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First of all, I have never used Lightroom (other than a brief trial that didn't impress me much since I wasn't looking for an all-in-one.)  And while I have an older version of Capture One, I never used it as an editor either, preferring Capture NX and NX2 as my RAW developer and Photoshop as my editor.  What I use MediaPro for, and all I use it for, is as a Digital Asset Manager.  For that, it offers everything I need or want.  Personally, I don't see needing editing capabilities in a DAM when I have Affinity Photo for that.  Other users have other needs but those are mine. 

 

<EDIT>  My post may have been a bit misleading about my preferred photo editor.  Earlier it was Photoshop, Now it is Affinity Photo.

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First of all, I have never used Lightroom (other than a brief trial that didn't impress me much since I wasn't looking for an all-in-one.)  And while I have an older version of Capture One, I never used it as an editor either, preferring Capture NX and NX2 as my RAW developer and Photoshop as my editor.  What I use MediaPro for, and all I use it for, is as a Digital Asset Manager.  For that, it offers everything I need or want.  Personally, I don't see needing editing capabilities in a DAM when I have Affinity Photo for that.  Other users have other needs but those are mine. 

 

My needs are similar to yours, so perhaps I should just buy it.  After much research, it would seem to be my only option.  Thanks.

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Mike...

 

Before you settle on a DAM, check out Photo Supreme by IDImager. It's half the price of MediaPro (although it's still twice the price of Affinity Photo!) and I've used it for a while and find it quite nice. There's a free trial, which helps.

 

http://idimager.com/WP/

 

It builds a photo catalogue with thumbnails, but does not have to move your photos into the catalogue - your folder structure remains intact. It supports hierarchical keywords, and writes these directly to the file as additional EXIF data. The nice part about this is that the keywords survive a change of DAM software, in case you decide to use something else at a later date. It has great search functions, and can open photos in any external editor you specify. It does NOT do RAW processing or other editing itself - it is strictly a cataloguing program. It's worth a look before you decide.

Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Publisher 2, Affinity Designer 2 (latest retail versions) - desktop & iPad
Culling - FastRawViewer; Raw Developer - Capture One Pro; Asset Management - Photo Supreme
Mac Studio with M2 Max (2023}; 64 GB RAM; macOS 13 (Ventura); Mac Studio Display - iPad Air 4th Gen; iPadOS 17

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Mike...

 

Before you settle on a DAM, check out Photo Supreme by IDImager. It's half the price of MediaPro (although it's still twice the price of Affinity Photo!) and I've used it for a while and find it quite nice. There's a free trial, which helps.

 

http://idimager.com/WP/

 

It builds a photo catalogue with thumbnails, but does not have to move your photos into the catalogue - your folder structure remains intact. It supports hierarchical keywords, and writes these directly to the file as additional EXIF data. The nice part about this is that the keywords survive a change of DAM software, in case you decide to use something else at a later date. It has great search functions, and can open photos in any external editor you specify. It does NOT do RAW processing or other editing itself - it is strictly a cataloguing program. It's worth a look before you decide.

 

I tried it a few weeks ago, but for me it falls short in several areas. I can't remember what those were, but I'm also put off by it being developed and maintained by only one person.  Oh, and his website still requires the buggy Flash plug-in to see the videos.  

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I'm happy with Lightroom since I still have the non CC version. Once they stop updating it, then I will need another application. I would love it if the Affinity DAM were ready by then. 

 

Regarding iOS... I have an iPad Pro and regularly use it with Astropad (making it like a graphics tablet) to work in Affinity Photo. 

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Regarding iOS... I have an iPad Pro and regularly use it with Astropad (making it like a graphics tablet) to work in Affinity Photo. 

 

I assume you use the Apple Pencil or a similar stylus? How's the experience with Astropad?

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I assume you use the Apple Pencil or a similar stylus? How's the experience with Astropad?

 

Yeah, Apple Pencil...

 

Astropad is good. Feels good and not particularly laggy and seems reliable... I've not come across any issues. Some actions like scrolling menus gets blurry in order to be speedy but it's not a problem. Painting is crisp. Sometimes I paint in Procreate, but actually, besides quick sketching, I prefer Affinity Photo. With the iPad Pro and Astropad, I have a very portable setup where I can draw right on the screen... so easy to go sit in a cafe and work.

 

I'm in no hurry for an iOS version of Photo since I have this solution and I much prefer working on my MBP to the iPad Pro. I don't much like working in iOS... too restricted, too limited for connectivity, etc.

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I'm in no hurry for an iOS version of Photo since I have this solution and I much prefer working on my MBP to the iPad Pro. I don't much like working in iOS... too restricted, too limited for connectivity, etc.

I take Ash's words: Serif claims with the iPad version, we can do some things better.
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I agree that an iPad app is probably the best way going forward. It's a really big market, and if done correctly with Metal support, it will be a hit. I'd love to see a nice DAM from your group. 2017 is not that far away for some information. 

 

Matt

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I'll be straight with you here - the delays in the DAM project for macOS are due to our prioritisation of iOS versions of our existing products.

 

This might be controversial to some - but to me is it not. If we are able to produce a feature-for-feature, (very) high performance, Metal-accelerated, full version of Affinity Photo for iPad Pro, then that time is worth spending - even before releasing a public beta of an Affinity DAM product.

...

Andy.

 

 Andi, I am very much looking forward to using the iOS versions of AD and AP. Actually, as of now, I am very much looking forward to anything You guys will publish in the near future. Fine work so far :)

 

RD

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Since all of DAM users will be searching their assets at any given time, this

definitely gets two thumbs-up! Please turn this into reality, Serif.

 

 

Well lets hope they can.  I wonder if Lightroom will get this too?

 

PS. I've given up searching for a DAM system better than LR - including Media Pro, Photo Supreme and lots of others.  I'm now back with LR and hoping for a better future.

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I am not vey clear at what the DAM is supposed to do...

 

In my wildest dream it would be companion to Affinity Photo (or designer/Publisher), allowing to catalog images, manage meta data, rate/flag images, etc. In the ideal world, it would somehow side by Photo allowing a seemless integration of its Raw development power but also keep edited photos, edited in Photo (composited) near it's Raw original (Like a version of some sort). Some sort of an Aperture, C1 or LT, as people seem to mention here.

 

Or are we all way off in our understanding of the comping product?

 

Anyhow assuming my understanding is correct, like many other, I cry the lost of Aperture and hope for a viable replacement. As it stands, the only options seem to be C1 or LT. IMO, the delay is a great issue here since the days of aperture are counted. In the sense that those who like me who stick with it until a good solution presents itself will sooner or later be force to begin the time consuming process of converting their library... This is no something we want to do twice. Some have already migrated, so the more wait there is the more painful it would be to make the move later...

 

I can decide to move from illustrator/photoshop/Indesign to the Affinity suite anytime without too much consequences. In a year or two or three... no problem (not that I will wait that long, but I'm just saying). That means waiting and delays have less consequneces there. Even for a iPad app, regardless how cool and "Actual it is". If those arrive later, we can still adopt it.

 

However, regarding a DAM, it's unlikely that I will decide to leave Lightroom or C1 if I ever decide to move my library there... Unless there is really, really, really powerful and painless free import feature in the Affinity DAM.

 

At the very least I would release a list of core features, so it's clear what it will do. That would give enthusiasts a reason to wait...

 

Am I at all discussing the right kind of software here?

 

Cheers!

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I am not vey clear at what the DAM is supposed to do...

 

I absolutely agree with you, but Affinity will not release any advance information.  I've spent the past few months evaluating every alternative available for macOS.  They all have problems of one kind or another, so I continue to use Lightroom CC.   If Adobe improves the DAM side before Affinity releases theirs, I'll stay with LR, because the effort to migrate is daunting and extremely time consuming.  In other words, an Affinity DAM will need to be significantly better than everything thats gone before.  A very tall order indeed.

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I think that if Serif make a DAM, then they will do so with the hope of selling as many copies as possible.  The only way they can achieve this goal, is to completely and reliably take care of the migration.

 

The task is too daunting for most individual users to consider.  Adobe, in a fairly typical Adobe way, half did this for Aperture to Lr.  They do the easy stuff for you (text) but made no effort to carry adjustments over.  Since Aperture's adjustments are all text-based and brushes are simply alpha masks, it may have required some investment in programming, but as ever, Adobe only look at the bottom line.

 

So I hope very much that Serif will invest in making a smooth transition simple.  How incredible would it be, to simply import your Aperture libraries into AF-DAM and boom!  Everything is there.  (Sounds like the sort of thing Jobs would have liked to do right.)

Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats)

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I agree with you too above. If the DAM can actually smoothly import a C1, Aperture or Lightroom libs smoothly and without loss, and have improved features over them all, then it's not that urgent...  That sounds like a pretty tall order and still sceptical about the first part.

 

The photoshop import in Affinity Photos is great but it's not all there yet. It's still having hard time with the Hue and Saturation filter and a few others filters as well. I also suspect that the Aperture Color Adjustment will not carry very well; there's already a few things in that adjustment that Affinity Photo just can't handle as it stands.

 

Sooooo... hoping for the best and I'm sure they will do a great job, but still think that this is not something that should delay too long. :-)

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  • 2 weeks later...

From a wedding photographer's point of view:
 
Haven't had the time to scroll through all posts here but for me, being a professional wedding photographer and having to go through thousands of images every week of the year:

  • Some integrated intelligent batch file renaming option, wether at import or export.  
     
  • Culling: a fast way to go through several thousands of images and select which to keep and which to reject. Even LR is too slow at this (image load time, sharply) and i have to revert to Photo Mechanic to be able to do this quickly.
     
  • Import presets and the ability to create custom (import) presets.
     
  • The ability to apply lens corrections and to apply them automatically.
     
  • 100% support for Fujifilms DNG's which LR still doesn't seem to master despite the booooming success of Fuji's X series APS-C camera's.
     
  • The ability to do batch editing or sync edits across a chosen range of images and the ability to choose exactly which edits are to be synced across that range of images.
     
  • Export presets and the ability to create custom (export) presets. The ability, among those presets, to export to Compressed small size DNGs.
     
  • The ability to save the edits only (XML) for a large amount of images.  On LR these are the .xmp files which can be saved separately from the image files, which makes it very easy to send your edits only along with Compressed DNG's to a colleague or other party who could then finalize your edits.
     
  • A way to adapt the UI to the type of job you are doing and the ability to save different UI presets. Call them Persona if you want.  I'm just not interested in having waaay too many options available that will only clutter my screen and slowdown my workflow.  As someone else already mentioned:  Take everything compositing to Affinity Photo.  Leave Affinity DAM without.  And ensure a seamless back and forth interoperability between both.
     
  • The ability to chose to further edit an image in a  compositing tool such as Affinity Photo only when needed though. I only very rarely use Photoshop as most of the edits i need are available inside LR. "Edit in...." would then offer the user the choice in which software he wishes to further edit the image.  Edits inside the other software (such as PS or Affinity Photo) would then be saved / synced to the DAM when returning to the DAM.
    Some thorough and well thought interoperability or portability of files between the several Serif / Affinity software packages would be awesome.
     
  • Clever backup and recovery options...

The lack of support of any of the above features would have an enormous (negative) impact on my workflow (and i'm sure it's the same for most wedding photographers...) and would make a DAM pretty useless for any serious wedding photographer.

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Thank you, Affinity guys! I started to use AP for Windows, it is perfect... the just only dark side is the collaboration with LR, obviously. So I understand you feel the importance of an iPad version (which is not true for me), but the LR substitution also for Windows users is however something very important for many of us. Not only for LR cost, but for seamless integration with AP (as said, DAM for fast elaborate of many photos, AP for full editing of complicated photos).

Just my point of view...

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I do not know what is the problem with LR. I bought LR6 standalone two days ago for 115€ and I do not regret it: Great raw import into a well structured catalog. Fast and efficient photo development. Great indexing of photos with keywords and face detection. Absolutely stable so far. Support of all lens profiles I own or know about. Covers 95% of the workflow of a photographer. 

 

I bought Affinity Photo to cover the remaining 5% as Edit In > Affinity Photo. This way I would have to pay 115€ + 40€ = 155€ one time fee for a complete toolkit, which is in the range of one year CC subscription for LR + PS. But I have returned the affinity license because it currently needs 18 seconds on my PC to open an average CR2 RAW file and also the histograms are very strange. I will look into it again in one year or so to see whether the software has matured. Paying 10€ more then does not play a role.

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Just a word of caution to Asser82 with your LR standalone, if you don't already know.  There have been a few updates to LR so don't get embroiled in the Creative cloud, Adobe application manager ring around when updating.  I noted that in the last updates that I did through these Adobe products, that my standalone product was now being governed by these products.  I searched to find the last Application Manager that was not governed by CC and downgraded to it, and the page where the standalone updates are available (they don't make this easy to find).  I really like LR as well, but this scumming Adobe Co. is doing everything they can to suck us into CC.  

I am wondering if they troll this site to see just how many people they are losing.  

I have also noted that they are now giving internet followed photographers something they call 'affinity' sponsorships (interesting name don't you think?) so that if you buy CC through their sites you get up to 20% off the subscription price for 1 year (of course).  

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I really don't understand why so many people seem to dislike Adobe and refuse to accept the CC subscription model.  Personally, I think its incredible value for money and far cheaper than buying and junking other far less capable applications.  Yes, a viable alternative would be nice, but it hasn't happened yet.

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