Goodbye Affinity Photo

[Alberto]

I've tried to give affinity several tries, but I have to give it up. 

I don't know what the big development team is like, but after giving many attempts to affinity photo I have to quit and go back to photoshop. It's a pain to try to do anything in affinity that is not a simple photo retouching, even in simple jobs I find problems. Every now and then I encounter such basic usability problems that I don't understand why there are so many problems to implement them. Mainly when you want to do something precise and detailed with the program.

- Do I need to work with a TGA texture? ahhh, we don't support the TGA format correctly. Well, goodbye game industry... I can't wait here 3-4 years until I give you to implement it.

- I want to scale a row of one pixel... the program adds a gradient on the sides because potato ... And I don't have the option to change it.

- I want to zoom in? I don't know how I ended up with a 103% zoom and there's no way to go back to 100% without using a specific hotkey.

- I want to move the selection meanwhile I create it? I can't. I only can create, move to quick mask, edit the.....

- I want to enlarge the size of the brush, which should be the most basic thing in the world, because we put a hotkey that is Ctrl+Alt+RMB+LMB and is not editable ... Are you sure you don't want to add the computer reset button? (also... outside USA the [ ] hotkeys are not easy to find, you need AltGr to use it, take in consideration this)

I'm sorry, I've given him a dozen attempts to do something and I always end up doing the same thing. Losing 80% of the time searching in google "how to do X in affinity photo" to discover that it can not be done and that someone asked in 2015 and since then there are no changes. Well, sometimes some kind of "gimp does it" from the developers themselves. If I found solutions, well, that would be fine. But I've already wasted hours reading the forum and I never find solutions.

I like Affinity, it has very good ideas and it is a good program in general. Well, the "personas" is an incredible s**t and the topbar is completely superfluous. But it gives the impression that nobody has stopped using it in production because there are basic things that do not allow in any way that should be annoying for any user or any tester within 10 minutes of trying the program.

Maybe it's just a momentary pis***g off, but I've stopped doing my job a dozen times for the same reason since I bought the program and I never find solutions and I cant complete my work.

Please, make a little improvements in basic UX.

[SrPx]

¿ Y por qué no usas PS y punto  ? 

Those aren't show stoppers, just need to adapt workflows. Plus, you are only counting on the things you used to do in a way in PS and now are different in AP. There ARE other things that are better thought in AP than in PS. And they are not just a few. I'm not a hobbyist, but a pro, and have worked as a pro in the game field, too (is only one of my fields besides design, video, illustration and web coding). So, is not saying this someone who "doesn't know about production"... Worked at 4 game companies, pretty hard.

- The TGA, I did not agree in the beginning (for myself, and even having worked a lot in games, I still don't see it as a show stopper, as there are utilities, a workflow so common in games). But it has such high demand that I believe it will be implemented sooner or later. And I would be surprised if long in the future.

- The row of one pixel . I hate that am not understanding what you exactly mean, as I believe it can be solved, if is what I suspect... (also, consider the 1 pixel tool is good for things related to this). (tell me in Spanish, if easier)

Edit : Oh!...LOL. I know now what u mean, I believe. Just hit the icon in the top bar, while you have the move tool in use so to rescale. I mean, set that icon clicked, that one at the top bar that says "force pixel alignment".  Late months am only using customer betas, as I'm careful as heck with the risks/work a lot with CSP,and am used to use pre-alphas inside studios. But just tested that this works perfectly in stable 1.6. BTW, 1.7 versions are sooooo, so much better than the stable. Just ,as betas, not suitable for production (well, not legally, you wouldn't be able to blame them, if ur so inclined, but are fully suitable for MY production...). No sé si se me escapa algo de lo que intentas hacer, pero ya me dices.

- Zoom to 100%. How on earth is this a show stopper. Is exactly as in PS : Double click on loupe/amplifier (la lupita) for 100% zoom. Double click on hand icon for fit to desktop space.

- Moving the selection as u create it. Gonna give you this one,  but this is a very specific feature of PS. A lot other 2D apps don't offer it, either. And is not like ALL those are cr4p just because they don't have that extra convenience. Indeed, funny thing, if like me have worked with PS since '95, PS 2.0 , (means ur in your mid 40s maybe), you will remember how this feature appeared WAY late in its history, and Affinity is extremely young in comparison. Again, not a show stopper. BTW, u don't need to enter quick mask to move it, ie, do a lasso selection, move cursor inside and move it, like in PS. ctrl drag to the pixels, too, as in PS (good to always look the shortcuts legend in the bottom status bar, btw).

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Quote

I want to enlarge the size of the brush, which should be the most basic thing in the world, because we put a hotkey that is Ctrl+Alt+RMB+LMB and is not editable ... Are you sure you don't want to add the computer reset button? (also... outside USA the [ ] hotkeys are not easy to find, you need AltGr to use it, take in consideration this)

Okay, two things. You can change the brush size keys, like any keys, in Preferences, shortcuts. Just like in PS. You can assign those keys to the Wacom or Deco03 disc, as I have it in my wacom, to increase/decrease size (and or change sensitivity for the disc for precision, in wacom's panel).

If want to change at same time size and brush hardness, in the case you can't set it up to do all the long ( I admit it) command with setting it to just one of the pen's side buttons, as each panel's driver is different, well, am promoting it too much, lately, but you can use a free Windows utility, X-Mouse Button Control, to replace that one easily, and make any pen or tablet button, or mouse button, or keyb/mouse/pen/tablet combination to perform it as you draw. Any combination (I did so). 

It seems to me, though, that you really desire to keep paying the Adobe subscription, so, IMO, follow your heart, as nothing will get you an exact clone of PS in the product of a different company's product. But please, don't try to make it look as vastly inferior, as is not. Far from the case. Good UX is not similar workflow to the app you are used to. That's a different concept.

Suerte con PS.
 

[SrPx]

Also, in one of the latest betas, am not yet using the very latest, when using the mouse wheel, when going over 100% it does snap to 100% too. It also does it to 80%. Not sure why. That's not a bad solution.  It does not do it in the old stable version.

[Alberto]

Hi SrPx

I'll answer you in English so other people can follow the conversation.

- I don't have a problem with photoshop, but I'm tired of adobe license model and that they install a lot of crap that I don't need.

- Will the TGA be fixed? I don't know when, because I have seen that it has been a petition for 3-4 years. And I don't think it's so complicated not to collapse the alpha in color channels when importing the TGA. I agree that the TGA is not a large format, but unfortunately is the one used and I can not decide not to use it.

- About the solution, the 1.7 beta is so unstable that I was hung up when I went to try what you said. But to be solved (which I don't think in principle) would be a positive thing.

- I don't see that behaviour in the zoom in latest 1.7 beta, It only do if you have the correct 100% zoom when begin with the wheel.

- I don't usually use hotkeys to change the size of the brush, it's not fast or it's not precise, in any case it's not functional. The mouse hotkey works very well, but it's a crazy hotkey that can't be edited.

I don't want a photoshop clone, although affinity still is. But I do believe that it has big errors in the UX that are easily solvable and I'm surprised that they are not after several years. What hurts me is not being able to do things that I consider basic and that the program even sometimes has but is completely obfuscated its use. Not being able to change the size of the brush with the stylus using the same hotkey as with the mouse is an example.

Things that very much to my regret break me trying to use the program, no matter how much I insist on using it.

[Alberto]

Other stupid example of what I'm talking about...

If I use Ctrl+space with the mouse with LMB I made zoom, If I use Ctrl+Space+Alt and LMB I made zoom out. Ok. But If I made the same with the wacom intuos the zoom out doesn't work. I can see the Zoom icon in the mouse, with a minus... but when I click with the stylus it doesn't work. And sometimes the program don't detect the hotkey.

¡¿WTF?!

Seriusly nobody have solved this in years and I need to search a solution by internet?

Edit: I see that it's solved in 1.7 beta, but like anybody can understand it's really frustating.

 

Other example: If I press Ctrl+space I don't have the zoom tool, If I press Space+Ctrl I have the zoom tool. 

[OlaHaldor]

Lack of TGA is the biggest downside to Affinity Photo for me. And it's beyond me how they keep neglecting this request we've had for years. I don't know programming, but I can't imagine it will take so much time and effort that they don't see the value of it. It's a widely known and used format in many instances. Broadcast and games are the ones I can come up with right now, but these are potentially huge markets.

[Alberto]

5 hours ago, OlaHaldor said:

Lack of TGA is the biggest downside to Affinity Photo for me. And it's beyond me how they keep neglecting this request we've had for years. I don't know programming, but I can't imagine it will take so much time and effort that they don't see the value of it. It's a widely known and used format in many instances. Broadcast and games are the ones I can come up with right now, but these are potentially huge markets.

Yeah, I don't think that could be so hard to implement the separate alpha channel instead of collapse the alpha in each RGB channel that make impossible to work for thousands of video games profesionals. I'm working in a project and I cannot open any texture for this simple reason. Is like AP doesn't have PSD importer and exporter for all game industry.

[SrPx]

On 3/27/2019 at 12:12 AM, Alberto said:

- I don't have a problem with photoshop, but I'm tired of adobe license model and that they install a lot of crap that I don't need.

And the performance... it's far from how light it was in the CS2 - CS5 times.... (and I choose those as I recon 2.0 to 7 is going to the 90s, and a lot of people here were not at working ages back then)

On 3/27/2019 at 12:12 AM, Alberto said:

- Will the TGA be fixed? I don't know when, because I have seen that it has been a petition for 3-4 years.

I've been around for  a while, now. And I think it will be done, not as long as another 3 years. The reason why I think this : It seems to me that now they are more in a maturing the apps stage. Consider the amount of amazing challenges they have concentrated (for a small staff) in those years : Releasing the apps in the desktop for TWO different platforms (Windows and Mac), producing the apps for iOS, the iPad, ...Creating A. Publisher.... Just too much. I'd foresee (if aren't we already there) a stage now of consolidating the products, fixing bugs, adding market demanded features (like TGA) and so on. But is just my guess: I have ZERO internal info. Is only my guess after being here for some years.

On 3/27/2019 at 12:12 AM, Alberto said:

- About the solution, the 1.7 beta is so unstable that I was hung up when I went to try what you said. But to be solved (which I don't think in principle) would be a positive thing.

It indeed solves what you wanted, no semi transparent pixels are generated inside or outside the line when scaling the 1px row, doing what I mentioned.   (but I'd toggle it off for other operations. Is at the tool bar, super fast to access)

Unstable ??   I really must have won the lottery of chips, back in the day in 2009. Not a single crash with Photo beta 1.7x, and I've used many beta versions. Of course, they recommend no to use a beta for production (is at your own responsibility). But I do.

On 3/27/2019 at 12:12 AM, Alberto said:

- I don't see that behaviour in the zoom in latest 1.7 beta, It only do if you have the correct 100% zoom when begin with the wheel.

True. I probably was starting from 100%. I don't know, I have my brain wired to just double click the amplifier (lupa) , since my many years with PS at companies. So much that don't ever try to get a 100% with the wheel.  One combination could be just do one double click in the lupa, then the mouse wheel will snap always to 100% when reaching that zoom level.

Quote

- I don't usually use hotkeys to change the size of the brush, it's not fast or it's not precise, in any case it's not functional. The mouse hotkey works very well, but it's a crazy hotkey that can't be edited.

With the free external utility X-Mouse you can control the brush size with the tablet disc, the mouse wheel, or with whatever you prefer. Apart from PS (and that's only as is the tool I've used more in my life, is just habits...) rarely a tool have the keys I prefer. So, when found this tiny jewel, solved a ton of "comfort" problems for many applications, Afifnity not being an exception.

23 hours ago, Alberto said:

Other example: If I press Ctrl+space I don't have the zoom tool, If I press Space+Ctrl I have the zoom tool. 

That's because you trigger the hand tool with space, then ctrl is a modifier for that tool, allowing to switch temporarily to zoom.

My point is, I was trying to substitute a tool like PS, years ago, with PSP or Gimp. None of them did (and till date, not great, to say the least) handle color managment well, specially with CMYK profiles. And in the case of Gimp, the UX issues are imo way, way bigger.  I've worked with those efficiently at companies. Looking for workarounds, simply 'cause the companies wouldn't buy PS.  For me the few stones in the road with AP are easy peasy, non show stoppers, when compared to what I lived with those two other apps (and counting on I could do all what was requested, for years, using extra apps, tricks, patience... )

Maybe is just for that, dunno. But AP serves my purposes, now....

 

[chakko007]

GIMP has a horrid GUI, so, big +1 there. 

[SrPx]

1 minute ago, chakko007 said:

GIMP has a horrid GUI, so, big +1 there. 

Imagine combining it with Scribus, Inkscape, and some open source tools to ensure CMYK files with correct profiles... for years, doing all the corporate image work for a  company, events, brochures, (tons of print stuff), UI for apps, video, web, etc. And my salary depending on it...   Affinity is paradise in comparison....

[Mithferion]

The Development Team is aroung a dozen of people.

Sorry that you have to go back to Adobe.

Best regards!

[Fixx]

11 hours ago, SrPx said:

On 3/27/2019 at 1:36 AM, Alberto said:

Other example: If I press Ctrl+space I don't have the zoom tool, If I press Space+Ctrl I have the zoom tool. 

That's because you trigger the hand tool with space, then ctrl is a modifier for that tool, allowing to switch temporarily to zoom.

Maybe, but it works either way in PS. Much better.

[Alberto]

9 hours ago, Mithferion said:

The Development Team is aroung a dozen of people.

It's a great software for so little people.

[SrPx]

8 hours ago, Fixx said:

Maybe, but it works either way in PS. Much better.

For me just middle mouse button for panning + wheel for zoom is so much faster. Maybe as I do a lot of 3D, too, and those are what I set in any 3D app, so the comfort when switching apps is great, avoiding "disconnection".