Using the Pencil definitely beats using a Mac's Trackpad. But is it better than a Mouse, up to you to decide. But I am liking it better. I have used AP with an Apple Smart Mouse with my MBP and the Pencil with my iPP 9.7" and AP for iPad.
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Affinity? Worth it.
- Thread starter stlredbird
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I have been using this for the past couple days and it is simply not stable enough to warrant use. It has crashed numerous times and led to data loss as well having random hangs and lags and freezes.
I also dislike the RAW workflow in this app, it also seems as if I can't pull as much info from the RAW files when using this app vs. using Lightroom on the computer.
Also the smart selection tool and refining tool don't work nearly as well as they demoed at WWDC. I have found even with highly precise selection it still leaves weird halos and doesn't do a great job. It seems almost as if PixelMator does a better job.
Frankly at this point I think I'm going to request a refund and maybe revisit the app in a few months. At the moment it feels like a rushed product and the overall workflow is slightly convoluted in my opinion. Hopefully they make some major improvements over the coming weeks/months.
I also dislike the RAW workflow in this app, it also seems as if I can't pull as much info from the RAW files when using this app vs. using Lightroom on the computer.
Also the smart selection tool and refining tool don't work nearly as well as they demoed at WWDC. I have found even with highly precise selection it still leaves weird halos and doesn't do a great job. It seems almost as if PixelMator does a better job.
Frankly at this point I think I'm going to request a refund and maybe revisit the app in a few months. At the moment it feels like a rushed product and the overall workflow is slightly convoluted in my opinion. Hopefully they make some major improvements over the coming weeks/months.
i bought it as its on sale, but haven't figured out how to use it yet.
Then again, i have the desktop version and fumble through that too (i don't do a heap of photo editing
) so thats likely more my fault than any fault with the app
Then again, i have the desktop version and fumble through that too (i don't do a heap of photo editing
) so thats likely more my fault than any fault with the app Having spent a few hours with affinity it's clear that raw handling is a weak part. On the iPad they use Apple's integrated raw converter, while on the Mac you can choose their own converter, if I remember correctly.
Apple's raw converter does a lot of image processing that you should have had control over yourself, leading to worse image quality than necessary. And they still can't handle chromatic aberration in a useful way.
Stability has been ok for me in my limited testing.
I've been playing around with it for a while now and it seems pretty incredible. I was considering getting a MacBook Air for full photoshop capability because there hasn't been anything like this on ipad yet, but now that affinity is developing apps like this I can skip that $800 purchase. Mine has crashed and its very annoying cause it doesn't save anything, so I would caution against long projects unless you save often. Still very happy with it besides crashing and raw editing. Remember this is a mobile app, it will never truly replace the adobe suite especially on a powerful desktop with large screen. It's close enough for me though and I'm willing to support affinity with $20 to help improve their apps
You can replace Photoshop with it, but not Lightroom and I doubt Affinity's ever going to make anything that'll compete with Lightroom. That's already a very crowded field. I've recently been through a lot of programs trying to find a suitable Aperture replacement and it's hard to find a decent photo management and editing suite. There's lots of stuff that does one or the other well, but most of the programs that do both tend leave something to be desired.
I'm currently using Capture One Pro as my "Lightroom". I'm eager to see what Macphun can contribute when they finally release their photo management functionality for Luminar.
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Oh please let this be awesome!
I can't see how photo management is a crowded field though, so far I know only of Lightroom
Now if only Luminar works on Windows too and/or Affinity works on photo management too... (from their forums, I am seeing posts that hinted at them working on this)
Is anyone else experiencing this with the sliders on the app? I'm using the new iPad Pro 10.5". It's not a major problem but it's slightly annoying. I'm more worried it's an issue with my display than the app itself though.
Excuse the bad video, it was the best I could do at the time
Excuse the bad video, it was the best I could do at the time
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Is anyone else experiencing this with the sliders on the app? I'm using the new iPad Pro 10.5". It's not a major problem but it's slightly annoying. I'm more worried it's an issue with my display than the app itself though.
Excuse the bad video, it was the best I could do at the time
Looks like it's working fine to me. What's the problem? It doesn't track perfectly with the pencil to make it more accurate. It's slower
It was just a little annoying for me personally so wondered if it was supposed to track like this. Especially as if you want to turn a slider all the way up or down, it wasn't a simple one swipe movement.
It's very crowded. Here are a few others off the top of my head:
- Photos
- Corel AfterShot Pro
- Capture One Pro
- Photo Mechanic
- AlienSkin Exposure
- Lightroom
- Capture NX-D
Please give me Affinity Designer first... for around 40 euros as well.
We only have Omnigraffle now and 100 euros is way too much (pro version is). We need some serious vector graphics program.
Thanks for the list! I looked into quite a few of them but so far none are as convenient (or cheap if using Adobe's Photography subscription) as Lightroom. Then again, maybe it is due to the "all-in-one" style of Lightroom that it became one of the slowest software shown here?
I wonder if a combination of Photo Mechanic, Capture One Pro or Affinity Photo and an external panorama software will be good enough to replace Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
Also, FastRawViewer is another interesting (and cheap!) software to look into
Do a search around for people looking for Aperture replacements and you'll find that a common solution is to buy Photo Mechanic and Capture One Pro (or to pair Photo Mechanic with Lightroom).
The speed of Photo Mechanic can't be denied. It is blazing fast and I really wanted to have it as part of my workflow, but it complicated my workflow just enough that I didn't feel it was worth it for the modest volume of photos I take.
If you're looking for alternates, be aware that even if you like the workflow of one of the programs, you need to carefully evaluate how well the program processes your photos. If you take the same RAW image or High Quality JPEG and export it without any adjustments through Capture One Pro, Lightroom, and Corel After Shot, you'll have three images that look noticeably different upon close inspection.
Capture One Pro typically smokes everything else when it comes to output quality. That's one of the key reasons why I went with it. Lightroom's pretty good too, but it's not Capture One Pro. Corel After Shot Pro's output is garbage, which is a huge shame because it has a extremely well designed UI and workflow that is as close to being Aperture as you can get. It's also one of the less expensive options.
I haven't evaluated how good Affinty Photo's output looks. I'm curious. Anyone know how it compares to the likes of Capture One Pro, Photoshop, or Lightroom?
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Sounds like a good workflow, now I just need to worry about migrating from a pure Adobe workflow
Will Affinity be as good as Capture One Pro? I am asking as I need bracketed HDR merge and panorama features, which Affinity has
Check out ON1 Photo RAW. Unlike Lightroom and Capture One, you don't need to import your photos into a library -- you just browse to whichever folders they're stored in. Edits are non-destructive, and ON1 has the most-comprehensive collection of filters and presets I've seen. They issue an update every month with new features. I purchased ON1, Affinity Photo, and Luminar when they were on sale, and each has its strong points. I'm a serious amateur photographer, not a pro, and I'm still trying to figure out the best work flow for me.
Unlike many people, I don't dislike Apple Photos as a DAM, especially since it started supporting external editors. My iPhone photos go right into Photos. With my Sony a6000, I shoot JPG and RAW pairs, import the JPGs into Photos for immediate gratification, and use ON1 to process RAW photos that were shot under challenging lighting conditions. For what I do, the JPGs usually are good enough. However, I might start shooting RAW only and import them into Photos, using my other apps as external editors when necessary.
Thanks, let me check out ON1 too. Currently Affinity and Capture One are tied though seeing how Affinity has almost all of Lightroom's functions except photo management (maybe I should use Photo Mechanic for it?) and Capture One's RAW conversion is simply mind blowing.
I am a Windows user so I cannot comment on Apple Photos unfortunately
I've brought the Affinity Photo app and it is great even on the 1st gen iPad Pro 12.9" i'm looking forward to seeing how it runs when i get my 2nd gen iPad Pro 12.9"
It is a great little app and i personally prefer it to Photo shop Lightroom it's a pro app that makes the iPad Pro a great tablet for work and professionals, i think professional photo editors will love it.
It is a great little app and i personally prefer it to Photo shop Lightroom it's a pro app that makes the iPad Pro a great tablet for work and professionals, i think professional photo editors will love it.
>>> Anyone have thoughts on Affinity Photo vs. Pixelmator? It is AP just in a different league all together?
Good question! I have been using Pixelmator for a while and love it. Recently downloaded Affinity Photo and will continue to explore its features and how to work the interface as I continue using Pixelmator. One thing I noticed right away is that iCloud integration is superior with Pixelmator. This is important so not to use up space on your iPad Pro. All of your files automatically go into iCloud. Pixelmator has mastered this and it's seamless to the user.
I hope both of these apps continue to compete and push each other forward as we gain a true Photoshop competitor for iOS. Currently Pixelmator is my go-to app on iOS and has been for about six months. I use Photoshop on my iMac at work... but I can do everything in Pixelmator. It's a matter of spending time with the app to discover all the features.
Good question! I have been using Pixelmator for a while and love it. Recently downloaded Affinity Photo and will continue to explore its features and how to work the interface as I continue using Pixelmator. One thing I noticed right away is that iCloud integration is superior with Pixelmator. This is important so not to use up space on your iPad Pro. All of your files automatically go into iCloud. Pixelmator has mastered this and it's seamless to the user.
I hope both of these apps continue to compete and push each other forward as we gain a true Photoshop competitor for iOS. Currently Pixelmator is my go-to app on iOS and has been for about six months. I use Photoshop on my iMac at work... but I can do everything in Pixelmator. It's a matter of spending time with the app to discover all the features.