Affinity products for Linux

[msdobrescu]

13 hours ago, Taktician said:

• Eventually, someone will make a cross-platform product to fill this gap.

..

At the very least, I can say that my company would purchase a number of Affinity Design licenses for Linux, and a few iPad licenses to go with it, if it were available.

"Eventually" may be too late. I'd purchase the first one available to meet my needs, either Affinity, either Adobe.

[wonderings]

4 hours ago, Framelynx said:

I’m a 15yr senior graphic designer / art director (been using adobe on mac for 20 years) - I don't speak for all creatives...

I REALLY WANT TO MOVE TO UBUNTU STUDIO but can't yet.. coz Affinity's not there!

 I despise Adobe for introducing subscription. I despise Apple for forcing machines and programs into obsolescence with their ”free upgrades” they nag you without option to permanently silence. Software that once worked stopped because they can’t afford to keep upgrading their product to fit Apple’s new release and apple does jack all to support good software. Tim Cook prioritizes profits at the expense of quality and value. Adobe's the same.

I reached a point where if I upgrade macOS, Adobe suite (The last non Subscription version) will stop working permanently, but if I don’t the Affinity publisher won’t work! Luckily Affinity fixed that issue without needing to upgrade macOS. The Adobe suite is falling apart. And I’m using the Affinity suite now.

That was the last straw.

I get that Affinity need to be careful where they invest development. If Affinity lose, then we all lose.

Apart from limited collaborative potential, scribus is quite awful to work with. Gimp and Inkscape are ok. And I’ve reconfigured them to behave as close to the Affinity/Adobe suite as possible and I know how to use them well. But they’re still lacking (mainly scribus). I’ve already asked my team to adopt Affinity on Mac and that was tough, I don’t think I can push them to adopt the Open Creative Suite. It’s largely that open Source files are quite incompatible with adobe, and affinity files.

I wish those open source developers would just get their head out of their asses and make their software a bit like Adobe but better, like how Affinity does it. But noooo, they’re trying to be special. but i understand why they can't do things like make Scribus open adobe's IDML files, but Affinity can.

I would pay for the whole Linux Affinity suite in a heartbeat if it was available on Linux. it would mean that I can finally leave Apple and Windows for good. I would even pay quadruple if it’ll help Affinity! (Still cheaper than adobe!) Coz I  trust that Linux and Affinity won’t pull dirty tactics like subscription and obsolescence and that the software will last.

Affinity is waiting for graphic designers to jump onto linux before developing for Linux. I'm waiting for Affinity to develop for Linux SO THAT I can jump on Linux.

*sigh* Chicken or the egg?

 

 

 

The Adobe software is not falling apart. In fact I would say Adobe CC was a good move in one way, I no longer worry about clients using the same version as I am. Everyone has the latest, swapping files and back and forth is a breeze with zero compatibility issues. Do I like the subscription? No, down right hate it. But the product is still good. Are you saying you cannot afford the $80 a month for CC? Small dollars to what you should be making if your business is profitable. 

[SrPx]

There is a large number of countries in which 80 per month is a ton of money...despite that, full of great designers, illustrators and 3D artists... For  them, 80 bucks per month is literally impossible, full stop. Many can't even receive payments from foreign countries. And also, I've known really good pros in the very lucky (and selfish) first world not making such money as for after paying all bills, 80 a month being irrelevant (actually quite damaging for some); it all often does not work that way. Software renting is a way of the dodo for the freelancer, in general.  If not, look at Autodesk 3DS Max "tiny" monthly lil bite.... 270 euros (291 $, tho I guess in the us is all cheaper) each month (and nothing tells us how and till where it could escalate in the CC)... If for some disgrace he/she also needs to have a Maya license (ie, animation workflows in maya, objects and scenery in Max, for whatever the workflow with several different freelancing customers, or even a same game studio outsourcing), that's plus another 270 per month... Yay! Wohoo... around 600$ per month (surely they'll need the 80 bucks of Adobe, then 680$/month...for the average freelancer...not the lucky one who knows someone that knows someone), ...so now we can call ourselves "professionals"? ...Ain't we cool? Not like those non professional losers that earn just like us, or more, with Blender, doing architectural renders, intros, VFX or whatever. Poor noobs..   Now, if one would be to tell me EVERY 3D artist earns a ton of money "and huh, they should be able to afford it, or their business model is wrong..", nah, not the case,  and I know a bunch, quite good ones.  Also, design software is not only for the 9 to 5 employee or the lucky freelancer. There are also hobbyists, more casual freelancers, etc, while many of them are a lot more skilled, talented and inspired than a number of established "pros"... But they don't have same luck or contacts, despite quite a bunch of them being clearly better. No way that the fact of the 80$ month "tax" being a PITA that adds on top of everything (and due to some adoring this renting boomerang like sheep) for them would be a factor to determine how pro or good are them or their business, there are many more factors... And "if you are not making 5k a month, get another job/business", wouldn't be a correct/nice suggestion to make, all things considered,  imo.

But nope, Adobe software is not falling apart. Loosing a big number of customers of certain type: I have no doubt about that. Do they care? probably not much... But Intel did not care for a while about users fleeing to AMD... Now they do.  

Edit: This is not defending the idea of making Linux ports of Affinity, though.

[Squirrel Logic]

As far it being "small dollars", the subscription model is usually the difference between all of the employees being able to use the same tools versus just a few. A thousand dollars per license annually is a lot for a team member who barely uses the software and only needs it from time to time to collaborate on a design project.

If you are a large company then you can waste that kind of money. But even a large company will only spend money when it makes sense. Meaning only the graphic designers on the team will get access to the same software: the product lead won't, the managers won't, the programmers won't, the UX consultant won't, the copywriters won't, and so on down the line.

If you are a freelance graphic designer working alone, then paying the Adobe tax is justifiable. Although I've found that for the freelancers who I have recommended use the Affinity suite for their freelance work have really enjoyed the ability for their clients to have access to all the same software that they are using. Clients love Affinity.

I really want to drive the point home that the way so much of the world is moving now is towards multi-disciplinary teams. This whole idea of designers being isolated away from the rest of the team, sitting at their iMacs using software that no one else can access to is becoming a very antiquated idea. People need to be able to work together seamlessly. Being able to use the same software is a huge part of that.

We recently purchased GitKraken for our designers and artists. Yes, it's an annual subscription. We had the opportunity to get a cheaper non-subscription alternative called Fork to do the same thing, but we decided not to because Fork is Windows and Mac only. We didn't want the developers using different software from the designers and artists. So let that sink in. We passed on cheaper non-subscription software for our designers because it didn't work on Linux, and we are paying a subscription fee for the privilege. Linux support > no subscription. Don't get the wrong idea. It's very valuable for a lot of people that this software remains non-subscription, but please don't underestimate the importance of Linux support in a company's purchasing decision.

[SomeDev]

1 hour ago, SrPx said:

Not like those non professional losers that earn just like us, or more, with Blender, doing architectural renders, intros, VFX or whatever.

I know this is meant to be satiral, but Blender is used in some professional settings and has big companies throwing money at it to make it as good as it is, a lot of people use it because they think is a better than the paid alternatives. So no a good comparison. 

[SrPx]

34 minutes ago, SomeDev said:

I know this is meant to be satiral, but Blender is used in some professional game studios and has a big companies throwing money at it to make it as good as it is, a lot of people use it because they think is a better than the paid alternatives. So no a good comparison. 

I was being ironical but in another sense...  (I'm a Blender user (on Windows), not for only joy, but $) : As quite some people only see the professional label on freelancers if the app(/s) in their arsenal costed quite, or do tax them quite, monthly. And while it coincides in being so, often, there are too many exceptions of very efficient tools in the middle cost (even low cost) range, one time fees (licenses purchases) and even some of the free tools accomplishing pro level in good hands (firmly proved in network,development and other areas...and in 2D/3D graphics (many mid/low cost apps in Mac/Win/linux), just those high quality results instances not being widely known). More rarely as a broad and general package like Blender, and more often like a myriad of extremely good specialized tools. Professional level and estimation of it, specially in freelancing (the conversation was going more in that direction) should be more about output, results. Not necessarily if you pay more or less in your regular bills for software, or if is it one time fee or rented. If I understood well your paragraph, I believe you took it in the opposite direction.

[Framelynx]

11 hours ago, wonderings said:

The Adobe software is not falling apart. In fact I would say Adobe CC was a good move in one way, I no longer worry about clients using the same version as I am. Everyone has the latest, swapping files and back and forth is a breeze with zero compatibility issues. Do I like the subscription? No, down right hate it. But the product is still good. Are you saying you cannot afford the $80 a month for CC? Small dollars to what you should be making if your business is profitable. 

I would be paying $300/month actually. can I afford it yes (rather save it for mortgage/rent etc). Can I make make business profitable without it? Yes Thanks to Affinity. And a tiny bit of Adobe CS5. 

"Adobe falling apart" meaning: The Adobe programs starts to work less and less well with every upgrade of MacOS. Uninstalling completely and reinstalling doesnt help. Photoshop crashes automatically after opening new file. And quitting normally generates a crash error. Nothing wrong with Adobe software per se. The MacOS upgrades is what screw things up. And it happens so frequently that things become obsolete faster. Sometimes new OS upgrades are necessary for security or additional features but they make more things incompatible.

I know Adobe programs work well. With that much money poured into it compared to affinity, I'm sure it helped.

But I'm actually doing well without Adobe. If I can do the same thing without paying more, why not?

Now I want to get away from Apple too (fine software / hardware though it is)

[msdobrescu]

4 minutes ago, Framelynx said:

I would be paying $300/month actually. can I afford it yes (rather save it for mortgage/rent etc). Can I make make business profitable without it? Yes Thanks to Affinity. And a tiny bit of Adobe CS5. 

"Adobe falling apart" meaning: The Adobe programs starts to work less and less well with every upgrade of MacOS. Uninstalling completely and reinstalling doesnt help. Photoshop crashes automatically after opening new file. And quitting normally generates a crash error. Nothing wrong with Adobe software per se. The MacOS upgrades is what screw things up. And it happens so frequently that things become obsolete faster. Sometimes new OS upgrades are necessary for security or additional features but they make more things incompatible.

I know Adobe programs work well. With that much money poured into it compared to affinity, I'm sure it helped.

But I'm actually doing well without Adobe. If I can do the same thing without paying more, why not?

Now I want to get away from Apple too (fine software / hardware though it is)

In my experience, under Windows, the latest Photoshop CC + Lightroom started to intensively scan my disks, without asking me. They've confirmed it tries to find images to feed LR's libraries, even though I've installed LR, without trying to open it ever. It takes so much resources doing this, so I can't tell it works fine. It does that by default, from the start, even though I don't work with Photoshop or LR at that time.

May be your case too.

[Framelynx]

On 10/2/2017 at 1:56 AM, JFisher said:

Hi corsseir,

Welcome to the forum.

This is something that has been requested before but we have no plans to develop Affinity apps for Linux i'm afraid.
 

 

Has Affinity tried to get crowdfunding for Linux development before? I would happily contribute!

I read somewhere that you guys need $500,000 or so to break even? That means if only appx.2000 users buy all 3 Affinity programs. I'll buy 2x for my worker so now you only need 1998! =D

Some Linux distros/flavours are just so much quicker and agile than Mac and Windows, and so much more stable! Mac has been getting more and more unstable recently even when freshly bought!

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, Framelynx said:

Has Affinity tried to get crowdfunding for Linux development before? I would happily contribute!

I believe they have said they are not interested in crowdfunding for this.

4 hours ago, Framelynx said:

I read somewhere that you guys need $500,000 or so to break even? That means if only appx.2000 users buy all 3 Affinity programs.

That was a guess at one point in time. And that would be 3,333 users buying all 3 applications.

But costs have risen, and in any case that $500,000 was, I think, just for development. I think it did not cover ongoing costs for maintenance once the programs are developed for Linux.

Nor did it account for the impact to the continued development of the existing applications on Windows, Mac, and iPad. Nor the impact to development of other new applications for Windows, Mac, and iPad that Serif may want to undertake. Nor the impact to development and maintenance costs for other new applications when they have to be developed for 4 platforms rather than 3.

[wonderings]

5 hours ago, Framelynx said:

I would be paying $300/month actually. can I afford it yes (rather save it for mortgage/rent etc). Can I make make business profitable without it? Yes Thanks to Affinity. And a tiny bit of Adobe CS5. 

"Adobe falling apart" meaning: The Adobe programs starts to work less and less well with every upgrade of MacOS. Uninstalling completely and reinstalling doesnt help. Photoshop crashes automatically after opening new file. And quitting normally generates a crash error. Nothing wrong with Adobe software per se. The MacOS upgrades is what screw things up. And it happens so frequently that things become obsolete faster. Sometimes new OS upgrades are necessary for security or additional features but they make more things incompatible.

I know Adobe programs work well. With that much money poured into it compared to affinity, I'm sure it helped.

But I'm actually doing well without Adobe. If I can do the same thing without paying more, why not?

Now I want to get away from Apple too (fine software / hardware though it is)

Great if you can get by without Adobe programs, I would do the same thing if I did not need Adobe CC.

Are you saying Adobe CS5 is harder to run with every MacOS update? CS5 is 10 year old software, there can be no expectation that it is going to be supported for 10 years.

You may want to get away from Apple and Windows, but as they have said they are not interested in a Linux version, they are not interested in crowd funding for development. So if you need the software you will have to stick with Apple or Windows. Windows can be much more affordable as you can get pretty amazing hardware for less then what you get with Apple. I prefer MacOS over Windows 10, but Windows 10 has come a long way and is a good OS as well in my opinion. 

[msdobrescu]

Man! I really need Affinity Photo!

https://groups.google.com/forum/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer#!msg/hugin-ptx/t7JxXLf2erc/dkZm2GaPAAAJ

 

[Yasir Rehman]

 
Anyway I am a Web and a Graphics Designer I thought that I will see some good software other then Inkscape & GIMP on Linux but I think I have to use those for more than a while I try to get these working with CrossOver however.
I went though only 3 pages and people have huge misconceptions with Linux and I wanted go though all of the page but Meh!! 

On 10/17/2017 at 5:58 PM, toltec said:

You could fly across the Atlantic on a scheduled Airline on a Jumbo Jet or an Airbus for a "reasonable" price, or you could go for free by Linux Airlines. The plane would be made by anonymous groups of people working in their bedrooms using secondhand parts. There may or may not be a qualified pilot, but someone would turn up, eventually. You would have to load your own luggage into the hold and cook you own meals. It would fly sometime next week. Probably.

hahahaha nice joke this sounds like a Arch Thing of doing every thing your self but since you said you had mint so I am not gonna believe it and tell the may or may not be a qualified pilot thing there on the Arch forum and they will eat you alive

  

On 10/17/2017 at 5:33 PM, toltec said:

I had the same problem with NVIDIA cards. I was setting up a Linux machine for someone and had to try 4 Linux versions before I got one to work.

 

Took me a day and a half.

you are either stupid or making things up because it never takes 4 or 5 linux version WHAT IS A LINUX VERSION BTW? they are all the same ubuntu, mint, pop os, elementary are most easy and likely to be used and are based on Debain so all you had to do was for example ubuntu or mint all you had to do was

sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall 

  what took you one and half day???

On 10/17/2017 at 3:51 PM, toltec said:

P.S. Blue screens are usually hardware issues, what happens with a hardware issue on Linux ?

not everytime on windows it happened to me like every once in a month now it's been 6 months and not a single issue running like fighter jet

  

On 10/17/2017 at 3:51 PM, toltec said:

Many professional users would expect the supplier to come and fix the computer on site. In fact, that sort of warranty is often bought along with a new machine. Where do you buy that for a Linux machine ? In fact, who do you even buy a Linux PC from ?

Dell XPS? System76? Purism? Slimbook? TUXEDO Computers? Vikings? Ubuntushop? Minifree? Entroware? Juno Computers?

  

On 10/17/2017 at 3:51 PM, toltec said:

So basically, if your computer doesn't work, use your computer to go online and figure out how to fix it yourself. How does that work ?  I would have to buy a second machine, just to keep Linux working. 

Ever heard of smart phones??

  

On 10/15/2017 at 4:45 AM, toltec said:

 

That's what I found. I got there eventually but it is absolutely useless for professionals. They can't afford to waste that much time just on an OS and anyway, a lot of them aren't necessarily that technical. Many still don't even understand DPI !!!

 

For a professional, it is much more cost effective to buy something that you plug in and use, with back-up and training. Fiddling around with Linux would be a financial disaster.

 

It's also about training and backup. Where do you go to learn Linux (even if you should have to) and which version of Linux? And where do you go when you get the equivalent of a blue screen ?

 

As I said, Linux is basically a toy for geeks. 

 

like what kind professionals we are talking about here?

training & backup?? ever heard about R-Sync? YouTube? Documentations? Forums? No? I guessed so well this point I think you made up the Linux Mint part.

hahaha toy for geeks? Thank God you "installed mint" I wonder what would have happened if you had tried ARCH you wouldn't have been calling it a toy

 

On 10/3/2017 at 5:35 PM, toltec said:

As I said, I experimented with Linux but there was so much missing. No printer drivers ( Mitsubishi dye sub printer) no green screen software, no internet design software, no DAM, no colour management software. The list was very long . . . . .

Are you kidding me you are using mint and can't install printer driver, I used to work for a trading company I never had issues with any printer or fax machines in the office and I use ARCH! The
Do It Your F**king Self distro.

  

On 10/12/2017 at 3:12 AM, toltec said:

I have nothing against Linux, I have a PC running Mint but Linux is not a "professional" environment, or maybe that should be commercial ?

hahaha lol I wish you asked this question today. btw ask Microsoft if you want

On 10/12/2017 at 3:12 AM, toltec said:

Aren't there forums for that sort of thing ? Do Linux users not use the Internet 

 well ask this question to the 96.3 percent of the top 1 million web servers are running Linux

Edited May 31, 2020 by Yasir Rehman

[MeatRadiator]

Are Serif still not sure if they will port their software?

[walt.farrell]

33 minutes ago, MeatRadiator said:

Are Serif still not sure if they will port their software?

Serif seems quite sure that they will not port it to Linux, at least anytime soon.

[Snapseed]

On 5/22/2020 at 3:54 PM, msdobrescu said:

Man! I really need Affinity Photo!

https://groups.google.com/forum/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer#!msg/hugin-ptx/t7JxXLf2erc/dkZm2GaPAAAJ

 

In which case, I'd suggest heading over to the free and open source image editor and image organiser that is Fotoxx (infos available at kornelix{dot}net). That Linux-only software can do photo stitching and panorama creation and Fotoxx ought to be more widely known about.

 

[msdobrescu]

13 minutes ago, Snapseed said:

In which case, I'd suggest heading over to the free and open source image editor and image organiser that is Fotoxx (infos available at kornelix{dot}net). That Linux-only software can do photo stitching and panorama creation and Fotoxx ought to be more widely known about.

I am, but I miss one thing for now: a boundary warp tool to adjust the panorama. Is there some tutorial or showcase on stitching in Fotoxx?

[Snapseed]

17 minutes ago, msdobrescu said:

I am, but I miss one thing for now: a boundary warp tool to adjust the panorama. Is there some tutorial or showcase on stitching in Fotoxx?

What I'd suggest doing is looking online for Youtube videos and and forum requests and answers - Good luck!

[Snapseed]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Serif seems quite sure that they will not port it to Linux, at least anytime soon.

I fully agree with you and the Serif staff have been quite adamant that there is not going to be a Linux version of their softwares because it's just not economical to do that. Despite that, the whining goes on and it will achieve absolutely nothing.

These days, I mostly use native Linux Nomacs and Pixeluvo (= Photoshop Elements equivalent) and there are now quite a few other image/photo editors available for Linux both in and outside of the formal software centres. Some of that software is actually Windows software that's been bundled with Wine to make a Snap (Photoscape, Irfanview, etc).

If anyone wants even more choice than that, there are versions of Photoshop and Paintshop Pro that work well with Wine (see Wine HQ at winehq{dot}org) and the developers of PhotoLine (like Fotoxx, that software ought to be more widely known about) go out of their way to ensure that their software works well Wine so that Linux users are not unduly disadvantaged. Then there are the numerous online image editors to use as well.

Finally, and just for the record, I am a full time Linux user:

 

 

[Snapseed]

On 3/7/2020 at 9:37 PM, Elbowes said:

Greetings,

I have discovered a propriety, pro-level, cross-platform DTP application in the form of VivaDesigner:

http://www.viva.us/en/products/desktop-publishing/vivadesigner-desktop-version

It's not priced as competitively as Affinity Publisher. The personal version is priced £99, though this version misses key features.

The commercial version costs £280, which pushes us back into InDesign territory. There is a free version, but it is very limited. 

In any case, it may prove a viable alternative for serious Linux users desperate for Affinity-quality apps on their platform (particularly if someone else is paying the bills).

^ That is an excellent and helpful post and PageStream is also available for Linux although it does have an old school interface. That said, the full professional version is cheaper than VivaDesigner.

[SomeDev]

6 hours ago, Snapseed said:

Despite that, the whining goes on and it will achieve absolutely nothing.

Calling whining someone requesting or discussing a software they want to buy is not the smartest choice of words. How else do you expect people to show their interest on the software if they don't talk about it?

If the software you have works for your use case, congratulations. But that won't be the case for everyone. 

 

[MeatRadiator]

On 6/1/2020 at 3:40 PM, walt.farrell said:

Serif seems quite sure that they will not port it to Linux, at least anytime soon.

Thank u walt.farrell for the fast answer. Sad but it seems that we need to move on..

[Taktician]

On 6/1/2020 at 9:01 AM, Snapseed said:

Despite that, the whining goes on and it will achieve absolutely nothing.

An entire demographic eagerly requesting a product with cash in hand doesn't strike me as whining... but hey, one man's noise is another's music.

Eventually, someone will sing to the tune and take all that cash with them. 

[Redsandro]

Linux desktop market share above 3% for second month in a row now, rising to 3.17%.

Considering MacOS is consistently around 9-10%, I wonder at what point Affinity might become interested. Would Designer have been made for MacOS if it only had 6% market share in stead of 9? What about 3%?

https://netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?options={"filter"%3A{"%24and"%3A[{"deviceType"%3A{"%24in"%3A["Desktop%2Flaptop"]}}]}%2C"dateLabel"%3A"Custom"%2C"attributes"%3A"share"%2C"group"%3A"platform"%2C"sort"%3A{"share"%3A-1}%2C"id"%3A"platformsDesktop"%2C"dateInterval"%3A"Monthly"%2C"dateStart"%3A"2019-05"%2C"dateEnd"%3A"2020-05"%2C"plotKeys"%3A[{"platform"%3A"Linux"}%2C{"platform"%3A"Mac OS"}%2C{"platform"%3A"Chrome OS"}]%2C"segments"%3A"-1000"}

I'm guessing people in lockdown are giving linux another try due to all the new releases with preinstalled video drivers, and are surprised to find that many Windows games play smoothly for both the Steam and Epic launcher. Combined with Epic's every week a free game marketing, it's tempting.

[UnoDaMuno]

For a long time now I have wanted to switch to Linux as Windows is buggy and it's kind of a rule, that you have to reset your PC every few years as Windows just crashes. Mac has it's tight ecosystem I do not want to be a part of as it's expensive and I like the control over my hardware and software. Linux would be perfect solution - It's a stable and customizable OS where I can use my hardware power on exactly what I intend to (not a bazillion background processes Windows style). Only issue... Adobe programs do not work on Linux and they have no plans to make them work. So obviously I start looking for alternatives - here I am with only alternative, that seems to be capable enough to be replacement for me, but the main issue am trying to solve still stands. Linux is untouched by graphic design world - there is Gimp, and Gimp is cool and free, but it isn't on professional level. It's a risk for developers, but in my opinion, it's a platform in need of a professional grade vector and raster editing software and the biggest reason you don't see artists on Linux machines is that there aren't any tools there. Of course I understand that there is a huge investment to be made by developers, but I believe it is worthwhile to make yourself a monopoly in that uncharted land.

Long story short: I want to change to Linux, but can't because devs who make the tools I need think that no artist would use Linux.