They did it so slowly! But most people are stupid for jumping on Creative Cloud as soon as it came out!

I think you're right.

Dam Right. I fear for what this A.I. future holds for us humans

Well, KZfaq and Instagram started as platforms for independents and artists; but good luck on those fronts. Screw the whole AI angle, Adobe left me when they went subscription. I want to own my tools plain and simple. The life of an independent artist of any discipline is never guaranteed and I want to at least be able to continue to work if a month or two come along when I’m wondering if I can make rent. Artists who don’t make their living from their art did see this coming a long time ago, and it was the artists who were doing alright at the time telling us that 40 bucks a month was no big deal.and that we were complaining over nothing.

Sorry but all art software will eventually have AI. Affinity now owned by Canva which is now AI heavy will most likely implement AI in the Affinity software. AI is great as a tool but shouldn’t be used as replacement for one’s design knowledge and skill.

100%!

hear ye! hear ye!

Ha! That is one of THE best analogies I've seen on the subject, and spot on too!

And their stock skyrocketed by 20% in a month after that TOS update. So far from hitting a wall and learning a lesson, they learned they can just punch thorough the wall like a train would, just some scratches sure but in return they have all the juicy money.

@@teresashinkansen9402 Stock is irrelevant. Up today, down tomorrow. Everyone's stock is doing great until it doesn't

You were way ahead of the curve.

I switched to Linux when the subscription model went full swing. Opensource alternatives to adobe: GIMP, Inkscape, Krita - just donate to them instead

Me too….and they did that shortly after I had purchased a rather expensive Creative Suite package too.

Same here. I hated the thought of renting software and not owning it, and the idea of interfacing with their computers bothered me even then. I stuck with CS6 until they invalidated the serial numbers. THAT really bothered me. I bought that software! I own it, and now I can't install it on my new laptop?? A terrible way to treat customers.

We moved to Affinity Photo when that happened and I have never looked back.

This.

Dystopian - but true.

Literally? Based on what?

@@c0ldc0ne Knowledge of human nature and human history.

@@RyoMassaki Which is just about the most erratic and unreliable indicator of things to come.

Yeah, Adobe is just... inhumane.

🙏🏼

It's part of ensuring lock in. They don't want you capable, they want you dependent.. Anyone still using any software that is using your input to train AI is basically the same as the people training their outsourced replacements back in the early 2000s. There's also the distasteful free labour element too. They want you to pay for the software but then they also want you to work for free in helping them improve it. If you're doing work for them they should be paying you, not the other way around.

That’s a great point. Should have a check box “allow us to use your data for training and get a 10% discount on your subscription”

True to a certain point! But with this thinking we would still ride horses.

Haha! Exactly. 😉

I agree with you completely Even knowing I don't drive (I lost that ability it was stolen ) from me from nearly over 40 years ago And with the AI being shoved down everyone's throat You can't no longer do your simple job However I do not own any businesses of any kind I do use the original old fashioned Adobe Yes I still have it from a DVD insulation on a separate computer that does not connect to anything It is the Adobe Lightroom classic 2021 and Photoshop 2022 for my photography edits that's all it's used for And since it was a one-time purchase which cost my ass a good amount of time and effort finding them So there is no subscription there is no other bull crap that comes in there is no AI crap that comes across my windows it is just used specifically and design only for my photography edits and I still struggle with it because I don't know all of it

I could use your help Matter of fact any help would be a greatly appreciated I need a color preset to work with IR720 and IR 556 I have tried everything to create the preset in Adobe but me personally I cannot do that there's something I am missing and I've looked all over KZfaq and everything else they show it but I just can't do it Any help would be greatly appreciated

Anyone here that can help? Please comment!

I totally agree. I switched to Affinity Photo and Davinci Resolve a couple of years ago. Why? Because adobe screwed me. I had a 'perpetual' license for photoshop and premiere, for which I paid a lot in upgrades over the years. Then, after a routine windows update, adobe decided my software needed to be 're-authenticated.' In the meantime however, without any notice, they had 'literally' removed the authentication servers for my versions, making this impossible. When I tracked down a service rep, he told me that my "Only Choice" was to subscribe. Meaning: Pay even more to license software which I had already paid for. They stole my software and denied me access to my own projects. I felt like I had been raped. Screw adobe. I'm out too. A major selling point for Affinity and Davinci, is that their software is not subscription based, and based on their very public comments, likely never will be. Beyond this however, both software packages are absolutely awesome ... far better than adobe anyway. Anyone still needing a reason to switch ... Affinity is currently offering their software for 50% off.

Thank you. Yes, the issue is much bigger and way deeper than Adobe. This is at its root about what it means to be human and what the forces around us are doing to strip us of our humanity. I’m convinced we’re going to have to fight hard if we want to retain our ability to live our lives on our own terms.

@@MikeGastin The underlying force is called psychopathy.

Yeap, this is pure late stage corporation nihilism, and we unfortunately have masters that thinks China is the best model to slowly sneak and spread everywhere.

@@1q2w3e4r5t6zism Or just endless greed paired with short-sightedness?

Depressing, tbh. Glad we can move on now, at least. But you are right!

I think we should @maisonier. I'll look into contributing for GIMP for this very same reason.

Wow. You've been in a long time. Someone told me that you can keep cancelling and then getting the two-month free indefinitely. Lol. I'm not interested, as I just wanted out. However, would be funny if a lot of people did that. (I don't even know if that's true, tbh.) Anyway, all the best to you!

I payed the cancellation fee too, I also didn't want two months free. Also used adobe for 20 years. I use AI pretty much, but I value my privacy more

Good luck, Affinity was bought out by Canva!

Watch them like a hawk. I was told by Adobe on three separate occasions that my Adobe Stock account had been canceled only to be charged for it the very next month. I eventually had to block them from debuting my bank account.

Same here, canceled and was then told my account has been suspended as they couldn't get anh money from my account. I told them to remove my banking details and all personal details off their system. Moved to Affinity a few month back. So much happier

Good point. Once that's gone it's hard to get it back-especially when dealing with a giant corp.

When a company takes away my ability to turn off auto renew, I know they are not looking out for the customer.

@@MikeGastin Base on how they can legit change the ToS on the fly, it just a sign that they're already done training their AI on user data and ready to bring it to the market. The change in ToS is just a final step for them to make it legally. Keep in mind that they have plan and work and invest on it for year. Do you think they would throw away year of training AI just because of a few word on the term of user?? Not in million years. As long as Creative Cloud and their Ethical AI project still exist, they wont give up their dream about user's data.

the subscription model was the first nail in the coffin.

@@portersblackboard Share holder is their true customer now, and users are just production for them to sell off among AI company

That's high praise. Thank you! 😉

So many little hints along the way. And, yeah, that's nonsense.

Amen.

Consent is the way of civilization... and tyranny.

This is what made me a bit steamy too. I was about to start my design day working for my Church and I felt like I was held hostage by having to click accept or pack up and go home.

And what happens if we say no? They penalize customers who cancel before the end of their agreement but I’m guessing they don’t let us off the hook when they’re the ones altering the agreement. I think Adobe just got flooded by unethical corporate a-holes as they grew over the past decade. I used to love Adobe and now I despise them.

​@@kgeo753what made you love Adobe in the first place? Their software is nothing less than a ransomware or a virus even years ago. You have to sign into Adobe to uninstall it. I don't want to use it. I want to get rid of it! But first, I have to sign into Adobe. Not to mention all the background processes that they install and run. Always....

What a world, indeed.

It feels like some form of modern sharecropping.

in modern clownworld. This isn't suprising not one bit, they where pushing this ever since they got rid of and did away with physical hard copies and retail versions of the product.

not only that, but a company that only exists thanks to creatives. However, this was always how Adobe behaves (and practically most too big int. corp.). In 2009 I and two colleagues founded FreeFreeHand and we gathered over 6000 designers to sue Adobe over its hostile takeover and burial of FreeHand. We just wanted to get it back. Adobe bought justice, we could not compare with their kind of money and reached only a lousy settlement.

Apple owns your iPhone and you Mac. you all don't complain just take it for granted.

Awesome!

Yes! And I am with you. When IO used the “nannification” line I am really addressing a larger trend that large entities (corporations, government, institutions) all assume they know what’s best for you and I and that consumers are abdicating their responsibility for themselves and are looking to these large entities for safety, pleasure, and ease. So, I agree with you. I will say that if one looks you do see a kind of coordination between our totalizing government and big corporations; a kind of corporatism. But, yes, the money hangers own the temple and they’ve turning it into a disco.

​Yup, Americans do love convenience, along with luxury. And AC. And having things delivered. And being told by our custom media feed what we already believe. And we have all these things, but are still not happy. On the contrary, we are divided into tribes, and are yelling at each other, sometimes even threatening each other, especially when online. Could something be wrong? I was just trying to get across that for the past 4 decades we have been sold on the idea that government, per se, is always the problem, and companies, per se, are always the solution. Private is inherently better than public. Don’t good monopolies achieve efficiencies and thereby reduce prices, asked Robert Bork? The free market automatically makes everything work out. Government, just keep your hands off. This seems laughably naive now, doesn’t it? You may recall that Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, supposedly to make air travel safer. He said bad things would happen if the union members were allowed to stop working…which he then guaranteed would happen by firing them all! ???? And forty years later controllers are overworked, unhappy, and making mistakes that could kill people. I don’t think our big corporations have been motivated by a desire to do what is “best” for us. They just do what they do. They control us to extract the maximum profit. It’s all about so-called “shareholder value,” nothing else. And executive salaries. I am applying Occam’s razor. Hey, nobody is getting promoted for CUTTING prices, certainly not at Adobe! Or Disney, or McDonald’s, which admittedly did just throw a bone to the mob that was advancing toward it with torches. I have actually eaten at the McDonald’s that is now infamous for the $18 Big Mac meal. Yes, it was expensive. It is at a rest stop on I-95, so they’ve got you where they want you. Hungry, and with places to go. Now, this long-time Mac user will admit that…Apple…has certain paternalistic characteristics. I know this will come as a shock to you! Apple knows best. Apple does things the Apple way. And Apple sure loves money, doesn’t it? It just doesn’t love sharing it. My mother was a commercial artist. Her specialty, fashion illustrations for department stores, is long gone. I see commercial illustration, graphic design, etc., as likewise right in the cross hairs of the corporate budget cutters. You are not crazy to be really concerned. AI + corporations = scorched-earth job destruction. That is if the AI works. And if it doesn’t, there will be job cuts to pay for the AI that didn’t work. You know how corporate budgets work. Remember, there are crocodiles running things, they have a simple motivation. You may love art, but they love money. Thankfully, all I personally use from Adobe right now is Lightroom. I am looking for a replacement…maybe Darktable? Darn you Apple, why did you drop Aperture? I am cancelling my subscription unless there is a regime change at Adobe, soon. Betraying your customers has to have a cost. I can, and will live without Lightroom. We need somebody to make a decent editor for big batches of photos. Offline. Coders, here is your opportunity! I like Fast Raw Viewer, but it doesn’t do adjustments. Yet? Do check out Cory Doctorow’s book “Chokepoint Capitalism,” which goes into how “creatives” like us are particularly at risk right now with behemoths like Adobe, Amazon, Spotify etc around, dominating their respective markets. Knowledge is power.

Lots of folks angry about the new TOS. I don't like it. You're going to see similar language all over the place going forward. The industry (tech in general) have decided that Ai is the future and privacy is a joke.

just pirate its that easy lol

Same I’m currently learning Moho and leaving AE after 5 years (im a graphic designer who does animation). The only thing that worries me at many dedicated motion design agencies AE is still pretty much industry standard

@@isukwithnames1811 there's pretty much no good alternative as straight 1:1 replacements, even the replacements are either online crap, or another subscription with limited features compared to adobe.

@@isukwithnames1811 Fusion or Left angle autograph wipes the floor.

I may end up there ... on a homemade PC ... some day. I'm on Apple's platform right now but see the writing on the wall.

@@MikeGastin I've noticed that quite a few of the forums, news sites and other parts of the Linux eco-system I'm apart of has seen a marked increase in "newbs" the last 6 months. It seems folks have had enough ice water thrown on them that they are awake and looking around. KDE and Gnome have improved by leaps and bounds. Divinci runs on Linux really well. :) It feels good to own the computers I have and do with them what I want done, not what a megacorp wants done with them. Sure, it's a bit more work but once you have things setup, it's easy to backup configs and then let things settle and just use the damn computer. :)

​@@MikeGastinApple is starting to do the same kind of thing to their creators. I'm sure some other company will take the void. I remember other huge companies like Corel going the way of the Dodo... it's going to happen to Adobe too. That's one of the certainties in life everything dies.

I am thinking about setting up a parallel Linux system sooner than later to start testing the waters.

@@MikeGastin Try looking at Gimp + Inkscape + Krita now on your *current* OS while using Affinity. They're free & could expand your tool box in the time it takes to learn them. It will also give you an idea if & *how* you would want to migrate to Linux. Having apps you already use will make switching OS much easier.

Thank you! And, it's a pleasure. (BTW, I'm actually Gen X, but to the kids anyone with grey is a Boomer. Lol.) 👊🏼

I've thought the same thing. It's really just a clever algo and the more it feeds off its own output the more it will become trash.

Used Gimp many years ago and it was fine. Kinda clunky and unrefined. But I'm not power user, so my opinion is dated and likely irrelevant when it comes to Gimp. Never even thought to give a look this time around. Maybe I should!

@@MikeGastin GIMP is vastly improved ,but like any software you have to learn it and people would rather pay money than learn anything. I have a friend that insist on pirated Photoshop when I install Linux OSs for him. He never uses pirated PS for anything but the most basic editing but he won't learn how to do the same edits in GIMP

GIMP makes me suicidal. The UI/UX is excruciating. Been using Affinity for a couple of years but that's paid software (one time though. No subscription) so they do need your email address..

@@xzenoris Affinity available on Linux desktop?

@@xzenor Hahaha same here man. I gave it a chance couple of times but there is no way I could work on that. I would rather use Photopea in browser haha. Same here, Affinity is just wonderful for me. Reminds me time when I was opening Photoshop with pleasure and will to work. Long time ago. Now its Affinity Photo/Designer.

Smart move!

I did the same I have Photoshop 2022 and LRC 2021 On a PC with out the Internet

I'm african. I've never paid 😂

I never thought Adobe going subscription was as egregious as other companies. If you regularly upgraded the packages the subscription actually turned out cheaper. The biggest problem with subscription model Adobe did was get other companies to normalise this. Clip studio was the worst. It’s a sub $200 app that now has the most convoluted payment tiers I’m off them. I regularly use Final Cut on my Mac, sticking to Luma fusion on my iPad.

What will you do when you upgrade your computer or your hard dive fails, you need to reinstall, and activation servers are shut down?

I'm getting so weary of the cloud evangelists.

That's great! Glad to know that people like you have tried and tested the path. BTW, honored to have a YT hitter in the comments! Thanks. 😄

All the best!

-> Linux

100%.

If Serif Affinity could be the first to bring the products to Linux, I think that would pull a lot more people away from both Adobe and Microsoft.

I did that back in 1998. I've been 80% Linux (desktop) and 20% Apple (laptop) since then. I learned then that Microsoft couldn't be trusted.

getting super creepy vibes of MS since Billy Gates got complicated.

Haha! What a wonderful end to the story if Adobe becomes a lonely cat lady in its final years. 😂

Wow, thanks!

No worries Mike, you put it better than most because you put it in context with life today, a much bigger issue. Here’s another ‘nugget’ for you. My original, paid for Photoshop CS6, the last one you could buy… doesn’t work anymore. If you try to open it, Adobe says it’s fake and won’t let you. Despite me buying it and having the correct serials etc, even the original CD. Thanks Adobe..! I’m now waiting for my Lightroom catalogue, also the last one you could buy to stop working..! Luckily I’ve been using Capture One for a few years so will keep adding to that catalogue… they take our money but it’s never easy is it..?

Thank you.

I wish I knew about Affinity earlier. Sounds like you don't regret the move.

I’m also happy. I’ve been using the suite for many years.

Nice! Do you know a software like After Effects?

I’m not sure. As far as I checked: fx mhome hit film pro, Blackmagic design fusion studio, Blender, Filmora or Foundry Nuke Studio.

@@luisjordan8760 It depends on what specialty of After Effects you want to replace. If its vfx, Blackmagic Fusion, Blender, etc. if its motion graphics, Cinema4d. Many motion artists who discovered c4d never came back to Ae. Just look at what you use Ae for and search for the alternative for the specialization.

Wow! Congrats!

Yep. Just bought that sale. 👍🏻

I assume you don't use Lightroom?

all things that come from lightroom is owned by Adobe xd

Good luck. You'll find a way, eventually.

I SAW THAT! When that popped up I wondered if one could do that over and over. Haha! Thanks for sharing. Maybe someone here will give that a try. ;)

Yeap, been doing that for many years. Loyalty is not rewarded!

Careful with that, they might consider that 2 months as a renewal of contract, read carefully. Not saying Adobe is doing that, but I have seen other companies do it before.

this is so true. last time i cancelled a subscription because a employee left, they offered me 3 months free if i do not cancel it plus 6 months of adobe stock for all employees. 3 different guys from adobe called to me.

You can also CHANGE your plan to something else, resetting the clock. Then cancel your new plan in the 30 day window (I did it the same day) and there's no fee!

does Affinity have AI masking like Photoshop? I use this for my birding photography. Was looking at Affinity and darklabs for RAW processing, but from what I have been able to see, neither supports AI masking, which is important to my workflow...

Nice! And, congrats on retirement. Hope it's a blast. ;)

@@davepastern It does have some kind of smart masking that allows for getting very accurate selections fairly quickly, but you can not just click an object only once. So a rough selection is quicker in PS, but an accurate one in Affinity to me personally (but i am quite inexperienced with PS). Affintiy Photo is able to manage RAW images, but it does not have a library option and cant easily copy settings from one image to another. So for a RAW editor for many files I dont think it is a great option. For that I did get myself ON1, which is fine, but not perfect, yet you can get a perpetual license for about 100€. Problem there is that they only bring out free updates for a year and keep bigger ones behind a paywall (existing customers get a discount), while Affinity has only made users pay for a new update once in 7 years.

Making changes in stages, plus, I get the issues with Midjourney. To that end, I am not convinced I'll keep using it. It's been an experiment. Even so, I wanted to be honest in the vid. Did't want to act like I was pure when in fact I'm screwing around with some AI. Thanks.

Awesome!

Thank you!

Yes! Adobe tried to acquire Figma a couple years ago, but the EU put a stop to it. I think Adobe ended up having to pay Figma $1B for pulling out of the deal! Ouch.

Finally someone understands 🙌

It does.

Thank you, too.

Oh! Another plus for Firefox. Thank you.

@@MikeGastin Yes , I use FF for all the interactive pdf forms I use. It is a very good viewer and you can have multiple tabs open. For annotating pdfs I use Xournal++ and for reading large pdf manuals I use Sioyek

@@MikeGastin People who used FF moved on too. Be Brave!

I wondered if I was the only one. Seems like a lot of us hate what PShop has become.

Thanks and welcome! I'm not for everyone, but hope you'll stick around.

Yeah man! Makes me think about Rush's "Red Barchetta".

Wow, thank you. Your comments are really encouraging. At times I wonder if I am just some old guy rambling on YT (I am!) but you have reminded me that there is room on YT for all kinds of approaches-even mine.

I only use MS Office products when my clients require it. All my writing is done in a clean markdown editor (iAWriter, Ulysses, and Obsidian) and then ported over to whatever app needed for the final deliverable. Love writing in a clean environment. MS Word is a bloated trainwreck.

I hate when Microsoft and other apps do this too. The auto corrects are becoming a real nuisance to me lately. It automatically substitutes words and phrases for those from the dictionary and it throws off my messages. I have to proofread EVERYTHING before I hit the Send button or I look and sound like an idiot. I’m not talking about typos but phrases that are spelled correctly and don’t make sense. It never used to be this irritating before. Simplifying my work may be their intention but it it only creates more work for me AND requires me to send follow up emails apologizing for these errors. 😐

Ugh, Microsoft's defaults. I also hate that default setting where when you try to select a word, line of text, or a paragraph, but it also grabs an extra word I didn't want selected, and even the _'hard return'/paragraph character at the end of that line too. I always had to go and turn that OFF. Trying to make a selection shouldn't have to be a pain in the arse.

I agree 100%. The software should not get in the way of the creative work-the struggle to make something; to think. Bad software is just an assache and it's a waste of your precious time.

Thanks, Neil! Glad you were able to get free. And, all the best with your channel! Looks like you're growing nicely and I can see why.

Yeah, good point. It's only going to get worse for consumers and users at this point. We can't just let it happen, though.

I think the legislations need to put a firestop to these things, but too many governments are too into the AI craze. Most don't consider the implications of those usages in their communications, especially legally...

@@PrograError My major concern is replacing human consideration and decision making with AI/ML. Do you really want AI determining if you can have a... credit card, buy a home, buy a car etc etc etc. Do you want AI determining if you can attend college or serve in the military, Do you want AI making the decision if you get hired for a job. Do you want AI grading your job performance determining your pay raise or bonus. The people supporting AI believe they're shielded from this but think it okay for everyone else. So yes, there needs to be discussion and legislation to constrain the use of AI/ML.

@@roninatlanta TBH even before the current wave, pretty sure there are already software doing those stuff...

Congrats and all the best on your new journey!

Nice!!

Yes! Don't want to be the tool. (Excellent point.) Of course, I've been accused of being a big tool, but that's different. ;)

Thanks, man! And, welcome. I hope you'll stick around.

Wow, that's high praise. Thank you. 🙏🏼

Thank you, too!

Would you say you got everything you need, that you would find in audition?

I use Cockos Reaper for audio production. I can use a ton of VSTs in it before buffering issues. Way more VSTs than with Ableton. The price is good and customizability is amazing. Just my 2cents.

A lot of Adobe's success, beside being the industry standard, is the "cost" of learning a new platform. It's a pain, especially if you're a professional making your living using their products.

The fairlight page in DaVinci Resolve solves most of my post production needs. But I have Logic Pro for some production work too.

@@MikeGastin in sociology it is called "path dependency" when the cost of change seemingly outweights the benefits. For the same reason the keyboards that we all use for typing are far from the perfect layout for quick typing, but it is too late to change now. Interesting video btw, you are doing me a great favor - I have so far only used Affinity and Resolve and have the slight hope that enough ppl make the switch so that i never have to learn adobe. Apart from it being "industry standard", all the comparison videos pointed out very few benefits of that ecosystem.

Very well said. Yes and amen.

Great comment! I left Autodesk when they bought up and killed off Softimage which was better than any other 3D package in their arsenal of products at the time. I went OSS with Blender 3D and although it was hard at first it has paid (and is paying) infinite dividends since both in monetary terms and as an artist. Use GIMP (I hate the name) and also have Affinity Photo licence and they handle everything I need between them. Inkscape does me for any vector work. Plasticity 3D for CAD/NURBS work. I only use Autodesk or Adobe when working on site for a client at their insistence which is a bind TBH! I also use the Mk1 eyeball and pencil/ball point pen with a scanner when I feel dangerous!

Agreed!

Excellent-all the best on your move.

Haha. Thanks. Let's face it, it was a bit of a long, rambling rant. Even so, I'm humbled that it has struck a chord with so many. :)

Good luck with the break. Not sure if Affinity will do the trick for you. So far, so good for me, but my needs are pretty straight forward.

Thank you. 🙏

Thank you!

I am a strategy/marketing/branding consultant. My creations are videos, podcast, articles-that's why it's easier for me to leave Adobe. Visual design (outside of video editing) isn't a core of what I do. My website: mikegastin dot com

I understand 100%. I'm fortunate to be in a place where I can leave. Ten years ago I was running a design and branding shop. There would have been no way-in fact, I would not even have considered it at the time. Adobe is the standard and if you're a pro you gotta use them.

Don’t know what industry or country you’re in, but Adobe is definitely NOT industry standard. If you have a client suggesting Adobe only then just don’t tell the client what you use. But I’ve never seen a client tell me I have to use Adobe products, ever, (20+ years). Why do you think Adobe have the prompt for “Maximum compatibility” when saving files … it’s because they ARE NOT the Industry standard. Try Affinity Photo 2 … it can do everything Adobe and more and fully compatible with file Imports/Exports.

The day Wine or Proton or any of the other compatibility layers are figured out 100%, I'm off of Windows for good. Until then, I mean... I game a lot, and I can't even get Sky to work right v_v. Even on Proton, it just doesn't run. I think I tried Linux Mint. And I understand the argument: well, learn more about Linux and keep tinkering, you can get it working if you keep working at it. Or try a different distro. This is probably true! I could probably find the thing that's wrong and fix it given enough time and effort. But... on Windows, it already works. And that school of thought isn't going to win people over who don't have the desire to open the terminal, you know? I think that's what's holding back more massive adoption.

@@robainscough You saying Illustrator and Indesign are not industry standard? What? Or are you referring to Photoshop only?

@@tangente00 Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Photo 2 are better replacements for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. And I know what I said, Photoshop and Illustrator have lost massive market share because there are so many other products that can do vector graphics and raster graphics at much lower cost (or even free). But if you don't believe me, Adobe Stock is down 22% YTD for 2024 to quote ""This is creating concerns on the health of Creative Cloud and the pace of AI monetization," Jefferies analyst Brent Thill said in a client note" ... in addition, Adobe missed their financial projections ... they're in trouble, big trouble.

Agreed!

Please do! And, thanks.

Lightroom seems to be the big challenge. Options, like you listed, for other stuff, but Lightroom is a challenge.

Darktable is excellent

Darktable for LR, Blender for 3D/sculpting, DaVinci/Fusion for PP/AE, Affinity for everything else.

I use Capture One Pro and is really good!

Yeah we know all about the nanny state in Australia!

Birds of a feather ... thank you! And, welcome.

You really do ... same in the US. However, AU takes the cake.

@@MikeGastin Unfortunately, it seems the only alternative to the nanny state is the pimp state.

Wow, that's kind. Thank you, and welcome!

Thank you! 🙏🏼

I get it. The fact is, Adobe has been able to be lazy, abusive, and gouge its customers because there are not a lot of great alternatives. I believe that's changing, but for folks that need higher-powered solutions, Adobe may still be the best bet. For now.

same here but I'm thinking of giving a chance to DxO PhotoLab

DxO PhotoLab got great reviews from Fstoppers when they compared it to Lightroom.

@@MikeGastin I use DXO photolab, from a raw processing point of view I wholeheartedly agree, the missing and crucial part is the library/database aspect of DXO. Lightroom leads in that one but crucial aspect by a very large margin.

@@wielkolak I have had DXO photlab for many years. It’s truly outstanding but the image library, sorting, EXIF editing and searching is the one thing that Adobe Lightroom has that nobody else has so tightly integrated into the overall workflow as they have. If DXO could import Adobe catalog libraries and support that functionality, yes, I would be free of Adobe.

I thought the Figma acquisition got killed by the EU.

@@MikeGastin If so, that's good news for me.

@@MikeGastin It did.

Wow, thanks!

Thank you. 🙏🏼

@@MikeGastin although much simpler, my first encounter with the 1984/nanny state came with the agressive and imposing way itunes, spotify, imposed playlists and ways to listen music. Where my preferences were buried under "helpful" suggestions. Thats another thing, it always comes as a magical solution of a problem that is not always present, but because of our default trusting nature we fall for it.

I think you're right! I'm not that guy, but it would take off for sure.

My uni had Affinity free for all its students so I really think it's the future for creatives that don't want to be bleed dry by Adobe anymore. If you know Adobe CC it's really easy to learn and I find it easier to work with in general because you have the "personas" so you don't need to jump between programs to do different things in one layout

I don’t doubt it but I’m not interested in it. I like driving too much … and I hate giving up control. ;)

🙏🏼

It is a weird relationship and what's weirder is how others are entering into the relationship unbidden: government, technologists, health care providers. The consumer, or better yet, the individual, is overwhelmed into submission.

Thanks!

Thanks! The algo is being kind to me today for some reason. Glad you found me.

Thanks and all the best!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Agreed.

😉

Best of luck!

Good luck! 👊🏼

Nice. I'm too new to Affinity to answer, but hope others will.

Awesome. Lightroom seems to be a big challenge for most people, along with AE.

@@MikeGastin Capture One proved to be a very capable competitor to Lightroom. For its part Lightroom (for me) was pretty intuitive but after a few revisions began to suffer from Adobe bloat... Sluggish. I was already looking elsewhere.

I absolutely HATE that.

Good luck!

Yeah!

Thank you!

Glad to be here. Thanks!

As you connect with Affinity products and other replacing tools on your journey away from adobe, I hope you keep us informed through your videos. Enjoying your content.

Thank you! Very kind. And, as to staying or leaving Adobe, really that's up to each person. If the tool works well for you and you're able to do great work, who is to judge? However, I am finding that there is a much better world outside of Adobe's walled "garden". All the best to you! I'm sure you'll figure out what's best for you. Cheers!