Is Affinity Photo Good for Raw Editing?

[@ronpearce7198]

As a long time photographer and user of LR, PS, On1 and several other programs, I tried Affinity. I find it very time consuming and not very friendly. I know part of it is a familiarity issue but, I can process photos so much faster without all the steps required in Affinity to get the end result using other programs. I have found most photo editing software does all the same things, just differently. So one has to select and familiarize themselves with the one program that is most comfortable for their purposes and style of photography. I will continue with Affinity as I think they have some features for creative photography that I may be interested in but, it will not be my main go to program. You did a great job explaining the basics.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ron. It's certainly not perfect, but good for the price, I think. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@peterwilson9699]

Totally agree.

[@ajtatosmano2]

It's actually very easy to use for photo editing, but for a final color grading you must go to oter software because it's unusable for that.

[@arturowczarek]

Since Affinity Photo 2.0 raw editing is no longer destructive. You can always come back. You can also use non destructive HSL layer do adjust saturation for each color and curves layer to adjust each color brightness.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Sounds like some good updates Artur, I'm going to need to try it out. 😊

[@stuartsilverman3797]

Wonderful video. You really showed us how to work on a raw image in affinity. Your directions were clear and you carefully showed us all the tools and how they work. I should say that the photo persona in affinity does have the tools to change hue, saturation and luminance of each color individually. Keep up the great work!

[@Robert-Bishop]

Many thanks Stuart. Yes, I wish they would incorporate the HSL tools into the develop persons, but you're right to point out they exist in the photo persona. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@stuartsilverman3797]

@@Robert-Bishop makes sense. Development persona is where it belongs.

[@gordont9754]

Many Thanks I learnt more from this one video Appreciate the the speed and detail you took when making this video..

[@Robert-Bishop]

Great, I'm really happy to hear that. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@dennisblack4444]

Thank you Robert, I purchased Affinity last year but had problems understanding (new to photo editing) and not many tutorials out there. I have been using LR and PS for the past year and now I thing I will have another go at it. Your video has helped me understand the Deveop persona thank you. I mainly do Milkyway photography with some sunset/sunrise at the moment.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks Dennis, I'm really glad it was of some use to you. I haven't managed to have a good go at astro photography yet - definitely something I want to explore more though. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@peterwilson9699]

I find Affinity Photo is difficult to understand. Cumbersome. I recommend Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop! Affinity Photo can be interesting when using it as a Graphic Designer element in combination with the VERY wonderful Affinity Designer and the VERY excellent Affinity Publisher.

[@bjnslc]

I got Affinity and updated to version 2 because it (still) can work with file types that Photoshop can't. I tried the Affinity raw handling in the first version and thought it did a very poor job. The version 2 raw in the latest version looks much better, but workflow is really poor. Basically Affinity has zero accommodation for batch image editing. That makes Affinity a very slow tool to use, even allowing for my awkwardness with the Affinity UI quirks. I'm retiring and want to ditch Creative Cloud, which just got a price hike. I'll probably at lest get the photo subscription from Adobe since Affinity really hasn't progressed much in terms of workflow and usability. I don't see that Affinity offers a DNG save/export option to package non-destructive raw edits and I'd prefer that to Affinity's proprietary format.

[@findermanimages]

I've owned Affinity 1 for quite a while (bought in a sale for £27!) but only ever used the pano stitch function as my version of Capture One couldn't do that. I have learned a ton of stuff here today and really would like to have one dedicated piece of software to do the job. Affinity 2 is now out which addresses your concern about re-editing a developed RAW image. You can now go back to it and continue where you left off. The only unknown for me with Affinity 1/2 is whether you can save an edit and apply it to all the photos you wish to edit in a session, and whether you can see all the photos in one place. This appears to be a one-at-a-time editor, though I hope I'm wrong. Great video and a lovely edit 👍🏼

[@FulcrumUK]

Hi Robert, as a long term Affinity user, I thought your tutorial was really good and explored the key features of the develop persona. It encouraged me to subscribe! It is worth noting however that the product experrs at Affinity recommend shifting the balance towards the photo persona as [virtually] everything can be done non-destructively in there. For example the solective HSL adjustment you said was missing is easily accomplished non-destructively in Photo and with layers / masks you can apply different shifts to different parts of the image. Also, adjustment layers automatically come with masks so that can be very useful too. Whether this recommendation arises from the "lack" of power in Develop is not clear. It is however worth noting that the producers don't market it as a Lightroom replacement.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the sub. I've used the HSL sliders in the Photo persona and they work well. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but the only way to get the RAW file into the Photo persona is to commit changes made in the Develop persona. This appears (again, correct me if wrong) to discard the RAW information, which to me seems a backward step when it comes to having maximum control over all aspects of the image. I think the lack of organisational features certainly sets it apart from Lightroom, but with a few improvements, I think the adjustment side of things could be a replacement, particularly for those on a budget.

[@WMedl]

@@Robert-Bishop In Version 2 the RAW file can be embedded or linked and could be further changed having made pixel changes in the Persona. So I think both world can work together.

[@Robert-Bishop]

@@WMedl Good to know, thanks. 👍

[@bradroberts8629]

Thanks for Sharing. It is a timely video as I have JUST started shooting in Raw and plan to use Affinity to edit, albeit a very slow computer . Patience will be tested to the max.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Great Brad, I hope it was of some use to you. How do you find it runs on a slower machine?

[@art_by_adrian2913]

I use affinity and it has been absolutely amazing I haven't felt it was lacking in many places at all it's crazy people think Adobe has a better value than this

[@Robert-Bishop]

That's great, and you'll save so much money compared to using Lightroom/Photoshop. Have you found the Affinity to have any bugs or crash at all?

[@paulcookphotography]

Great video Robert. This was a great look at this program. I've never tried Affinity myself, but I know a few people who swear by it. Looks like it performs well enough, although it doesn't seem to have enough features to get me to want to switch from Lightroom. Great final edit of the image from Winnat's Pass, love that shot. Great stuff as always mate, always well done and very informative.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Cheers Paul. Yeah Lightroom has the better features. When it comes to value for money though, Affinity is miles ahead! Thanks for watching mate. Haven't seen one of your vids for a while, are you taking a break?

[@paulcookphotography]

@@Robert-Bishop yeah, just a little bit. I'll be back. Just getting too caught up in the analytics. It was never supposed to be about that for me and found myself feeling a lot of stress about it. I'll put out something when I have something new and interesting. Not going to live by a YT schedule.

[@Robert-Bishop]

@@paulcookphotography Yeah, best to keep out of all that stuff. Enjoy the break mate. 😊

[@LeadingEdgeCreations]

Great Video Robert...clear & concise...Loved the 'After' Photo...moody with a warm and welcoming tone...I moved from Lightroom, Photoshop & Illustrator to the Affinity Suite mainly because of the high Subscription Service costs & have not regretted it for the amount of use I need for the Applications....👍 Wonder what the tie up with Canva will bring...???

[@Robert-Bishop]

Many thanks. I haven't heard about the Canva thing - will have to look into that. Cheers. 😊

[@jalfc46]

The Profiles explanations were particularly helpful. I have used Affinity since they launched but I’m a slow learner.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Glad to hear it John. This video seems to have proven popular, so I might do some more editing videos with affinity. 😊

[@frankiefalci8735]

super thanks, have you done other affinity tutorials?

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks. Only this one at the moment. I had planned to do more and then they released Affinity 2. Will get that first and then perhaps do some more at some point. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@anilaboutme]

Can you edit several raw images at once? Like edit one and it will automatically be applied to the others selected like in Camera Raw?

[@Robert-Bishop]

Not quite although I believe you can make a preset which can then be applied to subsequent images. Affinity 2 might be able to sync multiple RAW files, but I haven't had chance to test it out yet.

[@paganphil100]

Affinity is currently available for £35.99 (Windows or Mac) until January 25th. This is the total price....no subscription needed.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks for the update Philip.

[@terrydanks]

Switched to Affinity a few years ago after two decades with PS. It was painful as I learned the ropes but no regrets. Never going back to Adobe!

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks Terry - good to know you had a good experience with it. Thank you for watching. 😊

[@RiccardoPareschi]

I think that Affinity Photo is a good product for pixel manipulation (I'm and early user) but not so good for raw development. First of all his highlight recovery is so bad than I can't use it. Second the Affinity raw engine not so good compared with LR, ON1, DX0, RawTerapee. For more than a year I've used instead the Apple raw engine. Normally I use Affinity for photo manipulation after a raw dev in LR and exported in tiff. Affinity is really great for panoramas, focus merge and stacking that I use a lot. Great video, thanks for share.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks for watching Riccardo and sharing your thoughts and experience. I'm sure it will be useful for people looking for RAW editing software. 😊

[@Gilpa]

Why do You the curve to ad contrast and not the slider under basic?

[@Robert-Bishop]

Everyone has their own preferred methods. Ironically, in Lightroom, I usually use the tone sliders. I think for this, I just wanted to show a wide variety of features and that Affinity included the curves function. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@davidhedges1729]

I have been using it since the beta version was released, it's excellent but the failure to update lens and camera profiles is annoying and I am considering going back to PS/Lightroom.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks for the input David. Have you considered anything else instead of Adobe products?

[@Filipinospanishwalk]

hi there nice and interesting tutorial on editing. great sharing 👍 greetings and watching from Spain

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks very much. 😊

[@phileptlett4070]

I have used Affinity for approx. 4 years now and have been confused by many tutorials, but this was one is very clear and to the point without any jargon. Well done. 👍👍. I do take your point about it perhaps not suitable for the more advanced / professional photographer, but as a casual enthusiast I find it ideal, particularly when it comes down to cost. If you haven't already done so it would be nice to see one done on the Photo Persona.😄

[@Robert-Bishop]

Thanks Phil, good to hear about your experience with it. Totally agreed, great for enthusiasts and certainly more affordable. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@romiemiller7876]

Works well for me.

[@LeePelling]

Hi Robert, interesting to see what affinity can do , looks a good suite , not sure I would switch as a long time Adobe user but is good to see what options are out there . Final result looked good though. Hope your keeping well, take care mate

[@Robert-Bishop]

Yeah, Adobe has the edge, but I guess it should for what it costs. Affinity is pretty good though, and when you factor in the cost it's amazing value. Cheers for watching Lee. 😊

[@JeremyPayne]

Honestly never heard of this software before mate. Not bad for what it is but we a re creatures of habit and ill stick with LR. I do hate the subscription from Adobe but it is what it is. Great video and explanation Robert.

[@Robert-Bishop]

It must be a northern hemisphere thing! Haha. Cheers mate, thanks for watching. 😊

[@rosemariefederle9728]

Thanks very helpful 👍

[@Robert-Bishop]

Great, I'm glad it was some use to you. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@bobbowring1702]

I use Affinity Photos. all the time. Did you ever checkout the Kenko 1.4 teleplus MC4 dgx teleconvertor.

[@Robert-Bishop]

Glad to hear it Bob. No haven't used the teleconvertor. Any good?

[@bobbowring1702]

@@Robert-Bishop I use it on my Nikon D7200 dx and my Nikon D600 fx with the Nikon 70-300mm and it works well. on the D7200 at 300mm with the crop factor and 1.4 TC gives me 630mm

[@donjames5761]

what do you think about luminar neo ?

[@Robert-Bishop]

I haven't tried it Don, but I'll make a note to give it a go. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@paulkennedycreativemedia]

It looks like a good stater program for people who don’t want to do to much editing. I do wish Adobe would make a one off payment for all programs though.

[@smashexentertainment676]

I use Premier Pro 2015 offline before the subscription mode (online it's forcing me to upgrade). Yes, I miss out on tons of new cool, but mostly unnecessary plugins and can't probably edit 8K RAW, still it has everything one might need. And it's absolutely free 😊

[@Robert-Bishop]

Cheers Paul. Yeah, that would be good - although they'd probably be about 5k each! 😁

[@smashexentertainment676]

Yes.

[@Robert-Bishop]

👍

[@TC_Conner]

Your S-curve is way to heavy IMO. 👎🏼

[@Robert-Bishop]

That's what I thought worked for that particular image. It'd be a boring world of we all had the same opinion though. Thanks for watching. 😊