File Default Save As, Export Save As in Source Folder

[craigleeus]

We're pretty much on the same page.  I wouldn't characterize Photoshop as necessarily a simpler way to edit digital images, but Photoshop does make some things easier to use -- like what we're discussing, or like re-centering the image when zooming back in, more and easier to use presets, easier to create, import and use Actions, more options in Refine Mask, and much better handling of crop ratios, to name a few that frustrate me.  But AP has good features too.  I'm getting off track....

Of all those differences, the Export As control is my top request right now. 

[Wood Kit]

Just come to affinity after 15 years with adobe and Quark etc - On MAC OS.
Really enjoying the experience with the UI and tools.
As this thread suggests - I would sooo much like to see save as options:

• Same as source 
• Recent
• Other Fav folders

Wood :-)

[Tony D]

Been using all the Affinity products since a couple of months, generally love it.... but:

DEFAULT FILE save LOCATION; This was and still is my first and most important issue with this fantastic piece of software.

Beautiful export template with easy and fast to choose file formats using ICONS and text, then click and click and click and click some more to find the source location.

Don't have any explanation that could make any sense...

Interesting (and saddened by it) that after several years such an simple function that even almost all software, open source or other, have and still is not added.

 

Tony D.

p.s. thanks to the user created image (see post above) to visualize the simple solution

The idea can even be expanded with a drop-down list of the last 10 used locations, but source folder would be useful to most...

Edited November 2, 2020 by Tony D
additonal text

[Riot]

YES PLEASE this is so annoying. Also would love this. 

[Ruhell]

Yes please! Make an option to default save back to source/original folder.

AND

an option for automatic addon to the original filename, like: "Source Filename" + "User selected addon". filetype (Like DxO PL and On1 have)

+

Tickbox for never overwriting files when saving/exporting (Like DxO PL have)

 

[MikeM481027]

Can I add my voice to the chorus of "Yes, Please"!   This is by some distance the most annoying gap in Affinity Photo's armoury.

[drdancm]

It has been more than a number of updates and still there has not been a fix for this request. It boggles the mind that they cannot take care of this, since it is not a difficult problem, just some very simple, very easy changes to the section of the program dealing with file saving.
I am so disgusted by the lack of response that I will no longer strongly recommend Affinity Photo on various photography forums as I have in the past.

[craigleeus]

I wrote the original post and also uploaded the mockup screen shot.  I want the change as much as every other person who's posted here.

However, I imagine there are a vast number of posts on this forum on many different issues, and as such, it's hard for Affinity's product development team to monitor these posts. What I mean, is we might be just 'preaching to the choir'.  It does not seem like a very difficult enhancement to make.  There's clearly a lot of support.  So I can only presume it Affinity isn't even aware of the request.

[arkinien]

The current save/export behaviour is just infuriating. Period.

The Affinity suite is the only software I know of that sets the current folder to whatever was used last time, either to import, save, export, replace an image, or whatever folder was accessed last.

On a user point of view (which usually doesn't care about programming challenges), that is only practical if you work on a single project, for a very long extended period (like a month), save everything in the same folder and never access assets from anywhere else. Statistically, I would be curious to see how many people fit this behaviour. My guess is: not much, or/and not often.

I can see the use of it, but that should definitely be an optional behaviour, and not the default. If it's not possible to make it an option, as illustrated in an above post, then the default should be the source location. At any rate, it's quite easy to add a shortcut/alias to your working folder in your OS, so Affinity's current behaviour is not fixing a missing OS feature, it just makes working with multiple projects and folders a nightmare and a waste of time. So please, get this working. 

Today, again, I wasted hours looking for a file I saved a bit earlier. After fiddling for a while, I had to rebuild Spotlight index to finally locate it. The worst part: the file was still open, but there is no way to know where files are saved. So even going to recent documents does nothing cause it just reopens the file.

As a side note, on the Mac, you can right click on the document top bar to show where the file is located. At least in any other software, but not with Affinity. 

Trick/workarounds:

Created an alias/shortcut in your OS toward an export folder to use exclusively for Affinity. Export all your files to that quickly accessible folder. Then use your file manager to relocate the exported files to their proper destination folder. You can leave the export folder open besides your project folders so it's quick to go back and forth without having to navigate all the time. This solution takes quite a bit of screen real estate, so it's best to use a virtual desktop just for that. It's not perfect, but helps a bit.

Anyhow, I still think I should not have to do that...

 

 

[Tony D]

Trying to keep this thread alive as it's really driving me bonkers...

 

 

Any chance on anything like this, a choice like any other software ?

[Fidel]

Still no solution to this annoying issue?

[johannfromchina]

I had to do some work for a company the past couple of weeks in Photoshop but are now happily back in Affinity Photo.  But immediately the Export default folder issue annoyed me!  Looking on the internet if it is not something that I just do not get, I found this thread and just want to add my very large voice for "PLEASE IMPLEMENT THE SUGGESTION FOR DEFAULT SAVE LOCATION".  Lets hope some customers relation personell is actually reading these forums

[Tony D]

On 4/6/2020 at 5:13 AM, drdancm said:

A lot of people, perhaps those who are not Photoshop users, may not realize that there is a simpler, better way of doing things.

Well i noticed that for my simple edits like crop, some curve or resize i tend to use others tools more and more as with AP the saving takes much more steps, hence longer to do.

I hope like many others who never visit this forum that this simple feature will be added soon.

I am not really an advanced user, somewhere in the middle so i read lots to gain knowledge but this issue was for me the only reason to register and post (3 times now;()

[drdancm]

I have just about given up on Affinity paying attention to the users. It is getting close to almost 2 years since we have tried to get their attention, and there have been several updates to Affinity and still, as far as I know, no attempt at fixing this issue, hence  I no longer use the program as much as I used to. Making the change would be very simple and easy to do, as some posters have suggested.

Consequently I no longer  enthusiastically promote Affinity on all of the websites that I attend. It's still a good deal, but total ignorance of customer feedback is a stong negative for an issue that is not challenging to fix, since it is an extremely simple interface improvement.

Let's face it most companies pay little or no attention to customer feedback, which does not make much sense. Yes a percentage of customer feedback may not be reasonable, but there will be some that really could make the software easier to use, and less frustrating.  So let's treasue and support those companies who do listen to customers and consequently make programs better because of it. After all who are these programs written for ?

Thanks for you attention,

Dan

I have nothing but praise for FastStone, an very easy to use, free, Image Viewer (picture, video manager that keeps improving and does pay attention to user feedback. You don't need to read the manual to use it. It even has some simple editing features, and you can configure it to load images into Affinity, etc.

https://www.faststone.org/

 

[Tony D]

You are spot on Dan, i've been using that for almost 20 years now, never lets you down.

Super Fast Viewer, Simple Edit and a proper save and save as

The UI is a bit dated but that is not import, it just works, always...

[Tony D]

Thank you to the developers for changing the behavior of the save function, very happy camper now

[drdancm]

That's very good news. It only took 5 years ? or maybe only 3 ?

In any case THANKS ! ! ! ! !

[drdancm]

On 7/22/2021 at 2:25 AM, Tony D said:

You are spot on Dan, i've been using that for almost 20 years now, never lets you down.

Super Fast Viewer, Simple Edit and a proper save and save as

The UI is a bit dated but that is not import, it just works, always...

Re: FastStone - Media Manager

I'm quite happy w the interface, but the thumbnail cache size is way too small. It never goes above 400 (Mb I think), and hence, the thumbnails have to be regenerated too often given the very large photo base that I have. I've suggested that they make that larger, but so far nothing. Also, they are way overdue for a new version with various improvements. Normally there's an update once or twice a year I think. Maybe they will bring out a 64 bit monster. We hope.

[Tony D]

Sigh....Too bad the export folder is not the source folder ?

(not consistent)

[pixelstuff]

On 12/2/2019 at 4:11 AM, craigleeus said:

Affinity photo should make the default export folder be the same folder the source file was in that was used to open the editing session.

Avidemux offers this as a checkbox in the Output tab called: "Default to the directory of the last read file for saving".

Alternatively though I like they way Vegas Pro handles it with a couple buttons on the custom rendering dialog. One is the standard browse to the folder, but then there is a second button to quickly set the folder to the project location.  If you started a file from scratch there would be no project location so you'd have to manually save something before that button would work.

[Bill Rosmus]

I would like to see the default to the source folder or as someone suggested a drop down list box to predefined folders, but include source folder as one.

[DustyLens]

Show stopper for me. I was willing to give it a run, but this is so basic that I don't see spending any more time on Affinity. Craigleeus et al. have had some good suggestions pending since 2016. 'Nuf said.

[roadie]

Oh, ok - not going to happen I guess.

workaround: designate a default folder for all affinity saves - then create this quickaction to open your current work folder in terminal:

https://www.macworld.com/article/177646/folderinterm.html

then 

mv /designatedAffinitySaveAndExportFolder/* .

to put the files back in the source folder affinity got them from this time.

klunky but it works and saves time.

[kirk23]

On 4/6/2020 at 3:28 AM, drdancm said:

Affinity used to really pay attention to feedback so I'm wondering what happened.

I have a feeling  Serif fired half of the staff . They make not enough or something.    We see only minor bugs fixing  no new features really

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, kirk23 said:

We see only minor bugs fixing  no new features really

Really?

Photo 1.9 earlier this year had, for example:

Quote

New Features:

• Live liquify layers (learn more)
• Linked layers (learn more)
• Pattern layers (learn more)
• Stacking for astrophotography (see tutorials here)
• Divide blend mode (learn more)
• Path text added (learn more)
• Windows hardware (GPU) acceleration (for users running Windows 10 (April 2020 update or later) with a Direct3D feature level 12.0 capable card) (learn more)
• Studio Presets for the UI layout to save your favourite workspace setups for different tasks, explained here Studio panel combinations (also learn more)
• Create brushes from current pixel selection (learn more)
• Linked images and Resource Manager (learn more)
• Use filters on masks
• Edit spare channels as layers
• Added per-layer antialiasing controls in the advanced blending menu
• Added export preview panel (for raster types)
• Support PDF passthrough to ensure perfect representation of original PDF when exporting, without the need to have embedded fonts installed
• Benchmarking option to measure speed of your device
• Content sync of store purchases (requires registration)
  This feature is explained in more detail here Sync your Affinity Store resources with your Affinity 1.9 apps