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Affinity Publisher - Sneak Preview


TonyB

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This is the application I came to Affinity for, honestly. I've dropped money on existing products as a commitment to buying-in to the Affinity ecosystem, and I've been pretty happy with Designer.

 

That said, I'm all about this product being worth the wait vs being available right this second. Take your time. Get it right. ..no pressure. ;)

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Here's a bit of an ignorant question... 

 

I've got Designer already. Haven't used it much at all. I bought it mainly to eventually replace Illustrator. Only, I'm not really much of an illustrator. I only have these apps because sometimes I need to design a logo, or edit other files sent to me. Not all that often, really. 

So, I was just messing around in Designer and it looks like you could basically layout a brochure in this no problem, and export a press-ready file. And, I imported in a 25 page PDF file with graphics and text heavy. Designer did an excellent job of allowing me to do pretty most of the editing on it I imagine I'd ever need to do. 

Can Designer basically be used for most of the bread and butter type print layout stuff? I don't see that much it can't do... other than the text formatting seems a little basic. 

 

Again, I haven't spent much time with it... but on the surface Designer looks completely formidable as a print layout application. Is that correct? Has anyone used it for that, and are there any serious pitfalls using it in that capacity? 

Mostly asking to see if this might get me by on it's own while waiting for Publisher.

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1 hour ago, Hildy said:

This is the application I came to Affinity for, honestly. I've dropped money on existing products as a commitment to buying-in to the Affinity ecosystem, and I've been pretty happy with Designer.

 

That said, I'm all about this product being worth the wait vs being available right this second. Take your time. Get it right. ..no pressure. ;)

There is pressure. But it's quality oriented rather than time oriented. ;)

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2 hours ago, skiphunt said:

Again, I haven't spent much time with it... but on the surface Designer looks completely formidable as a print layout application. Is that correct? Has anyone used it for that, and are there any serious pitfalls using it in that capacity? 

Mostly asking to see if this might get me by on it's own while waiting for Publisher.

 

Yes, yes, no, and YES!!! :)

 

I searched for years for a suitable replacement for Illustrator and InDesign, as the whole CS6 suite became less and less usable on macOS, and when I finally stumbled upon Affinity Designer about a year ago, I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven! :x

 

I have used Designer for many multiple-page publications for print, and it is a powerhouse! The level of control it gives me is simply astounding, and the Export to PDF function helps you tailor it to exactly what your print shop needs for the final output, right down to the print marks and color samples. Other than the text flow handling, Designer has already got most of what you need for producing top-notch print documents. If you have any doubts about that, just buy the Affinity Designer Workbook, and you will see what it is capable of doing.

 

But the best part about Designer is how intuitive and easy to use it is; it does not have many of those quirky "gotchas" that InDesign and Illustrator are infamously known for. In retrospect, it is ironically hilarious that there is a whole cottage industry built around discovering and mastering those quirks. ;) As a poignant example, I remember how I absolutely hated using the Pen tool in the Adobe suite, but now, in Designer, it is one of my favorite go-to tools!

 

The Affinity team really does care about making their applications work and work well, and they have restored for me the absolute joy of creativity. :4_joy: And when I first saw the video preview for Publisher, the way that the multipage text blocks fluidly adapted to the changes, well THAT blew me away!

 

So once again, let me reiterate: yes, yes, no, and most assuredly YES

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2 hours ago, skiphunt said:

Can Designer basically be used for most of the bread and butter type print layout stuff? I don't see that much it can't do... other than the text formatting seems a little basic.

 

The main things that I’ve noticed as missing from text formatting in Affinity Designer are linked text frames, bulleted/numbered lists, and tables. We’ve been told that linked text frames will only be available in Affinity Publisher but that bullets and numbering will become available in the other apps once it's been added to APub. I don’t recall seeing any hints about what’s planned for tables.

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Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen)

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35 minutes ago, Michael Sheaver said:

The Affinity team really does care about making their applications work and work well, and they have restored for me the absolute joy of creativity. :4_joy: And when I first saw the video preview for Publisher, the way that the multipage text blocks fluidly adapted to the changes, well THAT blew me away!

It's a result of being a limited company. Greedy assholes from wall street doesn't control the company! 

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27 minutes ago, Fatih19 said:

It's a result of being a limited company.

 

The word “limited” here refers to liability, not ownership.

 

27 minutes ago, Fatih19 said:

Greedy a**holes from wall street doesn't control the company! 

 

I’m surprised the forum software doesn’t censor words like that! :o

 

Alfred spacer.png
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen)

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7 minutes ago, Alfred said:

 

The word “limited” here refers to liability, not ownership.

 

But i asked in the question forum about where i can buy serif stock's and the moderator says that they are not a public company.

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2 minutes ago, Fatih19 said:

But i asked in the question forum about where i can buy serif stock's and the moderator says that they are not a public company.

 

That’s true, but in the UK a public company is a PLC (Public Limited Company). Most companies are limited liability companies which are not publicly owned.

Alfred spacer.png
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen)

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3 hours ago, Alfred said:

 

The word “limited” here refers to liability, not ownership.

 

 

I’m surprised the forum software doesn’t censor words like that! :o

 

The forum probably DOES censor but "Wall Street" and "@ssholes" it a combined term ... they just go forgather naturally

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Affinity Designer 2.2.2075 & beta 2.3.1.2212 Affinity Photo 2.2.2075  beta 2.3.1.2212Affinity Publisher  2.2.2075 & beta 2.3.1.2212

Windows 11 Pro Version    22H2
OS build    22621.1928
Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz   2.90 GHz
Installed RAM    16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)
System type    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

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My one hope for the Publisher application is that the drawing and text tools will function consistently between the new application and the existing ones.  It's so frustrating that in the Adobe products, the drawing/text tools function differently between applications.

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2 minutes ago, dpwhittaker said:

My one hope for the Publisher application is that the drawing and text tools will function consistently between the new application and the existing ones.  It's so frustrating that in the Adobe products, the drawing/text tools function differently between applications.

If you read the previous comments on this thread, you'll see that Matt said the software will have a bridge other software never had before. Also, for assurance, AD and AP have a very good bridge with the "Edit in" button. 

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7 hours ago, skiphunt said:

Again, I haven't spent much time with it... but on the surface Designer looks completely formidable as a print layout application. Is that correct? Has anyone used it for that, and are there any serious pitfalls using it in that capacity? 

 

While waiting for A Publisher, I have started to use AD to create folders of typically 4 - 12 pages for the last couple of years. When multiple artboards got available, that was made possible. Although, I would not want to move further than 12 pages with AD, because page management is basic at most (no page numbering, no spreads...). As you said, text formatting is lacking some basic functions like lists. But still, the ability to easely export the whole thing into a print-ready pdf with bleeds and adequate color management has been the big incitement to do the work in AD anyway.

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To me, 

1- there should be a way for community of user to help Serif by donating. Those who really love the products won't mind donating to help the vision last long. 

2- the "edit to" is good but a bit of tuning could make it a magic tool. 

Here let say: picture placed into Apub then right click edit with Photo after that just save and close the work to see it updated into APub. Same with Ad... But this is just my idea of things 

Edited by Arnaud Mez
missed quotes in text, making the whole thing confusing

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2 hours ago, Arnaud Mez said:

2- the edit to is good but a bit of tuning could make it a magic tool. 

Here let say: picture placed into Apub then right click edit with Photo after that just save and close the work to see it updated into APub. Same with Ad... But this is just my idea of things 

Earlier in the post, Matt said that there will be an integration never offered before from any software. 

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On 12/20/2017 at 11:12 AM, MattP said:

The Persona buttons are in the usual place - they're not showing selected state correctly in this video, nor are there as many of them as there will be in the finished product, but what you can see there is real.

@Fatih19 thank so much have found Matt words ...

Looking at the following comment ...

 

On 12/20/2017 at 11:21 AM, LCamachoDesign said:

Unless they're placed elsewhere in the Mac version of the app (which I don't think they are), the image clearly shows there are no Personas, only the icons for the apps. I'm not saying this is bad or anything, but it might be a clue for those willing to speculate on what's going on. :D 

I for one have no idea, I'll be happy to discover in the summer. :P

Captura de Ecrã (2).png

 Can i say here that AD and Photo will be "Like APub Personas" in the first version, each one opening an independent instance of existing softwares, which i believe must be installed on the PC/Mac in order for this to work as expected ... Or will Serif deliver a Light Version of APub which connect with existing instances (AD or/and Photo) but also another kind of "Affinity Studio" where all are bundled and properly connected together as one reactive but intuitive solution.

I'm just trying to imagine how good Serif Products will become, i know all this already exist with other companies but can be revisited and perfected by Serif.

by the way thank you All !

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I would be interested to know if Publisher is only for print / screen media or is it for websites (HTML, CSS, Java Script like JQuery) too so that it creates the code.
 

Have a nice day.
Ich wünsche einen schönen Tag.

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7 minutes ago, Uwe367 said:

I would be interested to know if Publisher is only for print / screen media or is it for websites (HTML, CSS, Java Script like JQuery) too so that it creates the code.
 

I believe that the developers have said that they plan to have it export files for ebooks (epub, etc. not necessarily version 1 though) but no it won't be a a website builder.

 

Hokusai

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1 hour ago, Uwe367 said:

I would be interested to know if Publisher is only for print / screen media or is it for websites (HTML, CSS, Java Script like JQuery) too so that it creates the code.

Yeah, no. That would open a whole nother can of worms. And the intricacies of this have been discussed in many other threads before.

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2 hours ago, Hokusai said:

I believe that the developers have said that they plan to have it export files for ebooks (epub, etc. not necessarily version 1 though) but no it won't be a a website builder.

 

Hokusai

 

1 hour ago, VIPStephan said:

Yeah, no. That would open a whole nother can of worms. And the intricacies of this have been discussed in many other threads before.

Ah ok.
Thanks for the Info.

Have a nice day.
Ich wünsche einen schönen Tag.

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Been scanning through last dozen or so pages to catch up; looks like no additional sneak-peaks since December but hopefully we'll get a beta in the next couple months. As someone who uses InDesign on a regular basis to make a living, it's a little disappointing that INDD / IDML import wasn't a "Release 1 feature," but I understand it's a complex undertaking to get it right. I'm not even sure Adobe has gotten it right yet. :)

 

It's obvious release 1 is more about setting a foundation for the future than grabbing InDesign converts to the cause, and that's OK. Can grab the coverts later when it's a more stable, full-featured app. 

 

InDesign today is a good document layout and design application, with a set of features that's already about as deep as it needs to be. Certainly miles ahead of Quark or PageMaker in their best days. Where it falls short (aside from Adobe's stupid licensing scheme) is performance and stability with larger documents, and ease-of-use when it comes to simple things like renumbering text across multiple pages or sections, and having a dictionary system that isn't dumb as a brick. Too many visits to InDesign Secrets to find an obscure workaround to things that shouldn't require workarounds. But I'm OK sticking with it for another year+ until AP is a more mature product.

 

However for the second major release, there is no justification for me — and I would guess for many others — to buy Publisher until such time as we can open INDD or IDML files with it, and reliably work with the content in those files to re-save as AP format. PDF import won't cut it because — unless Serif can work some magic I can't currently foresee — all the text flow information, paragraph and character style information, object editability, etc is lost. Put another way: PDF is basically a "low IQ" container format. Doesn't really matter what app you're using, working backward from a rendered PDF to get back to a "live source document" type setup, is a PITA. I wouldn't even contemplate that workflow, I'd just wait until there was proper InDesign import available.

 

Beyond that I think most of what I'd look for is already planned for 1.0?

  • Something akin to master pages
  • Simple TOC creation and style editing (another area where InDesign is needlessly complex)
  • Robust pagination and sectioning options with easy access to change same
  • Standard vector toolset for creating custom paths and shapes that can define content flow + graphic clipping
  • Robust Stroke / Gradient / Fill / Transparency options
  • Round-trip editing (right-click graphic, go to app, edit, save come back, change is shown)
    • PSD, TIFF, AI, native Photo files, native Designer files
  • Intelligent text flow and text wrap options
  • Robust character and paragraph editing / style setup options (including robust kerning, support for all major font types, etc)
  • Easy options for changing default bullet and numbering (and their style options), anywhere on any page.
  • Robust find-replace (by selection, page, document)
  • Robust font replacement / automation
  • Intelligent dictionary that actually learns WTF I tell it to learn more than 50% of the time.
  • Strong PDF export options for print and web browsers

That would be a pretty good start. Anything past that is gravy for my workflow.

 

Things I can wait for:

  • Robust table support
  • Very long document support (as in 100s of pages)
  • Automation stuff 

 

Things I couldn't care less about: 

  • Converting print design documents into web pages or iPad books. If I need to build web pages I use the right tool, ditto iPad books.
  • Turning Publisher into an Illustration program / with similar toolset so you don't have to go into an illy program (bad idea)
  • probably others i can't think of
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Just to add a bit here:

 

Hey Guys !

 

Please, is Serif planing to add something similar to this the below in coming release of APub ?

5ad2afb91f3fe_ScreenShot2018-04-15at2_31_46AM.png.94a709e71cccb3362ef5e713129a316c.png5ad2afbc2e448_ScreenShot2018-04-15at2_32_43AM.png.08c5cd79477161d0f9e3af2678619d6a.png

 

i personally use "Apple Keynote" to do my small quick animations as it has good transitions etc... but having even a generic stuff like that can be nice (just asking if).

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7 hours ago, Arnaud Mez said:

Just to add a bit here:

 

Hey Guys !

 

Please, is Serif planing to add something similar to this the below in coming release of APub ?

5ad2afb91f3fe_ScreenShot2018-04-15at2_31_46AM.png.94a709e71cccb3362ef5e713129a316c.png5ad2afbc2e448_ScreenShot2018-04-15at2_32_43AM.png.08c5cd79477161d0f9e3af2678619d6a.png

 

i personally use "Apple Keynote" to do my small quick animations as it has good transitions etc... but having even a generic stuff like that can be nice (just asking if).

Personally I would opt for a stable basic layout program. You can add bells and whistles later.

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13 hours ago, Cineman said:

Been scanning through last dozen or so pages to catch up; looks like no additional sneak-peaks since December but hopefully we'll get a beta in the next couple months. As someone who uses InDesign on a regular basis to make a living, it's a little disappointing that INDD / IDML import wasn't a "Release 1 feature," but I understand it's a complex undertaking to get it right. I'm not even sure Adobe has gotten it right yet. :)

 

It's obvious release 1 is more about setting a foundation for the future than grabbing InDesign converts to the cause, and that's OK. Can grab the coverts later when it's a more stable, full-featured app. 

 

InDesign today is a good document layout and design application, with a set of features that's already about as deep as it needs to be. Certainly miles ahead of Quark or PageMaker in their best days. Where it falls short (aside from Adobe's stupid licensing scheme) is performance and stability with larger documents, and ease-of-use when it comes to simple things like renumbering text across multiple pages or sections, and having a dictionary system that isn't dumb as a brick. Too many visits to InDesign Secrets to find an obscure workaround to things that shouldn't require workarounds. But I'm OK sticking with it for another year+ until AP is a more mature product.

 

However for the second major release, there is no justification for me — and I would guess for many others — to buy Publisher until such time as we can open INDD or IDML files with it, and reliably work with the content in those files to re-save as AP format. PDF import won't cut it because — unless Serif can work some magic I can't currently foresee — all the text flow information, paragraph and character style information, object editability, etc is lost. Put another way: PDF is basically a "low IQ" container format. Doesn't really matter what app you're using, working backward from a rendered PDF to get back to a "live source document" type setup, is a PITA. I wouldn't even contemplate that workflow, I'd just wait until there was proper InDesign import available.

 

Beyond that I think most of what I'd look for is already planned for 1.0?

  • Something akin to master pages
  • Simple TOC creation and style editing (another area where InDesign is needlessly complex)
  • Robust pagination and sectioning options with easy access to change same
  • Standard vector toolset for creating custom paths and shapes that can define content flow + graphic clipping
  • Robust Stroke / Gradient / Fill / Transparency options
  • Round-trip editing (right-click graphic, go to app, edit, save come back, change is shown)
    • PSD, TIFF, AI, native Photo files, native Designer files
  • Intelligent text flow and text wrap options
  • Robust character and paragraph editing / style setup options (including robust kerning, support for all major font types, etc)
  • Easy options for changing default bullet and numbering (and their style options), anywhere on any page.
  • Robust find-replace (by selection, page, document)
  • Robust font replacement / automation
  • Intelligent dictionary that actually learns WTF I tell it to learn more than 50% of the time.
  • Strong PDF export options for print and web browsers

That would be a pretty good start. Anything past that is gravy for my workflow.

 

Things I can wait for:

  • Robust table support
  • Very long document support (as in 100s of pages)
  • Automation stuff 

 

Things I couldn't care less about: 

  • Converting print design documents into web pages or iPad books. If I need to build web pages I use the right tool, ditto iPad books.
  • Turning Publisher into an Illustration program / with similar toolset so you don't have to go into an illy program (bad idea)
  • probably others i can't think of

I personally would like to have robust table support as it is used more and more for enhanced tab function.

Also in Indesign a lot of people use tables instead of tabs for layout. To be able to move a cell up and down and left and right would also be welcome.

 

For fonts I use Extensis Fusion 8.

Easy font management and easy on and off for projects.

For some programs also auto activation. Unfortunately not yet for Designer and Photo. Although I asked Extensis to support those applications. We'll see.

But it's also very easy to activate manually.

 

It has been revamped and it's really fast and stable now.

 

"Round-trip editing (right-click graphic, go to app, edit, save come back, change is shown)

  • PSD, TIFF, AI, native Photo files, native Designer files"

 

I think this part is allready taken care of in a special way by Serif:

Direct Designer and Photo integration?! Would be something rather special indeed.

 

 

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