PhotoShop alternative

Botch

Adobe has really pissed off their lifelong subscription customers as of late, and Affinity/Canva has jumped at the chance for some conversion customers by offering their entire "creative suite" (not just Photo), completely free and no required credit card, for six months!  That's plenty of time to cover the learning curve and see if it works for you:  

https://petapixel.com/2024/07/08/you-can-now-test-drive-affinity-photo-free-for-6-months-no-strings-attached/

No idea if anyone here does serious photo editing.  I had been using Apple's iPhoto, Photos, and PhotoShop Elements for a few years (the watered-down version of PS) and eleven years ago was ready to make the jump to full PS, when they decided to go to the subscription model (which is fine for a pro, but expensive and dumb for a serious amateur).  After studying the alternatives I purchased Affinity Photo; under $100 for a permanent license.  They've done a very good job of providing free updates ever since, I've been very happy.  Earlier this year they upgraded to Affinity Photo 2.0; as an existing customer they offered me 2.0, plus the rest of the suite (Designer and Publisher) for, again, under $100.  I upgraded, and if they keep going with free updates for the next eleven years, money well spent (compared to the full Adobe license, $59/month, iirc).  

So, it's there if anyone wants to try it.  I have no financial interests in either company.  

fishlessman

Botch said:

Adobe has really pissed off their lifelong subscription customers as of late, and Affinity/Canva has jumped at the chance for some conversion customers by offering their entire "creative suite" (not just Photo), completely free and no required credit card, for six months!  That's plenty of time to cover the learning curve and see if it works for you:  

https://petapixel.com/2024/07/08/you-can-now-test-drive-affinity-photo-free-for-6-months-no-strings-attached/

No idea if anyone here does serious photo editing.  I had been using Apple's iPhoto, Photos, and PhotoShop Elements for a few years (the watered-down version of PS) and eleven years ago was ready to make the jump to full PS, when they decided to go to the subscription model (which is fine for a pro, but expensive and dumb for a serious amateur).  After studying the alternatives I purchased Affinity Photo; under $100 for a permanent license.  They've done a very good job of providing free updates ever since, I've been very happy.  Earlier this year they upgraded to Affinity Photo 2.0; as an existing customer they offered me 2.0, plus the rest of the suite (Designer and Publisher) for, again, under $100.  I upgraded, and if they keep going with free updates for the next eleven years, money well spent (compared to the full Adobe license, $59/month, iirc).  

So, it's there if anyone wants to try it.  I have no financial interests in either company.                                               Might need a phone worth more than 12 bucks😁

xavier233

Yeah, Affinity Photo is a great Photoshop alternative! They're offering a 6-month free trial of their entire creative suite, and their pricing is super reasonable. Worth checking out if you're tired of Adobe's subscription model!

paqman

I purchased Affinity a couple of months ago after converting to Mac and seeing your post about it. Too bad I missed on the 50% off and free trial.  I am trying to learn how to use it as we speak.  I like that it is available on multiple platforms (Mac, iPad, Windows).

Botch

paqman said:

I purchased Affinity a couple of months ago after converting to Mac and seeing your post about it. Too bad I missed on the 50% off and free trial.  I am trying to learn how to use it as we speak.  I like that it is available on multiple platforms (Mac, iPad, Windows).

Simon Foster has an online course on Udemy, which has really helped me get a leg up on it, and it's on sale the rest of this month for only $10:

https://www.udemy.com/course/affinity-photo-2-solid-foundations/?utm_campaign=2024-07-19&utm_content=promo&utm_medium=4392604&utm_source=email-sendgrid&utm_term=11847960&couponCode=JUL2024

paqman

@Botch I ended up purchasing 3 Udemy courses from Affinity Revolution just a couple of minutes before the sale ended.

I watched a couple of her Youtube videos, and beside her annoying voice (she starts all of her sentences with an over enthusiastic tone and ends them with a slow monotone ending), I really enjoy the content so far.  I am a complete noob when it comes to photo editing in general and Affinity specifically.  She focuses on the core functionalities and very basic techniques rather than complex pro-editor techniques.  I may purchase the one you shared later on when I feel a bit more comfortable as he seems to be focusing on more advanced techniques.

I also asked SWMBO to grab a Wacom tablet for me on her way back home tonight 🤣😂

Affinity Photo for Begin
https://www.udemy.com/share/107xbM3@gt0_jcZczeAOkMDA0ZpoaPYS07euSDLlQ-jviXH9C4Z0LEbVRqwPmum3yvZU90nSMg==/

Affinity Photo: Beyond the basics!
https://www.udemy.com/share/108tom3@qNRGtSizwRR9ZNlpdoITwoQhXYVHm-e_Xf0Av3_gbthYvZ8Qte1Tw1_a2UCmIMc-yw==/

Create Amazing Macros in Affinity Photo
https://www.udemy.com/share/10bx3D3@b_ZpjBZ1JKDUv-HkYLCj2vt_fgPTqBcn5NxIr9TraNni0RCJPiHfCYS_N5uYzQxwpQ==/

Botch

I'm not familiar with "Her" videos at all, my recc was only for Simon Phillip's classes, but I see you were only watching free content on EweTube, so no biggie.  
Simon is a soft-spoken Brit, and his dry humor/wit/world-class teaching skills just fit for me perfectly.  

Botch

paqman said:

...I may purchase the one you shared later on when I feel a bit more comfortable as he seems to be focusing on more advanced techniques.

I also asked SWMBO to grab a Wacom tablet for me on her way back home tonight 🤣😂

The big sale is done now ($95 to $11 or so) but now that you're on their mailing list, they offer their courses at that huge discount several times a year, so just wait until the next one before purchasing.  

When my 10-yr Macbook Air was gasping its last, and Apple still hadn't released a bigger-screen replacement, I took a chance on the 13" iPad Pro w/Magic keyboard, thinking that if it didn't work out as a laptop replacement (it didn't) I could connect it in to my desktop system, and use the Apple Pencil for specific photo editing.  That's what it ended up, and it works but not very well.  Since I'm not connecting that iPad directly to the 'net, but wired to the desktop, I probably have a lot of years left on it, and won't replace it whenever that time comes.  Nonetheless, I'm anxious to see how your experience with the Wacom works out for you.  
Ten years from now the entire computer landscape will probably be totally different, AI will have replaced photography completely, and I'll most likely be dead; it may not matter but it's fun to think about.