They bought a paid software that did not have any AI features and made it free for everybody to use. HOW CAN PEOPLE BE COMPLAINING????? If you want the new AI you need to pay.
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Canva Relaunches Affinity as Free All-in-One Design App
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I’ve looked at the Affinity suite but thought at the time for the few occasions where I need to edit an image or resize it I’m better off with a free custom app on my iPad. But as a past Photoshop power user I was tempted to plunk down 80 euros.
So for me this is a very sweet deal and I will be installing it shortly…
So for me this is a very sweet deal and I will be installing it shortly…
I understand there's a lot of cynicism about "******tification" but a lot of people are thinking of the economics of this move from the perspective of consumer software, but that's not where Canva makes money. This is a shot across Adobe's bow. Canva is betting that by making the Affinity suite free they can expand the user base for their full Canva service and peel customers away from Adobe. The target customer here is primarily businesses, and that's where Canva makes its money. In fact Canva's leadership has publicly stated that they view subscription fatigue and pricing as a key advantage over Adobe. Casual consumers and prosumers benefit by being able to use the software at no cost.
There's a good article explaining what they're trying to do here. https://www.fastcompany.com/91426062/canvas-new-free-affinity-app-wants-to-sink-the-adobe-flagships
There's a good article explaining what they're trying to do here. https://www.fastcompany.com/91426062/canvas-new-free-affinity-app-wants-to-sink-the-adobe-flagships
My personal opinion is it’s a good app. It uses Metal which Adobe doesn’t. AI Training is an opt in on first launch.
It’s a lot, lot faster than InDesign. Doesn’t need a constant connection unlike Adobe. I remember when their activation servers went down. No one could save anything.
It’s a lot, lot faster than InDesign. Doesn’t need a constant connection unlike Adobe. I remember when their activation servers went down. No one could save anything.
They specifically said in the keynote announcement that user projects would never be used to train AI. There's also a section about AI on the affinity.studio homepage that says
The addition of AI features is not a benefit in the eyes of many creatives (myself included).
I think the worry is that the version that was released yesterday will degrade as they slowly put more and more currently available features behind a subscription under the guise of "updates". The VSCO Cam app did this, Adobe did it with their iPhone apps, and there are plenty of other examples.
I don't think anyone is against the idea of having to pay for the use of a new, compute-expensive feature. But linking anything with Affinity to a subscription is a change from their prior model, and sets the stage for that subscription to gobble up more and more until you have to either decide to switch or pay.
And to that I say ********.
There is always going to be a catch. If it’s mostly free now, it will likely not be free later or there will be a ton of ads. In a short time, they’re going to spin a narrative that due to ongoing demand, they’re going to implement xyz (ads, or a subscription fee for certain features).
That’s the commentator’s whole point, isn’t it?
S/he is saying that free isn’t really free, in spite of the narrative the CEO and Affinity by Canvas is trying to spin.
Sigh. I hope Pixelmator Pro can do what I used to do in Affinity Photos. Not sure what alternatives are there for Designer and Publisher.
Yes, and if you do believe those statements.
I don’t. I don’t have faith in these companies to keep to their word. When a breach of that policy happens, there’s no going back. AI on your data has already occurred. It cannot be taken back.
There is no plans for them to go with a paid
AI is behind a paywall for an obvious reason, you are using their servers to generate the AI. Nothing else is behind a subscription paywall and they don't have plans on it from what I was told as a beta tester for this new version. They are sticking to their pledge to keep it this way.
Because those of us worried are not only looking at what Affinity by Canvas is selling to us (product and narrative), but also looking at the larger context of the capitalistic models and the history that these companies — all of them — work within.
I think they want just to grow the user base. Once you have it installed, you are a potential buyer for premium goodies that will arrive.
I've been an Affinity user since they launched Photo and I've been a big fan. I was concerned with Canva's purchase of the company. And I'm also concerned with this change. "Background removal" was something I could do (with effort) in the original Affinity Photo. And it's something that I do frequently. So apparently I'd have to now pay Canva for that privilege. Pixelmator might be an option, but who knows what the future of that app is now that Apple's acquired it. For simple editing there used to be Seashore, but that's now been deprecated by the developer. I'm currently testing out its successor, Seahorse, but it lacks tools I regularly use (like masking).
You just make a free Canva account, use a junk gmail or yahoo email if you want. Not sure why people think this is such a big issue to have a Canva account. You get all the software with updates for free now, but making a Canva account is the stumbling block? You need accounts for virtually everything else, including Affinity before, you just paid for your account before.
For now. Sooner or later the AI bubble will pop, and Canva will have to figure out a way to make money off this thing.
I’ve been an Affinity guy for 10+ years now, solely because I could just buy the app once and forget about it. Canva is already in the subscription business, so when it comes time to charge for this thing, it'll be Adobe CS all over again.
… but that said, this new Affinity is awesome.
My biggest gripe with Affinity was the weird inconsistency between apps… "resize canvas" was in completely different places with completely different UIs. Now that stuff is consolidated and it's perfect.
When I initially saw the UI, I thought the buttons at the top were tabs, and they were just cramming in three apps as three tabs in a single window. Not the case! They've really made a universal document format, and you just toggle between tool sets.
In a very important way, Affinity is actually better than Adobe for the first time. (other than pricing, of course)
My biggest gripe with Affinity was the weird inconsistency between apps… "resize canvas" was in completely different places with completely different UIs. Now that stuff is consolidated and it's perfect.
When I initially saw the UI, I thought the buttons at the top were tabs, and they were just cramming in three apps as three tabs in a single window. Not the case! They've really made a universal document format, and you just toggle between tool sets.
In a very important way, Affinity is actually better than Adobe for the first time. (other than pricing, of course)