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Posted

Guess what? I upgraded my Pixelmator Pro, and guess what I discovered? It now supports opening and editing Illustrator files! That's right, we’ve hit a sweet spot where importing and exporting Photoshop and Illustrator files is totally seamless! It’s a game-changer for everyday designs, like posters, menus, or flyers. I know there are mega-advanced designs that older Photoshop versions won't touch, but that's a different story.

Now, I'm wondering, do you reckon Affinity is gearing up to match these capabilities? Pixelmator Pro has set the bar high, handling these files like a champ. It's got me hopeful that Affinity will follow suit. What do you think?

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Posted
1 hour ago, albertkinng said:

That's right, we’ve hit a sweet spot where importing and exporting Photoshop and Illustrator files is totally seamless!

I checked the website and Illustrator files are not exported.

But it does seem to have a lot of other good stuff.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.6 
Affinity Designer 2.5.7 | Affinity Photo 2.5.7 | Affinity Publisher 2.5.7 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

Posted

Yeah, they made a big deal of being able to open and edit the files and "convert AI files into other formats when needed" - nowhere do I see any indication that it can actually save back to AI format after editing them:

https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2023/12/20/pixelmator-pro-now-supports-ai-and-eps-files-from-adobe-illustrator/

 

I have the version where this was added and here are the options I see for exporting a document:

image.png.eb8767972cfcde61e578101fac4f2eba.png

 

Here are the options when saving a document:

image.png.cd4f38eb1633c413de3d8da70b06278e.png

 

 

I don't have any AI files to play with but I too am skeptical that whatever you are editing from an AI file is actually being saved in AI format.  Are you sure it is not saving your modified AI file in its own native format?

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, fde101 said:

Are you sure it is not saving your modified AI file in its own native format?

I'm not sure, but it's all there in the video. I managed to open an Adobe Illustrator file in Pixelmator, and when I saved it, it was still in the same format. It seems like once they nailed editing and creating PDFs, delving into EPS and Illustrator files might have become more straightforward too. Try this: create some vector art in Pixelmator, save it in the program's default file format and then manually change the file extension to .ai. Check if Pixelmator can still open it afterward. If it does, then it might not be anything complex — they could just be altering the file extension upon saving. I can't test this theory from where I am right now, but it might be as simple as that.

 

Let's stick to the main subject at hand. While I'm citing Pixelmator as an illustration, what I'm really interested in discussing is Affinity. Are they capable of providing a similar feature?

Edited by albertkinng
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Posted
12 hours ago, albertkinng said:

Let's stick to the main subject at hand. While I'm citing Pixelmator as an illustration, what I'm really interested in discussing is Affinity. Are they capable of providing a similar feature?

We can open and save PSD files (with some, limits most notably Text Layers in Photoshop files cannot be saved as Text Layers, they are rasterized). We can Open .ai files if they have the PDF stream saved. We cannot Save or Export as .ai files. We can Export any files as .psd files.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.6 
Affinity Designer 2.5.7 | Affinity Photo 2.5.7 | Affinity Publisher 2.5.7 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

Posted
12 hours ago, albertkinng said:

what I'm really interested in discussing is Affinity. Are they capable of providing a similar feature?

They seem uninterested in trying to reverse-engineer undocumented file formats (.ai) or partially undocumented aspects (text) of partially documented formats (.psd). Or if not uninterested, it's at least lower-priority than other functions they want to provide.

And I can sympathize and agree with that, if I've interpreted things correctly.

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Posted
1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

And I can sympathize and agree with that

I completely agree with you. My interest was piqued by the recent Pixelmator update. I made the switch to Affinity as soon as Adobe Creative Cloud was introduced. My clients didn't pick up on this switch, and I doubt I'll be returning to Adobe in the foreseeable future. Everything has been functioning wonderfully with the Affinity Suite, Sketch, Espresso, and RapidWeaver with Foundation. These tools have really been performing well for me.

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Posted

Coding Affinity Designer to save and open Adobe Illustrator files in AI format would involve several complex steps and considerations:

  • Understanding AI File Format: Adobe Illustrator's AI file format is proprietary, meaning it's not openly documented. Serif would need to understand the structure and encoding of AI files, which could require reverse engineering or obtaining licensing information from Adobe.
  • Developing Import and Export Functionality: Once the AI file format is understood, Serif would need to develop import and export functions in Affinity Designer. This includes parsing AI files to read them correctly and generating AI files that adhere to Adobe's standards.
  • Compatibility and Feature Mapping: Illustrator and Affinity Designer have different features and ways of handling graphics. Serif would need to map these features as closely as possible. This can be challenging, especially for features unique to Illustrator.
  • Testing and Quality Assurance: Extensive testing is required to ensure that files are correctly opened and saved, and that the formatting and features are preserved across both platforms.
  • Legal and Licensing Issues: Since AI is a proprietary format, Serif might face legal and licensing issues. They would likely need to negotiate with Adobe for the rights to use their format, which could involve significant legal and financial considerations.
  • Continuous Updates and Maintenance: Adobe Illustrator is regularly updated, which could affect the AI file format. Serif would need to continuously update Affinity Designer to maintain compatibility.
  • User Interface and Experience: Integrating AI file support must be done in a way that's seamless and intuitive for the users, fitting into Affinity Designer's existing user interface and workflows.
  • Performance Optimization: Working with AI files could introduce new performance challenges, especially for complex files. Optimization would be essential to maintain a smooth user experience.

In summary, implementing AI file support in Affinity Designer is not just a simple coding task. It involves technical, legal, and practical challenges and would require significant resources and expertise.

I simply no longer believe that there are any professional graphic designers here. Everything follows suit. Just everything.

 

Posted
38 minutes ago, Bit Arts said:

implementing AI file support in Affinity Designer is not just a simple coding task.

I don't recall stating that. In truth, I prefer that Affinity not divert their development efforts towards ensuring compatibility with Adobe's standards. My inquiry was simply whether Affinity, given the updates Pixelmator has rolled out, intends to introduce the ability to open and export editable PSD and AI files, similar to what Pixelmator achieves. That was the extent of my question.

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Posted

It is a bottomless pit of work and endless problems for Serif and customers, and if one expects that the exchange of files back and forth between customers and suppliers or between creatives will work, then one will be disappointed.

This is what makes it complex, not the file format:

Quote
  • Compatibility and Feature Mapping: Illustrator and Affinity Designer have different features and ways of handling graphics. Serif would need to map these features as closely as possible. This can be challenging, especially for features unique to Illustrator.

I simply no longer believe that there are any professional graphic designers here. Everything follows suit. Just everything.

 

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