Running 32 bit plugins in Affinity Photo

[Roberto1972]

Hi,

 

Just wanted to let you know that AlphaPlugins LaunchBox successfully allows you to run your good old 32 bit plugins from within Affinity Photo, which is 64 bit.

This also applies to Serif PhotoPlus (at least X8 works - which was my initial concern). Very affordable tool seeming to be the only practical way to still let you benefit from your precious otherwise trash banned 32 bit plugins!

 

After installation issues (see below) were solved I successfully ran 32 bit plugins on backgrounds, layers as well as on selections. Majority of plugins should work (including AlienSkin ones, yeaii!)

 

Installation:

• Execute the installer.

• Destination program folder: any folder you like (AlphaPlugins folder will be created in there, including program files).

• Manual plugin folder installation: choose your 64 bit plugins folder (AlphaPluginsBridge.8bf will be added there during installation).

• If your 64 bit plugins folder only has the 8bf added and no ini file then create the ini file manually: create text document named AlphaPluginsBridge.txt; change .txt extension to .ini

• In the manually created AlphaPluginsBridge.ini file add a single line: the path to where LaunchBox is installed (e.g. C:\Program Files\AlphaPlugins\AlphaPluginsLaunchBox.exe ) and save the file.

• Run Affinity Photo (from here I assume Affinity Photo already knows what your 64 bit plugins folder is)

• Open image, go to plugins menu, run AlphaPlugins - AlphaPlugins 32bit Bridge...

• AlphaPlugins LaunchBox will start: enter registration info or remain in trial mode

• In 'Properties' menu (remove the default plugin folder and) add your plugin folder(s) containing 32bit plugins.

• Select a plugin folder in this list and click OK (plugins will be loaded and main UI is shown)

• Open 'Filters' menu; select (32bit) plugin and click OK: from here everything behaves like running normal plugins

 

• When running AlphaPlugins 32bit Bridge... again from the plugins menu in Affinity then just go straight to the 'Filters' menu and select the plugin to be run.

(only when you want the Filters menu to show plugins from an other plugins folder you need to go to the Properties menu and select an other plugin folder).

 

Works like a charm so had to let know here :-)

 

Cheers,

Roberto

[Callum]

Hi Roberto,

 

Thanks for making me aware of this I will pass this on to the rest of the team for future reference :)

 

C

[Roberto1972]

Correction: I was wrong with my last sentence between brackets!

 

LaunchBox loads ALL plugins found in all 'added' plugin folders; one can not select which plugin folder(s) to be used for loading the Filters menu.

The only option to load plugins from specific plugin folders is making sure the other plugin folders are not 'added' (use Remove button).

As a consequence it's a bit tedious regularly to add specific folders: requires browsing through a file explorer window.

 

However, I sent the developer a feature request for being able to select folders from the list of added folders to be used for loading filters... so who knows later on :-P

 

64 bit plugins are ignored/ not included in the filters being loaded.

 

Roberto

[Johan Crous]

I am going to try this out. This one is half the price of Pluggin Bridge.

You have tested it out. The other one is still a claim in my eyes.

[Johan Crous]

I have installed the Alpha Plugin Launchbox and it is working in Affinity Photo. Eyecandy 7 works.

Plugin Bridge could not get eyecandy to work.

[thuckabay]

Here's my experience after extensively testing the two alternatives with my particular set of old 32-bit Photoshop plugins:

Issues with AlphaPlugins LaunchBox v.2.0 (enumerates as "32Bit Bridge"):

Virtual Painter 3  (does not work; Virtual Painter 5, however, which enumerates as "VP5", seems to work after doing the Retry button that appears, but not 3)
Nik (demo filters)
Corel Knockout 2  (does not work)
Impressionist  (missing from menu entirely)

- More traditional interface, though slower, than Mediachance's "Plugin Bridge" to load.
- Installation is less clean than that of Mediachances's "Plugin Bridge".
- As part of installation, it is necessary to 1) manually create an AlphaPluginsApp.ini file where the plugin is installed (e.g., in "C:\Program Files\Image-Editing Plug-Ins"), and add one line of text, which is "C:\Program Files\AlphaPlugins\AlphaPluginsLaunchBox.exe" inside it; and 2) to modify the security permissions of another .ini file by the SAME NAME in "C:\Program Files\AlphaPlugins" so that regular Users have the Write permission.

Issues with Mediachance's Plugin Bridge 1.0.3:

Ditherbox  (does not work; Photoshop and Corel PHOTO-PAINT likely have better alternatives, so probably no big deal)
Corel Knockout 2  (does not work, and actually crashes / freezes the current instance of Plugin Bridge)

- Installer does NOT account for Corel PHOTO-PAINT, and so does NOT copy "32to64.8bf" to its plug-in folder, but I can specify my main 64-bit plug-ins folder.  (NOTE: May want to search for the plugin file and delete it from 64-bit applicatoins where 32-bit plugins would not be used.)
- Remembers last-used 32-bit Plugin
- Does not always cleanly close down when a plugin fails to run.
- CAN remove non-functional plugins from the presented list, which CANNOT be done with AlphaPlugins LaunchBox.

Overall Winner (due to better compatibility with old plugins like Impressionist, and ability to remove plugins from the enumerated list):  Mediachance's Plugin Bridge

Edited April 27, 2020 by thuckabay
Versions Clarification