General Raw-Workflow – Can Adjustments Be Copied?

[EnoEnrique]

Hello, this question is about the workflow with Affinity Photo for Windows (not for iPad). While i saw many instructive Affinity videotutorials about specific editing tasks, the following questions seem to be unaddressed there. I understand the Affinity workflow for raw files goes like that:

 

1. You open a raw file and start editing in the "Develop" persona – contrast, sharpening etc. (rather Lightroom-like).

2. You click "Develop". Now the edits are baked into the file and you arrive in "Photo" persona. More edits including retouching, adjustment layers are possible (rather Photoshop-like).

3. You have to save the results from the editing in "Photo" as a new, big .afphoto-file. So you have TWO files – the original raw and the edited, demosaiced version, which can't be set back to the original state (only to the edited state at the moment of changing from "Develop" to "Photo", demosaiced). Even if you don't change a thing in "Photo", you have to save the new ".afphoto" file.

4. When i re-open the previous raw file, it does *not* reflect the tonal changes i already made in the raw-specific "Develop" persona. It comes untouched (or with the changes by Affinity's develop assistant).

There is no Affinity-own image browser (DAM). I'm aware that i can save "Presets" in the "Develop" persona, but it's not the same as saving tonal changes together with a specific file (either as XMP or sidecar) the way Lightroom or Photoshop do.

 

Coming from Lightroom and Photoshop CC, i'd like to know:

A. Is the understanding described above correct?

B. Are the tonal changes or crops from the raw-specific "Develop" persona saved somewhere? Or will they be only baked into the developped non-raw file and are lost? (In Lightroom or in the Photoshop raw dialog etc. the tonal adjustments are saved as metadata and on re-opening, the image will reflect your changes on the raw-level and you can losslessly re-adjust anything. You can also copy your changes to other files.)

C. Can i copy raw adjustments made in "Develop" person from one raw file to another in Affinity? (Not asking about presets here.)

Thanks!

[MEB]

Hi EnoEnrique,

Welcome to Affinity Forums

A. Yes, it's correct.

 

B. No. All adjustments made in Develop Persona will be baked to the converted/processed image when you press the Develop button (in Develop Persona).

Affinity Photo is not a DAM software like Lightroom or Aperture. It's doesn't save XMP sidecar files or any data to a database, nor allows you to apply the same develop settings to multiples photos/photo set as a traditional DAM software. It's a RAW developer/converter and photo editor more comparable to Adobe Camera RAW + Photoshop. You start with a RAW file which provides greater flexibility/scope for global adjustments (shadow/highlight recovering, details/lens adjustments etc) then move to regular/convencional photo editing tools for further editing (selections, masks, filters, channels etc). You can then save the whole project as a afphoto file keeping everything editable (except the Develop adjustments that were baked to the photo) or export it to a final/desired output. We intend to launch a true DAM application later.

 

C. See my reply to B.

[EnoEnrique]

MEB, thanks!