ucb Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 We are still months away of Publisher's Public Beta. There will be more information closer to Beta's release. Stay tuned. Hello out there, I am new here, so sorry if I say something stupid. To me, Affinity Designer has already so many useful features that I wonder if you really need to develop a complete new application for a publishing solution or "just" an extension for Affinity Designer with some DTP-typical page- and texthandling abilities and i/o options (I hope that does not sound disrespectful, its of course still a lot of work) Instead of epub- or other digital exporters, the killer feature for Affinity Publisher could be somewhere else. I work for many german publishing houses (who mostly stopped updating their thousands of Indesign copies at version 5.x, by the way). They will surely defect to any other affordable software solution than Adobe. But meanwhile they pay more money for their publishing systems (like Vjoon K4, Woodwing, Van Gennep, QPS or Censhare) than for their Indesign-licences. So why not focus on collaboration? With a simple (local and/or web based) publishing system, especially for small to mid sized groups with different workplaces (home office), the Affinity Publisher would be the killer. For magazines, books and also crossmedia projects there is no need of extravagant design features. I work with Indesign everyday since Version 1.0 and usually need maybe 30% of its abilities. Most commonly its placing and handling text, vectors and pictures in different tasks (layout, editing, proofreading etc). And while we rarely take advantage of all the exiting Indesign FX, we more and more frequently miss some good workflow features. My two cents. I really hope you continue the Publisher project and I'd love to become a beta tester as well. Good luck! Uwe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seneca Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Welcome ucb to this forum as it is your first post, it seems. I'm not sure what your workflow is but as far as I am concerned Designer has almost zero features for what I would consider publishing. Of course, you can combine text and graphics on a page or artboard but you can't even centre text vertically in a text box. Heck, you can't even see the non-printing characters in a typed text. Let me be clear, I am not bashing Serif here at all. They've decided that Designer is not an application meant for publishing. That's why they are developing Publisher for that. As to inDesign, unlike you, I use a lot if not most of the features that inDesign offers. Text variables, automation through JavaScript, nested styles, grep, etc, you name it, as long as it helps produce my documents quicker. I use it for leaflets and long documents like books, catalogues, etc. But is it perfect, absolutely not. And that's why when I heard that Serif was coming out with a new professional publishing software I was very excited. However, my excitement has been tempered of recent by how much their timetable has slipped and by the fact that realistically, for Publisher to compete with inDesign, it may take the Affinity team year (5 or more, a wild guess) before I can use it professionally, I mean fitting it into my workflow. My only hope is that it will be worth the wait. Of course, like everyone else here in this forum, I will be the first to take it for a spin when the beta shows up. I also look forward to contributing my few cents towards making Publisher better and bugs free (in as far as it is possible). Best regards Krustysimplex and Oval 2 Quote 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 More sharing options...
Jim Monson Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I realize that you there at Serif are busier than a cat on a tin roof, but I will add my request to that of others. The AD/AP combo would be a dream come true. Oval 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shushustorm Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I know, it's still going to take a while to develop, but maybe you can already answer this: Will Publisher support import and export of InDesign files? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I know, it's still going to take a while to develop, but maybe you can already answer this: Will Publisher support import and export of InDesign files? This was asked and answered before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonBusing Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Will Publisher support import and export of InDesign files? This was asked and answered before. Yes, and if I remember correctly, the answer was no: because the Indesign format is proprietary to Adobe and therefore Serif can neither read nor save in that format. So far, the Affinity apps are pretty good at importing pdf files, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 RE InDesign Import / Export. If Serif wanted to, they could write an IDML Import / Export filter. The IDML format is well documented and is freely available from Adobe's devnet web site. IDML is the only means of sharing InDesign files between a particular ID version and an older version. It's a common practice. IDML is also one of the means to get InDesign files into QuarkXPress via a IDML -> QXP plug-in. (Another plug-in available runs from within QXP and converts a native ID file into QXP format but I don't know if they use IDML as an intermediary format.) vonBusing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 ...So far, the Affinity apps are pretty good at importing pdf files, though. Which does no good for any longer document as the frames are not threaded, links to images are non-existent, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted October 30, 2016 Staff Share Posted October 30, 2016 Hi shushustorm, Welcome to Affinity Forums :) We do intend to add support/import InDesign files but not for the initial release. shushustorm, vonBusing and ronnyb 3 Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shushustorm Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Thanks for your quick answer, MEB! That's great! It's not really urgent, but I am planning to abandon InDesign and for doing so, I am eventually going to need an import feature for InDesign files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodiak Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 The day Publisher can replace InDesign will be a day to celebrate for so many of us. Too bad the release got rescheduled. :( +1 …so eager to replace InDesign that I love but it is an Adobe product! :( …the last one I use! Quote www.kodiakmedia.at bureau@kodiakmedia.at TeamViewer: 668 015 544 Skype: kodiakonline If personal taste is involved, Light is free, Mother Nature provides the light discussion is pointless. capturing it is NOT. but talent renders the image. (Charlychuck) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amigatheone Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Yeah, subscription is a nice idea (for Adobe), but not for me. I wish them luck, but after 25 years of buying and using their products I, for one, am switching to something more reasonably priced. I've weaned myself off Photoshop and I'm in the process of weaning myself of Illustrator. If I can add InDesign to the mix then that would be amazing. I don't think Publisher will be an InDesign killer for a while though. It'll probably take a couple of versions before it has most of the features we're looking for. I get the feeling this product will hit the ground jogging and build up to a run, in subsequent years. But an Adobe free future looks more plausible. :) Thats the problem i was always using Amiga stuff ,and even now I still do., I never had any problems oh yeah better output quality.If only people would have kicked the tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeCortex Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Yeah, subscription is a nice idea (for Adobe), but not for me. I wish them luck, but after 25 years of buying and using their products I, for one, am switching to something more reasonably priced. I've weaned myself off Photoshop and I'm in the process of weaning myself of Illustrator. If I can add InDesign to the mix then that would be amazing. I don't think Publisher will be an InDesign killer for a while though. It'll probably take a couple of versions before it has most of the features we're looking for. I get the feeling this product will hit the ground jogging and build up to a run, in subsequent years. But an Adobe free future looks more plausible. :) I've used Quark, InDesign and PageMaker in my time, but, in all seriousness, none of them, and I mean none of them, have beaten the more recent versions of Serif PagePlus for sheer speed of getting the job done, and no loss of quality or features as far as I am concerned. If Affinity Publisher can be anything like their Windows PagePlus offering then we are all in for a very sweet time. (Compared to PagePlus I don't know how anyone gets to the end of a day with Quark, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 I've used Quark, InDesign and PageMaker in my time, but, in all seriousness, none of them, and I mean none of them, have beaten the more recent versions of Serif PagePlus for sheer speed of getting the job done, and no loss of quality or features as far as I am concerned. If Affinity Publisher can be anything like their Windows PagePlus offering then we are all in for a very sweet time. (Compared to PagePlus I don't know how anyone gets to the end of a day with Quark, etc.) Try a 600 page book with images on nearly every page, most with some sort of transparency and, aside from navigating around, try editing text. It is painful in PP. And make that book also have 15-35 page chapters with running headers and footers. Or, try a relatively simple cookbook wherein the contents are given you as a data file from their CMS and not only flow it in the hour you receive the data, but also as it flows into its single, flowing text frame have it 95% styled. I could go on. There is a place for PP in my work-flow. But it is rarely an appropriate choice, especially if one collaborates with others. The same is going to hold true with APub for me. Most of my work comes from corporations, publishing houses, etc. I need to use what they use as a contractor. APub may well one day be adopted by these concerns, but it is 5 or more years away from competing on a feature basis with PP, much less ID/QXP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tia Lapis Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 And this is totally fine. The *pro* segment HAS already Indesign and Xpress, what we need is a nice *semipro* solution. SrPx 1 Quote Mac mini M1 / Ryzen 5600H & RTX3050 mobile / iPad Pro 1st - all with latest non beta release of Affinity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 And this is totally fine. The *pro* segment HAS already Indesign and Xpress, what we need is a nice *semipro* solution. APu was and is advertised as a professional solution. Sorry, semi would be not what is expected and what we would wait for another year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tia Lapis Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 There are differences in word usage. Professional means clearly different thing to different people. I use it in the dictionary meaning: Engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur (Oxford). The high end of the professional usage in DTP is in the hands of Indesign and Xpress. Serif has many times said they don't target *this* area. But professional usage includes many use cases that don't need the power of Indesign and Xpress - This is the area Serif is targeting from everything I have read till now. And this area of the professional segment is interesting for many semi pro users, too. I don't know what you understand under a semi, but I understand it as non professional users that work on the same level as a professional. Perhaps we use different definitions here. Quote Mac mini M1 / Ryzen 5600H & RTX3050 mobile / iPad Pro 1st - all with latest non beta release of Affinity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 And this area of the professional segment is interesting for many semi pro users, too. You used “semipro” because MikeW made examples why apps fail to be professional. Serif does not advertise a “nice semipro solution”, that you think “we need”: “Affinity Publisher will be crafted to help professional designers get the very best results on every layout, page, magazine, book, and digital publication, with stunning typography and vibrant colour.” If you have not completed an appropriate degree, it is not easy to get professional results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tia Lapis Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 I see, the same problem as in video editing where the Hollywood guys don't get that wedding photographers doing a movie are professional users, too - And hating Apple for targeting this segment and not the high end with FCPX... Quote Mac mini M1 / Ryzen 5600H & RTX3050 mobile / iPad Pro 1st - all with latest non beta release of Affinity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Serif does not advertise a “nice semipro solution”, that you think “we need”: “Affinity Publisher will be crafted to help professional designers get the very best results on every layout, page, magazine, book, and digital publication, with stunning typography and vibrant colour.” If you have not completed an appropriate degree, it is not easy to get professional results. Two comments, submitted with all due respect for all who have an opinion about all this: 1. The operative phrase in the Affinity blurb about Publisher is "will be crafted." It is somewhat pointless to speculate at this point about what that will or won't be included in the app or to what extent it help professionals working in how many of the various fields mentioned. They have invited those interested to participate in the Publisher beta program when they start that in 2017. Why not wait until then to offer feedback about which features need further development to meet the needs of whatever pro field(s) you are working in? 2. I believe there are many ways to get "professional results" & several ways to define that. An "appropriate degree" does not guarantee anybody will get them, nor prevent those without a degree from doing so. If someone has the imagination & the talent to make a living doing this kind of work, what does it matter if they have a degree or not? Either way, are they not professionals? Tia Lapis and 000 2 Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 Affinity Photo 1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 I could care less whether someone does this stuff for their income, part of their income or none of their income. I don't generally use the word professional tied to income. I tie it to the capabilities, performance and results of the application. Heck, in most every (maybe every) industry, I see results from so-called non-professionals that are the envy of those making their income from the work. There are many reasons why this is so. But suffice to say it is simply this way and always has been. Case in point of a gentleman who uses Excel for stunning art work (in case y'all are unaware of him): http://kotaku.com/old-japanese-man-creates-amazing-art-using-excel-wait-499616608 Is this man a professional artist? Hobbyist? Does it matter? I don't know about you, but Excel wouldn't even be on my short-list for vector design or art work. I would be proud to turn out such work. Sort story as regards a statement R C-R makes (his point #2). In the late 1980s when the business I created was beginning to grow, we had applicants for designer positions from "the guy someone knew" who loved to draw, to the very best designer that the design schools were churning out. Over the years we invariably hired the people without degrees. They knew art. They took creative direction. The so-called new professionals "knew everything" and they took design criticism personally. In any case, the point is, AD, CD, AI, XDP, DP, ID, QXP, PP, etc., are simply tools to achieve an end. Other than jumping on the "newest and best" software bandwagon, at the most basic level, these applications need to be able to achieve the desired results for the person purchasing a license in as efficient a path as possible. Only the person doing the work is likely to really know if a particular piece of software fits that criteria. As with AD, I will take a wait and see outlook on APub. If and when either can enhance my work experience enough to be useful to me, a license will get purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seneca Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 I think we are going in circles here. I agree that there is no substitute for real talent and no amount of studies will compensate for that. However, most of us use various programs to do a given job as quickly as possible and as professionally as possible to be competitive and to pay for the overhead incurred, etc. We can argue what professional means but let's take it at face value here. In case of Affinity Designer I expect to find the tools that can facilitate my job as a desktop publisher. We can argue what an average desktop publisher is and what tools he/she needs. This forum here represents a vast array of users. Those who want to design simple flyers and whose who design books, magazines, catalogues, etc. These two groups of people need completely different set of tools. I doubt whether Affinity can satisfy both types of users keeping the program closed, that is without allowing others to develop solutions, etc. All this however is pure speculation because we simply don't know what to expect. Yes, I can use other programs to achieve similar results but at what cost. And yes, I expect Affinity Publisher to compete head to head with Quark and inDesign. Regards Quote 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 More sharing options...
SrPx Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Edit: Deleted the hugest text wall I've written to date here in Affinity's forums. It was about trying to explain why I as a fully professional ( before employed and now freelance professional) multi profiled artist/graphic designer/graphic grunt (and what I consider professional for a software aplication, being the capability of doing a non infinite number of things at the market's required specs for that type of project, even if not doing ALL things possible in every area and market niche) do firmly believe that AD is totally professional (if you are prepared to combine it with some other tools for specific cases) , and same story goes with A. Photo, and surely will be the case with A. Publisher. And why I do believe a tool non capable of dealing well with 600 pages, if allows doing fantastic brochures at cmyk needed profiles and all specs, is still a great professional tool. And all this not still considering the amazing factor of the no rent/super low price. But was extremely long, no one would have read it. Quote AD, AP and APub. V1.10.6 (not using v1.x anymore) and V2.4.x. Windows 10 and Windows 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seneca Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Well I read it all. Thank you for putting the record straight as it were. :) SrPx 1 Quote 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 More sharing options...
Alfred Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Well I read it all. Thank you for putting the record straight as it were. :) I didn't get a chance to see it. :( It would have been nice if SrPx had left it intact and simply appended the 'TL;DR' version. :) SrPx 1 Quote Alfred Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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