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Affinity Studio now free

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Re: Affinity Studio now free

#551

Post by tracker1 »

BenFranklin100 wrote: post #488
jazzyjackson wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's really cool they can get AI money from the people who want to pay that, to give away the core for free. I can empathize with feeling their focus will be elsewhere (whatever increases revenue) but I figure AI isn't magic, they need to have the rest of the creative suite work well to, yaknow, synergize Edit: I'll add that I much prefer purchasing perpetual licenses for software that can work without a clou…

Once AI blows up in a spectacular unprofitable mess (as it will for 90% of the companies in this space), then what though?

I think it depends on how it's used or integrated. Image generation and editing seems to be the of the more useful things. "Take outt the power lines from this photo." Etc.

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#552

Post by tracker1 »

aleph_minus_one wrote: post #545
derefr wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To push back against this sentiment: “chasing AI money” isn’t necessarily their thought process here; i.e. it’s not the only reason they would “switch to a freemium model trying to get you to subscribe to AI.” Keeping in mind that: 1. “AI” (i.e. large ML model) -driven features are in demand (if not by existing users, then by not-yet-users, serving as a TAM-expansion strategy) 2. Large ML models require a lot of reso…

> and if you just let them install the app but then reveal that they can't actually run the models, they'll feel ripped off. Just release some simple free "test application" that checks whether the computer satisfies the system requirements and does something "simple" (but relevant for the user) so that the users want to try out this simple free test application and want to update their hardware so that it can run. N…

Seems like a waste when you know most computers are laptops that won't meet minimum requirements.

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#554

Post by hbcondo714 »

curioussquirrel wrote: post #500
isodev wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. “AI” (i.e. large ML model) -driven features are in demand No, there’re not. People with influence or who have invested in the space say that these features are in demand/the next big thing. In reality, I haven’t seen a single user interview where the person actively wanted or was even excited about AI.

Photoshop now has a bunch of features that get used in professional environments. And in the end user space, facial recognition or magic eraser are features in apps like Google Photos that people actively use and like. People probably don't care that it's AI under the hood, in fact they probably don't even realize. There is a lot of unchecked hype, but that doesn't mean there is no substance.

Similar, I'm accustomed to using the Magic Wand tool in Paint[1] and Pinta[2] to select pixels based on color. I can't find this anywhere in Affinity.

[1] https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/MagicWand.html

[2] https://www.pinta-project.com/user-guide/wand/

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#555

Post by tracker1 »

dangus wrote: post #499
turnsout wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more complicated than that. Sometimes after 15 years, the founders want to move on and do something else. Or they want to build a dream house. Or their cofounder wants to get out. Or they hear the long-term vision of the acquiring company, and want to be a part of it. Although it's an uphill battle, not every acquisition ends with the product being destroyed. Just look at what Apple did with NeXT and PA Semi…

You can have controlling stake in a company without working there day to day. Apple literally destroyed those companies. After Apple acquired NeXT there was one less operating system on the market. PA Semi now doesn’t have a product that is sold to the open market.

What do you think MacOS since v10 is?

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#557

Post by comradesmith »

Slow_Hand wrote: post #475

I looove the fact that we can now seamlessly switch between the Photo, Designer, and Publisher modalities within a single program. One of the great things about using the Affinity suite for the last few years has been the consistency of design conventions and key commands across all three programs, so of course it makes sense to merge them all! Whereas Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign all have inherited different…

Yeah I get the feeling everyone is talking about the AI stuff, but the majority of the launch talks about the actual _software_ they’re launching, and I really like it.

I’m happy for AI subscribers to subsidise my experience ;)

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#558

Post by comradesmith »

forgotoldacc wrote: post #138
mwkaufma wrote: post #117

Many comments here that this "makes sense." Free does not make sense! If I'm not paying for it I'm not the customer anymore.

Yep. Your art is now their training data. Their AI subscription today comes at the cost of your job tomorrow.

Pretty bold claim. Do you have bold evidence?

Re: Affinity Studio now free

#559

Post by dbmnt »

blackqueeriroh wrote: post #405
nirava wrote: post #238

This is a deletion. - they're completely stopping all updates to v2; even image trace won't be coming to it. You might have paid for perpetual access to it 2 months ago, but it has completely stopped. As the world moves on (new chips, new OS features, just general software movement) this will increasingly feel like a second-class experience. - the new "free" software is a sales funnel into the paid subscription, and…

> they're completely stopping all updates to v2; even image trace won't be coming to it. There’s as of yet no confirmation about this. There is a lot of speculation, but there has not been official confirmation.

It's right there in the FAQ.

"Your Affinity V2 license (via Serif) remains valid and Serif will continue to keep activation servers online. But please note that these apps won’t receive future updates."

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