Why You Find Affinity Photo Confusing
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Affinity Photo is great, BUT it’s also Confusing. Here are some of the most confusing things with a simple explanation to help you…
I recently asked the question of some Affinity Photo users if they had ever found the software confusing. Most admitted they had. The reason is down to a few common problems that I explain in this video. But I don’t just present the problems. I will explain how you can solve them. You will also learn some of the ways you can customise the Affinity Photo interface.
Don’t be confused by Affinity Photo. Watch this video.
You might also like this video which explains how to create layout presets: • Customise Your Affinit...
Download your Affinity Photo trial: tinyurl.com/2g9lhadc (affiliate link)
AFFINITY PHOTO BOOKS
Make learning Affinity Photo easy: geni.us/essentialap2book
Extend your Affinity Photo skills: geni.us/aphowtochoice
Produce complex, accurate selections fast: geni.us/AffinityPhotoSelection
FREE BOOK
Don't forget to join my free monthly newsletter to get your free copy of my book "6 Steps to Shooting Brilliant Landscape Photography". bit.ly/3GbtmE9
PHOTOGRAPHY & PHOTO EDITING BOOKS
Make learning easy with my collection of books: lenscraft.co.uk/books-by-robi...
Buy me a coffee: geni.us/buy-robin-a-coffee
#robinwhalley #lenscraft #lenscraftphotography 
Хобби
Excellent, but speedy, presentation. It certainly covers a lot of the pertinent details and is very helpful. Just glad I have the pause and reply options. THANKS!!
Thanks and sorry if it felt rushed. There was a lot to cram in and I like to keep videos under 10 minutes if I can these days. Perhaps try watching it at 0.75x speed. You can change it in the RUclips viewer settings.
Thank you for an informative tour of this software. I've started watching your videos recently and they're generally very helpful and to the point which I enjoy.
You're very welcome! Great to hear that you are finding my videos helpful.
Thanks for this clarification, Robin; very useful. As a newby to editing (last 12 months), and despite purchasing the AP workbook and watching their videos, I have heavily relied on videos like yours to explain basic stuff in words of one syllable!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you.
Many thanks for a very useful, concise video! All powerful, multi-featured software packages (like AP) have a pretty steep learning curve. I mostly use C1 to process my photos, occasionally using AP for some tasks that C1 can't do - suspect I'm similar to many amateurs. Although I think by now I'm reasonably competent with AP, as I don't use it every day, I still forget and get confused by some tasks - I just accept this now and have learnt to quickly look up sources such as yourself for reminders and tips!
You're welcome and thank you very much for the great feedback about my vidoes. Capture One is another excellent editor and ones that's becoming more powerful all the time. I suspect there are aspects of C1 that some people find confusing as well.
Thanks for the explanation Robin. I feel pretty comfortable in AP, but I learned a lot of it either on RUclips (like your channel), or through trial and error. Even then, today’s video demonstrated features I wasn’t aware of. AP has some very good videos, but not as many for topics like this. Really excellent tutorial today.
Thanks. I'm pleased you found it helpful. Personally I think Affinity has a similar learning curve to Photoshop for a lot of people. Steep.
@@RobinWhalley 😂 So true!
Helpful thank you, I will watch this a few more times to absorb it.
Glad it was helpful! Yes, I had to try to pack a lot of information into a relatively short video. Try watching it at 0.75x in the RUclips player.
I suspect this is a very helpful video for many users… I tried Affinity photo not long after its first release… I found it powerful but far too complex to get my head round. I must admit I have the same issue with Photoshop… Sorry but I prefer Lightroom classic now with nik collection, luminar etc. Your new video , I am afraid, reminded me why I ceased struggling with it.
I can completely understand your position. I think Affinity and Photoshop have similarly steep learning curves. In a lot of cases, people don't need the level of editing power they offer and are much better going with a solution like you mention.
It's not 'complex' ... it's complicated ... and overly so. This is a cut and dry example of an over designed, unintuitive program that's not useful for artists. Maybe tech heads who love micromanagement ... but not artists. It's a terrible program. PS didn't give me half the problems Affinity has.
I don't do that much in-depth retouching so DxO has been my go-to post app even though I've had Affinity for about 3 years. I did find it off-putting, even after working with Photoshop for 20 plus years. This basic video was an incredible parting of the clouds for me. Just goes to show you that if you don't get the fundamental operational concepts, all the tools in the world won't get you anything. THANK YOU!
Wow thank you. It's great to hear that I was able to help you. Affinity is a powerful tool but there are some subtle differences to Photoshop that can easily confuse or trip you up. Good luck with the editing.
Robin- your very clear video really open the capabilities of Affinity for me. When I have to do something quickly I default to Pageplus 8 simply because I am so familiar with its features. And you don't puff your videos out with the hyperbole Americans like to use!
Thank you. It's ironic though that you go back to Pageplus 8 as it's an old Serif application (the same people who developed Affinity Photo).
Luckily for me I never used PS/LR, I bought Affinity and learnt it with many helpful vids from yourself and others, as well as many hours of trial and error of my own.
I liked to figure out exactly how each tool is meant to work. Try a quick test to see if I can make it work properly, if not I would do a RUclips search. Sometimes I figured out little quirps of my own that just worked in that moment. I do a lot of duplicating layers, test, delete, repeat. I try a lot of little things to just see what it's doing and how/if I can use it.
I would not know half without your videos, especially soft proofing and printing!
Thanks so very much for your time and knowledge Robin.
Happy New Year!
Cheers,
You probably did well to go directly to Affinity Photo and I wouldn't recomend trying to switch to Photoshop. You might experience the same confusion going in that direction. Both applications have a steep learning curve but it's great to hear my videos have helped you.
Happy New Year.
Yep .. you wouldn't realize how bad the program is if you never used PS ... Like they say 'ignorance is bliss' ... Affinity sucks.
Lol.. I was sent the complete Affinity package last March - I wanted to like it but got totally confused trying to learn it and quickly went back to CS & LR. I have the manuals and from time to time will have "another go" but always feel frustrated very quickly.. its my addled brain I reckon. I watch all your videos but was intrigued when this came up and have to admit I was even more addled after 2m 50 seconds...lol. Never mind you produce good content for those that are better at learning than I. regards Alan
Yes, Photoshop users do struglle with the switch. The better you know Photoshop the harder it seems to become to use Affinity. It is a great package though and hopefully the video will helps some people who are sat scratching their heads.
Thank you for explaining
You're welcome
Excellent. Good to be reminded that some edits are destructive. Make a copy first, unless you know you have done so already.
Exactly. It's something that too many people forget but it's good advice.
I look forward to this. I've used PS and got AP to avoid PS's subscription. I've found AP to be the least intuitive software I've ever used. And, as a retired computer programmer, that's saying something. Consequently, I've only used the most basic features.
If you haven't seen it already, I published a short course starting with this video ruclips.net/video/RChxuWyjaYc/видео.html. I think it would be well worth watching these videos as I suspect they will address some of the difficulties you may be having.
thank you, much appreciated
You're very welcome!
Great video. Quick question, when using the PEN TOOL is there a way to make the selected area blend into the non-selected area? I am changing the contrast on some small areas e.g., I outline the dogs nose with small dots, then click "selection." I successfully change the contrast and color I want but the border looks too hard and jagged. I want it to blend in more- does not have to be seamless but at least better. Is there a way to do this?
You could feather the selection but I would suggest a slightly different approach for this. Rather than trying to soften the edge, try painting the effect in using a soft brush with a low Opacity of around 20%. This requires you build up the effect with multiple brush strokes which helps to blend them. You could still then use a selection around the nose to prevent the brush strokes spilling over into surrounding areas. By not being precise with the selection it will blend better with th rest of the image.
I find it confusing, when adding pixel layers. Also adjustment layers. You have to have them, above or lower in the layers stack. I tried add a new pixel layer, for some dodging. Nothing would work on that new layer.
I'm not sure what your problem was but it's possibly that you had one pixel layer covereing another in the layers studio panel. That's a common problem and will prevent you from seeing the adjustments you're making. It's hard to pinpoint your issue without seeing you work.
Thank you for your great videos on Affinity Photo
Is it possible to create a selection mask - for my purposes a selection and then mask of my body. And I eliminate the background.
Then I want to place a different photo for the back ground. In my current example I have a photo of a full moon for a background.
I can move the background but I am constricted by the image being contained in the original shape of the photo with my body.
I cannot figure out how to move the my body to place it where I want with the full moon.
IS there a way to do what I want to do?
Yes, this is possible and it's how I add people to my Thumbnails for videos. But you don't use a selection mask, you create a selection to use so you can delete the background. I'll be publishing a tutorial explaining how to do what you're asking in the next 2 months (unless something interferes with my schedule).
Thx bro
No problem.
Great vid. Can you do this for the iPad version? This is the only tool I have.
Thanks. If you are asking can I make a video about the iPad version, I'm sorry I don't have the ability at the moment.
I guess I was one of your 97%
Similar (to PS and others) tools with different names , hiding in different places was my main source of confusion and frustration .
Likely more about me personally ; but when I was learning Lr3 or 4 , I found I needed to turn off all other editing programs and work sorely with LR until I understand it . For some , or many , it could be same learning the AP way after years of the PS way . After all , we didn't master or even learn the basic of PS over a wet weekend .
Something that's often forgotten with Photoshop and Affinity Photo is that they are designed for professional editing. This can make them difficult to learn. We also don't need to use most of their features to achieve good results.
Whats the different if we make some adjusment for jpeg image in photo persona or make adjusment in develop persona?
Different tools available.
Besides the tools being different in the different personas, your edits are applied destructively in the Develop Persona. Once you leave the Develop Persona they become locked in to the image and you can't go back and change them. It's just like with the Filter and Live Filter I covered in the video.
I tried AP2 the last couple of week and did not achieve any decent edit. Starting in the develop persona and switching to the photo persona started fine but in all cases I lost my edits in the develop persona, I could not make a decent photo not matter what I tried. Imo software should make live easier and when I as a user has to take notice of the kind of layer and you have to choose per raw photo whether or not you want embed the changes or store outside the raw picture then the designers have to learn a lot about ux-design. It was a very disappointing experience
Despite what some people may have you believe, Affinity Photo is not easy. It's professional grade editing software that has a similar approach to editing as Photoshop. It also has a similarly steep learning curve. It isn't for everyone.
Ok thank you for this video first of all. I have to be honest I do not know everything of what you are saying as far as persona this or that since I’m fairly new to affinity photo and lost! I wanted to give it a whirl and not pay the exhausting $10 bucks or more a month for Adobe yet I’ve been trained on it for years and use to everything. But $40 buck in 1 shot for a lifetime stoked by heart. Lol! My question is can you do a video on brushes. I cannot find any of those basic soft brushes like Adobe has in affinity to do shading and blending. I’m trying to do digital art and this is a huge learning curve.
You may be better starting with the course I posted on RUclips rather than this video. Here's the link to the first f the lessons and then there are links in this to the others ruclips.net/video/RChxuWyjaYc/видео.html. I have been meaning to do a Brushes video for a while so you've just bumped it up my list a bit. In the interim, this video ruclips.net/video/9e2wO0uXDgU/видео.html demonstrates how to create a watermark and then save it as a custom brush. I know that it's not what you're looking for but you will probably find use for the information at some point.
Great video- cleared up a lot. Question- in Affinity, can I- or how best can I stitch multiple panos together that e.g., have 3 brackets each? Is there a way to level them out equally? I was thinking of rending each exposure bracket set (3 pics) into 1 photo (3 of them.) The problem then is that each 1 of the 3 photos would be edited differently. Not sure if I can "select all" and have Affinity apply the post editing changes to each of the assigned photos. Otherwise, is there a way to just do the pano merge, then edit that after the fact? I am not sure what format it would be in- I would clearly prefer RAW so I have more info. to work with.
Thanks!
Sorry, I'm really not understanding what you are trying to do here. It sounds like an HDR Pano but I'm not sure. Providing there is sufficient overlap between the images in a Pano set Affinity shouldn't have any issue stitching them.
@@RobinWhalley Thanks for your reply and sorry I was not more clear. Yes, Affinity blends all my panos together easily. In the future, I am planning to also use the exposure exposure bracketing feature on my D5500. So my camera will take 3 images (1 under exposed, one over and one just right.) I will do this at least 3 times in order to create my Pano (so a total of 9 photos.) I was hoping to find out what is the recommended workflow to edit this in the most effective manner.
For example, should I...
1. Simply render each of the 3 exposures into 1 (3 times) and then merge all of those photos into one photo using the Pano Stitch tool or...
2. Should I render each set of the 3 exposures into one photo and edit them individually before doing the pano stitch?
I like the idea of editing them first so I am working with RAW files. After the Pano stitch I am not sure what format it will be in. I am not sure if editing at that point will be as effective.
If I do edit first individually (3 photos), they won't match perfectly because they will be three edits. I am thinking that the shadows, highlights, tones, colors, etc. might not match unless I can apply a global edit to all three at once.
Again, I am new to this so I apologize if my questions are not clear. If you are not sure, that is fine, I can just do trial and error until I figure it out.
Anyone's thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thanks!
@@MOAB-UT Thanks, I understand now. The first thing I would say is that there isn't currently a tool to do what you want to do in Affinity Photo (at least not that I know of). If this were me, I would handle the blending of the three exposures first for each set of images. You could use the HDR Merge feature in the File menu for that. I would then export the merged images to something like a 16-bt TIFF before stitching them together.
Having said all that, are you sure that you need to use the exposure bracketing on your camera? A lot of the time the RAW file is sufficient. You really only need to bother with exposure bracketing if the camera is really struggling to capture the full dynamic range. Even then, some clipping in highlights or shadows can often add mood to an image. Just a thought.
@@RobinWhalley Thanks Robin. The short answer is I don't know. I have read that using exposure bracketing can help you to capture more highlights and shadow info. I am going to some epic places and I don't want to "miss my perfect shot" so I thought I could try it out. I've never done it before.
I also just bought a B+W 6-stop ND filter and I recently finished a great book called Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Many pro's recommended it to me in a forum. Bryan is an expert and he recommends exposure bracketing on shots that have high contrast like landscapes in bright sunlight. He also says you can use an ND to capture motion of clouds when shooting. I never even thought to do that. He also says to shoot the color green when faced with multiple colors- it will expose more accurately. He is also a big fan of exposing (the camera meter) to the SKY in most cases in order to set a correct exposure- and to over expose 1-2 stops when shooting snow and generally ETTR. I am learning a lot of small tricks and tips that are really adding up. Macro is also a lot of fun. I just bought a great macro lens.
I am sure you are right that I can get a perfectly acceptable photo without using bracketing. I would probably only do it 5% of the time. Are there any other brackets for a stunning landscape photo that you recommend- that Affinity or Neo can handle? I've read about FOCUS Stacking, but haven't tried that yet either. I also just watched a great video that shows how to use light to make an image look 3D. He shows how to use the Dodge and Burn tools to achieve this. He uses the lighter dodged layer to make the area look closer and the dodge part giving it more depth. There is still much for me to learn!
I appreciate hearing back from you and for all your great work on the channel.
THANK YOU!
@@MOAB-UT Bryan's books are good (especially his book on composition) but be aware some things have moved. For example he may recommend a technique of exposing to the right. Today sensor technology has moved on and that doesn't work well with all cameras.
If you are going to shoot landscapes, a good approach that a lot of people still use are ND graduated filters. Some people prefer exposure blending (like you mention) but the humble grad filter can still work well; I tend to use both techniques.
There are lots of software solutions to automate the blending of exposures but you often achieve the best results doign this work manually. If you look on my channel you will find videos expalingin how to do this with Affinity photo as well as Photoshop. The technique is also sometimes known as double exposure blending.
I don't understand why you need to switch between persona's except the raw editor of course. Why can't liquify be with the main photo editor? I bought this software a while back because I hate adobe's subscription, and I like the perpetual license on AP... but it just sits in my computer perpetually...
You don't need to switch personas (other than Develop) if you don't want to for most tasks. Most things can be done in the Photo persona including liquify. This video shows an example ruclips.net/video/iESBnCngzds/видео.html. The other personas may have additional tools and capabilities that you want to use in specific situations for example exporting an image. You can do that in the Photo Persona but the Export Persona allows you to export parts of an image and export multiple versions of an image at the same time or even use different formats.
@@RobinWhalley thank you... I have to admit I am used to PS6 and really get confused with AP... but I will try using it again.
What I find confusing is trying to achieve something on the iPad version using a desktop tutorial. Sometimes it’s there but looks different, sometimes it’s hidden in a subsection somewhere and sometimes it’s not possible at all which is why I can’t find a tutorial relating to it.
The two applications are very different and whilst some of teh tools are common between them there is a lot that's different. Personally I view them as two separate and different applications. I'm sorry but I don't currently have any videos covering the iPad version but I may do some in the future.
@@RobinWhalley Thanks for the reply. To be honest I think a major overhaul is more than likely coming, I just hope it’s easier to find the tools it has got in the future.
I’ve had enough of a desktop environment, but your video was still helpful, thanks.
@@wanderingfool6312 You're welcome.
What i like to know is if there are any updates for Affinity Photo for PC my Affinity crashes.
That's one to ask on the Affinity Forum.
Long time photographer and have used multiple programs for many, many years. I recently bought it based on several videos and tutorials. I find it very confusing and not very friendly. Way too many steps to do simple tasks. I will continue with my PS, LR, On1 and Topaz along with a few others. I could go on but really serves no purpose. Just my opinion.
I truly see why peope get confused. I am still confused on RAW images. I am always told to shoot RAW, which I do. However, if I want to edit my photo with LUT then I can't do it in the Development Persona. So, is shooting RAW a waste of time?
If you are starting with a RAW file you first need to Develop it into an image using the Develop Persona. After that you are back into the Photo persona and can add a LUT. The following might help.
Here's the first video in my Affinity Photo course: ruclips.net/video/RChxuWyjaYc/видео.html (the links to the others are in the video description)
LUT video: ruclips.net/video/wmZqd0rV1KQ/видео.html
I might be one of the few people (3%) that finds Adobe products more confusing instead. Each time I use Affinity, I'm surprised by how well-structured it is, and how easy it is to achieve things. Of course there's a learning curve in the beginning, and I still have to look up some things regularly, but I find it easier compared to Adobe products.
For some reason, the Affinity suite along with the DXO suite are incredibly intuitive to me whereas the Adobe suite is unnecessarily complex and definitely not intuitive for my thinking and editing process. I also don't have to be worrying about subscriptions with those two. Win-win.
@@FreeRadical09 Agreed!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not clearly laid out or poorly structured, it isn't. It's just that many people become confused by how it works, especially if they are coming from other tools like Photoshop. Both applications are increadibly powerful and good but both have steep learning curves. I know quite a few poeple who have switched to Affinity because they heard it was easier than Photoshop. Then when they discovered it was still difficult to learn, they gave up. I'm hoping this video will clear up at least some points of confusion for some of the people watching it.
One of the most confusing is the Sharpen Tool; it should be very important, but unfortunatelly it is too difficult to use and with really of poor results.
The sharpen tool isn't great in Affinity Photo and also suffers from a few bugs. If you want to accurately preview the sharpening, you need to have the image magnified to 100%. Higher or lower settings just hide the sharpening if you are using the Shapen Tools.
@@RobinWhalley Thanks for the answer. Also the DEnoise Tool has poo effect; on the old releases there was a button called EXTREME that was really very effectiv, but that unfortunatelly has been removed.
@@danielesalvatore6594 I have to say that personally, I find dedicated tools better for noise reduction and sharpening that the ones in Affinity.
@@RobinWhalley You have made available two interesting books: and . May I know the differences. Thanks.
I watched, I listened, I learned one thing. I am now even more confused!!!
Hi Allan, can you add a few details here about the sorts of things you find confusing or struggle to do in Affinity. I'll then try to cover them in a future video I'm planning. Thanks.
I find it clearly laid out.
Yes, some people do but they seem to be in the minority. I don't know anyone who has been able to open Affinity Photo for the first time and use it without problem. It does have a steep learning curve for new users.
Even more confusing
Affinity Photo does have a steep learning curve. Are you struggling with a particular aspect of Affinity or is it my video style. It would be helpful to know because I'm always trying to improve the lives of fellow photographers.
Where is Affinity located? I can’t find a corporate website. Do they operate out the back of a van? After searching for information on this company and coming with nothing but smiling twenty year olds I couldn’t possibly take them seriously.
Affinity is a brand created by Serif. Serif has been around for decades but was recently acquired by Canva which is worth billions. I have no idea why couldn’t find this and as for lots of smiling 20 year olds, that’s not what comes up when I search.
I found Affinity Photo much less confusing to Photoshop.
Yes, some people do seem to find Affinity Photo much easier. It can still be very confusing for lots of people though.
@@RobinWhalley it's not to say there isn't any confusion to working with the program, but I found it suited my needs much easier and quicker.
@@stephenreynolds6414 Thanks. I can understand that.
AP is very poorly implemented and not intuitive for the user. Personas serve no purpose only to provide confusion and additional button press's. I realize that it is budget software and is good value for the £20 I paid for it, but what you save in money, you waste in time and frustration. If you earn money from your photos you cannot afford to be limited by this software.
Whilst I think Affinity Photo coud do with some improvements, I do think it's very good. For volume work I will stick with other solutions though.
@@RobinWhalley Thank you for your reply, you make a valid point., and also more concise than my original waffle.
Because it's a clunky over designed piece of garbage.... That's why it's 'confusing'. I love how so many people are making excuses for this unintuitive program. I just have plug in my old computer with PS 5 because I just can't handle the constant management of every little move the program forces me to make with all the ridiculous design choices. I don't know what these developers were thinking... It's just baffling how many problems this program has given me with some of the most simple tasks. Stay away from Affinity ... It's not 'user error' ... It's this terrible program. 😂
I'm not sure why you see the need to share your dislike of Affinity Photo on videos explaining the software. You would be much better sharing your thoughts on the Affinity Photo forum. At least the people there can do something about it. Why are you bothering to watch these videos anyway if you don't use the software? 🤔