Affinity.

**baro-nite** · 03-06-2018, 09:16 AM

My views are similar to Steve's: Affinity is a very capable raster editor in Photo persona, but my exploration of the Develop persona hasn't convinced me to change from my default raw converter (Iridient Developer). Admittedly, I didn't try as hard as I would have if I didn't already have a raw workflow I'm happy with, but I found it non-intuitive and slow.

Actually one area where my experience differs from Steve's is the speed of launching the application, 5-6 seconds on my 2014 MacBook Pro, not the fastest MBP even for that vintage. (It is pretty speedy, though, thanks to the SSD.)

PDL · 03-06-2018, 02:39 PM - **1 Like**

I use Affinity Photo in combination with Capture One Pro. My use of Affinity is primarily for adding text (think Christmas Cards) and creating Panorama's. I also have a copy of Lightroom v6 perpetual license that I use for panoramas too. The Panorama tool in Affinity gives you more overall control of the process than Lightroom v6. The major issue I have with Affinity is the lack of exporting as .DNG. In Affinity I have to create the panorama and export it as a TIFF back into Capture One to conform with my workflow. However, Affinity will strip out most if not all of the metadata (Composite and Maker Notes especially) of the TIFF information. You lose lens information, GPS (I have a K-3II) and more subtle metadata that can become a real pain to get back into the file. Affinity also has very poor support for graphics tablets. I don't know about its ability to print using printer icc files as I use Capture One for printing (exporting files for printing via outsourced printers).

I do not, nor have I ever, used Photoshop (although I bought Elements in a moment of madness, it lasted two weeks on my computer). I don't really like using pixel based, destructive, have to create a "intermittent" file that tracks every darn click and brush stroke in a file. Affinity does this too, drives me up the wall. Affinity does not support a DAM (Digital Asset Manager) function so each image is basically on its own. I bought Affinity as a Lightroom replacement (Adobe licensing and feature death) and other than using it as a panorama and text overlay editor it is serving its purpose well.

stevebrot · 03-07-2018, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by baro-nite

Actually one area where my experience differs from Steve's is the speed of launching the application, 5-6 seconds on my 2014 MacBook Pro, not the fastest MBP even for that vintage. (It is pretty speedy, though, thanks to the SSD.)

I am using the Windows version (prior to v1.5.x, Affinity Photo was Mac-only) on Win 7 Pro 64-bit. Hardware-wise, I built the box spring of 2014...Intel Core i5-4670, 3.40 GHz mated to an Asus MB (Intel Z87 chipset), no SSD, 8GB memory. HD write speed is limiting due to MB-based RAID-1, but reads are snappy and the rest of the system performance is quite capable for other than hard-core gaming.

I suspect the slow start-up is related to the port to Windows.

Steve

stevebrot · 03-07-2018, 08:29 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

RAW processing (Develop "persona") with Affinity is worth exploring just so one is clear why it is not worth using

There was a comment (now deleted) asking for specifics. I was purposefully vague on this point because my assessment might be due to how I use Lightroom. Here are a few details:

My impression is that the "Develop Persona" is part of the product for the purpose of convenience and perhaps to show that the tech is within their capabilities
Lack of a built-in image browser severely hampers the utility of Develop
Image zoom requires memory of keyboard shortcuts, menu navigation, a slider control, or direct %-age entry
Lack of camera-specific profile provisions. Presets are supported as are custom ICC profiles
Lack of provisions for lens profiles
Region specific reading of RGB/histogram location is not supported
No "dropper" for curve/histogram adjustment
No provision for soft-proofing or virtual copies
Noise reduction and sharpening is rudimentary
History includes interface stuff not related to image manipulation and lacks information about the recorded actions

I could go on, but my assessment is that the Develop Persona is not a mature module and that even the most fundamental tasks are poorly supported. ACR, it ain't. That being said, if someone likes it, I would be the last to argue that it sucks for everyone. I can use it in a pinch.

Steve

**mattb123** · 03-07-2018, 11:31 AM - **1 Like**

I just timed Affinity 1.6.2 startup on my Windows 10 PC and it is a little slow to start but not nearly as bad as yours. It took about 10s on a similarly spec'd i5 but I have a SSD and 16GB RAM so that probably accounts for most of the difference. It also just prompted me to download version 1.6.3 so I did and starting that version was a couple of seconds faster but that may be because of shared components between the versions having already loaded into memory or something like that.

**sbh** · 03-07-2018, 03:00 PM

I use Affinity Photo and Capture One for all my work. For me it's the best combo for workfow and image quality. The easy use of focus stacking in Photo is worth a mention.

HoundFrog · 03-21-2018, 05:10 PM

I tried a trial, and am very impressed. This program fits my bill exactly: advanced layers-based technique, all the color spaces but no unnecessary(for me) 3D stuff etc. Not so powerful raw processing but I use RT or RPP anyway.
Gonna buy it.

pklax · 03-21-2018, 06:14 PM

I use Affinity and find it quite capable for my needs. And I agree with poster sbh, in that focus stacking (I used it for the first time today) is a breeze.

maw · 03-22-2018, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

...Intel Core i5-4670, 3.40

Hi Steve,

Also I have a laptop, Acer Aspire 7750G.... 17 inch core i5 and 8 gb ram, I bought it in 2012/13. I find the Affinity a bit slow at startup and generally with the pre and post development phases,
the reason being that it doesn't detect the graphics card while it only detects the integrated card the HD 3000 intel (not the HD 6650 M).

While Photoshop 2018 is faster, this is because it recognizes the AMD Radeon HD 6650 M card.

I can say in favour of Affinity that it is a young software and born with the intention of emulating at least in part Photoshop.
We give a little time, then if they listen to the advice of users I think things will improve. Don't you think so?

By the way! If I can tonight, I'll put the link to the photos of the house and the fictional flag...

guinnessman · 03-24-2018, 07:15 AM

I bought Affinity for the dehaze function more or less. It reminds me a lot of PS Elements, and I can get some more granular tweaks than from LR, I generally use it for when I have lousy mid sun.

**BruceBanner** · 03-27-2018, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by guinnessman

I bought Affinity for the dehaze function more or less. It reminds me a lot of PS Elements, and I can get some more granular tweaks than from LR, I generally use it for when I have lousy mid sun.

So it's better than LR's Dehaze you reckon?

**mattb123** · 03-27-2018, 01:22 PM

I noticed better filename handling when coming from Lightroom after the last update. That's nice.

guinnessman · 04-01-2018, 05:59 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by BruceBanner

So it's better than LR's Dehaze you reckon?

To be honest, I stopped at LR 5, so I don't know how it compares to LR 6/CC, but it's been able to improve contrast for me in skies.

I probably don't make as much use of all it's features as I could, as I prefer minimal PP (and can directly export to my Google or Onedrive account from LR), but for the cost, I like it. Devs are good at releasing updates too.

**David T** · 04-13-2018, 11:37 AM - **1 Like**

I use 1.6.4 version of Affinity Photo for Windows at present . Affinity is a fairly young program developed by Serif and has replaced their Photo Plus photo editing software series. Having used the program for about a year, it is my go to photo editing software.

The raw editing works really well for me, and after developing my raw editing, it takes me from the Develop Persona (raw editing) into the Photo Persona for further editing. In searching all the raw editing folder options (basic, lens, details, tones, and overlays), the slider options within each folder are numerous. In the Photo Persona environment the live filter layers are great to work with, as well as the tradition adjustment layers.

The stacking option in Affinity does a really nice job of stacking and is easy to use. I don't use it often, but when I do it doesn't disappoint.

tibbitts · 04-13-2018, 06:57 PM

I just downloaded the 10-day trial. Admittedly I haven't studied it or bought the Affinity book, but so far it doesn't seem too intuitive. Also my DNG files are displayed with a white line along the left-side border, I'm not sure what's with that. I've used Elements, Faststone, Corel, and DxO - so far this seems somewhat more difficult to use, or at least more different from those than they are from each other.

03-07-2018, 08:29 AM	#19
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by stevebrot RAW processing (Develop "persona") with Affinity is worth exploring just so one is clear why it is not worth using There was a comment (now deleted) asking for specifics. I was purposefully vague on this point because my assessment might be due to how I use Lightroom. Here are a few details: My impression is that the "Develop Persona" is part of the product for the purpose of convenience and perhaps to show that the tech is within their capabilities Lack of a built-in image browser severely hampers the utility of Develop Image zoom requires memory of keyboard shortcuts, menu navigation, a slider control, or direct %-age entry Lack of camera-specific profile provisions. Presets are supported as are custom ICC profiles Lack of provisions for lens profiles Region specific reading of RGB/histogram location is not supported No "dropper" for curve/histogram adjustment No provision for soft-proofing or virtual copies Noise reduction and sharpening is rudimentary History includes interface stuff not related to image manipulation and lacks information about the recorded actions I could go on, but my assessment is that the Develop Persona is not a mature module and that even the most fundamental tasks are poorly supported. ACR, it ain't. That being said, if someone likes it, I would be the last to argue that it sucks for everyone. I can use it in a pinch. Steve

03-22-2018, 02:12 PM	#24
maw Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Sassari (Italy) Posts: 1,118	Originally posted by stevebrot ...Intel Core i5-4670, 3.40 Hi Steve, Also I have a laptop, Acer Aspire 7750G.... 17 inch core i5 and 8 gb ram, I bought it in 2012/13. I find the Affinity a bit slow at startup and generally with the pre and post development phases, the reason being that it doesn't detect the graphics card while it only detects the integrated card the HD 3000 intel (not the HD 6650 M). While Photoshop 2018 is faster, this is because it recognizes the AMD Radeon HD 6650 M card. I can say in favour of Affinity that it is a young software and born with the intention of emulating at least in part Photoshop. We give a little time, then if they listen to the advice of users I think things will improve. Don't you think so? By the way! If I can tonight, I'll put the link to the photos of the house and the fictional flag... Last edited by maw; 03-22-2018 at 02:41 PM. Reason: correction

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03-06-2018, 09:16 AM	#16
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	My views are similar to Steve's: Affinity is a very capable raster editor in Photo persona, but my exploration of the Develop persona hasn't convinced me to change from my default raw converter (Iridient Developer). Admittedly, I didn't try as hard as I would have if I didn't already have a raw workflow I'm happy with, but I found it non-intuitive and slow. Actually one area where my experience differs from Steve's is the speed of launching the application, 5-6 seconds on my 2014 MacBook Pro, not the fastest MBP even for that vintage. (It is pretty speedy, though, thanks to the SSD.)

03-06-2018, 02:39 PM - 1 Like	#17
PDL Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: PNW USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,127	I use Affinity Photo in combination with Capture One Pro. My use of Affinity is primarily for adding text (think Christmas Cards) and creating Panorama's. I also have a copy of Lightroom v6 perpetual license that I use for panoramas too. The Panorama tool in Affinity gives you more overall control of the process than Lightroom v6. The major issue I have with Affinity is the lack of exporting as .DNG. In Affinity I have to create the panorama and export it as a TIFF back into Capture One to conform with my workflow. However, Affinity will strip out most if not all of the metadata (Composite and Maker Notes especially) of the TIFF information. You lose lens information, GPS (I have a K-3II) and more subtle metadata that can become a real pain to get back into the file. Affinity also has very poor support for graphics tablets. I don't know about its ability to print using printer icc files as I use Capture One for printing (exporting files for printing via outsourced printers). I do not, nor have I ever, used Photoshop (although I bought Elements in a moment of madness, it lasted two weeks on my computer). I don't really like using pixel based, destructive, have to create a "intermittent" file that tracks every darn click and brush stroke in a file. Affinity does this too, drives me up the wall. Affinity does not support a DAM (Digital Asset Manager) function so each image is basically on its own. I bought Affinity as a Lightroom replacement (Adobe licensing and feature death) and other than using it as a panorama and text overlay editor it is serving its purpose well.

03-07-2018, 07:55 AM	#18
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by baro-nite Actually one area where my experience differs from Steve's is the speed of launching the application, 5-6 seconds on my 2014 MacBook Pro, not the fastest MBP even for that vintage. (It is pretty speedy, though, thanks to the SSD.) I am using the Windows version (prior to v1.5.x, Affinity Photo was Mac-only) on Win 7 Pro 64-bit. Hardware-wise, I built the box spring of 2014...Intel Core i5-4670, 3.40 GHz mated to an Asus MB (Intel Z87 chipset), no SSD, 8GB memory. HD write speed is limiting due to MB-based RAID-1, but reads are snappy and the rest of the system performance is quite capable for other than hard-core gaming. I suspect the slow start-up is related to the port to Windows. Steve

03-07-2018, 11:31 AM - 1 Like	#20
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	I just timed Affinity 1.6.2 startup on my Windows 10 PC and it is a little slow to start but not nearly as bad as yours. It took about 10s on a similarly spec'd i5 but I have a SSD and 16GB RAM so that probably accounts for most of the difference. It also just prompted me to download version 1.6.3 so I did and starting that version was a couple of seconds faster but that may be because of shared components between the versions having already loaded into memory or something like that.

03-07-2018, 03:00 PM	#21
sbh Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Black Forest, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 849	I use Affinity Photo and Capture One for all my work. For me it's the best combo for workfow and image quality. The easy use of focus stacking in Photo is worth a mention.

03-21-2018, 05:10 PM	#22
HoundFrog Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Prague, Czechia Posts: 593	I tried a trial, and am very impressed. This program fits my bill exactly: advanced layers-based technique, all the color spaces but no unnecessary(for me) 3D stuff etc. Not so powerful raw processing but I use RT or RPP anyway. Gonna buy it.

03-21-2018, 06:14 PM	#23
pklax Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 63	I use Affinity and find it quite capable for my needs. And I agree with poster sbh, in that focus stacking (I used it for the first time today) is a breeze.

03-24-2018, 07:15 AM	#25
guinnessman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Missoula, MT Posts: 175	I bought Affinity for the dehaze function more or less. It reminds me a lot of PS Elements, and I can get some more granular tweaks than from LR, I generally use it for when I have lousy mid sun.

03-27-2018, 12:07 PM	#26
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404 Original Poster	Originally posted by guinnessman I bought Affinity for the dehaze function more or less. It reminds me a lot of PS Elements, and I can get some more granular tweaks than from LR, I generally use it for when I have lousy mid sun. So it's better than LR's Dehaze you reckon?

03-27-2018, 01:22 PM	#27
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	I noticed better filename handling when coming from Lightroom after the last update. That's nice.

04-01-2018, 05:59 PM - 2 Likes	#28
guinnessman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Missoula, MT Posts: 175	Originally posted by BruceBanner So it's better than LR's Dehaze you reckon? To be honest, I stopped at LR 5, so I don't know how it compares to LR 6/CC, but it's been able to improve contrast for me in skies. I probably don't make as much use of all it's features as I could, as I prefer minimal PP (and can directly export to my Google or Onedrive account from LR), but for the cost, I like it. Devs are good at releasing updates too.

04-13-2018, 11:37 AM - 1 Like	#29
David T Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 212	I use 1.6.4 version of Affinity Photo for Windows at present . Affinity is a fairly young program developed by Serif and has replaced their Photo Plus photo editing software series. Having used the program for about a year, it is my go to photo editing software. The raw editing works really well for me, and after developing my raw editing, it takes me from the Develop Persona (raw editing) into the Photo Persona for further editing. In searching all the raw editing folder options (basic, lens, details, tones, and overlays), the slider options within each folder are numerous. In the Photo Persona environment the live filter layers are great to work with, as well as the tradition adjustment layers. The stacking option in Affinity does a really nice job of stacking and is easy to use. I don't use it often, but when I do it doesn't disappoint.

04-13-2018, 06:57 PM	#30
tibbitts Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Oklahoma USA Posts: 2,193	I just downloaded the 10-day trial. Admittedly I haven't studied it or bought the Affinity book, but so far it doesn't seem too intuitive. Also my DNG files are displayed with a white line along the left-side border, I'm not sure what's with that. I've used Elements, Faststone, Corel, and DxO - so far this seems somewhat more difficult to use, or at least more different from those than they are from each other.