Author Topic: Affinity Photo  (Read 2732 times)

Offline Mike Morrell (NL)

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
  • Netherlands
    • View Profile
Affinity Photo
« on: Sunday 04 March 18 17:04 GMT (UK) »
I've read/watched some great reviews of Affinity Photo (https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/ as a serious competitor to Photoshop CC at a fraction of the price. I have a trial version and it seems to do almost everything Photoshop CC does. You can find a good review at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhvRjZg8F8.

But I have renewed my Adobe Photography (Lightroom+Photoshop) subscription for one more year. Mostly because - for my own photography - I work 95% in Lightroom.  The 'Affinity Photo' company (http://www.serif.com/) plans to release a 'Lightroom equivalent' in 2018. When that happens, I'll switch from Adobe to Serif.

I've tried GIMP and I'm now trying out Raw Therapee and Darktable as possible Lightroom replacements.

Anyone switched to Affinity?

Mike
Photo restorers may re-use and improve on my posted versions. Acknowledgement appreciated.

Offline McGroger

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,724
  • Convicts, Commoners and Outlaws
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #1 on: Monday 05 March 18 02:56 GMT (UK) »
Mike, have you seen this series of reviews?:
http://www.toptenreviews.com/software/multimedia/best-photo-editing-software/
They rate Affinity as best value for money but it only comes 5th [whoops, 6th] out of the 7 tested for overall performance.
I use PSE, have Gimp (it's not in the above reviews) but (having learnt on PSE) don't use it because I don't like the interface; I don't know anything about the others.
Happy hunting.
Peter
Convicts: COSIER (1791); LEADBEATER (1791); SINGLETON (& PARKINSON) (1792); STROUD (1793); BARNES (aka SYDNEY) (1800); DAVIS (1804); CLARK (1806); TYLER (1810); COWEN (1818); ADAMS[ON] (1821); SMITH (1827); WHYBURN (1827); HARBORNE (1828).
Commoners: DOUGAN (1844); FORD (1849); JOHNSTON (1850); BEATTIE (& LONG) (1856); BRICKLEY (1883).
Outlaws: MCGREGOR (1883) & ass. clans, Glasgow, Glenquaich, Glenalmond and Glengyle.

Offline Mike Morrell (NL)

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
  • Netherlands
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #2 on: Monday 05 March 18 10:08 GMT (UK) »
Hi Peter, I hadn't seen this review. Thanks for the link!

Based on this review, I think I'd choose PSE too. I used it up until a few years ago but it's improved since then. I'll do a trial with PSE too. I have GIMP too but I don't use it for the same reason you don't.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike, have you seen this series of reviews?:
http://www.toptenreviews.com/software/multimedia/best-photo-editing-software/
They rate Affinity as best value for money but it only comes 5th [whoops, 6th] out of the 7 tested for overall performance.
I use PSE, have Gimp (it's not in the above reviews) but (having learnt on PSE) don't use it because I don't like the interface; I don't know anything about the others.
Happy hunting.
Peter
Photo restorers may re-use and improve on my posted versions. Acknowledgement appreciated.

Offline Gadget

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 57,131
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #3 on: Monday 05 March 18 13:16 GMT (UK) »
I've used PS since the early 1990s and will stick with the CC version - £100 a year is good value for my photography/artwork.

I also use various plug ins, in particular Nik and Topaz.  Nik doesn't fully work with CC 2018 so....


Gadget
Census &  BMD information Crown Copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.uk and GROS - www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

***Restorers - Please do not use my restores without my permission. Thanks***


Offline Ian999

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 135
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #4 on: Monday 05 March 18 15:08 GMT (UK) »
Normally I use Capture One Pro v11 on a PC Win7-64. About 20% of my output gets tweaked in Photoshop CS6.

When Affinity introduced a PC version I bought it to give it a full test and was bitterly disappointed. The interface was nothing special but the speed was absolutely glacial – totally unusable. So I claimed and received a full refund.

On a side note, recently I tried DXO PhotoLab Elite. The only value in this is the Prime noise reduction option, which is also very slow but is spectacular at removing noise from high ISO images. It gives me an extra 2 stops, so now I can shoot my D800 comfortably at ISO 25K.

Now on problem images, I feed DXO Prime a raw file, use Prime, then export as a linear DNG which Capture One can read and process further!

This has dramatically changed my thinking on the need to upgrade.

Offline Treetotal

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 28,445
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #5 on: Monday 05 March 18 16:39 GMT (UK) »
I'm happy with PSE it fulfills all my needs for restoring and am quite happy with it..I don't need all singing all dancing, bells and whistles etc. It's not always about the software in my opinion it's how well you use it and if it suits your needs. From a restorer's point of view...the more gadgets and gismos the package has, the more you rely on artificial means to get results and that's not true restoring in my opinion.
Carol
CAPES Hull. KIRK  Leeds, Hull. JONES  Wales,  Lancashire. CARROLL Ireland, Lancashire, U.S.A. BROUGHTON Leicester, Goole, Hull BORRILL  Lincolnshire, Durham, Hull. GROOM  Wishbech, Hull. ANTHONY St. John's Nfld. BUCKNALL Lincolnshire, Hull. BUTT Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. PARSONS  Western Bay, Newfoundland. MONAGHAN  Ireland, U.S.A. PERRY Cheshire, Liverpool.
 
RESTORERS:PLEASE DO NOT USE MY RESTORES WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION - THANK YOU

Offline Gadget

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 57,131
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #6 on: Monday 05 March 18 17:32 GMT (UK) »
I disagree  Carol  - just remember how happy you were when you got the upgrade. That applies to all packages.

For restoration, only a limited range of options are needed.

Doing photo work- as in photography - one needs Lightroom and all the other options.It's just one more advance from working in a Darkroom. In those days, we were careful not to get dust on the neg and choosing the correct exposure, timing and paper. If you were unfortunate and got scratches, you had to get the touch up brushes and inks out*.  Also, doing art work one needs a wider range.



Gadget

 * and that was often done on the small negs as well as the larger prints.
Census &  BMD information Crown Copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.uk and GROS - www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

***Restorers - Please do not use my restores without my permission. Thanks***

Offline Treetotal

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 28,445
    • View Profile
Re: Affinity Photo
« Reply #7 on: Monday 05 March 18 18:19 GMT (UK) »
I disagree  Carol - just remember how happy you were when you got the upgrade. That applies to all packages.

For restoration, only a limited range of options are needed.

Gadget

That's exactly the point I was making.

 Er....I don't know where that came from..I wasn't...windows 10 updates broke my existing version and I was forced to by another version.


Carol
CAPES Hull. KIRK  Leeds, Hull. JONES  Wales,  Lancashire. CARROLL Ireland, Lancashire, U.S.A. BROUGHTON Leicester, Goole, Hull BORRILL  Lincolnshire, Durham, Hull. GROOM  Wishbech, Hull. ANTHONY St. John's Nfld. BUCKNALL Lincolnshire, Hull. BUTT Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. PARSONS  Western Bay, Newfoundland. MONAGHAN  Ireland, U.S.A. PERRY Cheshire, Liverpool.
 
RESTORERS:PLEASE DO NOT USE MY RESTORES WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION - THANK YOU