- Messages
- 2,630
- Name
- Steve, Coventry, England
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I'm sure this will get some very firm rebuttals 
In the last couple of weeks (been forced not to do much else) I've had reason to use a photo editor and a DTP programme quite a lot.
For all DTP and page design I have used CorelDraw since the early 90's. In the early 90s I used PhotoStyler until adobe took it over and ditched it, then Corel PhotoPaint and later Gimp (and Inkscape), then changed to Affinity Photo a couple of years ago.
I was using a PC and CorelDraw to do all the setting we needed at a time when people said it couldn't be done without an Apple and Pagemaker or Quarkexpress, including 4-colour separations (the Apple users had to send the files to some one with a Sun box for separations, took me hours on a PC but it worked )
My CorelDraw installation has a problem where occasionally I have to restart it, and my discs have been put in a safe place, so I can't re-install it, and can't justify replacing it, so I decided to give Affinity Publisher and Designer a more in depth look at.
Used Publisher a couple of 48 and 64 page booklets, and Designer for some single page work.
WOW, what an absolute pleasure to use, copy and paste objects and layers between apps, edit bitmaps from within them, like using one programme
And all smoothly and intuitively., things do what you expect them to. And that is the difference.
Last week I was asked if I could get someone started on Photoshop (academic installation, not purchased), I said OK but pointed out my experience was very limited.
After several frustrations, I ended up thinking "why does any one use this?" !
My daughter answered that in part, firstly they get it free at university, so end up trapped in it, then "industry" wanted work done in Photoshop, though that demand is declining, and then collaboration.
The last point may be a must for some, though Affinity can import and export PS files I don't know how well that works.
I also come to realise that when someone says "Affinity can't do xxxx" that actually means "I don't know how to do xxxx with Affinity"
Looking on YouTube etc. it does seem that PS needs almost a complete re-write to bring it up to date, from the examples I saw it looks like they have patched bits and pieces from the past together in a not very coherent way at times.
Looking online, there seems to be a growing tide changing towards Affinity.
I think Affinity has hit the right balance between complexity, features and price, and number wise there will be only a small percentage of users who genuinely need more, so I think the "rest" are going to have to have a re-think.
Only time will tell
In the last couple of weeks (been forced not to do much else) I've had reason to use a photo editor and a DTP programme quite a lot.
For all DTP and page design I have used CorelDraw since the early 90's. In the early 90s I used PhotoStyler until adobe took it over and ditched it, then Corel PhotoPaint and later Gimp (and Inkscape), then changed to Affinity Photo a couple of years ago.
I was using a PC and CorelDraw to do all the setting we needed at a time when people said it couldn't be done without an Apple and Pagemaker or Quarkexpress, including 4-colour separations (the Apple users had to send the files to some one with a Sun box for separations, took me hours on a PC but it worked
)My CorelDraw installation has a problem where occasionally I have to restart it, and my discs have been put in a safe place, so I can't re-install it, and can't justify replacing it, so I decided to give Affinity Publisher and Designer a more in depth look at.
Used Publisher a couple of 48 and 64 page booklets, and Designer for some single page work.
WOW, what an absolute pleasure to use, copy and paste objects and layers between apps, edit bitmaps from within them, like using one programme
And all smoothly and intuitively., things do what you expect them to. And that is the difference.
Last week I was asked if I could get someone started on Photoshop (academic installation, not purchased), I said OK but pointed out my experience was very limited.
After several frustrations, I ended up thinking "why does any one use this?" !
My daughter answered that in part, firstly they get it free at university, so end up trapped in it, then "industry" wanted work done in Photoshop, though that demand is declining, and then collaboration.
The last point may be a must for some, though Affinity can import and export PS files I don't know how well that works.
I also come to realise that when someone says "Affinity can't do xxxx" that actually means "I don't know how to do xxxx with Affinity"
Looking on YouTube etc. it does seem that PS needs almost a complete re-write to bring it up to date, from the examples I saw it looks like they have patched bits and pieces from the past together in a not very coherent way at times.
Looking online, there seems to be a growing tide changing towards Affinity.
I think Affinity has hit the right balance between complexity, features and price, and number wise there will be only a small percentage of users who genuinely need more, so I think the "rest" are going to have to have a re-think.
Only time will tell
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