I started using Affinity Photo about 5 years ago and added Designer and Publisher as they were released. I’m a former Adobe user but the subscription was way to greedy for me. During the 5 years that I have used Affinity products they have been upgraded on a regular basis and adding features without a single payment required. I gladly paid for the UNIVERSAL LICENSE because I want to support a company that is truly giving their customers value at a reasonable price. Some people are disappointed because they wanted more features, but I’m so impressed with all the they have added. If you are a good designer there are always work arounds for just about everything! Excellent video, Thank you!
I bought the Universal License today. Truthfully, version 2 isn’t the leap that I was expecting or hoping for but dollar for dollar it’s still a stellar value.
I was "stalking" their website early this morning. Bought the Universal license and installed on my Windows laptop and 12.9" M1 iPad Pro as soon as it went live! I'm also a member of your Master Class, so looking forward to the course updates! Thanks! 😁🎨
What I really like is how they focus on having a non destructive workflow. Seen plenty of updates since I bought the first version but I wish they could speed it up abit. Image tracing and such feel essential to me. Its great that they focus on quality rather than feature creep but sometimes I wish they would implement something half baked rather than sit on it forever.
As for the software, I think, while this new version leap for Affinity programs are a major leap forward, it's good that they got this much done while it's still literally just version 2.0.0. With time, they'll probably add more of those "bells and whistles" of their own, but this much accomplished so far was enough for a major release, for now.
The major missing feature that stops me from switching from Illustrator is the lack of vector pattern fills. I use these in Illustrator for hatching of areas and the like in lightweight architectural design and in mapping. This is such a basic feature that I am shocked the major v2 upgrade did not address it.
I like it as more simple and in some regards much more powerful tool than Inkscape. I was not missing anything, I just think that logic operations (add, diff, substract, ...) were somewhat awkward or I never learned them properly and I always needed to keep few steps of temporary objects. I tried very basic single color icons and ofter I wanted to add overlay icon, make outline and basically erase it to make outline transparent. Steps were something like group object, convert it into a single one, repeat with overlay icon. Now take overlay icon, add stroke, align to outside. Choose layer->expand stroke to make it separate object. Now choose base icon, substract "stroke object". Substraction never worked for multiple objects and this process was easier in Inkscape which was able to substract object from a whole group. There are still having some annoyances such as too small font size compared to nearly all modern Windows apps, transparent background cannot be dark for easier design of white icons, ... Then I would like to have something like color palette for reusing like 8 colors and being able to modify them globally (maybe I was just not googling if it's possible) and using math (kind of TeX integration). What I've found is that icons can be exported as WebP or interestingly even JpegXL (although not lossless) ... nice!
I just paid for the universal license. I still use illustrator at work but supporting Serif is a must for the sake of competition and in the hopes they implement every feature I use to make the change.
I have only started using Affinity this year. Great product at a great price. It is not a major leap in some respects, it could be much better with a photo manager.
Oof. The #1 feature I need that they still skipped adding: Automatic tracing. Well, good to have it confirmed that it's really not in here. I spent the last while looking for it. Now I know I just need to try another approach.
Exactly! 100% deal breaker for me. The most ridiculous thing is when YTs say you can do it in AD by going to a/any website that will vectorize your image, then reopen it in AD. What a joke, and misleading. Plus, I wouldn’t want my designs archived and ripped off by whatever website they recommend.
@@aarteestmj4958 There's always Inkscape, which is free. But it's still a pain to open a second program just to trace. (Or to convert from SVG to DXF. I'm surprised 2.0 didn't add support for DXF files. So, still using Inkscape for that, too.)
I'm sincerely curious as to what so many people need image trace for. I am never satisfied with the result in any of the programs I've used with image trace, so I end up using the pen tool anyway.
@@mwhite212 For me, it's essential for getting hand-drawn art to vector. Especially often, I use this for making a hand-drawn element and then importing it into a vector art project where the end goal is to be able to do all the great things that you can do with vector art: Resize them, cut them out with a laser, or even render them in 3D with a resin printer.
Bought a license today. The cross compatibility with iPad is what sold it. Been waiting for publisher on the iPad since adobe has forsaken the platform. Took a look at your class. Looks great! Think ill sign up after my next paycheck. (The v2 update cleaned me out lol)
What nobody seems to talk about is Illustrator’s limited canvas size. Sure they have that 100x scaling feature now… but Designer outshines Illustrator in this department. Designer has never had a limit on the canvas/artboard size since I’ve been using it. With V2 the scale features seem to be pretty awesome too and have much more flexibility than Illustrator. You can set a variety of different scales and even custom scales. I’m a sign professional and find this one of the most valuable hidden features in v2. Cool and practical example would importing a PDF architectural site plan (2’x3’), zooming into the scale rule, and measuring the one inch mark with the measuring tool, clicking on the set scale button and entering something like 30 ft into the dialogue box. Then it creates a scale setting of 1in:30ft. Then when you use the measuring tool or area tool all the measurements are scaled into feet. Pretty awesome.
Here’s a tip for a possible story you might cover. There might be an internal scandal simmering from within Serif regarding their payments and licenses process. I am one of the many disgruntled customers who attempted to buy the Affinity v2 Universal license. I’ve made the purchase on their website and it seemed that my payment went through. But no license nor confirmation that it did and I was not issued any licenses. I checked the order history through their website as well, no trace of any orders or payments. I did check my bank transactions and it seemed like the charge went through. I have already contacted Serif’s customer service since last week. Followed up several times, NO replies. I did search Serif's forums because I wanted to post it on there in the hopes that someone from Serif would reach out and provide a solution. Apparently, a lot of other customers are encountering this issue and not only on their own website but on other platforms like the Apple app store as well! There are in fact multiple threads created with the same issue and with a sizable number of users encountering similar issues. Some were so unlucky they were charged multiple times! But no licenses issued. I’ve read from some threads that Braintree might be having some issues. But some ill-equipped moderators just responds in a blunt unprofessional manner throwing blame at either the customer’s banks or user error. I encourage you to try purchasing the universal license via their website and see the problem yourself. Even until now, they have not closed the online purchasing despite the issues they are encountering.
I'm a total beginner but 'masterclass' doesn't necessarily mean for masters-skill level right? Definitely will purchase your course in the near future!
I started using Affinity about 3 months ago after over 16 years on adobe products. There's s a lot of stuff I like about Affinity, but its still a problem for me in many instances. A big issue is the ability to share work, especially from Publisher to InDesign. Then I also miss some of the smart selection tools in PS which really helped my workflow. Dumping adobe has also left me without something as good as the after effects illustrator combo. I like Affinity a lot, but I may have to get that afobe subscription back... The sharing of work eapecially is a big issue between myself clients and external suppliers. I need this stuff to work.
Yea I don't see how this hasn't been addressed yet. What good is it to design something if you can't share it with a t-shirt company to print onto shirts??
Just found out that v2.0 is only recommended for Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina) and later. I'm using an older iMac running on 10.12.6 (Sierra) and cannot upgrade beyond that. Version 1.10.6 has run flawlessly, but now I'm afraid that I cannot upgrade my Affinity software to 2.0. I cannot afford to buy a new Mac just to be able to run v2.0. Thought I was going to be able to use Affinity as my go-to design software, but I now find that I'm being left behind.
The biggest drawback in working in Affinity designer is saving files in SVG's and opening them in another program like inkscape or Corel as not everyone have affinity and sharing files really sucks... the vectors opened in other programs are not like you designed.. might be I don't know how to export the file, but its main limitation that stopped me using affinity designer apart from that its a really great software and gets job done super easy
Hard to say. Problem is that while Inkscape is reference SVG editor, Affinity can do more than Inkscape in some areas, but not everything can be converted into SVG as vector object and it's saved as bitmap instead.
Oh ! Thanks for letting us know that there is this new V2 ! I jumped on it as the 40% off will only be for a limited period of time (or number of sales ? who knows). Hey ! Do you have a coupon code for your 17$ Affinity designer course ? ... never mind I already enrolled to it ^^
@@kojokojo7523 Forgot to mention it: for most cases, if you keep V1, you can copy and paste between apps (in the case of Warp Groups, it will copy as a vector without the editability options for warping)
It's not strange at all. It's a common feature of most software updates. If you download version 2 it does not overwrite version 1 so you can have both installed on one machine and both are usable independently of each other. Version 2 will open any files you create in version 1 but not the other way round.
Decir que Affinity "cambió el juego" es ser demasiado pretencioso, como mucho se adaptó de una manera a lo que hay hace tiempo en el mercado, ya que son pedidos de los propios usuarios durante años/meses para tener una alternativa sólida a otras aplicaciones.
What i don’t like is that there are two versions now, people will watch tutorials and don’t find the used features in their version because they only purchased version 1.0, since 2.0 is not free, and not everbody is going to be willing to upgrade, basically every tutorial or article has to mention, in wich version it is operating.
I'm a Creative Cloud 'renter.' Every time Adobe surveys me, I bluntly tell them that I do not recommend their products to others. Their prices are too high and for my main tool, InDesign, it has been over three years since they introduced a feature that I even use at all, much less find helpful. Will this 2.0 release serve as a wake-up call for Adobe? I doubt it.
I think Adobe has too much of a stronghold on the corporate and educational world to be worried about Affinity. But for casual users and freelancers, the alternatives are becoming more and more enticing.
Adobe and Serif are very different products to serve different uses. The low cost software is good for creative work, but Adobe or Corel can do both creative work and production work. So the world of production still needs expensive tools purpose built for the work.
They’re well on the way to finish Illustrator in a few years. Illustrator is incredibly unintuitive for use, at least that’s my experience with it. I tried so hard to like it, to learn it, but they just can’t hide the fact that it’s a quite old piece of software. Affinity has the big advantage of being a new kid on the block, with almost everything being more modern and intuitive to use. You can feel home with it very quickly. Illustrator is a pain to use.. i have to look up tutorials for all sorts of simple tasks..
The only thing I still personally miss from Illustrator is the blob brush. Painting lines, expanding and then merging them works, but the blob brush just takes so many steps away from the process. Oh, and the smooth tool is pretty nice too. And Also seeing the outlines from the pencil tool while drawing.
In seriously considering purchasing this or downloading inkscape. I got many viruses on my laptop and had to change my passwords and have trouble logging in due to trying to get a cracked version of illustrator. I've been hired to make several logos, around 300 usd which is 400 cad.
This is probably so easy for most to do, but I am having trouble adding the free Dreamphography brushes for Affinity Designer 2, I did add them to Affinity Photo 2, just can't remember how I did it
The new scale and measurement options are interesting. But I can't really make the scale feature work. Same problem on iPad and Mac. I do think that I have managed to get the scale settings OK in a new document. But how to see the result on my vector drawing escapes me. - I am used to have pretty solid scales and measurements in two other vector appps: Graphic and xDesign (iDesign on iPad). But I can't get anything like that with the new Designer 2 feature. - I would love a special (not too fast) video on this subject. Edit 6 hours later: So I found out how it works. I was fooled by expecting too much. - I draw (rather simple) construction drawings were it is necessary to be able to view the various dimensions. So I use both scales and dimensions (length, width, height, area) and I am accustomed to be able to see those values on all objects. Also when the objects (linies, shapes) are not "active" (being clicked on). I can do all this and much more in the now pretty old vector app Graphic, but not with these new features in Affinity Designer. So when I compare usefulness for construction and measurement and scales in Graphic vs Affinity Designer it is a bit like comparing a Land Rover to a bike for driving in cross country areas. - The problem is the same with the also very good app Vectornator. Of course, I could move to real CAD apps but that would be like shooting a sparrow with a surface-to-air missile in my case. I am very happy though about being able to combine vector drawing with pixel drawing.- I'll just pick the right app for the thing I want to do. Like always, really.
What's the point of having a dimension tool that won't allow you to print the measurements? to me that's useless and I've been waiting long time so I'll keep with Illustrator and Specees plugin.
I bought Affinity Photo and Designer a few months ago, used them very little and now found out I have to pay to upgrade 😅 I think I'll just upgrade designer though, I never could take it seriously in the past tbh, I always ended up working in Inkscape, especially since 1.2 came out it just feels very convenient and quick...
Screen is still flashing if you have a monitor set above 60Hz. If you set nudge distance less then 0.1px it still shows 0px although the software understand it. The minor bugs of Designer are the same unfortunately.
@@DesignMadeSimple I have a notebook connected to a 120Hz tv and a pc with 165Hz monitor both the same issue with screen flashing. it is a freesync feature problem that interfering with Affinity Designer.
Mesh Gradients and Steps are what I am hoping will eventually make it to Designer; regardless, it is still a great alternative to the bloated and overpriced Adobe Suite.
@@hippopotamusbosch Affinity is Serif. They are using exactly the same distribution model they used since 1990 (with PagePlus, DrawPlus, PhotoPlus and others), so there is no real surprise here (I´m a happy customer of them since the early 90s myself, and intend to keep it that way. If I add up all the money they got from me, I would have had enough money to buy THREE releases of ONE Adobe tool in the same time frame - and that´s not even counting Adobe´s subscription model prices in later years. ;-) ).
"Jack of all trades but master of none, is still always better than a master of one" is the FULL saying. Jacks of all trades make the world work. Specialists can't see the forest from the leaves....
I Am Submitting a Protest When I originally purchased the full Affinity Suite, you sold it as a one time purchase that gave me access to all future updates. However, now you are billing Affinity 2 as a separate product - a new version, which it IS NOT a separate or new product, it’s just an upgrade, something you should NOT be charging for, something you originally said you would NOT charge for. That's the whole concept of a "one time purchase." You are now selling an entire new Affinity Suite. This is not fair and NOT what I paid for. So let me ask, will there be upgrades to the Original Affinity Suite? Is it still supported? Are you now phasing out the Original Affinity Suite, and does that mean that I’ll be FORCED to buy the new suite if I want to continue using your products? This looks and feels like you’re slowly moving to the Adobe model. Just like them, it used to be a TRUE onetime purchase, then they moved to the subscription model. It sure looks like you decided to choose larger profits over customer satisfaction, like so many companies these days, squeezing every penny out of their customers. You can still make good profits with one time purchases, add-ons and extra features without trying to bleed your customers dry. I am VERY Disappointed and VERY surprised that you came out strong as a viable alternative to Adobe, only to follow them down the same profits over customers path, and that you did it so quickly. I can't wait to see what happens next year. I will continue to use the Original Affinity Suite for the moment because I like your product and for the moment, you’re still cheaper than Adobe. But I want it noted that I am aware of what you’re doing, and I think it’s not fair and it’s not what I originally purchased. You changed the deal. And, FYI, I’m going to post this as comments on public forms and create a video about it (not that you care, I’m just small potatoes to you), but I want people to at least be aware of this and to keep an eye on you and to keep an eye out for another replacement product. And, these are not huge upgrades/updates. I and other users submitted several requests for new features, and I don’t see any of them in the new version. I think this is going to hurt your business more than the extra profits you’ll make. This will not be worth it for you. I think most people would have been happy to have the upgrades for V1 and support your company by purchasing extra features like fonts, photos, graphics, maybe even an online store for overlays, scripts and actions etc. Did you get a new CEO or something? This was not a good decision. Signed, Disheartened and Disappointed Customer
I bought this version 1 only a few months ago and I would of waited had I known that V2 was near, I contacted their customer services. I'd never be buying from them ever again with the awful customer service I have seen, they seem very scammy, narcissistic and full of Ego. I'd recccomend to keep version 1 and instead of buying version 2 to buy Luminar or something similar, so you get a different photo app. Best of both worlds. Keep V1 and get a similar photo app from another company. With Affinity version 1 I was recommending it to maybe 10 or 20 people, now with version 2 I'm warning maybe 200 or more people against it. Gimp is a free one but with the right addons is just as good, if not better than affinity photo. The only reason I got affinity for is because it was easier than looking for all the addons I would of needed for it to be just as good. There's plenty of UA-cam tutorials for gimp too.
I've never used Freepik personally, but I would imagine if they give you a proper vector file then I don't see why it wouldn't work if imported into Designer. If you go to Window > Stock it allows you to import stock graphics directly from Pexels and Pixabay.
@@gollypeeters4824 If Illustator was the only other vector program available, I'd agree. But when a paid program like Designer doesn't have basic features that are available in free software, why buy it?
Prefiero los viejos iconos de la interfaz, en su mayoría. Y mucho de la vieja UI en general. Por lo demás, están bien las nuevas funciones. Gracias por el review, siempre es un gusto ver tus videos Nick.
Unless they don’t make touch navigation work properly this isn’t really a cool software for drawing/painting on a windows device… it would be really cool, but this makes it so hard to use.
Hi David, what do you mean by dimensions? I don't think you mean inputting width and height values manually, because that feature exists in the Transform panel.
If I make something in designer can I copy and paste it into after effects? If I can’t, then the program is absolutely useless to me. Do you have any beginner tutorials for “illustrator“? And if so, please leave me a link..
Adobe is not an option.The monthly subscription is just too much considering how much I use it. I have had & used Affinity for the last 8 years, and wonder how Adobe is still in business ;-). To keep the company going, I will buy the .2 upgrade
It's already beyond success to me. It's not easy to come head-to-head with a giant like Adobe. Affinity team has really pulled it off to make people think move to their ecosystem which to me is only getting better.
I did, just to support development. There are some minor improvements that are not listed, such as more image formats for export, but you are right. If you don't miss anything in V1 or you are missing something and V2 does not add this feature (which is likely), then it's completely up to you. Hopefully it's not expensive. And Inkscape is pretty capable too (even more in many areas).
Difference between updates and features. Features are brand new things that take resources, effort & money that the company has to recover. So they resell them in a new package (v.2 for example). The free updates you mention are for the v.2 product, and however long that particular v.2 product serves you will get free updates for it.
@@shawnmoore2429 You have free updates for V1 forever. Its under your own discretion to upgrade or not. As mentioned thiers a difference between 'updates' & 'new product features'. I can't outline the process any clearer than above dude 🤷♂️.
It is not an update but a new product. As was Windows 98 to 95, or 7 to Vista for example. The term version can be error inducing and doesn't refer to an update here, but usually in software development the versioning is made like so: product_version.updates.fix Where a change in the product_version number means a new project with a separate planning, specifications, building, etc.
@@saphi20 In this sales model, new features are made after the release of the OG product. AKA, they go into the next product iteration (V2) If you want feature releases continuously bundled and sreved to the product then you have to change the pricing model to SaaS (monthly fee). Because the app is taken off the shelf doesn't stop Affinity supporting it (even on app stores). Could be security or bugs for example. You can't have your cake & eat it. You either want a monthly sub or you support the business via purchasing major release versions as and when you need them. Did you expect them to run as a business forever from the initial sales of the OG product 😵💫?
If you’re priced out of this you’re basically priced out of everything. None of the software I use give away whole number updates for free, how would they make any money doing that. The good thing is you don’t have to update, what you paid for is still the same. Also the updates does nothing I really care for, I don’t really see you missing out on anything.
The coolest part of the mesh deform tool is that the text remains LIVE! Just open up the group on the right hand side and select the text layer.
I started using Affinity Photo about 5 years ago and added Designer and Publisher as they were released. I’m a former Adobe user but the subscription was way to greedy for me. During the 5 years that I have used Affinity products they have been upgraded on a regular basis and adding features without a single payment required. I gladly paid for the UNIVERSAL LICENSE because I want to support a company that is truly giving their customers value at a reasonable price. Some people are disappointed because they wanted more features, but I’m so impressed with all the they have added. If you are a good designer there are always work arounds for just about everything! Excellent video, Thank you!
I bought the Universal License today. Truthfully, version 2 isn’t the leap that I was expecting or hoping for but dollar for dollar it’s still a stellar value.
The warp transformations alone make it worth it for me. I can do so much with that moving forward.
@@DesignMadeSimple Yes, exactly. Shape building, live mesh warp, and the new masking features are game changers for me.
Thank you so much for this information. Much appreciated brother. God bless u in Jesus's name!
@Dragon Ball It has been 8 years since version 1. Even if version 3 happens in 2 or 3 years, it will still be a bargain.
@Dragon Ball Ummm.....that's not how it worked. I didn't pay for updates from 1.7 to 1.10. You're literally talking nonsense.
I was "stalking" their website early this morning. Bought the Universal license and installed on my Windows laptop and 12.9" M1 iPad Pro as soon as it went live! I'm also a member of your Master Class, so looking forward to the course updates! Thanks! 😁🎨
Image tracing is my biggest wish for Affinity Designer..... thanks, great video. Again.
What I really like is how they focus on having a non destructive workflow. Seen plenty of updates since I bought the first version but I wish they could speed it up abit. Image tracing and such feel essential to me. Its great that they focus on quality rather than feature creep but sometimes I wish they would implement something half baked rather than sit on it forever.
Heh? u can have both.. buy affinity, arrrrggg 🏴☠ Illustrator, if u know what I mean
inkscape has pretty good image tracing for free
I bought Affinity Photo for iPad about 4 days ago.
I immediately bought this Universal license yesterday.
No regrets.
As for the software, I think, while this new version leap for Affinity programs are a major leap forward, it's good that they got this much done while it's still literally just version 2.0.0. With time, they'll probably add more of those "bells and whistles" of their own, but this much accomplished so far was enough for a major release, for now.
The Affinity iPad apps are next level. I wish there were a larger audience for them.
The major missing feature that stops me from switching from Illustrator is the lack of vector pattern fills. I use these in Illustrator for hatching of areas and the like in lightweight architectural design and in mapping. This is such a basic feature that I am shocked the major v2 upgrade did not address it.
I like it as more simple and in some regards much more powerful tool than Inkscape. I was not missing anything, I just think that logic operations (add, diff, substract, ...) were somewhat awkward or I never learned them properly and I always needed to keep few steps of temporary objects. I tried very basic single color icons and ofter I wanted to add overlay icon, make outline and basically erase it to make outline transparent. Steps were something like group object, convert it into a single one, repeat with overlay icon. Now take overlay icon, add stroke, align to outside. Choose layer->expand stroke to make it separate object. Now choose base icon, substract "stroke object". Substraction never worked for multiple objects and this process was easier in Inkscape which was able to substract object from a whole group.
There are still having some annoyances such as too small font size compared to nearly all modern Windows apps, transparent background cannot be dark for easier design of white icons, ... Then I would like to have something like color palette for reusing like 8 colors and being able to modify them globally (maybe I was just not googling if it's possible) and using math (kind of TeX integration).
What I've found is that icons can be exported as WebP or interestingly even JpegXL (although not lossless) ... nice!
I just paid for the universal license. I still use illustrator at work but supporting Serif is a must for the sake of competition and in the hopes they implement every feature I use to make the change.
I have only started using Affinity this year. Great product at a great price. It is not a major leap in some respects, it could be much better with a photo manager.
Oof. The #1 feature I need that they still skipped adding: Automatic tracing.
Well, good to have it confirmed that it's really not in here. I spent the last while looking for it. Now I know I just need to try another approach.
Exactly! 100% deal breaker for me.
The most ridiculous thing is when YTs say you can do it in AD by going to a/any website that will vectorize your image, then reopen it in AD.
What a joke, and misleading. Plus, I wouldn’t want my designs archived and ripped off by whatever website they recommend.
@@aarteestmj4958 There's always Inkscape, which is free. But it's still a pain to open a second program just to trace. (Or to convert from SVG to DXF. I'm surprised 2.0 didn't add support for DXF files. So, still using Inkscape for that, too.)
I'm sincerely curious as to what so many people need image trace for. I am never satisfied with the result in any of the programs I've used with image trace, so I end up using the pen tool anyway.
@@mwhite212 For me, it's essential for getting hand-drawn art to vector. Especially often, I use this for making a hand-drawn element and then importing it into a vector art project where the end goal is to be able to do all the great things that you can do with vector art: Resize them, cut them out with a laser, or even render them in 3D with a resin printer.
I haven't used the Designer program in ages, but at only $17 for your Master Class, that's a bargain I can't pass up. Thanks for the vid!
Hi guys! I am interested about the course and have experience with up sales and want to know how many are there? Is it real $17 ? Thanks!
Omg thank you thank you, finally a shape builder. Holy moly.
Thanks for the update of your masterclass ;)
Nice, thanks for update the course with the new update UI 👍
As always!
Serif is killing it !
Bought a license today. The cross compatibility with iPad is what sold it. Been waiting for publisher on the iPad since adobe has forsaken the platform.
Took a look at your class. Looks great! Think ill sign up after my next paycheck. (The v2 update cleaned me out lol)
Some very nice improvements in v2. If they add a live paint tool in v3 it will definitely be an Adobe Illustrator killer. Not quite there yet IMHO.
What nobody seems to talk about is Illustrator’s limited canvas size. Sure they have that 100x scaling feature now… but Designer outshines Illustrator in this department. Designer has never had a limit on the canvas/artboard size since I’ve been using it. With V2 the scale features seem to be pretty awesome too and have much more flexibility than Illustrator. You can set a variety of different scales and even custom scales. I’m a sign professional and find this one of the most valuable hidden features in v2.
Cool and practical example would importing a PDF architectural site plan (2’x3’), zooming into the scale rule, and measuring the one inch mark with the measuring tool, clicking on the set scale button and entering something like 30 ft into the dialogue box. Then it creates a scale setting of 1in:30ft. Then when you use the measuring tool or area tool all the measurements are scaled into feet. Pretty awesome.
Nice Video! I have been waiting for a discount to buy the programms. Then they released V2 and I instantly bought the license.
I found it! Thanks for reviewing both (1.0 & 2.0)
Cool overview! Thank you!
Here’s a tip for a possible story you might cover. There might be an internal scandal simmering from within Serif regarding their payments and licenses process.
I am one of the many disgruntled customers who attempted to buy the Affinity v2 Universal license. I’ve made the purchase on their website and it seemed that my payment went through. But no license nor confirmation that it did and I was not issued any licenses. I checked the order history through their website as well, no trace of any orders or payments. I did check my bank transactions and it seemed like the charge went through. I have already contacted Serif’s customer service since last week. Followed up several times, NO replies.
I did search Serif's forums because I wanted to post it on there in the hopes that someone from Serif would reach out and provide a solution. Apparently, a lot of other customers are encountering this issue and not only on their own website but on other platforms like the Apple app store as well! There are in fact multiple threads created with the same issue and with a sizable number of users encountering similar issues. Some were so unlucky they were charged multiple times! But no licenses issued. I’ve read from some threads that Braintree might be having some issues. But some ill-equipped moderators just responds in a blunt unprofessional manner throwing blame at either the customer’s banks or user error.
I encourage you to try purchasing the universal license via their website and see the problem yourself. Even until now, they have not closed the online purchasing despite the issues they are encountering.
Shape builder is coming to inkscape so soon btw
I wish Affinity made a ui design app like Figma.
I'm a total beginner but 'masterclass' doesn't necessarily mean for masters-skill level right? Definitely will purchase your course in the near future!
Amazing video! I will take advantage about course you offer. Regards!
Mesh gradients was probably the feature I wanted most, so I'm kinda dissapointed... Oh well, I guess I'll keep using Inkscape for a while longer.
I started using Affinity about 3 months ago after over 16 years on adobe products. There's s a lot of stuff I like about Affinity, but its still a problem for me in many instances.
A big issue is the ability to share work, especially from Publisher to InDesign.
Then I also miss some of the smart selection tools in PS which really helped my workflow.
Dumping adobe has also left me without something as good as the after effects illustrator combo.
I like Affinity a lot, but I may have to get that afobe subscription back... The sharing of work eapecially is a big issue between myself clients and external suppliers. I need this stuff to work.
Yea I don't see how this hasn't been addressed yet. What good is it to design something if you can't share it with a t-shirt company to print onto shirts??
@@RazerAndBlade Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about. I just had t-shirts created with designs I made in Affinity....so, whatever.
Just found out that v2.0 is only recommended for Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina) and later. I'm using an older iMac running on 10.12.6 (Sierra) and cannot upgrade beyond that. Version 1.10.6 has run flawlessly, but now I'm afraid that I cannot upgrade my Affinity software to 2.0. I cannot afford to buy a new Mac just to be able to run v2.0. Thought I was going to be able to use Affinity as my go-to design software, but I now find that I'm being left behind.
The biggest drawback in working in Affinity designer is saving files in SVG's and opening them in another program like inkscape or Corel as not everyone have affinity and sharing files really sucks... the vectors opened in other programs are not like you designed..
might be I don't know how to export the file, but its main limitation that stopped me using affinity designer apart from that its a really great software and gets job done super easy
Hard to say. Problem is that while Inkscape is reference SVG editor, Affinity can do more than Inkscape in some areas, but not everything can be converted into SVG as vector object and it's saved as bitmap instead.
Oh ! Thanks for letting us know that there is this new V2 ! I jumped on it as the 40% off will only be for a limited period of time (or number of sales ? who knows).
Hey ! Do you have a coupon code for your 17$ Affinity designer course ? ... never mind I already enrolled to it ^^
the discount is until dec 14th.
Could you make a video on how to make a floor plan?
Version 1.10 cannot open V2 files. This is strange. At least there should be an option to save for version 1
V1.5 couldn't open newer versions from the V1.x series as well
They should do something about it
In Corel Draw for instance, it gives you the opportunity to save to lower version
@@kojokojo7523 That would ease many pain points, no doubt
@@kojokojo7523 Forgot to mention it: for most cases, if you keep V1, you can copy and paste between apps (in the case of Warp Groups, it will copy as a vector without the editability options for warping)
It's not strange at all. It's a common feature of most software updates. If you download version 2 it does not overwrite version 1 so you can have both installed on one machine and both are usable independently of each other. Version 2 will open any files you create in version 1 but not the other way round.
Does it support variable fonts now?
Awesome! Thanks for details :)
Decir que Affinity "cambió el juego" es ser demasiado pretencioso, como mucho se adaptó de una manera a lo que hay hace tiempo en el mercado, ya que son pedidos de los propios usuarios durante años/meses para tener una alternativa sólida a otras aplicaciones.
What i don’t like is that there are two versions now, people will watch tutorials and don’t find the used features in their version because they only purchased version 1.0, since 2.0 is not free, and not everbody is going to be willing to upgrade, basically every tutorial or article has to mention, in wich version it is operating.
I'm a Creative Cloud 'renter.' Every time Adobe surveys me, I bluntly tell them that I do not recommend their products to others. Their prices are too high and for my main tool, InDesign, it has been over three years since they introduced a feature that I even use at all, much less find helpful. Will this 2.0 release serve as a wake-up call for Adobe? I doubt it.
I think Adobe has too much of a stronghold on the corporate and educational world to be worried about Affinity. But for casual users and freelancers, the alternatives are becoming more and more enticing.
Adobe and Serif are very different products to serve different uses. The low cost software is good for creative work, but Adobe or Corel can do both creative work and production work. So the world of production still needs expensive tools purpose built for the work.
They’re well on the way to finish Illustrator in a few years. Illustrator is incredibly unintuitive for use, at least that’s my experience with it. I tried so hard to like it, to learn it, but they just can’t hide the fact that it’s a quite old piece of software. Affinity has the big advantage of being a new kid on the block, with almost everything being more modern and intuitive to use. You can feel home with it very quickly. Illustrator is a pain to use.. i have to look up tutorials for all sorts of simple tasks..
The only thing I still personally miss from Illustrator is the blob brush. Painting lines, expanding and then merging them works, but the blob brush just takes so many steps away from the process. Oh, and the smooth tool is pretty nice too. And Also seeing the outlines from the pencil tool while drawing.
In seriously considering purchasing this or downloading inkscape. I got many viruses on my laptop and had to change my passwords and have trouble logging in due to trying to get a cracked version of illustrator. I've been hired to make several logos, around 300 usd which is 400 cad.
Honestly, starts to look better than illustrator & photoshop.. also look better and more user-friendly.
This is probably so easy for most to do, but I am having trouble adding the free Dreamphography brushes for Affinity Designer 2, I did add them to Affinity Photo 2, just can't remember how I did it
The new scale and measurement options are interesting. But I can't really make the scale feature work. Same problem on iPad and Mac. I do think that I have managed to get the scale settings OK in a new document. But how to see the result on my vector drawing escapes me. - I am used to have pretty solid scales and measurements in two other vector appps: Graphic and xDesign (iDesign on iPad). But I can't get anything like that with the new Designer 2 feature. - I would love a special (not too fast) video on this subject.
Edit 6 hours later: So I found out how it works. I was fooled by expecting too much. - I draw (rather simple) construction drawings were it is necessary to be able to view the various dimensions. So I use both scales and dimensions (length, width, height, area) and I am accustomed to be able to see those values on all objects. Also when the objects (linies, shapes) are not "active" (being clicked on). I can do all this and much more in the now pretty old vector app Graphic, but not with these new features in Affinity Designer. So when I compare usefulness for construction and measurement and scales in Graphic vs Affinity Designer it is a bit like comparing a Land Rover to a bike for driving in cross country areas. - The problem is the same with the also very good app Vectornator.
Of course, I could move to real CAD apps but that would be like shooting a sparrow with a surface-to-air missile in my case.
I am very happy though about being able to combine vector drawing with pixel drawing.- I'll just pick the right app for the thing I want to do. Like always, really.
No image tracing still? 🤷🏻♂️
What's the point of having a dimension tool that won't allow you to print the measurements? to me that's useless and I've been waiting long time so I'll keep with Illustrator and Specees plugin.
I bought Affinity Photo and Designer a few months ago, used them very little and now found out I have to pay to upgrade 😅
I think I'll just upgrade designer though, I never could take it seriously in the past tbh, I always ended up working in Inkscape, especially since 1.2 came out it just feels very convenient and quick...
Please, give me shape blend. That would be the final nail in Illustrator's coffin.
Screen is still flashing if you have a monitor set above 60Hz. If you set nudge distance less then 0.1px it still shows 0px although the software understand it. The minor bugs of Designer are the same unfortunately.
That’s odd, are you sure it’s not your monitor? I have 144Hz monitors and I’ve never had that problem. Not on my MacBook either.
@@DesignMadeSimple maybe the mac version doesn't have this problem, and it is possible that this is an nvidia graphics card related issue only.
@@DesignMadeSimple I have a notebook connected to a 120Hz tv and a pc with 165Hz monitor both the same issue with screen flashing. it is a freesync feature problem that interfering with Affinity Designer.
Mesh Gradients and Steps are what I am hoping will eventually make it to Designer; regardless, it is still a great alternative to the bloated and overpriced Adobe Suite.
Is there a trim curve feature? Im still on the fence about buying this software.
All I want to know is does it still have the dialog boxes and dropdown menus bug where they spawn behind panels?
Thanks for the review! I use illustrator for importing variables via excel (Variables window). Does infinity designer have something similar?
I'm not sure. I think it would depend on the file format. Affinity Publisher might be better for opening Excel files.
I assume they still don't have variable width for lines yet. do they?
I just have 1 question - can I use the pixel persona to shade/texture vectors & still save it as a vector?
Yes. You have the vector shape as a mask for the pixel object that will be "inside" of the shape, but you can fully edit, move, remove, etc.
🙋♂️So are the version 1.0 apps going to stop receiving updates and bug fixes?
Good question, I’m not sure.
@@saphi20 thanks. If they do this regularly then they’ll be creeping towards the Adobe subscription model.
Yes, I just read this in their F.A.Q, versions 1 won’t have any update in the future
@@hippopotamusbosch Affinity is Serif. They are using exactly the same distribution model they used since 1990 (with PagePlus, DrawPlus, PhotoPlus and others), so there is no real surprise here (I´m a happy customer of them since the early 90s myself, and intend to keep it that way. If I add up all the money they got from me, I would have had enough money to buy THREE releases of ONE Adobe tool in the same time frame - and that´s not even counting Adobe´s subscription model prices in later years. ;-) ).
@@IgorRockt that’s fair. I just did the math. It’s still a really good deal.
will that tracing fiture will coming soon?
Your guess is as good as mine. For now Inkscape (which is free) had a great image trace feature, so I don't think it's a pressing need.
"Jack of all trades but master of none, is still always better than a master of one" is the FULL saying. Jacks of all trades make the world work. Specialists can't see the forest from the leaves....
Whenever someone brings forth the full quote, I'm always excited for some reason. Probably because I'm jack of many trades and a master of few.
Personally, I would prefer a heart surgeon to be a specialist in just one field...theirs!
thanks great info
Indic font support is the last thing designer needs to "make it"
I Am Submitting a Protest
When I originally purchased the full Affinity Suite, you sold it as a one time purchase that gave me access to all future updates. However, now you are billing Affinity 2 as a separate product - a new version, which it IS NOT a separate or new product, it’s just an upgrade, something you should NOT be charging for, something you originally said you would NOT charge for. That's the whole concept of a "one time purchase."
You are now selling an entire new Affinity Suite. This is not fair and NOT what I paid for.
So let me ask, will there be upgrades to the Original Affinity Suite? Is it still supported? Are you now phasing out the Original Affinity Suite, and does that mean that I’ll be FORCED to buy the new suite if I want to continue using your products?
This looks and feels like you’re slowly moving to the Adobe model. Just like them, it used to be a TRUE onetime purchase, then they moved to the subscription model.
It sure looks like you decided to choose larger profits over customer satisfaction, like so many companies these days, squeezing every penny out of their customers. You can still make good profits with one time purchases, add-ons and extra features without trying to bleed your customers dry.
I am VERY Disappointed and VERY surprised that you came out strong as a viable alternative to Adobe, only to follow them down the same profits over customers path, and that you did it so quickly. I can't wait to see what happens next year.
I will continue to use the Original Affinity Suite for the moment because I like your product and for the moment, you’re still cheaper than Adobe. But I want it noted that I am aware of what you’re doing, and I think it’s not fair and it’s not what I originally purchased. You changed the deal.
And, FYI, I’m going to post this as comments on public forms and create a video about it (not that you care, I’m just small potatoes to you), but I want people to at least be aware of this and to keep an eye on you and to keep an eye out for another replacement product.
And, these are not huge upgrades/updates. I and other users submitted several requests for new features, and I don’t see any of them in the new version. I think this is going to hurt your business more than the extra profits you’ll make. This will not be worth it for you.
I think most people would have been happy to have the upgrades for V1 and support your company by purchasing extra features like fonts, photos, graphics, maybe even an online store for overlays, scripts and actions etc. Did you get a new CEO or something? This was not a good decision.
Signed,
Disheartened and Disappointed Customer
I bought this version 1 only a few months ago and I would of waited had I known that V2 was near, I contacted their customer services. I'd never be buying from them ever again with the awful customer service I have seen, they seem very scammy, narcissistic and full of Ego.
I'd recccomend to keep version 1 and instead of buying version 2 to buy Luminar or something similar, so you get a different photo app. Best of both worlds. Keep V1 and get a similar photo app from another company.
With Affinity version 1 I was recommending it to maybe 10 or 20 people, now with version 2 I'm warning maybe 200 or more people against it.
Gimp is a free one but with the right addons is just as good, if not better than affinity photo. The only reason I got affinity for is because it was easier than looking for all the addons I would of needed for it to be just as good. There's plenty of UA-cam tutorials for gimp too.
Is this Nick? Logos by Nick?
Yes, this is my other channel.
@@DesignMadeSimple Nice!
can you now use freepik vectors properly?
I've never used Freepik personally, but I would imagine if they give you a proper vector file then I don't see why it wouldn't work if imported into Designer. If you go to Window > Stock it allows you to import stock graphics directly from Pexels and Pixabay.
….AM I THE ONLY ONE who feels like the iPad versions are more confusing? If so - PLEASE HELP ME LEARN!
No image tracing? That's a big negative
Auto vectorize is a needed upgrade
No image tracing? It's not worth buying then.
you get to work around that ... considering the cost of Adobe, a no-brainer.
@@gollypeeters4824 If Illustator was the only other vector program available, I'd agree. But when a paid program like Designer doesn't have basic features that are available in free software, why buy it?
" *We like to announce, we are now part of the Adobe family!* "
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Gave u a mini heart attack didn't I?
Im considering but does it export .dxf?
Just checked, I don't see it as an option so I guess not. I do know that this version added the ability to import DXF though.
@@DesignMadeSimple thanks very much, my guess is they wil add it at some point. Than i'll jump over from illustrator
since every version cost more, i think im gonna wait v3 or v4. we will see.
It's less than $100 for all 3 programs if you purchase it now.
@@mwhite212 i just have this feeling its going to be 1 year or 2 years till next version... we will see.
Prefiero los viejos iconos de la interfaz, en su mayoría. Y mucho de la vieja UI en general. Por lo demás, están bien las nuevas funciones. Gracias por el review, siempre es un gusto ver tus videos Nick.
Unless they don’t make touch navigation work properly this isn’t really a cool software for drawing/painting on a windows device… it would be really cool, but this makes it so hard to use.
Can Designer do dimensions, that was a major failing for me in V1. I don't see how you can "design" without dimensions.
Hi David, what do you mean by dimensions? I don't think you mean inputting width and height values manually, because that feature exists in the Transform panel.
You mean perspective rulers?
Being a “Jack of all trades” isn’t a pejorative.
Looks like an update you have to pay for to me.
If I make something in designer can I copy and paste it into after effects? If I can’t, then the program is absolutely useless to me. Do you have any beginner tutorials for “illustrator“? And if so, please leave me a link..
What? Master class for only $17
NOPE, I'm not paying for an upgrade!!!!!!
Lens profile support is really bad. Otherwise I will buy a license.
99.99$ ?? with the same 40% OFF we have 119.99€ which is something like 124$
I really chose the worst time to buy the original program, had it for 2 months
Adobe is not an option.The monthly subscription is just too much considering how much I use it. I have had & used Affinity for the last 8 years, and wonder how Adobe is still in business ;-). To keep the company going, I will buy the .2 upgrade
I was hoping for animation….
Great work by you and the guys at Serif!! Now can you please update your course for version 2.0?!
Subscribed 🦾
Affinity reminds me of CANVAS, trying to be everything..... I hope it succeeds.
...it has 3 separate programs for 3 separate tasks, the heck are you talking about "trying to be everything"? 😒
It's already beyond success to me. It's not easy to come head-to-head with a giant like Adobe. Affinity team has really pulled it off to make people think move to their ecosystem which to me is only getting better.
@@DxBlack People say the strangest things, huh? Meanwhile at Adobe with their 15 apps or whatever, oh yeah, and we just bought Figma.
not really seeng a reason to pay again for Affinity Designer. some pretty icons and 4 new tools? lame
I did, just to support development. There are some minor improvements that are not listed, such as more image formats for export, but you are right. If you don't miss anything in V1 or you are missing something and V2 does not add this feature (which is likely), then it's completely up to you. Hopefully it's not expensive. And Inkscape is pretty capable too (even more in many areas).
So much for the buy once get free updates forever model.
Difference between updates and features.
Features are brand new things that take resources, effort & money that the company has to recover. So they resell them in a new package (v.2 for example).
The free updates you mention are for the v.2 product, and however long that particular v.2 product serves you will get free updates for it.
@@alexbramwell1870 When I purchased them 2 years ago I could of sworn it said free updates forever. There was no mention of V1, V2.
@@shawnmoore2429 You have free updates for V1 forever.
Its under your own discretion to upgrade or not.
As mentioned thiers a difference between 'updates' & 'new product features'.
I can't outline the process any clearer than above dude 🤷♂️.
It is not an update but a new product. As was Windows 98 to 95, or 7 to Vista for example. The term version can be error inducing and doesn't refer to an update here, but usually in software development the versioning is made like so:
product_version.updates.fix
Where a change in the product_version number means a new project with a separate planning, specifications, building, etc.
@@saphi20 In this sales model, new features are made after the release of the OG product.
AKA, they go into the next product iteration (V2)
If you want feature releases continuously bundled and sreved to the product then you have to change the pricing model to SaaS (monthly fee).
Because the app is taken off the shelf doesn't stop Affinity supporting it (even on app stores). Could be security or bugs for example.
You can't have your cake & eat it. You either want a monthly sub or you support the business via purchasing major release versions as and when you need them.
Did you expect them to run as a business forever from the initial sales of the OG product 😵💫?
I'm priced out of the upgrade, unfortunately.. Now, I don't even want to champion the Affinity Suit, like before.. should have been a free update.
If you’re priced out of this you’re basically priced out of everything. None of the software I use give away whole number updates for free, how would they make any money doing that. The good thing is you don’t have to update, what you paid for is still the same. Also the updates does nothing I really care for, I don’t really see you missing out on anything.
In my opinion 3D abilities in Illustrator are wasted time if u can use Blender on a Desktop or in an iPad Nomad Sculpt.
changing the game? …shape builder was introduced 12 years ago…
There’s nothing I care for in the update. And I actually liked the old look better. I think this update is a huge disappointment.