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Recommended PC Hardware for affinity photo and affinity designer!


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10 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

really i am confused between ipad version and desktop version

What else do you plan to use the computer for? If you’re still considering buying a desktop machine, then you obviously don’t need the portability of an iPad! If you do need portability, the choice between iPad, MacBook or a Windows tablet or laptop will depend very much on your budget and the other software you want to be able to run.

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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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1 hour ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

really i am confused between ipad vesion and desktop version 

 

You can always reach an intermediate solution....

ipad.thumb.jpg.0b21f8b8898f1f4d3caab29337ea034c.jpg

AD, AP and APub. V1.10.6 and V2.4 Windows 10 and Windows 11. 
Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM,  RTX 3060 12GB, Wacom Intuos XL, Wacom L. Eizo ColorEdge CS 2420 monitor. Windows 10 Pro.
(Laptop) HP Omen 16-b1010ns 12700H, 32GB DDR5, nVidia RTX 3060 6GB + Huion Kamvas 22 pen display, Windows 11 Pro.

 

 

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59 minutes ago, αℓƒяє∂ said:

What else do you plan to use the computer for? If you’re still considering buying a desktop machine, then you obviously don’t need the portability of an iPad! If you do need portability, the choice between iPad, MacBook or a Windows tablet or laptop will depend very much on your budget and the other software you want to be able to run.

i will just use affinity photo and affinity designer

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40 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

i will just use affinity photo and affinity designer

I very much doubt that will be the only thing you end up using it for, whatever you decide to get. There are too many useful apps in the world for that.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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I don't think it has to be an either or situation, and ideally I think most people would want to have more ways of working and not be limited to just one device. The iPad Pro makes a great device that should be part of everybody's arsenal so to speak.

Me? I have both a Mac Pro and a Ryzen PC. They share an Asus 27 inch monitor. I have a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet with their Art Pen that I use with the Mac. On the PC side I have an XP Pen Artist 15.6 Display Tablet and I love it, it replaced an old Wacom Cintiq 12wx. Then I have the 12.9 iPad Pro which is not that much smaller than the XP Pen screen.

So, MacOS, Windows 10, iOS 11. I have some programs that are exclusive to a platform like Procreate on iOS or Apple's Motion on Mac OS, some programs that run on all 3, like Affinity Photo and soon Designer, Clip Studio Paint, etc. But it is cool that I am not limited in any way.

If you are just starting out, well you do have to start somewhere. The iPad Pro would be a good start but you will most likely end up buying a laptop or desktop later on.

In terms of doing professional work with the iPad Pro, I think that it is all up to that individual. I love the Affinity Spotlight that Serif has started up and Monez was spotlighted here:

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/making-a-monster-with-monez/

Maybe if he is reading this thread he can chime in on his thoughts. I am sure he uses much more hardware than just an iPad Pro, that he does not exclusively do all of his work on the iPad, but it really does show how capable the iPad Pro can be.

Here is an example of Monez using Adobe Draw on iPad Pro to create the characters for a Mural Project.

http://www.monez.net/mural-project-paradise-1

Serif, please release Affinity Designer for iPad Pro so he can use that instead!!!

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That's some nice hardware you have there, Scungio.  :)

AD, AP and APub. V1.10.6 and V2.4 Windows 10 and Windows 11. 
Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM,  RTX 3060 12GB, Wacom Intuos XL, Wacom L. Eizo ColorEdge CS 2420 monitor. Windows 10 Pro.
(Laptop) HP Omen 16-b1010ns 12700H, 32GB DDR5, nVidia RTX 3060 6GB + Huion Kamvas 22 pen display, Windows 11 Pro.

 

 

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thank you guys, but really i am confused where can i start! ipad version or desktop/mac version!!!!!! is there really any different? can i do on ipad version all what i can do on desktop version? what is the different? is there any different in features or just different  interface?

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3 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

thank you guys, but really i am confused where can i start! ipad version or desktop/mac version!!!!!! is there really any different? can i do on ipad version all what i can do on desktop version? what is the different?

The difference is that the iPad version is optimized for touch but is currently missing a few features.

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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11 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

can i do on ipad pro all things i can do on desktop vesion?

ipad version missing a few features, like what?

No.

Batch jobs, macros, Serifs Labs RAW engine, Photoshop plugins support plus more. 

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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12 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

ipad version missing a few features, like what?

One particular feature that springs to mind is the ‘Coverage Map’ control for blend ranges, so you can’t do things like this.

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 minutes ago, toltec said:

Batch jobs, macros, Serifs Labs RAW engine, Photoshop plugins support plus more.

You can use macros imported from the desktop version, but you can’t create new ones.

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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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Just now, αℓƒяє∂ said:

You can use macros imported from the desktop version, but you can’t create new ones.

Hmm, can you import layers from Designer, like Text-on-a-Path and edit those?

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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Just now, Ghaeth wardeh said:

hmmmmmm :35_thinking:

Out of curiosity, what do you want to use the Affinity apps for ?

I know you said you want to learn them, but why?

If you just want to design stuff for your own use, iPad is fine. 

If you want to possibly get a job in design, or do more serious stuff you must learn the desktop versions.

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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6 minutes ago, toltec said:

Hmm, can you import layers from Designer, like Text-on-a-Path and edit those?

Yes, you certainly can!

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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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1 minute ago, toltec said:

Out of curiosity, what do you want to use the Affinity apps for ?

I know you said you want to learn them, but why?

If you just want to design stuff for your own use, iPad is fine. 

If you want to possibly get a job in design, or do more serious stuff you must learn the desktop versions.

i think i will start with ipad pro version, i am so excited to buy ipad because i am an artist so i can draw on procreate of (affinity designer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but i want to use affinity photo just to learn and design stuff for my own 

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3 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

i think i will start with ipad pro version, i am so excited to buy ipad because i am an artist so i can draw on procreate of (affinity designer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but i want to use affinity photo just to learn and design stuff for my own 

In that case, the iPad will be perfect. I'm sure Serif will add more features (including a couple of the missing ones) to Photo as time goes by.

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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1 minute ago, toltec said:

In that case, the iPad will be perfect. I'm sure Serif will add more features (including a couple of the missing ones) to Photo as time goes by.

i think i will go with ipad pro, it is fantastic for drawing, it can replace the pc for me as an artist now

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29 minutes ago, toltec said:

I'm sure Serif will add more features (including a couple of the missing ones) to Photo as time goes by.

They’ve already provided us with a set of macros to compensate for the fact that the iPad version lacks the necessary UI for control of the live filters.

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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if you solely want to use the iPad for regular use (browsing, email skype, office work, etc) , reading, and learning  A. Designer and A. Photo, I think is a good device for starting. Which concentrates in itself a good monitor, a good tablet device, and enough power.

But I am not sure about if you have gone into detail on what's the career path you have in mind, if you have any. Which are your planned activities (courses, software to study, subjects, the kind of job/career path that you might have, or might not, in mind....). Not that you should give away this info -or that we would be willing to know, lol-  but that you should consider these factors mostly, to make a decision. It would help here, indeed. If is there stuff you could tell us about it a bit more, may be able to help better.

For example, when somebody (often is a friend in his/her forties with a kid) asks me about what hardware to buy, and tells me that the plan is to get into certain industry, I'd say then it all gets very determined by that. There is quite some software in the 3D and CAD field that you cannot install in an iPad, for example (in some very specific cases, not even in a Mac. The other way round too, ie, for UI/UX today Sketch is the standard, tho that is changing fast). Or may you need to be able to install a student version of After Effects, Premiere, Maya, etc.

In the other side, if the plan is to do illustrations, (despite all my considerations about the size and ergonomics for long sessions. I'm afraid I still think exactly the same about that point) for that use, the iPad is capable, as well, certainly as to use A. Designer and Photo to immense extents, of course. And clearly, for that... illustration, graphic design, photo retouch, UI/UX.... an iPad is a very good fit. Maybe for learning those areas, too. I would agree with Scungio that sooner or later you will  purchase a PC or Mac, no matter what, once you need more space and power. So, is a matter of what comes first. Is not a terrible choice, one way or the other, so, don't feel over pressured .  :) (edit: unless money for this sort of things comes every 5 years, and that with a lot of luck. If that's the case, I'd say : PC, without a single remorse from my part.)

The only thing you would regret is if you will be moving the PC constantly (I've told my funny and true story, but most people would hate that), ie, once a week, or even from morning to evening, as then you would really hate the day you purchased a PC and not a laptop or ipad. And in the other side, you might hate the iPad if  you need to use some software that the school or some project uses, or that is important for your career, and the iPad can't have  it. 

What would, or should,  totally decide one thing or the other are details you have better known than any of us:  1) Money,  as #1, most of all, as if it is a purchase that you can't afford often, you could be facing to be the entire college time with it. In the other side, if you are able (if you typically have been making this money somehow) to save enough bucks, say, every year and a half, it'd be not far from here to be able to add a PC later on. And so, it'd be a nice situation to get first the ipad, to test the waters and have fun. If it is the one and only money you're gonna have for your workstation/hardware in like 5 years... I would then totally, absolutely, recommend a PC, even with all considered. Go for the thing that can do everything (a PC is what can get more varied and different stuff installed, even if is not the best quality piece of hardware), despite being clunky,  and that if some piece break is super cheap to replace. I know one can get the stuff from ebay and all that, but not everyone knows to do that well, and/or relies on ebay for that. Plus, 475 bucks per 2 years....I did put -no counting on the monitor, I went crazy on that one- around 700, if I remember well, in my i7 860 in total in 2009 (and back them stuff was more expensive, in comparison). That is 2137 $ in used -yet pristine- ipads, in 9 years, versus 700 (say 900 with a sRGB monitor, as I went a bit crazy with the monitor, no need to do that), of course, always up to date with bleeding edge tech (but still, not able to install some stuff.. tho to someone that ALSO has a pc and a mac, that's zero probs) in tablets (ie, ideal for a professional with stable and good income, even being the cheapest way to do that), and me doing tricks to keep at it with an old leviathan, but it pretty much works for everything, yet...That's a clever way of doing, tho, but Scungio probably is a well established professional with a very nice studio, not the same than a student, paying the loan and no income.... And still I do think the ebay trick is smart as heck ! : With other hardware, not so sure, as I'm used to sell stuff second hand, and I know how much it gets its value decreased... but iPhones and iPads are clearly a wet dream of many, so it keeps a reasonable resell price before 2 years do pass....So, it is clever. But IMO, not for every person and situation. If you are not going to need any other software, and you are 100% sure of that, the ipad is super cool to handle, even more for a teenager, I guess. To anyone, any friend of mine, neighbor, family member, not in the best situation, and willing that his/her kid would be able to do whatever for a bunch of years in the college/high school, or that worker with not a great salary, and want a very capable work horse for very varied scenarios... I always recommend a PC. Also, you can easily add more ram, more space, put a more powerful graphic card, advance in the future to a professional (the iPad screen is closer than before, but not yet that...I mean, for calibration and stuff) monitor, or plug it to more rare devices. Now, if you would tell us now "hey, but I take a bus, 2 hours a day, I need to handle the ipad at the college yes or yes (careful, then...), and at the flat or the shared students room". Or "I don't have space in the students room.". Then it is an iPad, no discussion.

Ask your self those questions, and... answer them. That might help you greatly to make a final decision.

Re-reading a bit the thread, you said very recently

Quote

i will just use affinity photo and affinity designer

Well, if that is the case, really really, 100% sure, you only need an ipad, then.  :). Please, consider the money/ long term plan and possible needs in the future, tho. (as with the PC you can perfectly purchase and install Affinity Designer and Photo , and be very happy with it all as well.  ).

Yeah. Sorry. In pure conscience, must keep recommending a PC, for a student...

AD, AP and APub. V1.10.6 and V2.4 Windows 10 and Windows 11. 
Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM,  RTX 3060 12GB, Wacom Intuos XL, Wacom L. Eizo ColorEdge CS 2420 monitor. Windows 10 Pro.
(Laptop) HP Omen 16-b1010ns 12700H, 32GB DDR5, nVidia RTX 3060 6GB + Huion Kamvas 22 pen display, Windows 11 Pro.

 

 

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Do not underestimate the convenience of a mouse. I've been using Designer, Photo and Photo for iPad a lot lately and wanted to know how much I can do on an iPad.

Designer and Photo on a desktop are powerful for almost anything design related.

Painting and Sketching is great on an iPadPro with Apple Pencil. It is actually better than on a Cintiq, because the brush controls are better visible/placed. However, regular design oriented work that involves a lot of bezier curves, shapes, layer reordering, switching, filters, curve editing and so on is much more convenient on a desktop with mouse and keyboard. Yes, it can be done on an iPad. It is just slower, You need different personas for trivial things like selection, copy and paste.

TL;DR: If You are not into hand drawing You don't really NEED an iPad.

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2 hours ago, SrPx said:

if you solely want to use the iPad for regular use (browsing, email skype, office work, etc) , reading, and learning  A. Designer and A. Photo, I think is a good device for starting. Which concentrates in itself a good monitor, a good tablet device, and enough power.

But I am not sure about if you have gone into detail on what's the career path you have in mind, if you have any. Which are your planned activities (courses, software to study, subjects, the kind of job/career path that you might have, or might not, in mind....). Not that you should give away this info -or that we would be willing to know, lol-  but that you should consider these factors mostly, to make a decision. It would help here, indeed. If is there stuff you could tell us about it a bit more, may be able to help better.

For example, when somebody (often is a friend in his/her forties with a kid) asks me about what hardware to buy, and tells me that the plan is to get into certain industry, I'd say then it all gets very determined by that. There is quite some software in the 3D and CAD field that you cannot install in an iPad, for example (in some very specific cases, not even in a Mac. The other way round too, ie, for UI/UX today Sketch is the standard, tho that is changing fast). Or may you need to be able to install a student version of After Effects, Premiere, Maya, etc.

In the other side, if the plan is to do illustrations, (despite all my considerations about the size and ergonomics for long sessions. I'm afraid I still think exactly the same about that point) for that use, the iPad is capable, as well, certainly as to use A. Designer and Photo to immense extents, of course. And clearly, for that... illustration, graphic design, photo retouch, UI/UX.... an iPad is a very good fit. Maybe for learning those areas, too. I would agree with Scungio that sooner or later you will  purchase a PC or Mac, no matter what, once you need more space and power. So, is a matter of what comes first. Is not a terrible choice, one way or the other, so, don't feel over pressured .  :) (edit: unless money for this sort of things comes every 5 years, and that with a lot of luck. If that's the case, I'd say : PC, without a single remorse from my part.)

The only thing you would regret is if you will be moving the PC constantly (I've told my funny and true story, but most people would hate that), ie, once a week, or even from morning to evening, as then you would really hate the day you purchased a PC and not a laptop or ipad. And in the other side, you might hate the iPad if  you need to use some software that the school or some project uses, or that is important for your career, and the iPad can't have  it. 

What would, or should,  totally decide one thing or the other are details you have better known than any of us:  1) Money,  as #1, most of all, as if it is a purchase that you can't afford often, you could be facing to be the entire college time with it. In the other side, if you are able (if you typically have been making this money somehow) to save enough bucks, say, every year and a half, it'd be not far from here to be able to add a PC later on. And so, it'd be a nice situation to get first the ipad, to test the waters and have fun. If it is the one and only money you're gonna have for your workstation/hardware in like 5 years... I would then totally, absolutely, recommend a PC, even with all considered. Go for the thing that can do everything (a PC is what can get more varied and different stuff installed, even if is not the best quality piece of hardware), despite being clunky,  and that if some piece break is super cheap to replace. I know one can get the stuff from ebay and all that, but not everyone knows to do that well, and/or relies on ebay for that. Plus, 475 bucks per 2 years....I did put -no counting on the monitor, I went crazy on that one- around 700, if I remember well, in my i7 860 in total in 2009 (and back them stuff was more expensive, in comparison). That is 2137 $ in used -yet pristine- ipads, in 9 years, versus 700 (say 900 with a sRGB monitor, as I went a bit crazy with the monitor, no need to do that), of course, always up to date with bleeding edge tech (but still, not able to install some stuff.. tho to someone that ALSO has a pc and a mac, that's zero probs) in tablets (ie, ideal for a professional with stable and good income, even being the cheapest way to do that), and me doing tricks to keep at it with an old leviathan, but it pretty much works for everything, yet...That's a clever way of doing, tho, but Scungio probably is a well established professional with a very nice studio, not the same than a student, paying the loan and no income.... And still I do think the ebay trick is smart as heck ! : With other hardware, not so sure, as I'm used to sell stuff second hand, and I know how much it gets its value decreased... but iPhones and iPads are clearly a wet dream of many, so it keeps a reasonable resell price before 2 years do pass....So, it is clever. But IMO, not for every person and situation. If you are not going to need any other software, and you are 100% sure of that, the ipad is super cool to handle, even more for a teenager, I guess. To anyone, any friend of mine, neighbor, family member, not in the best situation, and willing that his/her kid would be able to do whatever for a bunch of years in the college/high school, or that worker with not a great salary, and want a very capable work horse for very varied scenarios... I always recommend a PC. Also, you can easily add more ram, more space, put a more powerful graphic card, advance in the future to a professional (the iPad screen is closer than before, but not yet that...I mean, for calibration and stuff) monitor, or plug it to more rare devices. Now, if you would tell us now "hey, but I take a bus, 2 hours a day, I need to handle the ipad at the college yes or yes (careful, then...), and at the flat or the shared students room". Or "I don't have space in the students room.". Then it is an iPad, no discussion.

Ask your self those questions, and... answer them. That might help you greatly to make a final decision.

Re-reading a bit the thread, you said very recently

Well, if that is the case, really really, 100% sure, you only need an ipad, then.  :). Please, consider the money/ long term plan and possible needs in the future, tho. (as with the PC you can perfectly purchase and install Affinity Designer and Photo , and be very happy with it all as well.  ).

Yeah. Sorry. In pure conscience, must keep recommending a PC, for a student...

thank you so much to help me in my case, my plan is learn on affinity photo and photographing, i am an artist, so i want to learn on affinity designer(soon on ipad), and take a courses for it, i want to start my career, next year i will go to university to study graphic design, then i can move to pc, but is there online support for affinity photo on ipad, like courses...etc?

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1 hour ago, Rocketdrive said:

Do not underestimate the convenience of a mouse. I've been using Designer, Photo and Photo for iPad a lot lately and wanted to know how much I can do on an iPad.

Designer and Photo on a desktop are powerful for almost anything design related.

Painting and Sketching is great on an iPadPro with Apple Pencil. It is actually better than on a Cintiq, because the brush controls are better visible/placed. However, regular design oriented work that involves a lot of bezier curves, shapes, layer reordering, switching, filters, curve editing and so on is much more convenient on a desktop with mouse and keyboard. Yes, it can be done on an iPad. It is just slower, You need different personas for trivial things like selection, copy and paste.

TL;DR: If You are not into hand drawing You don't really NEED an iPad.

i chose ipad because it perfect for drawing, and i think the experience of working on tablet is better more normal desktop... as an artist, an ipad pro with affinity photo and designer (sooooooooooon) can replace the desktop for me, but if i built a pc, i still need a tablet to draw

 

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