[PF Staff]

A review of Affinity Photo from a long-time photoshop user.

Read more on the PF homepage...

[alamo5000]

My main question is this: I feel the EXACT same way about Adobe. They are completely dead to me.

That said I only have ever used Lightroom.

How does this compare to Lightroom? I have never used any of the functions of "Photoshop"...nor do I plan to get into that anytime soon...

[pinholecam]

Can't say its a replacement to PS. (unfortunately)

Off the top of my head (issues) :
1. How 'smart' are the selection tools like magic wand and lasso?
2. 3rd party plug-in support
3. Most tutorials from 'influencers' will be based on PS; in other words, easier to find information for what to do
4. Pano, stitching and perspective correction?
5. How good are the liquefy tools for full body portrait 'nip/tuck'?


What I dislike about Adobe is that its a yearly subscription for something that for my uses (including all the above) is still relatively stagnant since I have largely settled on the techniques I used within PS.

[Macario]

My main question is this: I feel the EXACT same way about Adobe. They are completely dead to me.

That said I only have ever used Lightroom.

How does this compare to Lightroom? I have never used any of the functions of "Photoshop"...nor do I plan to get into that anytime soon...

This does not compare to LR, it really is a photoshop alternative.
I havent found a goof alternative yet for LR that works for me. But then again, as I use DNG files, i still use LR6.

But I do have Affinity if I need more than LR can give me. And as I only use it a few times a year, the deal is much better than PS.

[stevejo]

I started using Affinity Photo about 3 years ago. Previously used GIMP as I also hated having to pay subscriptions to Adobe or anyone else. Although GIMP was very good it can't be particularly described as easy. Decided to do a trial of Affinity and when it was on a 1/2 price offer, it was easily the best value software out there. I am noticeably tight when in comes to paying for software but I even surprised myself and splashed out on a copy for the iPad and their excellent workbook (again all at 1/2 price).
There is no shortage of tutorials on the internet specifically for Affinity, and in any case, most photoshop tutorials that I have tried are very easily adapted to Affinity.
I have also included several Photoshop plugin effects and brushes which just work straight away.
With a 30 day free trial (without having to pre-purchase) it is really worth trying it out.

[Rondec]

Can't say its a replacement to PS. (unfortunately)

Off the top of my head (issues) :
1. How 'smart' are the selection tools like magic wand and lasso?
2. 3rd party plug-in support
3. Most tutorials from 'influencers' will be based on PS; in other words, easier to find information for what to do
4. Pano, stitching and perspective correction?
5. How good are the liquefy tools for full body portrait 'nip/tuck'?


What I dislike about Adobe is that its a yearly subscription for something that for my uses (including all the above) is still relatively stagnant since I have largely settled on the techniques I used within PS.

I think Lightroom is a tough replacement -- it is good enough that none of the non-Adobe options are quite there, but still, for a hobby photographer, it feels like a big ask to commit to 100-ish dollars a year "in perpetuity" to use a product. I am still using version 6.14 and it is OK. I'm sure there are improvements that subscription Lightroom offers that I don't have access to, but I just hate to start using a subscription service for this sort of thing.

[GeeEmm]

Another LR6 user here. It does what I want/need, and as a cheapskate I really like the lack of monthly ransom payments.

I have played with trials of others (latest being DXO4), but never found a reason enough to buy.

[pinholecam]

I think Lightroom is a tough replacement -- it is good enough that none of the non-Adobe options are quite there, but still, for a hobby photographer, it feels like a big ask to commit to 100-ish dollars a year "in perpetuity" to use a product. I am still using version 6.14 and it is OK. I'm sure there are improvements that subscription Lightroom offers that I don't have access to, but I just hate to start using a subscription service for this sort of thing.

I think that much of the processing tech like our camera tech has been to the point that it is good enough for most cases.
Hence, in most cases, LR6 typically will do what LR-CC is being used to do.
Thats my main dislike for the subscription.
I am paying yearly for no added need for more features.

Unfortunately, no one has come up with an alternative to the LR+PS package that is on par, even after so long.
I'd be willing to pay an equivalent of 3 yrs subscription for such a software.

[Rondec]

I think that much of the processing tech like our camera tech has been to the point that it is good enough for most cases.
Hence, in most cases, LR6 typically will do what LR-CC is being used to do.
Thats my main dislike for the subscription.
I am paying yearly for no added need for more features.

Unfortunately, no one has come up with an alternative to the LR+PS package that is on par, even after so long.
I'd be willing to pay an equivalent of 3 yrs subscription for such a software.

The biggest thing to me is that Adobe gives new camera and lens modules that aren't accessible to those using older versions of Lightroom. Most of the other features are slight improvements on existing things, although I guess they have added masks to Lightroom now.

My tendency with Lightroom when it was free standing was to get the new version every three to four years. I would guess that ended up costing me 30 or 35 dollars a year. I also was getting new cameras and lenses more frequently then, whereas now, my next camera will likely be the K-1 III which won't come out till next year.

[Ken Lee]

"Affinity Photo does everything that Photoshop in CS6 did as far as I can tell, with the notable exception of 3D, which I never used anyway."

Of course, Photoshop is leaps and bounds above CS6 now. To me, leading a review of this doesn't sound convincing.

I checked out Affinity in either late 2017 or 2018, and found it an extremely capable alternative to Photoshop. But it's not Photoshop at all. It's nowhere as powerful or deep as it. But for most people, it would be perfectly fine.

I considered switching to a combination of Affinity and possibly Luminar back then (and I still use Luminar 4 and Neo as a plug-in within Photoshop), but I had built such a rapport with Photoshop that I decided that I should honor that rapport and run with it. I'm not going to sit here and say that everyone should choose this or that, but you do have to consider everything, including your needs, any rapport you've built with the software, your wallet, and so forth all together. For me, the rapport and advancements in selections/masks are why I chose to stay with Photoshop, as I don't use it for 3D, graphic design (well, rarely anyway), cutting and pasting, compositing, or other things.

[zkarj]

For most people Affinity Photo is more than enough. It is a lot younger than PhotoShop which means that it doesn't have everything. That is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Affinity Photo is also considerably cheaper. I bought it when it was brand new, haven't spent a cent on it since then, and still have the latest version nearly 7 years later. It's also wicked fast. I haven't used Photoshop for many, many years and I never expect to again unless someone is paying me to use it.

As for Lightroom, I agree with some here that nothing does everything better than it, but for me the only thing I cannot replace Lightroom for is library and particularly keyword management. Nothing else comes close. For processing photos, however, I can't bring myself to use it. I recently (and reluctantly) signed up for a year of Lightroom to try its processing on some old RAWs that DxO PhotoLab won't open (from my *ist DS, so fair enough!) and I'm frankly disappointed with it. I don't find it intuitive, which may just be unfamiliarity, but I also find even on my KP images it just doesn't do as good a job on my photos. I crave sharpness and reasonably often shoot at higher ISOs and these are two areas PhotoLab shines, making Lightroom look decidedly pedestrian.

The good news is when my year is up I will go back to using it for free for just the Library module, which is all I really need from it.

[k30man]

Talking about photoshop softwares is there anyone who have used a free software called Rawtherapy . If so please tell us who cannot spend much money , I mean the photo stuff are expensive enough
k30man

[RobA_Oz]

Talking about photoshop softwares is there anyone who have used a free software called Rawtherapy . If so please tell us who cannot spend much money , I mean the photo stuff are expensive enough
k30man

Lots about RawTherapee on this forum. Check here for a start: The Squirrel Mafia's new & improved RawTherapee thread! - PentaxForums.com

Welcome to Pentax Forums!

[Ken Lee]

Talking about photoshop softwares is there anyone who have used a free software called Rawtherapy . If so please tell us who cannot spend much money , I mean the photo stuff are expensive enough
k30man

I've heard some people say they like it. Really, for most people, there are so many options that are inexpensive or free. Whether it's free applications such as GIMP, Darktable, Apple Photos (comes with your Mac)....or relatively inexpensive non-subscription options such as Luminar Neo, Affinity, or whatever. If you can afford to purchase thousands of dollars of camera gear, you should be able to purchase software that costs $70 or less. For a lot of people, that's probably two weeks worth of Starbucks.

[janosh]

Get into Photoshop. Don't let yourself get diverted into purported alternatives.