Affinity Apps: Making your book look beautiful at 50% off.

[InklingBooks]

If you're looking for a way to make your Sciverner-written book look special but can't afford Adobe's high rent, you might want to look at what Affinity offers. Affinity Publisher is an excellent substitute for InDesign. Affinity Photo is the same for Photoshop, and Affinity Designer will substitute for Illustrator. And they're being sold not rented.

Even better, Affinity just announced that their apps are now available for 50% off. That includes that Windows and Mac versions, as well as those for iPads. Those for computers are only $24.99 each and those for the iPad are only $9.99. And if you've bought one of the new Macs, they're already optimized for the M1 chips.

Here are more details:
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

[Twolane]

What this software is capable of doing for anyone motivated to turn their indie-published e-books into print is amazing. I'm so happy I picked it up at a discount months ago.

I found the learning curve for Publisher to be a bit of a pain, but once the software clicked, it became easy-peasy.

Highly recommended if anyone truly wants to be an indie p-book publisher in their own right. Thanks to Amazon and Ingram Spark, I have print product available everywhere.

[StarDog2]

As a photographer, I know Affinity Photo is a superb bit mapped photo editor raw image developer. I wholly recommend it for those looking to step up their photographic skills.

I took advantage of the half price offer to get Affinity Publisher, even though as a subscriber to Microsoft OneDrive, I have access to MS Publisher for free (well, SORTA free - let's just say no additional charge.) I have a friend who publishes magazines and other publications (things like annual reports, ad brochures, and the like). He was looking for something less expensive than the Adobe suite. I told him about Affinity Photo, and that Serif also has a suite of graphics tools at a fraction of the price of an Adobe subscription.

After investigating, by reviewing various web blogs, YouTube reviews, and tutorials, he decided to buy the entire Affinity suite. He tells me that he doesn't miss Illustrator, In Design, and the other Adobe products one bit. I figured at $25 US for a permanent license, I had nothing to lose by buying Affinity Publisher. It's kind of like paying for an indefinite trial period, if I don't like it for my relatively simple publishing needs, I'm not out much money, and can always go back to Microsoft, I won' be getting rid of OneDrive anyway.

[xiamenese]

<snip>
I found the learning curve for Publisher to be a bit of a pain, but once the software clicked, it became easy-peasy.
<snip>

Hmm. I think anyone trying to get to get to grips with InDesign, Quark Express, Scribus or similar powerful desktop publishing software for the first time would find it just as much of a pain!

I've used InDesign until it was priced way out of my league, ditto Quark Express, and I've tried Scribus but haven't done more than just glance at it; I feel perfectly at ease with Publisher, though there are elements like linking to Photo and Designer that I haven't explored.

That said, until my new M1 MacBook Air arrives, they're all on the back shelf … I don't want to fill up the SSID space on this machine with apps that don't relate to the purpose for which I got it!



Mark

[lunk]

I am contemplating Aff. Photo, but I already have Pixelmator Pro. What can A Photo do that Pixelmator can’t, or less easy, etc?

[Twolane]

I went to Pixelmator's web site and took a look. Their software appears "similar" to Affinity Photo. There appears to be plenty of source videos to show one how to use it. Beyond that, I can't comment on Pixelmator.

Affinity presently has a 90-day free trial for any or all of its three programs (sorry, but they're not apps, they're programs). There's also an ipad version.

Depending on what you use Pixelmator for, you may or may not find Affinity Photo useful. In other words, what works for you might just continue to work for you. Only you know that.

But for the ipad thingy, I recommend direct downloads from Affinity. If you decide to purchase, you'll get updates a lot sooner than through Apple's bloated app store installation infrastructure.

Try it free for 90 days. Perhaps you'll like it. Perhaps you won't. In that case, uninstall it.

[xiamenese]

My answer is, "If you have a photo editing app/program that works for you, stick with it.

I am a photo editor junkie! Apart from Photoshop which became priced above my ceiling, I had:

• Lightroom—again discontinued for me along with other Adobe offerings.
• LightZone, which disappeared but has been relaunched … I have it and really like the way it works but don't use it often.
• Pixelmator, which I got when it first launched, but found I couldn't get on with; no longer loaded.
• Luminar, fully updated, which I use occasionally.
• Affinity Photo, which I haven't used yet, but will use when I have something to create with Publisher because of the linkage.
• Sundry apps for attempting to remove backgrounds, which never worked well.
• All the Topaz Labs apps, which initially were great but now won't update on this machine and crash when I try to use them.
• I've even tried the GIMP

But in spite of all those, I still go back every time to the very first image processor I ever got … Graphic Converter!



Mark

EDIT: In spite of that, at the current pricing, I'd still but Affinity Photo if I didn't have it already.

[Twolane]

Sundry apps for attempting to remove backgrounds, which never worked well.

Olivio Sarikas has a number of videos on using Affinity Photo to remove backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=affinity+photo+olivio+remove+backgkround

[xiamenese]

Sundry apps for attempting to remove backgrounds, which never worked well.

Olivio Sarikas has a number of videos on using Affinity Photo to remove backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=affinity+photo+olivio+remove+backgkround

Thanks. I'll check it out just in case I need to do this again.

Incidentally, I've made use of the discount to get Affinity Photo on my iPad. Very powerful, but I worry that with my clumsy hands because of my tremor it might be difficult to use. In general I don't use my iPad for anything serious or important because of difficulty using a touch interface!



Mark

[Jaysen]

Mr X,

I find the Apple Pencil (the actual apple product) helps me a lot. Other stylus not as much but are better than nothing. I know I don’t have the same causal as you, but a stylus might be worth a try.

[xiamenese]

Mr X,

I find the Apple Pencil (the actual apple product) helps me a lot. Other stylus not as much but are better than nothing. I know I don’t have the same causal as you, but a stylus might be worth a try.

Hello, Jaysen old friend! How are things with you?

I have an Apple Pencil (mark 1) but I found it difficult to use. I had intended to get a paper-like screen-protector thingy, but before I did that I passed it to the GLW to try on the new iPad mini I gave her as a 50th Wedding Anniversary present. Of course, she hasn't used it either!

So perhaps I should try to find those screen protectors and try again. Mostly, I use the iPad with a little keyboard for exchanges with friends in China, or I use it to read this website and the Nisus Forums, to read on Kindle, iBooks or Kobi apps, and to do jigsaws when I want to just chill out!



Mr X

[Jaysen]

Mr X, things are well! Recently acquired a new recreational toy which has me thinking of dolphins, rum and alien infested triangles.

I like the pencil. and when coupled with Nebo app (2020 air) I find it effective for nearly every use I have. If only it was mine and not the boss lady's. I don't get to touch it much these days. I don't think I'll ever buy a full Mac again. The iPad with Logi key/touch pad AND the pencil does everything I need to do at this point in my life.

[devinganger]

Recently acquired a new recreational toy which has me thinking of dolphins, rum and alien infested triangles.

Nice! My wife and I are looking at buying our first sailboat here -- there's an Ericson 27 that's popped up in the local area that might be a nice buy. I joined the USPS and have been busy taking classes...

[Jaysen]

Recently acquired a new recreational toy which has me thinking of dolphins, rum and alien infested triangles.

Nice! My wife and I are looking at buying our first sailboat here -- there's an Ericson 27 that's popped up in the local area that might be a nice buy. I joined the USPS and have been busy taking classes...

Helms 24. Think Catalina 22 but more ocean worthy. This is more of a “disposable boat” for us in the sense that one of us found a herschoff designed freedom 40 and the other one said “me or a boat”. Then the other one agreed to a helms 24. Really just a weekend camper u til we are both ready to visit Mr X via a transat.

Those Ericssons are nice. Lots of them here going to the islands every yet. The only things I’ve head negative are osmosis and deck core at the mast partner. Both easy fix for a DIY bit it will take time to fix them. A survey and haul out would be a recommendation if your looking at it as a long term holding. Which always seems to happen with those hulls...