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Affinity Photo beta for real work


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Hi Keanu,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Affinity Photo is still in early Beta development. The public Beta is meant for testing and feedback purposes, and it's still subject to considerable changes during its development. There's not even a release date planned yet. So i wouldn't say it's ready for production work.

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Keanu, The post from MEB explains where things are at right now.  If you want to try AP in something similar to "real work" probably the best way is to set it up as the external editor in (one of) your current programs.  That way you can compare it to Adobe CC, and explore its strengths and weaknesses - but bear in mind it is still beta and has some way to go yet.

Retina iMac (4K display, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM) OS X 10.11.6  Capture One 10.

 

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I want to switch to Capture One 8 and Affinity Photo. What's your opinion?

I use it Affinity Photo as an external editor for Dxo Optics Pro 10 and it (Affinity Photo) works very well in that capacity. I have used it with Capture One 7 and it works well with that as well. However both Optics Pro and Capture One 7 have shown problems on my machine when working with any external editor, even Photoshop and Elements.

 

I have both set up to send tiff files to Affinity Photo and I then save the changed tiff file to send it back to the calling program. Optics Pro often (perhaps usually) fails to display the changed tiff thumbnail and image if I go back to do more editing on it. Capture One 7 has the same problem when working with sessions and I have tried this on all kinds of file systems (OS X, FAT 32, NTFS and exFAT - I have Paragon NTFS installed on my MBP). I am forced to manually refresh the display before it re-displays the changed thumbnail and properly loads the changed image. The problem usually corrects itself when I send the next file to Affinity Photo (or PS) because that usually causes a refresh of the display and, after editing the second file, I can then go back and re-edit the first if I need to. But I am always behind one photo. The photo is there in Optics Pro (or C1) and if I process my changed images the output shows the AP changes, but the thumbnail and edit display are lagging behind.

 

The problem is worse with Optics Pro since Capture One 7 has a manual refresh and Optics Pro does not. I stress this is a problem with the workflow tool, not Affinity Photo and I had exactly the same problem with Photoshop and have it now with Elements 13. I have not tried it with Capture One 8 although I finally downloaded the upgrade yesterday.

 

One other issue, this with Affinity Photo. I have noticed that if I leave AP open after saving a file and then spend some time working in the workflow tool before sending another image to AP, then upon the new image load, AP sometimes marks the previously (and still) open file as having been modified and thus requiring an explicit "do not save" when exiting AP. I have filed this as a bug and expect it will be addressed in an upcoming release. The only way I have found to avoid this is to explicitly close an image in AP after saving it.

 

All in all, in my opinion, AP is a great replacement for Photoshop and does everything I need for it to do and does it well.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have just run through a series of images using the trial version of Capture One 8 using sessions and the problem I had with version 7 (and with Optics Pro) is gone in version 8. CaptureOne 8 works properly using AP as an external editor and that probably means that I will be upgrading to it.

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Mike, interesting set of experiences there!  

 

I use AP as an external editor with Aperture and also used it that way in a Lightroom 30-day trial (which I did not extend to purchasing).  The exchanged file format was TIFF, and there were no problems once I discovered the best way to complete the round trip was to use "Share" from the AP File menu.   The round trip/external editor route also provides a work-around for the current absence of a suitable printer UI in AP (but it would be nice if it could stand alone).

Retina iMac (4K display, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM) OS X 10.11.6  Capture One 10.

 

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Mike, interesting set of experiences there!  

 

I use AP as an external editor with Aperture and also used it that way in a Lightroom 30-day trial (which I did not extend to purchasing).  The exchanged file format was TIFF, and there were no problems once I discovered the best way to complete the round trip was to use "Share" from the AP File menu.   The round trip/external editor route also provides a work-around for the current absence of a suitable printer UI in AP (but it would be nice if it could stand alone).

Thanks for the post. I will try that.

 

I have the current version of Optics Pro and like it, but it is more and more annoying that it (Optics Pro) does not recognize the saved image from AP (or PS) and allow further processing. Manually forcing an update in Optics Pro requires that I either change the processing folder and then change back (forcing it to re-read the images and display the correct thumbnails) or create a virtual image of another image in the filmstrip (which also forces a re-read) and then delete the virtual image. Both are a pain.

 

Interestingly enough I just tried the new CaptureOne (version 8) and this problem has disappeared. I guess the PhaseOne people rewrote part of their folder system listener code as it now works just fine. I will post that update in my previous post as it seems to apply to the OP.

 

UPDATE:

 

It does not seem possible for me to use Share like you are using it. There is a specific command for sending stuff to Aperture, but not to something like Optics Pro.

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OK, I will use PhotoLine pl32.com for my "real work". 

 

Mike, I tried Capture One 8.2 with PhotoLine pl32.com. C1 refreshed the image immediately. 

Yes. I downloaded version 8 yesterday but did not test it until this morning. It does work perfectly.

 

Version 7, which was the current version I had on my system until I downloaded the trial for 8, has this problem, version 8 apparently does not and that probably means I will upgrade.

 

Thanks for the post.

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Like some other guys I use AP from Aperture and it works pretty well. My only gripes are with masks (can't see what I've done, unclear how to create and use... not sure what is best practice in this regard with AP... anyone?), and the lack of a decent printing dialogue.

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Let's face it, a hell of a lot of our work is quite simple, and PS is simply overkill. That having been said, there are still "simple" things I need them for. One is to be able to constrain the proportions of the Crop tool to, say, 1024x768, then Shift-Drag it to the size/place I want it. Definitely not working here, as is the Cmd-Alt-I shortcut to resize image IN PROPORTION.
This is looking really good so far, and I wish you all success against Goliath with your suite of programs. It will benefit us all.

 

(EDIT) Ah, I've now discovered that if you click on the second box in the resize tool, it automatically fills in the new pixel dimension. Pretty good!

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Make that two PL32 users here. Although I have mostly stopped using it since AP does almost all of what I need and, in some cases (like the Inpainting Tool), more easily and better.

 

 

Two black swans  :)

I do appreciate PL32, cute app.

The white dog, making tools for artists, illustrators and doodlers

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Just to throw in my two pennies, I've been using AP for my real work for about a week and a half now and it has replaced my existing photo editing software as my main workflow app.

I did use Pixelmator and iDraw before (and still do occasionally), but AP and AD have pretty much become my main go to apps for graphic design.

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Make it three...

 

Until AP is ready (honestly, I sometimes wonder what else you need to do), I'm using PL32, too. I got onto PL32 literally two weeks before you guys dropped the beta of AP and the only reason I would want to stay on it is because I use both Macs and PCs and there is no AP for Windows. There are a lot of times that I have to go back and forth on both systems to get work done and I'm trying to kick Adobe in their big, red "A"; that said, on my Macs at least, PL32 has largely gone unused these days in favor of Photo.

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Pixelmator and PL32 are great apps (and PL32 is a lot better than Pixelmator IMHO) but in a "prosumer" context.

AP is another league mates: professional features, solid, flawless ux and truly fast...

 

Looking forward to MAS release.

The white dog, making tools for artists, illustrators and doodlers

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I was initially excited about AP, however, it's not working for me and how I previously used Aperture 3. I 'm a wildlife photographer and need better tools, more  tools and more efficient tools to effectively edit my images.

 

I should point out that I can edit most of my images better and quicker in Aperture so AP for my workflow would be very limited, however my hopes were that AP could have been so much better and a viable alternative to Aperture's editing features  and for this reason I'm being critical of AP interface. The lack of selective editing brushes is in itself almost a deal breaker for me. I realize it's in beta but I would assume also that what we are currently using will not significantly change. My initial hope and wishful thinking was that this would become more Apple Aperture (editing) like but it's now clear to me that is is simply a streamlined version of Photoshop. Little things like adjustment window modules... To save an edit, one must click merge on the far left rather than, imo, the intuitive way would be on the far right or simply press return."Merge'? Why so cutesy? Sorry but save would be so much better. Little things like this make a huge difference when I have hundreds of images to process. 

 

In my workflow I edit animals and mainly birds. The sharpen/unsharpen brush does not do it for me. The lack of "Definition" like adjustments is yet another deal breaker for me. The over complicated and virtually meaningless "More" window module and the General, Dynamics, and Texture are, well again making a simple thing unnecessarily complex and oh so much like PS.

 

The masking mode simply does not work well enough for me. I have used and will continue to use Perfect Photo Suite 8, Perfect Mask or even CS6. For me the masking refine mode does not work well enough for me capture fine detail nor does the add/delete brush work very well for me. Again remember I don't mask out sharp contrasts for which any masking tool word work

 

Why not something simple and hugely effective like Aperture sharpening brush and with the adjustment slider, same as with many editing tools in Aperture, Shadows, Highlights, etc etc etc.

 

If i'm sounding critical, I am as I need efficiency not eye-candy nor reinventing intuitive terminology. All this editing should be simple and straightforward but it's  not working for me.  I understand that perhaps for landscapes or other genres it could work. I miss all those Aperture editing tools and their link with adjustment sliders. The ability to readjust selective edits at anytime in the future is as in Aperture is hard for me to lose. Yes, I understand that AP is not a File Management/editing but why not? 

As a standalone basic photo editor and at a reasonable price point, It can be useful to some ,however, unless it resembles the effective and intuitive Apple IU it is just another photoshop alternative.

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As a previous Aperture user I understand your complaints and do not mean to minimize them. They are important to you and each of us has a somewhat different idea of what they would like AP to both do and be. However it is probably worth mentioning that for many of us, myself included, what we are looking for is not a workflow replacement but a Photoshop replacement.

 

I am currently using CaptureOne as my main photo editing tool (since Apple stopped supporting Aperture I have turned to other software) and so I am not looking for something to replace it. I was fed up with the Adobe change from purchase to subscription models and AP is almost perfect for what I need. I do wish you luck in finding something that suits your needs better than AP.

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These posts from peterD and Mike illustrate the very wide range of wants and needs of the AP-beta testers; I'm pretty close to Mike in what I want and how I am using it, but am still *** off at Apple for dumping Aperture.   Having said that, I really don't have any problems with the different tool set and actually find the AP UI rather nice.  

 

AP is not - and really should not try to be - everything to everyone, that's just not realistic and trying to do it would result in something that would almost certainly be not much use to anyone.  One thing I do find bit confusing and wonder about where the Serif teams are going to go, is how AP and AD complement each other.  While I can admire and enjoy what the AD users do, it's not for me and I do sometimes wonder if the AP developers could shift focus away a bit from the "arty" stuff and more to the "photo" side - the stuff that peterD needs? 

Retina iMac (4K display, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM) OS X 10.11.6  Capture One 10.

 

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Billtils, I would very much like a less "arty" and more functional version of AP and I think the developers will miss an opportunity to create something "different". The fact that AP is a Mac exclusive app lured me into it in the hopes that it had some Mac savvy but upon close inspection it looks disappointingly like all the rest in Photoshop, C1-8 etc. It does not utilize the Mac smart mouse or trackpad capabilities and the interface is not fluid. I do not want to learn a new language when using software as one often does with Adobe, however, with AP is yet another variation on a theme rather than something really unique. I found nothing in AP that is better than any other app, nothing. I have found many things not as good as other apps though. To say that AP should not be everything to everyone is understood but I can guarantee you that they did not consult photographers with serious workflows. If their market was amateurs, then they have succeeded. I do hope however that the developers are listening to guys like me that need real working software. So far I can say unequivocally, that AP fails very short for most pros,

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Billtils, I would very much like a less "arty" and more functional version of AP and I think the developers will miss an opportunity to create something "different". The fact that AP is a Mac exclusive app lured me into it in the hopes that it had some Mac savvy but upon close inspection it looks disappointingly like all the rest in Photoshop, C1-8 etc. It does not utilize the Mac smart mouse or trackpad capabilities and the interface is not fluid. I do not want to learn a new language when using software as one often does with Adobe, however, with AP is yet another variation on a theme rather than something really unique. I found nothing in AP that is better than any other app, nothing. I have found many things not as good as other apps though. To say that AP should not be everything to everyone is understood but I can guarantee you that they did not consult photographers with serious workflows. If their market was amateurs, then they have succeeded. I do hope however that the developers are listening to guys like me that need real working software. So far I can say unequivocally, that AP fails very short for most pros,

Have you taken a look at PhotoLine? It may well be more of what you are looking for.

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For printing applications, I would not use AP just yet. It also lacks a lot of features, functions & filters that Ps has. But the thing is that they want to get there. And I support them. Ps is not "overkill" or bloated ; Ps is the master software for professionals. So i'm happy that they are aiming for that too with AP ! :)

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Like some other guys I use AP from Aperture and it works pretty well. My only gripes are with masks (can't see what I've done, unclear how to create and use... not sure what is best practice in this regard with AP... anyone?), and the lack of a decent printing dialogue.

 

I think this is the best Photoshop contender that I've seen (well for editing photos). And without all the bloat. 

I also have a problem with the Masks.... I've seem to be able to create them but how do I see them full size in the main work area? I only seem to be able to see the little thumbnail in the layers palette... Haven't found an intuitive and easy  way to work with the mask.... Is this part still in progress...? 

 

Also we seem to be missing a Persona icon. In the last part of the presentation video you have a library of presets to add styles to the images.... I don't see that option in the Beta.

------------------------

Fernando Velarde

www.velarde.com

Instagram.com/soyfervelarde

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  • Staff

Hi velarde,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Yes, masks are still being worked as well as other features in the program. Affinity Photo is still in Beta and subject to changes during its development. The Persona you're referring to is the Macro Persona. It has been disabled in the latest betas because we want to focus on the other Personas first.

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Hi velarde,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Yes, masks are still being worked as well as other features in the program. Affinity Photo is still in Beta and subject to changes during its development. The Persona you're referring to is the Macro Persona. It has been disabled in the latest betas because we want to focus on the other Personas first.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I understand. I'll be watching out for future releases. Already posted another comment in the future request section. The app is looking very good by the way.

 

P.D. Maybe somebody has already commented on this but just a usability suggestion on the naming of the "Persona" parts of the software. The naming "Persona" doesn't really say much to new users and I think it confuses them (from what I read in another thread)...

 

I would suggest to just call them something boring (but recognisable) like "Modules", "Sections" "Unit", Block" "Element" or something else.

------------------------

Fernando Velarde

www.velarde.com

Instagram.com/soyfervelarde

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