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09-21-2016, 04:04 PM - 1 Like   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by interested_observer Quote
One question that I have is the RAW converter. How does Affinity compare with Capture One and Adobe Camera RAW along with the rest of them?
I'm not a good one to ask. I'm currently devoted to DxO Optics Pro as the first step of my workflow. That being said, there is much complaining online about AP's RAW converter -- I think the reason is pretty obvious: Adobe does much more than just "convert" a RAW file -- they build in a "look" which is frankly an Adobe look (which is analogous to the Kodak film look vs Fuji film look argument back in the day). I don't think AP should attempt to duplicate Adobe's look but rather just provide built in tools to allow the editor to choose which to "improve" the conversion -- which is precisely what they have done. An expert will have no problem using AP as their RAW converter as long as said expert isn't expecting a push-button approach to RAW conversion. I learned the hard way with DxO. At first I couldn't understand how my RAW conversions were worse than Adobe's. After I got over needing to have a push-button solution I learned how the tool really works and today I get consistently superb results. Ideally there would be a smooth/seemless integration between DxO and Affinity, but I'm not counting on it. Instead I'm happy using DxO to get my images 80% there and Affinity to fill in the remaining 20%.

Michael

P.S. one unusual feature of AP I discovered by accident: I always save all my images on a networked SAN. And saving a big file can be slow. With PS each time I save a large file can take a good long while. However with AP only the initial save takes any noticeable time. Subsequent incremental saves are generally instantaneous as only the deltas are saved. This feature alone has sold my on Affinity's approach, which in my experience is unique.

09-22-2016, 07:01 AM   #17
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Thanks everyone for the useful answers! I think I'll end up downloading trials of both LR and Capture One, and see what I think.

Btw - I've also considered using Apple's Pictures as a cataloging and quick editing tool and add plugins or extra programs to that, but I was really put off by how amazingly bad the shadow correction tool of Pictures is compared to Aperture. Where Aperture could do wonders with the dark parts of a ISO 80 K-5 image, Pictures just doesn't touch the darkest parts, so you end up with an ugly image with harsh contrasts. I haven't yet been able to see if this is any better in the interesting new version of Pictures in Sierra, though (because so far I only run Sierra in a VM, where Pictures doesn't work very well).
09-22-2016, 08:08 AM - 1 Like   #18
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Alien Skin just release one Raw developer with the name "exposure 2", i downloaded it and i think is ok for regular use, you can go to their webpage and download the trial.

09-23-2016, 02:51 PM   #19
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Apple's Pictures? Do you mean Photos? (whoever at Apple names things should rot in eternity).

Photos in Sierra got better, but frankly I think it's only useful as a gallery. It's awful for processing, with very little batch support, comparsion tools, etc.

Lr/Ps are simply the standard others are measured by. And the CC thing is especially useful on Macs: Lr Mobile now will process RAW, and can even take DNGs with iPhone cameras, something even Apple's software can't do. Ps is far more capable than Affinity Photo or any other graphic editor. But. If you don't need all that, then maybe something else would suffice. Still, hard to beat the price.

One could do the cheap thing: use Lr after your trial subscription expires. You get all the features except the Map and Develop tools. Then you could buy AP and use that, say. And continue to use Lr for organizing since AP has nothing in the way of organizing and metadata manipulation chops. Or Bridge. Or use DxO for your RAW editing; it's awesome. Especially lens profiles. Or download the Nik suite from google; it's free. Use that with Lr via the plugins.

09-23-2016, 08:58 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Oakland Rob Quote
One could do the cheap thing: use Lr after your trial subscription expires. You get all the features except the Map and Develop tools. Then you could buy AP and use that, say. And continue to use Lr for organizing since AP has nothing in the way of organizing and metadata manipulation chops. Or Bridge. Or use DxO for your RAW editing; it's awesome. Especially lens profiles. Or download the Nik suite from google; it's free. Use that with Lr via the plugins.
I am on a Windows machine, and have a standalone copy of Lr 5.3 I think. I also have Oleno PhotoEngine, and use Microsoft ICE. Once Affinity Photo drops on a Beta, I want to start using it in parallel with Lr to see how everything compares on just straight editing. Want to use it for HDR tone mapping in comparison to Oleno and use it for stitching compared to ICE. I have a set of images already for it - but I need to composite them together (nothing to compare with there). I really do want this thing to work. I have also been looking for sources of video training that is available, to get started. AP has a set of videos on their web site, so that is the starting place.

05-07-2017, 10:58 AM   #21
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For those few who, like me two days ago, are still on Aperture I can say this. Lightroom CC is lightyears ahead. I couldn't believe what I could do to some of those old raw files. I had painstakingly exported all the edited files but I might as well delete them now, they look so much better coming out of lightroom. Takes it to a whole new level
05-07-2017, 11:17 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by rojaba Quote
For those few who, like me two days ago, are still on Aperture I can say this. Lightroom CC is lightyears ahead. I couldn't believe what I could do to some of those old raw files. I had painstakingly exported all the edited files but I might as well delete them now, they look so much better coming out of lightroom. Takes it to a whole new level
This has been my experience since I switched to Lightroom almost 2 years ago...

05-07-2017, 01:55 PM - 1 Like   #23
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Yeah, I agree about Lr. But consider that Aperture has laid there without upgrades for years before it was finally announced it was dead. Other RAW processors have also become much better, like DxO, Capture One, etc.

But the main point I took from it was that my Aperture-processed images, the TIFFs and JPEGs I kept, weren't worth keeping. At first I thought they were useful for comparisons when using new tools on the originals, but over time I stopped even doing that. And part of that is that I'm better at it than I was years ago. Part is the tools. I imagine someone who needs to output the same image they made in Aperture 8 years about probably needs that TIFF they produced, but the rest of us can start over in a lot of situations, if not most.
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