Not able to start Affinity Photo 2 from DxO, XNViewMP, ART and Raw Therapee

[pefunk]

I use XNViewMP as photo browser and up to today I have preferred DxO PhotoLab or RawTherapee as Raw Converters. These Raw converters can send a developed TIFF file easily to an other Photo editing application (Affinity Photo 1, Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop ...).

Since I have updated to version 2 this is no longer working, as I cannot find the original exe-file on my machine. When I enter the path %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityPhoto2.exe  (copied from your FAQs) in those applications, DxO comes up with the following error:

 

[walt.farrell]

I found it necessary to use a helper .bat file:

start /b affinityphoto2.exe %1
exit

I named mine LaunchAffinityPhoto2.bat and saved it. Then I point to that bat file from the other programs that need to invoke Photo 2.

[Lee D]

@pefunk Thanks for letting us know I tested with the ones you listed and a few others and had the same issue. I've logged it to be looked into by the developers as it should be working. In the meantime you can try @walt.farrell method to at least get it working.

[pefunk]

Thank you very much Walt. That actually worked. I am too much of a computer illiterate to have come up with that solution myself.

[bsx]

The BAT-file doesn't work with Lightroom 6.14. and Windows 10. The batch file starts Affinity Photo 1.10., not the V2 version.        SORRY

I also don't want to change everything on my computer just to run this new version.

I would like a normal configurable program installation, like V1. Otherwise must work without these V2 programs in the future.

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by bsx

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, bsx said:

The batch file starts Affinity Photo 1.10., not the V2 version.

If it starts 1.10, then I think you may have a typo or didn't copy it correctly. You might have missed the 2 in the file name. I can't think of any way that affinityphoto2.exe should start Photo V1.

[bsx]

sorry it was my fault Lightroom didn't save the settings. Now it works.

Thanks Walt!

But that's just a workaround. no solution

[FutureLarking]

13 hours ago, bsx said:

sorry it was my fault Lightroom didn't save the settings. Now it works.

Thanks Walt!

But that's just a workaround. no solution

The real solution is for the developers of the other apps to actually add support for modern Windows application. MSIX and app packages are Microsoft's preferred packaging format for Windows applications going forward, so whilst the Affinity suite is on the forefront of the curve many older apps still need to be updated to support them properly. (Which is a shame as appx/msix has existed for over half a decade, but as ever in the Windows ecosystem... things get updated very, very slowly.)

[john30]

45 minutes ago, FutureLarking said:

The real solution is for the developers of the other apps to actually add support for modern Windows application. MSIX and app packages are Microsoft's preferred packaging format for Windows applications going forward, so whilst the Affinity suite is on the forefront of the curve many older apps still need to be updated to support them properly. (Which is a shame as appx/msix has existed for over half a decade, but as ever in the Windows ecosystem... things get updated very, very slowly.)

That only works if corporate installs don’t lock out apps as a great many do for security and if Affinity if seeking to be a professional app they have been foolishly overlooked  

[bsx]

1 hour ago, FutureLarking said:

The real solution is for the developers of the other apps to actually add support for modern Windows application.

This is not a solution for me. I think we all work with software here that can be bought and not rented like Adobe. So I'm still working with Lightroom 6.14 and also other software and tools in older versions. It will stay that way as long as Serif doesn't offer a RAW converter like Lightroom. So we have to hope for the compatibility of the Affinity programs so that we can continue to use our other programs.

[Draig]

I have the same problem as bsx above. I normally use DXO Photolab for processing Raw files, and then pass to Affinity. Perhaps Walt could try and explain his workaround in a way a PC illiterate like me can manage?

[Hans De Smaele]

Hi Draig (and others).

These are the steps to implement Walt's workaround (on a Microsoft Windows OS):

1. Open notepad

2 Typ in the text below:

start /b affinityphoto2.exe %1
exit

3. Save the notepad file somewhere (e.g. c:\affinityworkarounds\APhoto2.bat)

4. Now, from within your applications (e.g. DXO Photolab) point to that file as the file to open AffinityPhoto2.

5. This should work now !

6. Pay a beer to Walt for finding the workaround

7. Tell Serif Affinity team they have to solve this cra....

Have a nice day !

[00maxx00]

On 11/9/2022 at 3:50 PM, walt.farrell said:

I found it necessary to use a helper .bat file:

start /b affinityphoto2.exe %1
exit

I named mine LaunchAffinityPhoto2.bat and saved it. Then I point to that bat file from the other programs that need to invoke Photo 2.

By far the best way to export to Affinity Photo 2, and It works with all the programs I use (RawTherapee, FastStone Image Viewer).

Thank you very much.

[PhilC]

Thank you Hans De Smaele. 

The workaround works with Adobe Bridge for me.

This workaround should not be necessary.  Serif should release software that works with existing programs, not insist that others developers adapt to them.  This seems especially true as I suspect that many Serif users call Affinity from other programs such as Adobe, DxO, RawTherapee, etc.  Seems obvious to me that this would be advantageous to Serif.  Why would other vendors want to make it easy to access Serif software.  If Serif wants to isolate its software, then I think it needs at a minimum to include a Browser similar to Adobe Bridge.

[Transglobalist]

6 hours ago, FutureLarking said:

The real solution is for the developers of the other apps to actually add support for modern Windows application. MSIX and app packages are Microsoft's preferred packaging format for Windows applications going forward, so whilst the Affinity suite is on the forefront of the curve many older apps still need to be updated to support them properly. (Which is a shame as appx/msix has existed for over half a decade, but as ever in the Windows ecosystem... things get updated very, very slowly.)

Yeah. No. Not how it works for a professional development shop--as Affinity most certainly is.

I worked for two decades as a software architect for major enterprises, as an expert on the Microsoft tech stack. When you produce "shrink-wrapped" software, you do what your customers need first, and never EVER break their workflows because of the fashions and whims of the technology stack provider. UNLESS: that stack provider introduces breaking changes and stops supporting the legacy tech. And when/if that happens, it's always a very big deal to let your customers know exactly how and when it's coming, what the conflicts and issues will be, and to provide them documented workarounds IN ADVANCE.

None of those things happened here.

[MarcH]

I'm being particularly dim ("no change there" my other half would say!).

How do I "point" DXO PhotoLab to the batch file? When I "Export to Application" in DXO it asks for a .exe file?

[john30]

There is no way, unless DxO changes the export  to allow export to non EXE files. The only way is to remove the level of security on the apps folder which works but I am told could have security risks  (and also been told MS updates might take off the changes as well as they increased security on the apps at some point due to the risks as they were.

[Mystical]

Unfortunately the bat file workaround does not work for me. The program I use (3D Coat) requires an exe and it does not recognize the secondary 0kb exe's from Photo 2 in the Local Appdata section. I can only use the exe from WidnowsApps version when choosing the exe. However, doing so Photo 2 never launches when I choose to export layers from 3D Coat for Photo 2 (like I was doing with Photo 1.0 where it works)

[AlainP]

Walt's batch file fixed it for now in FastStone Image Viewer.

[Transglobalist]

20 minutes ago, BPMH said:

I'm being particularly dim ("no change there" my other half would say!).

How do I "point" DXO PhotoLab to the batch file? When I "Export to Application" in DXO it asks for a .exe file?

@BPMH: I'm sure that @john30is right (I don't have DxO, so I don't know), but on the off-chance that it's something this simple, I'll show you how it works for Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom also "demands" an .exe file when setting up an external editor. This is the file open dialog when you try to add a new editor. It's preset to .exe.

 

But at least in the Adobe LR case, this is just a suggestion. You can change that dropdown to "All Files" and select your .bat. Like this:

Again, this is just Adobe, and I'm sure @john30 is right about DxO. In either case, good luck!

 

[MarcH]

3 minutes ago, Transglobalist said:

@BPMH: I'm sure that @john30is right (I don't have DxO, so I don't know), but on the off-chance that it's something this simple, I'll show you how it works for Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom also "demands" an .exe file when setting up an external editor. This is the file open dialog when you try to add a new editor. It's preset to .exe.

 

But at least in the Adobe LR case, this is just a suggestion. You can change that dropdown to "All Files" and select your .bat. Like this:

Again, this is just Adobe, and I'm sure @john30 is right about DxO. In either case, good luck!

 

DXO is not that helpful; only allows .exe. Thank you for the detailed explanation which may work with some other apps I use.

[Amateur John]

Walt's method works with Nikon Studio. Like LR it is necessary to change the default .exe file type to *.*

[bsx]

2 hours ago, Transglobalist said:

And when/if that happens, it's always a very big deal to let your customers know exactly how and when it's coming, what the conflicts and issues will be, and to provide them documented workarounds IN ADVANCE.

Many Thanks. That's exactly my opinion too.

I think the communication of such major system changes must take place BEFORE. And not just discovered by users during installation. 😡

[Aktive Pupille]

LOL, to use this workarround Sucks a little bit 😂

[LuNik700]

... just to document ... I also use DXO and can't find a way of exporting to Affinity Photo2. Hope this will be fixed soon. Until then I will continue the use of Affinity Photo V1 ...

Cheers
Ludger