Affinity Photo v2

Digital Nigel said:

Toermalijn said:

Ergo607 said:

James Ritson said:

Ergo607 said:

DannH said:

Hi,

I currently use Capture One as my main raw photo editing software, with Affinity photo sometimes used for it's improved cloning tool or the occasional photo manipulation with blending more than 1 image.

I've downloaded the trial version of the new release, which i'll experiment with over the next couple of weeks. I can see there are lots of updated features from the website, but i'd be interested to know what people are finding the biggest improvements with the new version compared to the original?

Thanks

Click to expand...

A bunch of new features which I am currently trying to decipher.

I'd be most interested in hearing how the non-destructive RAW handles performance-wise (especially IQ, since v1 was a bit lacklustre...)

Click to expand...

Hi, non-destructive RAW doesn't have any impact on performance: instead of creating a pixel layer named Background when you develop, you instead get a "RAW Layer" that you can use to re-enter the Develop Persona and re-develop the image. This video explains it and shows some useful workflow ideas:

Click to expand...

Watched the video. So they didn't change anything to how RAW files are handled? That is a shame, because that is my main gripe with Affinity. I use C1, but sometimes it's handy to be able to develop in Affinity (eg. when a file is not supported by C1.) As it stands, RAW development is so poor in Affinity that it is next to unusable.

Digital Nigel said:

If you choose to embed the RAW data, that will increase your document file size, but you can set it to linked to mitigate this.

Click to expand...

Are these saved as DNG?

Digital Nigel said:

Hope that helps,
James

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

No, as a Affinity standard file format.

You can choose between sidecar file or file saved within the image.

Click to expand...

It's not a conventional sidecar file. Instead, the raw development steps will be saved within the .afphoto file, not an external sidecar file.

Digital Nigel said:

Export is the way to save the image/file in another format.

Click to expand...

The key thing is that Export saves the final, processed image, while the .afphoto file saves all the edit steps in a non-destructive way.

Click to expand...

Are ALL development steps (for ALL programs) saved in this one mentioned file ?

Vernon D Rainwater said:

Digital Nigel said:

Toermalijn said:

Ergo607 said:

James Ritson said:

Ergo607 said:

DannH said:

Hi,

I currently use Capture One as my main raw photo editing software, with Affinity photo sometimes used for it's improved cloning tool or the occasional photo manipulation with blending more than 1 image.

I've downloaded the trial version of the new release, which i'll experiment with over the next couple of weeks. I can see there are lots of updated features from the website, but i'd be interested to know what people are finding the biggest improvements with the new version compared to the original?

Thanks

Click to expand...

A bunch of new features which I am currently trying to decipher.

I'd be most interested in hearing how the non-destructive RAW handles performance-wise (especially IQ, since v1 was a bit lacklustre...)

Click to expand...

Hi, non-destructive RAW doesn't have any impact on performance: instead of creating a pixel layer named Background when you develop, you instead get a "RAW Layer" that you can use to re-enter the Develop Persona and re-develop the image. This video explains it and shows some useful workflow ideas:

Click to expand...

Watched the video. So they didn't change anything to how RAW files are handled? That is a shame, because that is my main gripe with Affinity. I use C1, but sometimes it's handy to be able to develop in Affinity (eg. when a file is not supported by C1.) As it stands, RAW development is so poor in Affinity that it is next to unusable.

Vernon D Rainwater said:

If you choose to embed the RAW data, that will increase your document file size, but you can set it to linked to mitigate this.

Click to expand...

Are these saved as DNG?

Vernon D Rainwater said:

Hope that helps,
James

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

No, as a Affinity standard file format.

You can choose between sidecar file or file saved within the image.

Click to expand...

It's not a conventional sidecar file. Instead, the raw development steps will be saved within the .afphoto file, not an external sidecar file.

Vernon D Rainwater said:

Export is the way to save the image/file in another format.

Click to expand...

The key thing is that Export saves the final, processed image, while the .afphoto file saves all the edit steps in a non-destructive way.

Click to expand...

Are ALL development steps (for ALL programs) saved in this one mentioned file ?

Click to expand...

I'm not certain — I'd have to do an experiment to be sure.

Digital Nigel said:

Vernon D Rainwater said:

Digital Nigel said:

Toermalijn said:

Ergo607 said:

James Ritson said:

Ergo607 said:

DannH said:

Hi,

I currently use Capture One as my main raw photo editing software, with Affinity photo sometimes used for it's improved cloning tool or the occasional photo manipulation with blending more than 1 image.

I've downloaded the trial version of the new release, which i'll experiment with over the next couple of weeks. I can see there are lots of updated features from the website, but i'd be interested to know what people are finding the biggest improvements with the new version compared to the original?

Thanks

Click to expand...

A bunch of new features which I am currently trying to decipher.

I'd be most interested in hearing how the non-destructive RAW handles performance-wise (especially IQ, since v1 was a bit lacklustre...)

Click to expand...

Hi, non-destructive RAW doesn't have any impact on performance: instead of creating a pixel layer named Background when you develop, you instead get a "RAW Layer" that you can use to re-enter the Develop Persona and re-develop the image. This video explains it and shows some useful workflow ideas:

Click to expand...

Watched the video. So they didn't change anything to how RAW files are handled? That is a shame, because that is my main gripe with Affinity. I use C1, but sometimes it's handy to be able to develop in Affinity (eg. when a file is not supported by C1.) As it stands, RAW development is so poor in Affinity that it is next to unusable.

Digital Nigel said:

If you choose to embed the RAW data, that will increase your document file size, but you can set it to linked to mitigate this.

Click to expand...

Are these saved as DNG?

Digital Nigel said:

Hope that helps,
James

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

No, as a Affinity standard file format.

You can choose between sidecar file or file saved within the image.

Click to expand...

It's not a conventional sidecar file. Instead, the raw development steps will be saved within the .afphoto file, not an external sidecar file.

Digital Nigel said:

Export is the way to save the image/file in another format.

Click to expand...

The key thing is that Export saves the final, processed image, while the .afphoto file saves all the edit steps in a non-destructive way.

Click to expand...

Are ALL development steps (for ALL programs) saved in this one mentioned file ?

Click to expand...

I'm not certain — I'd have to do an experiment to be sure.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply.

James Ritson said:

James Ritson said:

Watched the video. So they didn't change anything to how RAW files are handled? That is a shame, because that is my main gripe with Affinity. I use C1, but sometimes it's handy to be able to develop in Affinity (eg. when a file is not supported by C1.) As it stands, RAW development is so poor in Affinity that it is next to unusable.

Click to expand...

No, our Develop Persona is still the same with some minor tweaks under the hood. What do you find poor about the development quality?

Click to expand...

Demosaicing for Fuji X-Trans is fair. It's not excellent and I've encountered problems with highlight reconstruction that alternative software processors handle effortlessly.

So I open a raw file in AP, let's say a CR2. First step I'd take in ACR, or ON1, or C1, or PL6, or pretty much any raw conversion software would be to select the input profile. So AP fails right at step one.

Well, not having a selection of input profiles isn't a huge fault since there's plenty of profiles available online and I can even make my own -- just import an external profile and...... Oh cr*p, seriously I can't even use my own?!

I photograph most anything but my wife is a major gardener and so I photograph a lot of flowers. A classic problem we digital photographers encounter occurs with highly saturated reds/magentas in a photo. Just do a Google search on red knockout roses and look at all the phone pics and camera JPEGs. Fortunately we can process a raw file and use the HSL tool to target the problem oversaturation and, Oh cr*p! where's the HSL tool? And don't tell me it's in the Photo Persona. I need it before the raw data is converted.

James Ritson said:

I generally use it to 'shape' an image and then take the editing further non-destructively with layers:

Click to expand...

AP is stressing that the new raw development option and AP proper are non-destructive editing tools. That's not 100% the case. In a raw workflow AP becomes a destructive editor in certain circumstances and there's no work around to prevent that. It's partially non-destructive. The new raw options are a good step and should be lauded as such. In a raw workflow AP has moved from 100% forced destructive to partially non-destructive and that's positive.

James Ritson said:

it doesn't add any sharpening by default, so images look unsharp, but that is their natural appearance (at least with the demosaicing method we implemented). If you ever look at the basic demosaiced RAW image using something like FastRawViewer, it will corroborate this, especially since you can use the J key to quickly toggle between RAW and JPEG versions and see the difference in sharpness and noise.

There is optional sharpening on the Details panel you can use, but we've chosen to let the user decide exactly how they want to sharpen their final image. I usually do my sharpening as a final step, typically using stacked high pass filters with a Soft Light blend mode, as it produces a really nice fine detail sharpening without looking too exaggerated or overcooked. You can record these operations using macros so it's not a time-consuming process.

James Ritson said:

James Ritson said:

If you choose to embed the RAW data, that will increase your document file size, but you can set it to linked to mitigate this.

Click to expand...

Are these saved as DNG?

Click to expand...

No, a copy of the RAW data will be serialised and stored internally within the document. If the user chooses linked, then it will find and re-load the RAW file from its original file path when re-developing (if the file is not present, the user will be prompted to locate it).

Thanks,
James

Click to expand...

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Any reason not to upgrade? Seems solid so far, from everything posted so far.

I use GIMP more than Affinity Photo, but that's no reason to avoid V2. I'm also interested in the other programs as alternatives to Visio, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

So does Affinity, which gives you both options.

Digital Nigel said:

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

So does Affinity, which gives you both options.

Click to expand...

Cool !

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

Your Post makes me wonder how does Photoshop (even the older versions such as CS6) compare (regarding usable features) to this discussed version 2 program. The cost of these versions certainly are (were) somewhat different.

--
Vernon...

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

So does Affinity, which gives you both options.

Click to expand...

Cool !

Click to expand...

Here's an example. I decided to remove the stature from this image:


Remove the stature (it's harder than it looks)


I selected the statue (very easily) and used the Inpaint command to automatically remove it in one click. It did half the job, so I then used the Inpainting and Clone brush tools to finish the job:




Touched up the auto fill with the Clone and Inpainting brushes

[SIZE=11px] [/SIZE] Digital Nigel said:

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

So does Affinity, which gives you both options.

Click to expand...

Cool !

Click to expand...

Here's an example. I decided to remove the stature from this image:


Remove the stature (it's harder than it looks)


I selected the statue (very easily) and used the Inpaint command to automatically remove it in one click. It did half the job, so I then used the Inpainting and Clone brush tools to finish the job:


Touched up the auto fill with the Clone and Inpainting brushes

Click to expand...

Not bad.
I tried this statue shot in Photoshop CS6 and this is the result, a quicky, no touch ups, just several selections and content aware fills.




Content Aware Fill Photoshop CS6

Affinity V1 erase then inpaint. Could refine as well next.

Vernon D Rainwater said:

Photato said:

Digital Nigel said:

Serif tweet: We’re pleased to let you know we have decided to run the 40% off launch offer until 14th December to give those who have taken a 30-day trial time to use it before the offer expires.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592139975918690305

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I was going to ask this question, now I know since I’m still on the fence to buy it.

I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 for 10 years now, but is getting long in the tooth, although still surprisingly functional.

AP, have modern tools like editing 360 Spherical, updated Raw support which are lacking in PS CS6. But I’d hate to go through the learning curve of another software with lots of overlap functionality

Despite the 10 years gap, I think PS content aware removal tool still remains superior, it lets you work with selections which is more precise instead of brushes.

Click to expand...

Your Post makes me wonder how does Photoshop (even the older versions such as CS6) compare (regarding usable features) to this discussed version 2 program. The cost of these versions certainly are (were) somewhat different.

Click to expand...

I have CS6 but don't even bother to install it these days I just use AP.

Ian

Really? So You can tell, what issue of AP2 is discussed here, on the basis of the thread title only?

Be aware that the issue wit long start is perhaps still no solved?


Signature

Gather that for most the basic program Affinity 2 photo is what most would use—- I see it is on sale for $56.99 CDN. I have Adobe PS Elements 2022 which is non subscription so where in my work flow would I use thisAffinity 2 program. I also have the Topaz bundle including A1 Photo which was free add one as had other bundle already. Looking at paying for annual upgrade bundle on sale for Black Friday. Would Affinity 2 be redundant in my case?

WhistlerNorth said:

Gather that for most the basic program Affinity 2 photo is what most would use—- I see it is on sale for $56.99 CDN. I have Adobe PS Elements 2022 which is non subscription so where in my work flow would I use thisAffinity 2 program. I also have the Topaz bundle including A1 Photo which was free add one as had other bundle already. Looking at paying for annual upgrade bundle on sale for Black Friday. Would Affinity 2 be redundant in my case?

Click to expand...

Affinity Photo fills the same editing niche as PSE, though functionally it's closer to PS. So, if you're happy with PSE, then you probably don't have a need for AP. But if you feel you need more functionality, then AP2 might be worth a look.

Affinity has two other products in its suite, and they're highly integrated, but that would only be relevant if you could use a sophisticated vector designer and desktop publisher. They all also work on the iPad if that's useful.

WhistlerNorth said:

Gather that for most the basic program Affinity 2 photo is what most would use—- I see it is on sale for $56.99 CDN. I have Adobe PS Elements 2022 which is non subscription so where in my work flow would I use thisAffinity 2 program. I also have the Topaz bundle including A1 Photo which was free add one as had other bundle already. Looking at paying for annual upgrade bundle on sale for Black Friday. Would Affinity 2 be redundant in my case?

Click to expand...

AP2 editing functions are similar to PS. Elements has a reduced editing capability compared to AP2 but you may not need the extra functionality which I believe, is largely in 16bit edits.

If Serif continue with how they operated with AP V1 then you will get several years of free updates rather than having to pay each year if you want the latest version.

Costs in the UK currently are AP2 - £37 vs Elements for £86.

My personal experience I bought AP V1 in 2016 for around £30 and have upgraded to V2.

6 Years of AP V1 works out to £5 per year, that's a pretty good deal and I am happy to support Serif.

Ian

Digital Nigel said:

WhistlerNorth said:

Gather that for most the basic program Affinity 2 photo is what most would use—- I see it is on sale for $56.99 CDN. I have Adobe PS Elements 2022 which is non subscription so where in my work flow would I use thisAffinity 2 program. I also have the Topaz bundle including A1 Photo which was free add one as had other bundle already. Looking at paying for annual upgrade bundle on sale for Black Friday. Would Affinity 2 be redundant in my case?

Click to expand...

Affinity Photo fills the same editing niche as PSE, though functionally it's closer to PS. So, if you're happy with PSE, then you probably don't have a need for AP. But if you feel you need more functionality, then AP2 might be worth a look.

Affinity has two other products in its suite, and they're highly integrated, but that would only be relevant if you could use a sophisticated vector designer and desktop publisher. They all also work on the iPad if that's useful.

Click to expand...

Affinity Photo is much more complete than PSE. It is closer to Photoshop CC. PSE doesn't even handle 16 bit images for some functions.