center . The center works only for rotation.

[MikeFromMesa]

> Now here is the BIG deal breaker for me. Some PS plugins simple do not work with Affinity. One in particular reliably crashes the application. None of this happens with PS. I am using Nik, DXO, and Topaz plugins.

 

Of course this is a big issue for many of us, although I understand why they work with PS but not with AP.  Several alternatives have been suggested including (1) selling a version of AP from the AP website that is not restricted to the Apple Store required sandbox and (2) adding an external editor call that would allow external apps like Fusion Express 2 or the Nik plugin apps to run. However I have not seen any excitement on the part of the Serif development team to implement either of these two ideas ...

 

 

[Travelling Man]

> Now here is the BIG deal breaker for me. Some PS plugins simple do not work with Affinity. One in particular reliably crashes the application. None of this happens with PS. I am using Nik, DXO, and Topaz plugins.

 

Of course this is a big issue for many of us, although I understand why they work with PS but not with AP.  Several alternatives have been suggested including (1) selling a version of AP from the AP website that is not restricted to the Apple Store required sandbox and (2) adding an external editor call that would allow external apps like Fusion Express 2 or the Nik plugin apps to run. However I have not seen any excitement on the part of the Serif development team to implement either of these two ideas ...

That is disappointing for there is no way that I will migrate from LR/PS if I cannot take my filters with me.

[Magnus_vb]

Well, must be an review of version 1.3

 

1. Available in latest version

2. Version 1.4 remember previously document - at least for me. And if I remember(!) right, so did also v1.3

3. Yes, the lasso tool works different - but you can use modifier keys to add and subtract

4. He's right on this one

5. This one I don't understand

6. A different approach then PS. But I think it's a good move, so that you don't by misstake fill something you want to change afterwards

7. The are actually called "Photoshop plugins". Opinion may vary, but I see that functionality as a pure bonus feature (and selling point of course) from Affinity. Is't the plugin makers responsibility/work to have them working in AFP ?

 

 

Best,

Magnus

[Travelling Man]

Well, must be an review of version 1.3

 

1. Available in latest version

2. Version 1.4 remember previously document - at least for me. And if I remember(!) right, so did also v1.3

3. Yes, the lasso tool works different - but you can use modifier keys to add and subtract

4. He's right on this one

5. This one I don't understand

6. A different approach then PS. But I think it's a good move, so that you don't by misstake fill something you want to change afterwards

7. The are actually called "Photoshop plugins". Opinion may vary, but I see that functionality as a pure bonus feature (and selling point of course) from Affinity. Is't the plugin makers responsibility/work to have them working in AFP ?

 

 

Best,

Magnus

Re 7 yes, but surely they can only do that if AP supports that functionality?

[MikeFromMesa]

All of the plugins that I have, or have tested, work with PhotoLine so they are not necessarily restricted to Photoshop. The AP developers tell us (and I am sure they are being completely straight-forward and honest) is that the problem is that restrictions of the Apple Store sandbox requirements prevent the plugins from working properly. That is, it is the App Store requirements, not the interface itself, that prevents AP from running all of the plugins.

 

 

Photoshop and PhotoLine do not sell out of the Apple Store and thus are not restricted to the same sandbox restrictions. Thus they can run the plugins without a problem. I am sure AP could as well if it were not limited to the App Store limitations. Some of my Topaz plugins work, some do not, and none of the Nik plugins worked for me natively in AP. I would not blame the AP developers for restrictions imposed by the App Store and the plugin manufacturers I have contacted did not exhibit much interest in changing their plugins to work with AP. One of them replied that their product is a Photoshop plugin and, if I wanted it to work, I should use Photoshop.

[billtils]

My first thoughts were why would anyone want to write something like that on a site like that?  Magnus_vs's post here says pretty well all that needs to be said.  The OP really seems like a rant from someone with a PS tee-shirt and tattoo and is a big pat on the back for AP's capabilities.   The list of "here's what's wrong" is pretty short and even shorter when corrected.   

[csp]

who cares what is written on DPR anyway ? 

[billtils]

csp, I agree with you but perhaps the Affinity Team care (at least a little).

[csp]

but they should not because this post will vanish in the wave of daily dpr rants against canon, sony nikon, hasselblad, adobe, the moon and the sun...........faster than i finish my morning coffee

[Asha]

DPR is an especially vitriolic forum, so I take most of the user comments with a grain of salt. However, I do think that AP would have an audience there based on the huge outcry against the Adobe CC subscription model. People are looking for alternatives!

 

I agree with lack of filter compatibility being an issue. I can take a file to the standalone filter application, but that is a big interruption in workflow. I submitted requests to the three I use (DxO, Nik and ON1) for compatibility with AP. The more people that request, the more likely it will become a reality!

[Magnus_vb]

Thanks for the info about Photoshop plugin's. I have always thought they where tailor-made only for Photoshop  :huh:

This might not be relevant at all regarding plugin's, but this is what another app developer (VirtualHostX) wrote recently:

 

In addition to that, chatting with some folks at Apple has informed me that things are going to continue to become more and more locked down at the OS level with each new OS X release (and for good reason!). The days of VHX modifying Apple's system files are numbered.

 

I don't know how plugins work - maybe this "lockdown" does not matter at al...