[BruceBanner]

In reading this thread, a problem I see is that people think Affinity Photo is going to replace LR, but that isn't its intent. It is competing with Photoshop, and it has a raw processor like ACR built in like Photoshop does. But, it does not have the workflow options like LR because that isn't what it is competing against.

Realistically, if one is trying to jump from LR, they should be looking at software like On1 Camera Raw, Capture One, RawTherapee, etc. But, you are less likely to be able to use plugins going that route.

Jumping ship from Adobe does require recognizing where your needs and usage lies. If you predominantly use LR, then Affinity Photo isn't going to replace LR. You'll need something else. And, if you use both LR and Photoshop, well, you'll probably need two programs for that (one for your workflow and raw files and one for editing).

For my workflow, I use a combination of DxO Photolab and Affinity Photo. I can use Photoshop/Lightroom plugins in each software, and I use DxO as my LR replacement. I've also tried On1, but it will not replace PS as well as Affinity Photo will (but perhaps good enough for your use). I find it a bit unstable although I usually check it on a 6 month interval for improvements.

By the way, most software support image syncing, but not like the way LR does it. You have to go through a process of saving presets and then applying them to subsequent photos. DxO works ok for that, but I find its auto features are so good that I rarely need to do syncing as the images require little tweaking after the initial profiles are applied by default.

Everything you said here I am finding true. Initially I naively thought some programs would 'do it all', I can see now that is not the case, and even in the Adobe world you need both LR and PS to serve the needs fully of the more advanced user (at one point I was a LR only, but then I ventured out into the murky waters of PS and now can't turn back!).

I think I just find it a little stunning to have developers work so hard on certain features of a program, even professional advanced sets of options that I may never get around to using, yet not put any effort into doing what I deem to be a really basic requirement, Image Syncing.
Yes it's true that many of us keen photographers will have a portfolio where one image after the next is unique and different (macro>landscape>portrait>astro>back to macro>repeat) and Image Syncing would not help at all in this case, but then the other pro photographers that do events, even small ones such as Christenings will want some kind of consistency across all the work captured in that 30min time period under stable lighting conditions. It may be a slightly desaturated look for example, but to not have the option to take 10mins editing one shot to getting the right 'feel' you're looking for, and then not being able to apply that with one click to 10-30 more images is quite frankly bizarre to me.
By not having that feature I truly feel these PS replacement standalone software are missing out on a significant portion of the market. Event and Studio shooters will never properly come across, or will have to use two programs as you say (and I have to do that with LR and PS, but at least in PS when I hit 'Save' it is immediately applied and changed back in LR i.e. so it kinda still feels and acts like one piece of software working, just multiple windows).

[PizzaDon]

I ditched Photoshop back in January when I first read about Affinity Photo, I purchased Affinity Designer a few months prior and was happy with that product so I figure I give AP a trial run, after the first 24 hours I decided to purchase it and I installed Topaz and Nik plugins for it. I use it almost daily and am very happy with it.