Canva

[Caius Nocturne]

Something else to add - I wonder what the Competition and Markets Authority would have to say about one creative software company buying out another?

[Bit Disappointed]

27 minutes ago, Jens Krebs said:

A "Pledge" ist not a promise and "we are committed to" is very different from "we are going to" -- sorry, but while this is a nice gesture, I've heard this noncommittal language way to often (in recent years even from our gouvernment with their listening, their commitments and the famous "five pledges") to believe any of it.

Exactly.

It is non-binding, and it is deliberately formulated to be non-binding. I can guarantee that a business lawyer has reviewed it before publication. When you, before too long (18-36 months), receive an email about changed plans and terms, you might get three months' notice. Which terms will change, I will not speculate on, but the four pledges you can use for a silly and childishly naive hope. Nothing else. But it's a calm-the-masses PR strategy that works. Just look in this thread. You eat it up. The world is full of promises and extremely poor in fulfilled promises. Grow up.

Example:

Why is Capture One Express being deprecated?
We're constantly working to improve our tools for you. And, to give you the best creative and collaborative experience, we need to focus on our main products. This means that starting January 30, 2024, Express will no longer be available.

How is it possible for you to deactivate my perpetual license?
For legal concerns, contact our legal team at legal@captureone.com for more in-depth answers.

Can I run Capture One Express on an old computer?
No, all Capture One Express license keys will be disabled and will not be valid, regardless of the hardware used.

[Chills]

6 minutes ago, NBG said:

We need Affinity Video!

But not the Affinity suite flooded with "Canva" design assets or something like Dreamweaver...

 

No, we don't.    There are both Apple Final Cut Pro X and BMD Resolve that are the low cost, highly professional video edit tools. The only things that compete with them are  the more expensive pro tools.   There are a host of cheap amateur video editors out there, apart from the free Apple and Microsoft apps. We don't need more.

What would be good is an Affinity DAM.  This is the missing piece of the jigsaw, a Lightroom+Bridge replacement. 

[GenewalDesign]

11 minutes ago, NBG said:

We need Affinity Video!

But not the Affinity suite flooded with "Canva" design assets or something like Dreamweaver...

 

It's not like they never developed a software like that : maybe using the source code of MoviePlus is a good start.

[Chills]

5 minutes ago, Caius Nocturne said:

Something else to add - I wonder what the Competition and Markets Authority would have to say about one creative software company buying out another?

Absolutely nothing.  It happens every other month in the UK.

[GenewalDesign]

2 minutes ago, Chills said:

No, we don't. 

Sorry, YOU don't.

[Efvee]

Thank you to the Affinity team for the clarification! I am a committed user and Affinity "evangelist" so the new 4-point announcement makes me very happy. I am also excited by the possibility of the Affinity Suite getting online collaboration features. I work with a team that uses a mix of Canva and Affinity apps so the merger would make our lives easier. 

[Tickedon]

Thank you to Ash, Affinity, and Canva for responding to the reaction with four clear pledges. It is really encouraging.

The V2 universal license is incredibly great value (and much welcomed by me, as I use both OS X and Windows!). I look forward to many more years of fairly priced perpetual licenses.

[Bit Disappointed]

[DarkClown]

37 minutes ago, Johannes said:

We also believe the design community also knows best what it needs. As such, we are committed to shaping our products based on your ideas, your feedback and your needs. To kick things off, we’d love to learn more about what you’d like to see as we embark on this next chapter of our journey. What would you like to see in Affinity? What features have you been dreaming of? What would you love to achieve? We’d love to hear from you. 

This text is from the "Pledge" page ....

I wonder who wrote this. For more than 8 years the Forum is overloaded with feature requests - and still management "authorities" ask us for INPUT? It's all there -just read the forum! How far away can you be away from what goes on in real life? If all other statements are based on the same level of competence I doubt if anything is true ...

[Chills]

14 minutes ago, GenewalDesign said:

Sorry, YOU don't.

Well, you said "we" need a video editor. I responded in kind.

What you meant is YOU want a video editor.

Well, what is the market?  A video editor is a huge undertaking.  The market is overcrowded at all levels as it is.
What are you using now?

[monzo]

Quote

What would you like to see in Affinity? What features have you been dreaming of? What would you love to achieve? We’d love to hear from you. 

I'd like the ability to authorise my V2 software offline, using my account details, to reassure me that my 'lifetime' purchases remain accessible.

This should have been added to yesterdays updates. If you actually valued our custom and years of support.

[AffinityMakesMeWonder]

2 minutes ago, Bit Disappointed said:

This pictures say it all - almost every Serif staff will not survive this storm, just Ashley and his friend that have gotten some floatingwests…

[AffinityMakesMeWonder]

14 minutes ago, DarkClown said:

This text is from the "Pledge" page ....

I wonder who wrote this. For more than 8 years the Forum is overloaded with feature requests - and still management "authorities" ask us for INPUT? It's all there -just read the forum! How far away can you be away from what goes on in real life? If all other statements are based on the same level of competence I doubt if anything is true ...

Best reply ever!

We are now eagerly awaiting the answer what have changed since 25 of mars 2024?

How come that we all of a sudden are important for Caffinity??

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, Jens Krebs said:

A "Pledge" ist not a promise and "we are committed to" is very different from "we are going to" -- sorry, but while this is a nice gesture, I've heard this noncommittal language

 

44 minutes ago, 75th said:

It's quite something to complain about the use of the word "committed" and then accuse the speaker of being "noncommittal". No, the pledges they made are not legally binding, but it is a good sign that Canva let them say it and put both their logos on it. They have opened themselves up to much more solid accusations of lying or malfeasance later if they go back on these pledges. It's not a binding contract, but it is worth something.

I agree. A pledge is a solemn promise, often made in a formal context. It implies more commitment, not less, than a mere promise.

[Dr. Bunsen]

I looked in yesterday lunchtime and was saddened by the tone of the comments. I understand the concern over the potential for a move to a subscription model, but not at all the aggressive and confrontational way in which it has been articulated. Today's clarification is much more reassuring.

Remember: change is the only constant!

 

 

Edited March 27, 2024 by Dr. Bunsen

[Alfred]

30 minutes ago, GenewalDesign said:

It's not like they never developed a software like that : maybe using the source code of MoviePlus is a good start.

MoviePlus only runs on Windows, and any attempt to use it as the basis of a new video editor would involve a huge amount of catching up to cope with 4K and other modern developments. And that’s before you even think of integrating it into the Affinity suite so that files saved from the new app could be edited in any of the existing apps on any supported platform.

[Intuos5]

I also do hope there's some sort of clause, where if Canva goes bankrupt (if it is indeed backed by lots of venture capital - and mind you the company is just over 10 years old)that Serif can continue independently and that a potential shutdown of license servers won't disable users from activating their license on a new machine.

[Aongus Collins]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Bunsen said:

I looked in yesterday lunchtime and was saddened by the tone of the comments. I understand the concern over the potential for a move to a subscription model, but not at all the aggressive and confrontational way in which it has been articulated. Today's clarification is much more reassuring.

Remember: change is the only constant!

 

 

Agreed, I felt the same way. Hopefully today's announcement will help alleviate concerns.

[mogsie]

People are suffering from shock. After moving to Affinity in good faith, there seems to be a possiblity that the software could suddenly become unusable if activation is cancelled. That makes us hostages. I don't like it. Bit Disappointed has pointed out that this happened with Capture One Express.

If Affinity is genuine about at least continuing to honour existing perpetual licences, they should make it so the activation code is enough to activate the software without needing online activation. People would at least be sure then that Affinity 2.4 would continue to work for them.

[PaulEC]

It would be interesting to know if there is some technical reason for needing online registration, or if they just want to get your details for some other purpose (marketing?) . With Serif's old (Plus) range of software, you had to ring them to get an activation code, the only reason for which was so that they could keep you on the phone for ages trying to sell you other products!

[Komatös]

If Canva actually implements its 4-point plan as announced, the acquisition could be a win-win for everyone.

I am thinking here of the users who would like to use the Affinity programs on Linux or on an Android tablet. And those who would like to work in a team on the same project. All this and much more could be realized through the merger.

Canva may not have the best reputation, but they can ensure that their popularity increases with a smart approach. A smart approach would include offering stand-alone apps at a fair price so that people on low incomes can afford them too.

Time will tell what will become of the award-winning software. Until then, it's a case of wait and see.

 
 

[Chills]

48 minutes ago, GenewalDesign said:

It's not like they never developed a software like that : maybe using the source code of MoviePlus is a good start.

MoviePlus is well over a decade behind the curve and was even then seen as a bit clunky and aimed at novice home users.  It would be more suited to Canva than Affinity, which is  probably why Serif dropped it.  There are many options for novice home users that come for free on Windows and IOS.   Affinity is aiming at the pro market.   There are a lot of extremely good tools out there.  How with they compete with Resolve?  iMovie and the MS Editor all of which are free....

[Duskstalker]

lets not make this a dirty witch hunt, okay? we put our concerns here, this came as a shock to everyone, and anyone in this needs to evaluate the new situation for themselves with possible options in either way. this certainly is an emotionally loaded topic, especially for those who depend on the affinity suite for their Job (like me) and feel like they got screwed over out of the blue. 

but its not helpful to attack freshly registered users or staff members. keep it civilised. i respect that affinity didnt moderate this thread. usually you would see threads like get wiped from negative comments or completely locked/deleted. 

I think the general sentiment and concerns got voiced and now its up to canva where this goes. lets not spiral that into a hatefueled poopstorm - this makes that difficult situation just more toxic for everyone. 

I will share my honest constructive feedback as years long pro affinity user in the survey they put out, just for the case i was wrong with my pessimistic view on this ordeal, but im sitting on packed bags because of all the red flags. 

[Komatös]

1 minute ago, PaulEC said:

It would be interesting to know if there is some technical reason for needing online registration, 

The reason is simple. The V1 was unlocked with a serial number, which was like an invitation to a free banquet for pirates.  

Online verification made it more difficult for pirates to use the software without a valid license.