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News: Affinity, the Mac and Windows mind-blowing alternative to Photoshop subscriptions!

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I am happy to bring to readers attention the latest offering from Serif, the Nottingham, U.K., endeavor, from Robin Hood's neighborhood, a feature rich and easy to use photo editing software, worthy of your looking at seriously to cover all of your editing needs if you currently use Photoshop and chafe at the monthly subscription charge.

Kudos to Robert Watcher for recognizing the speed demon qualities of this mature software.



Award-winning Affinity Photo adds powerful new features
Affinity - Jul 19, 2016 14:32 BST


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Affinity Photo, the professional image editing app, gets tons of powerful new features in its next update.

Developer Serif has published a ‘sneak peek’ video detailing what’s new in Affinity Photo v1.5, projected to be available in the Mac App Store in early autumn.

The new features will also be included in the hotly-anticipated Windows version of the software, tipped to be in free public beta around the same time.

Those added features announced today include:

  • Advanced HDR merge producing full 32-bit linear colour space images
  • An entirely new workspace for tone mapping
  • Focus stacking to bring depth to multiple combined images
  • Batch processing for smoother, faster workflow
  • Macros to record and replay a set of commands
  • An all-new way to edit 360 degree images


Watch/download ]the video[/COLOR]: http://vimeo.com/175371036.

Serif Managing Director Ashley Hewson “This will be the fifth major update we’ve pushed out since the launch of Affinity Photo – all free of charge to people who’ve bought the app.

“We’re committed to continuing to develop features that cement the position of Affinity Photo as the most indispensable image editing tool for pros, whether they’re using Mac or PC.”


Chosen as Apple’s ‘App of the Year’ 2015, and ‘Best Imaging Software’ 2016 by the Technical Image Press Association, Affinity Photo’s live retouch tools work in real time and its speed means there’s no waiting to see your results.

Non-destructive editing, raw processing and end-to-end colour management are standard, so Affinity Photo has all the accuracy and quality necessary to make beautiful images spring to life.

Hewson adds: “The success of Affinity Photo and the outstanding reviews we’ve had are proof that it delivers what creative professionals need – thrilling speed, sophisticated tools, pinpoint accuracy and painless compatibility, coupled with an attractive, modern look.”

Affinity Photo is available at a 20% discount price of £29.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 until Thursday, July 21, as part of a promotion to mark its first anniversary, before reverting to £39.99 / $49.99 / €49.99.

That’s the only price customers pay – there’s no subscription – and the v1.5 update will be free to existing customers.

Windows users can register now to take part in the free public beta at affinity.serif.com/windows.


Good luck!


Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,


Award-winning Affinity Photo adds powerful new features
Affinity - Jul 19, 2016 14:32 BST


The new features will also be included in the hotly-anticipated Windows version of the software, tipped to be in free public beta around the same time.

That sounds exciting!

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
I was excited to learn that the public beta of Affinity Designer for Windows was available. I downloaded it, set a Windows restore point in case something went badly awry, and began the installation.

The installer advised me that it would be good to have a Windows "Aero" series theme installed, as otherwise there might be rendering shortcomings and performance problems.

I do not use an "Aero" series theme or any derivative of same, and had no interest in changing my preference in that regard, so I just clicked on "Continue". The Installation proceeded and completed.

I went to start Affinity Designer. I received an error notice saying that I did not have a Windows "Aero" theme in effect, and that was the end. The program would not run.

I uninstalled Affinity Designer Public Beta. I was then advised that the live protection feature of my Norton protective system had been turned off. I attempted to reinstate it, and was advised that the process could not complete.

I restarted Windows, and the Norton "tray" icon advised that the Norton system was happy.

It was a very good experience in that it wasted less than 45 minutes of my time overall, and no adverse side effects have yet turned up.

Next---

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
A lot of folks here simply use Adobe Lightroom as their main photography ledger and editing system.

I split my efforts between Photoshop and Capture One, but bristle at the extra costs.


What's so great about affinity is that it is lightweight in resource needs, works equally well in Mac and Windows worlds and can do some pretty nifty things like focus stacking, in its latest version to be available shortly.

Let us know who is downloading which version and any experiences. I'd love folk to start testing this out, as Robert Watcher did months ago!

Asher
 

Tom dinning

Registrant*
A lot of folks here simply use Adobe Lightroom as their main photography ledger and editing system.

I split my efforts between Photoshop and Capture One, but bristle at the extra costs.


What's so great about affinity is that it is lightweight in resource needs, works equally well in Mac and Windows worlds and can do some pretty nifty things like focus stacking, in its latest version to be available shortly.

Let us know who is downloading which version and any experiences. I'd love folk to start testing this out, as Robert Watcher did months ago!

Asher

Bristle, indeed, Ash. Even a pensioner like I can afford $10/month. That leaves me with $5 for my other expenses.
There is usually something over the fence, or at the end of the rainbow, or whatever metaphor is current, to do 'better' than the last, but, alas, I still can't get my shite photos to look good and the good ones usually come out that way with the minimum of adjustments.
I downloaded the beta version to have a look. The students will ask questions of me. They are on to me if I make up an answer, which I often do.

The program comes up pretty enough on the face of it. Everything seems accessible and easy to use. A few new tricks that I'm not likely to use unless I want to impress someone. My pictures still look the same.

Here. its about $120 up front, depending on the value of the $AU. That's consistent with PS for a year.
If I buy it and die next week, I've lost the lot. At least with PS I have left strict orders for Christine to cancel all my subscription before she buries me or whatever she decides to do with the body. I don't ask.

I've grown up. digitally, with PS. I'm too old to change my ways.

Others will be motivated by promises and humbug.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well Tom,

Sad that you have a horrible exchange rate in Darwin. US$40 should be AUS$53!

So it appears that they triple the price through the Apple App Store? Is that it?

Since economics, (and the pending visit of that hooded man with the scythe and gnarled dry finger coldly beckoning you to step off the tour bus), consider that as Affonity is a speed demon, you will get more work done and even frighten the bugger away completely!

Asher
 

Tom dinning

Registrant*
Well Tom,

Sad that you have a horrible exchange rate in Darwin. US$40 should be AUS$53!

So it appears that they triple the price through the Apple App Store? Is that it?

Since economics, (and the pending visit of that hooded man with the scythe and gnarled dry finger coldly beckoning you to step off the tour bus), consider that as Affonity is a speed demon, you will get more work done and even frighten the bugger away completely!

Asher

Taxes, my friend, and we seem only to purchase through Europe at 77EU. Not available from the US.
World economy. Who will ever understand it?

Less work is the aim. The less I do the less people have to complain about.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Taxes, my friend, and we seem only to purchase through Europe at 77EU. Not available from the US.
World economy. Who will ever understand it?

Less work is the aim. The less I do the less people have to complain about.

I will contact Serif about this price differential. Flummoxes me!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
I have inquired on the Affinity support board about the absolute requirement, for the Windows Public Beta version, that the host machine be operating under an "Aero" theme.

Mark Ingraham replied:

Hi Doug, we've discussed this issue on the forum before in other places, but essentially, in order for Windows to support a non-Aero theme on Windows Vista and above, it uses a different graphics driver, one which gives severe performance and rendering problems. As we want to know about genuine problems with the application, and we want it to run at maximum speed, we won't allow the application to run with Aero disabled.​


I replied:

Gotcha.

Do I gather from your comments that this restriction might be planned for the beta only, to assure that beta test reports are under an "optimal" configuration?

If so, is it possible that the limitation might be relieved for the release (presumably subject to the caveat that a non-Aero context might result in less-than-optimum performance)?​


Mark replied:

Hi Doug, we have discussed it, but no decision has been made yet.​


Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Asher,

Australian customers shouldn't be able to pay in Euros?!

The guide price there is 80 Australian Dollars (around 53 Euros at today's exchange rate).

If you have any details of someone in Australia having to pay in Euros, and at that price, I'd certainly like to hear about it.

Our guide prices are available here: http://press.affinity.serif.com/documents/affinity-guide-pricing-structure-june-2016-57112

Best wishes,
John

JOHN ATKIN
Head of PR

affinity.serif.com | Follow us @MacAffinity | Follow me @JohnAtkinPR | Affinity Photo on Vimeo | Affinity Designer on Vimeo

Telephone +44 (0) 115 914 9006
Mobile +44 (0) 7804 689038
Serif (Europe) Ltd, Nottingham, UK, NG11 7EP


-----Original Message-----
From: Asher Kelman [mailto:med007@mac.com]
Sent: 21 July 2016 15:58
To: John Atkin <john@serif.com>
Subject: Prices in Australia

Hi John,

I have folk talking me that Affinity costs ~ Euro 77 in Australia. Is this true?

Asher

Sent from my iPhone
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Evidently the "Aero theme" issue is not the theme itself but rather that Windows 7, when an Aero theme is in use (and maybe some others), engages a new "indirect" (my term) screen rendering engine, which Aero themes require, and which Affinity draws upon.

In Windows 8 and 10, which do not have Aero themes at all (I guess that turned out to be as dumb as it seemed to me), this new rendering engine is nevertheless engaged all the time. (It apparently has various overall advantages.)

And in fact, in my Windows 7, it seems as if it may be engaged (even though I don't have an Aero theme in place).

So maybe, in Windows 7, Affinity checks to see if an Aero theme is in effect, rather than checking for what it actually needs.

I'm still sorting this out via Mark at Affinity, who has been very helpful.

All his machines are Windows 10, so . . .

It's always something!

Best regards,

Doug
 

Tom dinning

Registrant*
Now I am totally confused.

I cannot find any reference to a Windows version of Affinity anywhere.
All I get is a download link to Mac.

If I go to Serif the only photo editing for Windows is Photo Plus.

Has someone forgotten Australia?
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Tom,

Now I am totally confused.

I cannot find any reference to a Windows version of Affinity anywhere.
All I get is a download link to Mac.

Have you seen your physician about this problem?

But, in any case:


This is of course regarding the beta version of same. For the gamma version you will need to wait 'til next week. And for upsilon, well . . .

Has someone forgotten Australia?

Oh, I suspect so. Yes, there was this fellow I met once in San Francisco that I think said he had forgotten Australia.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Tom dinning

Registrant*
Hi, Tom,



Have you seen your physician about this problem?

But, in any case:


This is of course regarding the beta version of same. For the gamma version you will need to wait 'til next week. And for upsilon, well . . .



Oh, I suspect so. Yes, there was this fellow I met once in San Francisco that I think said he had forgotten Australia.

Best regards,

Doug

Bless your well-engineered heart, Dougy. It has finally surfaced on my computer with your well guided link.

I'll get Telstra on to repairing the plumbing between here and the US.


I am reminded of some bloke who forget his heart in SanFancisco and left it behind. Was it the same bloke?


xxxx
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Tom,

Bless your well-engineered heart, Dougy. It has finally surfaced on my computer with your well guided link.

I'll get Telstra on to repairing the plumbing between here and the US.


I am reminded of some bloke who forget his heart in SanFancisco and left it behind. Was it the same bloke?[/quote]

Why yes, I believe so.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Tom,

If you do download the Public Beta version of Affinity Designer for Windows, let me know how you make out with the "Aero theme" requirement issue.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Benny Angene

New member
Thanks! That looks pretty interesting. I may have to give that a try on some of my wedding photos. I had a major data failure recently and my file had to be sent to Adobe to repair it, which they did, but all of the edits for the wedding I was working on at the time were gone. They say it rarely happens...I just wish it wasn't to me when I was under a deadline.
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Well, it turns out that (to keep things simple):

• With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Aero scheme paradigm.

• At the same time, they introduced (in order to support the new paradigm) a new rendering engine, mainly involving the Desktop Window Manager, which allows the use of hardware acceleration to render the Windows GUI. This is required for the operation of the Aero schemes. It is (in Windows Vista and Windows 7) not put into play unless an Aero style scheme is in use.

In Windows 8 (I think) and 10, this new rendering engine is in use regardless of the type of scheme in use.

• Affinity Designer depends on this new rendering engine for its operation. Ergo, in Windows 7, one must have an Aero scheme in use before Affinity Designer will operate (and in fact, one must be in place or Affinity Designer cannot be installed).

************

In the past, I have resisted the use of an Aero scheme in my Windows 7 system for various reasons. However, I have made peace with Aero schemes (especially as I have found out that I can decline some of their overly cute Aero-ness with proper settings).

Accordingly, I have been able to install and run the latest version of the public beta edition of Affinity Designer.

I will say that while it in fact may be speedy in doing its work, it takes a helluva long time to load!

I have not yet tried to do anything with it, and of course it will take a while to learn how it works. I understand that it has a generally Photoshop-like user paradigm, but of course I hardly ever used Photoshop, so that isn't much help.

But when I get it to spell "cat", I'll let you know my observations.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
While Affinity Designer has many of the features and functionalities of Photoshop and other "photo editor" applications, its publisher describes it as a "vector illustration and editing program".

The sister photo editing program is Affinity Photo (duh!). Like Affinity Designer, it is currently only available for Mac platforms.

A public beta of Affinity Photo for Windows is expected to emerge later this year.

My apologies for getting myself, and maybe you as well, confused about this.

Andy Somerfield, of Serif (the publisher of the "Affinity" line of products) said on their support forum on June 3, 2016:

"Affinity Photo on Windows will enter public beta for Windows later this year . . ."​

Yes, I know it is now "later this year". But not that much later, evidently.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
The important advance, my friend, is that Affinity, in both forms offers viable alternative in photo editing, likely based on fresh code by one team. This bodes well for photographers and will stimulate further advances.

Thank you Affinity!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
A public beta version of Affinity Photo for Windows is now available from Serif.

It is available here:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/windows/

As is the case with Affinity Designer, under Windows 7 one must have in effect an "Aero" theme for Affinity Photo to run. The reason, as I discussed earlier, is that Windows 7 uses an advanced rendering engine but only when an Aero theme is in effect. Affinity Photo depends on and requires that rendering engine.

As I understand it, under Windows 8 or 10 that advanced rendering engine is always in effect, regardless of the theme type in effect (and I think that in those two Windows versions there are not Aero themes).

I have acquired and installed this pubic beta version of Affinity Photo, but owing to pressure of other concerns here I have not had chance to do any editing work with it. When I do get to try it out, I will report my observations here.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
A public beta version of Affinity Photo for Windows is now available from Serif.

It is available here:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/windows/


.......................

Doug,

Looking forward to your experience with Affinity!

This software is not merely competent and fast, it allows more folk to do creative "photoshopping" without facing the economic strain of monthly payments that never stop! I like both the competition in the marketplace as well as the democratization of advanced image preparation.

I encourage everyone to get their copy and take advantage of this wonderful advance!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I would also add to this alternative to Photoshop, (which I am addicted too), the ON1 photo editing suite. They also have RAW development capability that's sophisticated and great tutorials to make your transition painless.

But I believe that Affinity is equally brilliant and we are fortunate to have choices!

Asher
 
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