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Serif releases new Affinity Suite update (v1.9)


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Serif releases new Affinity Suite update (v1.9)
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-10-27, 19:16

Pretty awesome!

I think I backed the right horse too.

BTW, I owned/used Pixelmator for quite a few years. It did a fine job, I used it when I was still on illustrator. I’ve never been a huge, serious Photoshop guy, so it was just something I had around for occasional non-vector use. One I realized I needed to move on from Adobe, and I discovered the Affinity stuff, Designer was my primary focus. But I knew I wanted a Photoshop to Designer’s Illustrator, so I switched over to Affinity Photo the next time it went on sale for half off.

I don’t use it anywhere near as much as Designer (same as my Photoshop:Illustrator usage), but I’m sure glad I have it. I did need it this afternoon for a bit and it did great. I’m more comfortable in it than Pixelmator just because of my heavy Designer usage…the two share similar interface, conventions, tools, etc.

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2021-10-27 at 22:00.
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Frank777
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
 
2021-10-27, 21:54

That is fantastic news.

Hard to believe Apple's integrated GPU is outgunning a $6000 desktop GPU, but Affinity is built on ultra-modern code.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-10-27, 22:06

Designer and Photo both fly - and launch in mere seconds - on this 2013 MacBook Pro, so I can only imagine how well they must perform on any modern, AS-based Mac after reading the above.

They’re so nimble and responsive, even on an eight-year-old i5 Mac with 8GB RAM.

Best $50 ($25 x 2) I may have ever spent.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-10-28, 09:12

Lightroom Classic for $49?

I've used a similar seller for Microsoft products steeply discounted.

What I'm wondering is if it wouldn't be worth it to give Lr a shot with this and then when Affinity comes out with something that integrates with their products move over to it. Thoughts?

I used to think these sellers were shysters but that isn't the case for Brytesoft, I'm just not familiar with the seller linked at the top. Seems like the concept is the same as CDKeys and such though.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-10-28, 09:41

How can that be? What’s the catch? There’s always one.

I see where they have CC 2021 Illustrator for the same price ($49…84% off). Lifetime activation, no monthly subscription, etc. There’s just no way that’s true.

Mind you, I’m not even the least bit tempted. I’m Adobe-free and will never go back, for any of a half-dozen reasons.

Too good to be true and I’d spend all my time waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-10-28, 09:46

Brytesoft is clear how they do it, I've just never heard of the first seller I linked. It can be legit for sure, I just don't know anything about the first one so I question it more.

I started with Brytesoft on a sale of Win10 Pro for $5. It was legit, activates and all. From there I got Server 2019 and 5 User CALs.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2021-10-28, 09:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by psmith2.0 View Post
How can that be? What’s the catch? There’s always one.
The catch is that the stand alone Lightroom does not get updates or new features. What you get out of the box is what it will always be. Get a new camera that doesn’t have RAW support? You’re out of luck.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-10-28, 09:52

Hmmm, interesting. I never knew such places existed.

If it’s safe/legit and you can get Lightroom for $49 vs. something Serif hasn’t even hinted at (and may never offer), go for it.

If it all went sideways somehow, a $49 lesson beats a $349+ one.

They’re a bit more vague about things than that Brytesoft explanation/“mission statement”, but they hint at the same sort of thing…passing along savings due to things being sold to them. Just hard to see where anyone is making money.
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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2021-10-28, 10:51

Those places make money because they are selling foreign licences or site licenses they get inexpensively. Most big software company’s have deals for lower income countries, to make the software affordable. Bytesoft and such places then sell those licenses on the open market. It wouldn’t make a lot if they sold say 100, but if they sell a few 100k of a few dozen different pieces of software, it works.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-10-28, 10:53

Ahh! That makes sense now. Thanks.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-10-28, 11:05

I learn something new every day.
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Dr. Bobsky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: UK's most densely packed city. It's not London...
 
2021-10-29, 18:22

That is not a trustworthy website... just dig around a bit...
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Frank777
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
 
2021-11-15, 19:15

I think Paul had mentioned he was waiting on a sale to grab one of the Affinity products he didn't own.

Their website says a Black Friday sale is upcoming...
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-11-15, 19:19

Ah, cool. Thanks. And turtle was also waiting for a good deal.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-11-15, 19:19

I'm looking forward to the sale. I hope it is worth it and worth me waiting. I finally did the demo recently for a photo I needed to adjust. Only have a few more days on it.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-11-15, 19:20

I added the event to my calendar:
Affinity Black Friday Sale - 30% off everything!
Monday the 22nd starting at 6AM EDT.

Not as good as I've seen it but will likely be enough to get me to buy Photo anyway.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-11-15, 19:30

Yeah, it should shake out to about $38.50 if I did the math right (and there's zero guarantee on that, believe me).

I notice that the three apps, both at Serif's website and the Apple App Store have gone up $5 to $54.99. Still a good price for what you get. But, yeah...the 30% off is definitely not the "50% off $50" I was lucky enough to get Designer and Photo for ($25 each!).

I may jump on this. If it were still a $25 buy, a no-brainer. I don't do much layout/document work like I once did, and my cheapness may kick in and balk at the whole $38.50 thing. But it would be nice to have all three, sure enough. I'm thinking as familiar as I've become with the other two, I should slide right into Publisher without much hassle or learning curve.

But for those who have none of these and would like to step off the Adobe merry-go-round, for what these do you can't beat $38.50 with a stick! And those of you on a modern Mac from the past several years, and especially the M1 stuff, you should be very happy with the performance and Snapification™.

PS - Added to my calendar too because I'd forget it, sure as the world, if I didn't.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-11-22, 08:46

I bought Photo this morning. Debating the iPad app too. I mean, it is only $9.99 right now as opposed to $21.99.
Quote:
Best of all, Affinity Photo for iPad does not require any subscription, it’s simply $21.99 – and right now available with 50% off!
I hope they are better with photo software than they are math.

Edit: Never mind, it has family sharing so I bought it too.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-11-23, 13:22

Different company/app, I know, but it still may be of interest to some reading this thread: Pixelmator Pro 2.3 Adds Smart Subject Selection and Background Removal Features, Plus New Select and Mask Tools.

I used Pixelmator for quite a few years (probably 6-8?) until I knew of the Serif Affinity stuff.

Good software too, and I'd still be on it if not for this other. They have a vector drawing component kinda folded into the app (at least the non-Pro version I used years ago). It may be a perfectly suitable solution for many out there...one app to do both.

It's currently a $19.99 purchase (half off) from the Mac App Store (requires macOS 15 Catalina or later). Has a solid 5-out-of-5 star rating.

NOTE: I don't do enough photo/pixel-based work to have any real thoughts on the Pixelmator vs. Affinity Photo thing. My leanings to Serif Affinity is based solely on the vector side of things, as I found Affinity Designer to be a bit more robust and "there" than the included vector stuff in the older non-Pro Pixelmator I was using. YMMV. I've never used Pixelmator Pro.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-11-23, 13:55

Wait, are you saying I bought the wrong software now?

I actually looked at Pixelmator and Luminar through this process, but I really liked the offerings from Affinity as whole more and picked them. Really, they seem like solid apps and the first image I needed to adjust was pretty painless for my first edit. No tutorial and such, just open the file and edit. The others might offer it too, but this seemed like the best option, iOS version included.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-11-23, 14:23

No, not at all. You did well.

I'm just saying that I wouldn't be aware of Serif if not for their Illustrator taker-oner. I snagged the $25 Photo because I occasionally need to do that kind stuff (and it's nice to have an image editor on hand), and I figured "I know Designer, how hard could their pixel-based counterpart be?" Kinda like how if you know Illustrator or Photoshop, the other one is a bit easy to get your head around.

I think there's a lot more bang-for-the-buck with the Serif Affinity stuff. And to have it on the iPad...yeah. I think you'll be happy. I'll open some Designer stuff in Photos to "sweeten" it, or add some shadow or texture effects. They work nicely together. As with Photoshop, I rarely start anything in Photo. But I'll use it to enhance or sweeten the vector work from Designer. And it makes for a nice "real life" training session, having to figure things out as you're doing actual work. I always remember things when they're learned in a "trial by fire" scenario because I'm completely focused and taking in/remembering everything I'm doing.

I'm happy with anything but the big A at this point. I played in their sandbox for nearly a quarter-century. Not looking to pay rent to do so. I like supporting a 12lb. monkey vs. an 800lb (bloated) gorilla, who reaches into my wallet every month.





I struggle with metaphors sometimes.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2022-05-16, 11:05

Spring Sale, 50% off again.
Add-ons too if you want them.

Glad I got my set, wish it was at 50% off though.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2022-05-16, 11:18

Oh wow, that is a steal!!!

I strongly recommend those here who aren't nuts about Adobe's subscription pricing (and general bloat), and who tend to work alone/independently (freelance or in a situation where direct collaboration isn't a must-have, daily part of your work) to give these things a good look, especially at these sale prices!

I'm two-plus years into Designer and one-plus into Photos and I've yet to find myself thinking "damn, I really wish I had Illustrator right now because Designer isn't letting me [fill in the blank]...".

*shrug*

Take it for what it is, but I've been very happy.

Do bear in mind that I happen to match the conditions mentioned above, so YMMV. It's not going to be for those neck-deep into a collaborative, Adobe-based workflow, no. But for those, like me, who aren't, you've got something other than Adobe to get your work done if you don't mind spending a bit of time/re-adjusting and a new interface learning curve (very gentle, IMO). Lots of great resources, from Affinity's site and YouTube...tutorial/example videos galore.

I love these apps. And many here know how much I love(d) Adobe Illustrator. If I jumped ship/made the switch after 20+ years (and I'm an idiot with an increasingly foggy brain/memory), then...
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2022-05-17, 14:35

Is Designer what I would use to make a logo/avatar? I want to make a custom one from pictures I have and such. In the past I've just used PS or Photo to do it, but with Designer on sale it might be worth it for me to get a copy if it will make the task easer.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2022-05-17, 15:29

It's the vector design/Illustrator-y take of the two, so probably (vector, scaleable stuff, with colors, stroke weights, etc. easily changed).

I use Affinity Designer for everything I used to use Adobe Illustrator for: logos, typographic design, icons, maps, infographics, floorplans and architectural elevations, technical/cutaway drawings, any sort of visual-heavy/stylized type projects like posters/show bills, stylized/graphic illustration, caricatures, mockups/"what if?" stuff, etc.

For $26, I may snag that page layout program. I use Pages for most everything these days, but I figured I've got Affinity's Illustrator and Photoshop competitors, I may as well have a solid, InDesign-like layout/publishing package on hand too.

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2022-05-17 at 15:49.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2022-05-17, 15:43

Ok, I went ahead and grabbed the Mac and iPad version. Wasn't planning on it, but at 50% off it just kinda makes sense.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2022-05-17, 15:49

Is it any good with exporting SVG? Is it "I'm a dummy"-compatible?

I don't even remember what it was, but I had this problem the other day where I needed to create a simple graphic, and Inkscape made me feel stupid. I tried an online editor which wasn't great but got me further along. I did not try Illustrator, nor Affinity Designer.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2022-05-17, 17:39

I have to say, I've NEVER been trained on a Designer application but I'm functioning fairly well in Affinity Designer. I'm building that logo/avatar thing I wanted and it just moves where I need and want things to. Pretty straight forward when you hover over the tools what they do. Certainly worth it to download the trial and see if it will do what you want.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2022-05-17, 17:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Is it any good with exporting SVG? Is it "I'm a dummy"-compatible?

I don't even remember what it was, but I had this problem the other day where I needed to create a simple graphic, and Inkscape made me feel stupid. I tried an online editor which wasn't great but got me further along. I did not try Illustrator, nor Affinity Designer.
I’ve never really done that, so I honestly have no answer/insight on that.

As Tony mentions, they offer free trial downloads from their site. Definitely worth giving it a shot. They make it easy to give it a test drive.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2022-05-17, 17:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle View Post
I have to say, I've NEVER been trained on a Designer application but I'm functioning fairly well in Affinity Designer. I'm building that logo/avatar thing I wanted and it just moves where I need and want things to. Pretty straight forward when you hover over the tools what they do. Certainly worth it to download the trial and see if it will do what you want.
Yeah, having to “unlearn” two-plus decades of Illustrator habits/muscle memory/tools and approaches was my biggest hurdle. But Designer seems to have most of the things I used*, even if the approach is slightly different.

The app itself is quite sensible and “helps” you a lot along the way.
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