Affinity Photo - Save As...

[cal.zone]

I'm not seeing how it's more straightforward to have to deal with an export dialogue littered with various tabs and options if you've simply opened a png… and all you want to do is save it and be done.

In any other Mac app, not just Photoshop, the process is the same: Save As… if you need to put it in a different location than where it is currently (especially if it's but a temporary file). No options to select or confirm. Just Cmd-Shift-S… select the location you desire (Often simply by using Cmd-D for Desktop) and change the name if need be… hit enter… Cmd-W to close the window and move on with your life.

Maybe it's because I work under the drag-and-drop-to-open a file paradigm so much. I know of no better way to start with one thing and turn it into another. And it doesn't matter if the file you're dragging is even part of your filesystem. It can come from anywhere… the internet… an instant message… sometimes it can even be content from inside a different "file". Like if I'm editing text for a layout in a web development IDE and realize I need to quickly change a graphic… I can drag the image straight from the inside of one program and have it open in my image editor. I can do that with Aperture and Photos… it's very common.

And whenever I do this, 8 times of 10 I end up wanting to keep everything about the file (format, resolution, transparency, depth) the same but want to save it as a new version or in a different location. Export is way too tedious for this process. I don't see how it can remotely be more straightforward.

At the very least, Affinity Photo should respect the Cmd-Click on the titlebar paradigm that lets you quickly navigate the filesystem hierarchy for the file you're editing. With that, I could at least Cmd-Click and go to the parent folder of the file and then drag it out to my desktop and not worry about losing it when I hit Cmd-S.

[rudyp16]

On 1/27/2018 at 2:01 AM, Fixx said:

Well, I have been using Photoshop since version 2 and I repeat that for most users save as/export difference does not matter. There are some far more pressing user interface differences.

I've been using PS since ver 1 and Save As/Export doesn't bother me either. All the main tools are there.

[Vladimir78]

hello Everyone,

I'm new in this forum and learning how AF works by using it, watching tutos and reading the workbook... Great app !

I am using AF as external device after developing within LR6. The external device file format is set to TIFF.

When i 'edit in Affinity' from LR and make some changes(layers, adj....) When i click on SAVE, it saves all the layers and the whole work in TIFF.

If SAVE AS, it saves as Affinityfile.

Why is, for the same project, the AF file smaller than the TIFF file ?

 

 

[Bilbo Bowman]

On 1/26/2018 at 5:37 AM, JayH said:

Hi,

I wrote a similar topic last week, it's illogical and slows down your work process.

How many time has anyone here gone to "Save As", located a path to save, then pressed the pointless dropdown menu at the botom of the file dialogue to find only one option, Affinity's native format.

Then you have to go back and start all over again and choose "Export" instead.

The Affinity brand is popular to those that can't afford an Adobe subscription, but no other software can read its file proprietary format. Archiving work in Affinity Photo's native format is disastrous for future purposes currently.

It just feels like Serif is forcing its own branded file format onto the user when it's users are being treated as dumb that they don't know the difference between a destruction format and a re-editable one. Affinity Photo is aimed at professional/semi users who do know what they are doing.

It's these small and simple things that Serif are so fixed on, that prevents Affinity competing with Photoshop - which is the point, isn't it?

 

Well said, I 100% agree with you!

2025 is a few weeks away, and this is still a problem. The "Save As" dialogue is identical to the "Save" dialogue, which begs the question, why have "Save As" at all?

There are several "goofy and confusing" UI things that need some love in my opinion. The implementation of some features could be improved. Fine-tuning the UI and existing features is every bit as important as adding new functionality…possibly even more important.

I know of many Adobe users that give Affinity a try only to get so frustrated that they give up. I'm not saying that they have to clone Photoshop, because it's not perfect either. Just make sure that things make sense and the UI is as clean and easy to use as possible.

I want Affinity to kick Adobe's ass. I give a shit. The Affinity apps frustrate me every damn day–some things just don't make sense. Other things aren't as easy as they could be. I keep telling myself "Just go with it, it's a far better value than Adobe." While this is true, some things would be so easy to fix!