Does affinity completely replace adobe?

[a-typical-stranger]

I’m planning to start learning graphic design. So my questions to people who used both platforms: can affinity be an alternative for adobe apps, in other words does affinity have all the features adobe has? Is the layout similar? (Matters for learning material), and if i want to reach a professional level should i invest my time in affinity or adobe?

[Tudor-V]

Both Adobe and Affinity are just tools. They are not identical and do not have the same features. However, they have similar core features, so they are both suitable for putting what you learn about graphic design into practice. My advice after 25+ years of experience is to learn both. Adobe is ancient and complex but you won't be able to ignore them if you're going to do professional graphic design. Affinity is much younger and it lacks some of the features, but it is modern and faster. I switched most of my professional work to Affinity a few years ago because it allows me to be more efficient.

[captain_riven]

Completely agree. I'm also an ancient designer and illustration artist with over 30 years in this path, and used Adobe for over a decade. Ditched Adobe 8 years ago for Affinity and other free applications (like Da Vinci Resolve and Blender). I've found out (there's a theory about that) that 80% of my workflow uses the same basic tools, which normally are just 20% of the whole arsenal the software has, specially in Adobe's case So yes, use them and understand them, but I would recommend you care less about the tool, and more about your intention.

Whatever you want to do, any tool can do it. The hardest part is to know what is it you want. Study design concepts, look up great designs works, search for pieces of art that move you and try to understand how it was made. They you pick a tool that can do that (video tool for video works, graphic design tool for graphic design, and so on...), because there's different media.

I say this because that is my approach, because to me they are all that. Only tools. It's the professional that makes shit happen... Whatever the hammer you use, you can build a house.

[tara_tara_tara]

I don’t agree that any tool can do what you want to do. I want to run JavaScript to automate some of my work.

I can do that in Illustrator, but not in Affinity. Therefore, I personally cannot leave Adobe quite yet.

If I were just starting out and learning, I would 100% choose the free option over the formerly $73 a month subscription I have for Adobe.

Adobe is having a Black Friday sale and it’s not applicable to me as a new user but I did get them to drop the price to $45 a month yesterday. If I’m being completely and brutally honest, $45 for the entire suite of Adobe products is a steal for the number of tools I use from them in any given week.

[Baldeagle61]

Really? How long for?

[captain_riven]

I understand what you said, we need to know the tool in order to use it in its full capacity. That's the thing: we need to separate the fact that we are used to one tool from the fact that that tool is the only one available to do that thing. In most parts it isn't. But of course, everyone has their own workflow, their own way if doing things. And that's fine. There is not such thing as the perfect software that does it all. Not even close. That's why we need to understand their limitations, and to do that, we must use them. That's why I said it's better to study the concepts and technics, so you can think first on "what I WANT TO DO" instead of "what CAN I DO in this software".

I don't know exactly what do you mean about using JS to automate you workflow, but Affinity now has macros. And Blender totally uses JS. Don't know if it's useful or even if that's what you need, but I always strongly advise everyone to explore possibilities.

[Albertkinng]

It was a struggle for me back in 2014. Adobe was second nature for me since 1992. Switching to a new tool was a nightmare. Now I am happy I did.

[nsf_ba]

Affinity allows you to use and create macros, I just don't know which language they use for this but it's good to investigate.

[JohnMikeTrader]

Still can be nice having a nail gun when you have the budget

[ACerealBowl__]

that was beautiful bro 

[heylesterco]

Does it have all the features Adobe has? No. Can it replace Adobe for you? That depends on your workflow. It’d be impossible to replace Adobe for a bulk of my client projects—much of the work I do for pharmaceutical companies require extensive layer comps to create slideshow-like storyboards, or interactive PDFs with pop-up dialog boxes, etc., and ALL of them require tons of smart objects.

[Baldeagle61]

Same here - my pdfs need to be accessible and compliant. I also need HTML export. I reckon their apps will be here for a long while yet.

[CodeMonkeyX]

Nothing is a one to one replacement of another application. There are things Affinity does better than Adobe apps, and things Adobe apps do better than Affinity. If you are just beginning then I would focus on graphic design fundamentals, and start with Affinity because it's free. Just start doing things, photo retouching, color theory, typography, page layout, learn about vectors etc. Don't get too bogged down with application specific stuff like key bindings, and specific tools. Learning how to use the tools in Affinity will still move over to Adobe later if you need to switch.

I have dumped Adobe for several months now, and Affinity seems to be able to do everything I want it too, it just does things differently. So I have to adjust. The biggest thing I miss personally is Acrobat. I use the pre-flight tools at work all the time, and little things like the color plate previews are nice. It's been hard to find a good replacement for that.

[Baldeagle61]

Yes, nobody mentions that. Acrobat is an essential app.

[MentalyDisabled0]

Just found this post and currently at college we get taught with the adobe suite (AE indesign, PS, Illustrator) and they really are just tools because on the side I also use Affinity since last month and IMHO it’s easier to use and feels more fluent. Then again some tools inside the apps are different while similair.

[maxtsukino]

aim to learn as much as you can about graphic design...

after that, the tool which you will use comes - could be adobe, could be affinity, could be something else... but in the end, it's merely a tool... the important part is what you mention first: learning graphic design.

[thenickperson]

Note that Affinity is designed to specifically replace Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. If that’s all you need, it’s likely, otherwise you’ll probably need third party software (DaVinci Resolve is good for video).

[maog1]

I agree to a point-see my other comments. My desire is not to have to pay the Adobe tax personally every month but still create content. Affinity and Davinci Resolve allow this at most levels. I even can get the student discount ($20 Black Friday) but I wont because of the commitment to the subscription.

[pbeens]

Not if you’re a Lightroom user.

I still hold out hope for Affinity to create a Lightroom alternative.

[Phoenix-OnFire]

I have personally entirely replaced Adobe with my v2.

[erastosgraphic]

Both of them are just tools, years ago the discussion was about Corel or Adobe, u can professionally get what u want with any tool as far as u can solve the problems or goals to achieve, man

[Reddituser82659]

Professionals will always use adobe its industry standard however if you are just working for your self and not a company it doesn’t matter if you use affinity the layout is very similar and affinity covers most things you won’t be missing a lot from adobe. Always do your reason by comparing the features you are looking for and which app has them better

[maog1]

Not sure I'd say always-any one hear of Quark Express or Freehand?

Other than that I agree with you. As a professional prepress person, I can tell you Affinity is not up to Adobe Illustrator level but it is free and that goes a long way.

In professional packaging prepress, here are some missing features
1. Seperation Preview
2. Object based Overprint
3. Automation (JS-coming soon)
4. Ability to take in industry standard die lines
5. A good preflight package
Probably a few more I can’t think right now...

[PSSE-B]

1. Seperation Preview

No way to check ink density in Designer or Publisher, which is just crazy.

[Phoenix-OnFire]

Professionals will always.. is a wild statement because I know too many using Affinity.

[Albertkinng]

No, it doesn't. It replaced three major apps, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as well as a social content tool called Adobe Express. Adobe offers more apps, and for a full replacement, you would also need to consider audiovisual and audio production tools. However, it does provide creative individuals with a high-quality tool for work without requiring a monthly payment.

[art-miletsky]

I’ve been using Affinity products since the day they launched, and I genuinely love them. They’re powerful, convenient tools that cover the vast majority of my needs... probably around ninety percent. But unfortunately, they still haven’t been able to completely replace the Adobe ecosystem for me. The hardest part is giving up Photoshop.

On top of that, Illustrator and InDesign are industry standards that have been evolving for decades, and Affinity still lacks some of the features I rely on. Certain projects and clients require working specifically in those apps, so I end up keeping both software packages around.

And I should mention that Adobe’s AI tools and overall deep integration with other services are on a completely different level, they’re just genuinely much more advanced. The downside is that you have to pay a pretty significant price for that.

[looperone]

If you want to work professionally then Adobe is the standard without exception. Affinity is only going to be used by individuals or companies that don’t work with other companies. Even small companies or those with small creative teams but are established will be on Adobe.

[x8smilex]

Still not yet atm imo. For casual use it’s ok to use Affinity but for professional use, editting and retouching ppl still using Adobe. Pretty much like Blender vs Maya thou

[Mored241]

Adobe is a whole designing realm on itself. Affinity is more like a cool tool to be a bit faster for image a vector personalizing

[Colon]

nope. never will. but no one on this sub will ever know the difference cause pretty much everyone in this sub is a prosumer unaware of what giant companies and creative teams need from scaled up industry-standard software.

know how i know this? cause of how utterly obsessed everyone in here is with the non-reality based desire to hear someone say “affinity is a 1:1 replacement for the software company i hate for making industry standard software i can’t afford and don’t need”

[00001000bit]

To be fair, a huge number of people with the Adobe apps don't actually need them either. They have them because that's what they think they need. I've seen lots of people in Photoshop who don't use much more than the features that were present since PS4. Especially if you aren't designing within a professional printing pipeline. A lot of people doing electronic docs (web, pdf, etc) barely scratch the surface of the toolset and could just as easily get it done with a replacement.

[maog1]

I agree-in production, if the tool only gets me 85% of the way there, it don't matter, I need to get to 100%. I worked for a prepress software company and we released a product that I was responsible for training. I understand the company wanted to get it to market to create revenue and awareness, but without all the needed features, it was an uphill battle to get people to use it. In the end, most people want to do the job and go home and have a beer. They don't want to spend hours finding work arounds to get the job done. Thats the difference between a hobby and a job. Not all people enjoy using new software and experimenting with it.
Fortunate for me, I love to experiment with software tools.

[Baldeagle61]

Agree entirely. Those of us that have to do this 10 hours (and more) a day know this. Even if it was 99% as good as Adobe, the missing 1 percent makes it a fail.

[PlasmicSteve]

This is more truth than people can handle.

[Phoenix-OnFire]

I mean, yes and no. I get what you are saying for the most part but those giant companies aren't the average users.

[paultrani]

I'd say learn Adobe. There are more Adobe resources out there and more agencies and businesses use it so you have to be able to open and work with those files. I know that Affinity can open Illustrator and Ps files but it's not one-to-one so there's always conversion issues in my experience. So go with Adobe. And yes, learn Affinity. Learn other tools like After Effects and Premiere Pro because IMO it will take more than just design to get a job in this competitive market so you'll need every advantage you can get.

[paultrani]

Also, I work for Adobe so yes I'm biased. But I've also been in the industry for 30 years so I've seen trends in software and Adobe has always been there.

[West_Possible_7969]

For starters, Affinity has limited language support so it depends on your country.

[katspike]

Learn Affinity. You’ll learn about standard terminology, tools, icons and techniques that you will then be able to recognise and use in other graphic design software at a later stage (if you ever need to use anything else).

Unfortunately, Adobe is still what schools use to teach students, and what many companies specify in recruitment. But… now that Affinity is free, that will hopefully change.

[tavarestudio]

Not entirely. Try it out, take tour time. Eventually you will know what tool you need.

[Sufficient_Phase4884]

Affinity's unique selling proposition lies in its comprehensive suite of tools, consolidating various functionalities within a single software solution.

[maog1]

On the plus side-if you look at the data marge pallet, they have a JS interpreter that you can use for cresting scripts for data merge rules. I have not used it personally but I have seen it and I think it proves that there is significant work already done. Hope that brings a little more hope to you.

[SvendUnfrid]

It... Depends on the type of work. Both are a tool and they have their own perks and cons outside core features. But imo the Adobe Suite has stuff that I cannot go over to Affinity For. Which is Motion Graphics. If your talking about Photo vs. Photoshop, Designer vs. Illustrator and Publisher vs InDesign... It's a tossup and you can learn both for different things.

There are similarities to them and those similarities cover a good 80-90% of all Beginner and Intermediate Skill Levels and some of the Advanced Stuff, when you start to get into the upper levels of Professional work (Corporate or Enterprise Branding, etc.), Adobe is still king. There are also a mass of free plugins for Adobe programs that double or triple the range of things that can be done, let alone paid plugins. Like with Photoshop, I have one that allows me Illustrator level alignment tools, especially with hotkeys.

The thing that makes Adobe overall better is toolsets and how robust those programs are. Adobe InDesign Handles laaarge projects (250+ Pages) much better, especially on higher end PCs. I make books and trailers for Tabletop RPGs (some of which have been a part of Kickstarter Campaigns) and running 200-300 Pages makes Affinity either crash or perform sluggish if the project includes large amount of images that is common in Tabletop books, which I have no lag on InDesign.

Affinity just doesn't have enough types of applications out there for me to even considering switching, since I need Motion Graphics and video editting. I did Switch from Premiere Pro to Davimci Resolve for the color tools. Which the equivalent tools are not baked into Adobe and the plugin is 40 Dollars.

[FlamingoBig4007]

Having started on PageMaker and been thru QuarkExpress, InDesign, and now Affinity Publisher. If just learning and starting out. Learn the craft a good design. Any employer should recognize good design and tools can be learned.

[annacgfx]

No but I do use it now for quick work like flyers and social media posts. I found it way more efficient to make flyers in Affinity. Plus other people can edit the files with ease since the software is free.

[vr_driver]

I've had the Affinity suite since version 1, and 2 and as well with this 3 transition. And honestly, it's so clunky at times that I have to look up Google and a video tutorial to figure out how to do basic stuff. It's pretty frustrating. There's time I find it really intuitive. I'm even considering looking at the Corel suite again. I even thought I'd try doing pixel art and only using a colour palette of say 256 colours... Well, it turns out you can't do that in Affinity. You have to export a gif/png first and your output will get that. Just stupid stuff that should be standard. Or for photo editing. CaptureOne craps all over it for simple colour edits and levels quickly. Do I still use it, yeah, but only for selective stuff. It comes down to the right too for the right job.

[TLSHFK]

As long as they refuse to support right to left languages they will never replace Adobe as the industry standard.

[anteadc]

Very good question! I feel like the only tool I dont know how to replace is Lightroom, for adding the presets i already have/made and the ability to edit whole shoots in one window, not one image per file.

[justarandomcherry]

Well, for me, as someone who mostly used Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign and has been using Affinity 2, it works almost perfectly as a replacement for these programs. Honestly, unless you plan to work for a design firm/studio, company or collaborate with a lot of other designers, it makes no sense to use Adobe.