Oscraps

Switching scrapping software...

Jam-on-toast

Jam-on-toast

Well-Known Member
CHEERY O
Let’s call a spade a spade — I hate it when they rearrange milk at my local supermarket, so don’t even get me started on recolored icons and renamed features in my scrapbooking program. With all the recent talk of the “new and free Affinity,” I imagine many people are quietly reevaluating and considering their options…

Fun, but not fun. I’m an Affinity user and even I find these little “tweaks” annoying — yes, everything kinda looks the same… but it doesn’t.

To be fair, I’m lucky. I’m comfortable in Affinity and have no pressing need to switch platforms. I can grumble, roll my eyes, and switch because I know my learning curve will be short and flat. But if I were someone trying to choose a new program right now? Or someone considering switching? My brain would be in full overdrive.

Learning a new digital tool from scratch is HARD. It’s not just clicking buttons — it’s muscle memory, workflow, shortcuts, the “where did they hide THAT?!” moments… multiple YouTube sessions... and that feeling of being a beginner again. That’s not exciting — that’s exhausting.

So yes, I’ll switch to the new Affinity and rant a bit about the tiny icon changes. There will be no testing software, transferring projects, rebuilding brushes, re-learning keyboard shortcuts for me...

Curious how everyone else is handling the news... Have you even heard the news?
What software are you using these days? Affinity? Photoshop? Procreate? Canva? Anything else?
 
I use Photoshop Elements 2024. I have been curious about Affinity with all the talk but am not ready to switch and learn something new.
 
I use Paint Shop Pro (PSP) and have forever so do not want to change. BUT, I do genealogy technology talks monthly and later this month I'm going to include the new Affinity in the context of a scrapbook technique talk. Just got started with it and think this Affinity is much easier to use than my few feeble attempts with GIMP. Well, I hope so anyway.
 
Jam-on-toast said:
Not very... Affinity builds off Serif's legacy CraftArtist software and when CA was discontinued and I needed a new program - I couldn't wrap my head around PSE...
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thanks for letting me know - sounds like it wouldnt be a good alternative to PSE than. Will probably download sometime but dont have high expectations of it even working to just look at it.
 
I am a longtime affinity photo user as I couldn't afford PS in recent years. I have found it excellent and can do everything for scrapping and photo artistry that I can do in PS. I am not so much into the Ai tools which you must have a premium Canava account for. Having said that, the premium account is way cheaper than PS. I have been playing with the new Affinity interface and have found most of the tools I use and more. I love the new version its quicker on my laptop than version 2. There is a new update today to Version 3.01 I don't what is new in this version. Everything from Oscraps opens on Affinity V3 fine.
 
Well I do want to dip my toes into Affinity, PS is just costing too much! AND it is getting more byte hungry every time there is an update. I stopped my auto updates at 2024 so still using that version but I know in a while they will tell me that version is no longer available! pffft!!!

So, while I haven't watched a lot of vids on Affinity, and I would prefer not watch any older ones, now the new release is out otherwise I will get totally confused I am wondering about the following: Styles, can PSD ones be imported? and what about brushes, I have a lot PSD brushes that I love and use a lot, can they be imported do you know? I am thinking that PSD actions won't be able to be run though, which is a pity but I can deal with that. lol! Can anyone help please?
 
wombat146 said:
Well I do want to dip my toes into Affinity, PS is just costing too much! AND it is getting more byte hungry every time there is an update. I stopped my auto updates at 2024 so still using that version but I know in a while they will tell me that version is no longer available! pffft!!!

So, while I haven't watched a lot of vids on Affinity, and I would prefer not watch any older ones, now the new release is out otherwise I will get totally confused I am wondering about the following: Styles, can PSD ones be imported? and what about brushes, I have a lot PSD brushes that I love and use a lot, can they be imported do you know? I am thinking that PSD actions won't be able to be run though, which is a pity but I can deal with that. lol! Can anyone help please?
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Importing brushes is not an issue, but styles aren't compatible I think...

The new Affinity is technically new, but the features are the same as in previous versions - Designer or Photo or Publisher - just all in one app. The Help section is fantastic and will help you find the button you need, and the old tutorials will work because the workflow is the same.
 
I took a look at Affinity. But I just paid for 3 years of PSE so I imagine that I will stick with that for awhile. Things are finally starting to come back to me!
 
I'm with you on grocery stores and I feel the same way about Photoshop changing things and moving things.
 
Yep here too! I use PSCC 2025, and now 26 has popped onto my computer, but I'm ignoring that for now. When they move things around it's really annoying so I'm sticking with the familiar. Learning something new like Affinity is definitely not in my brain cells.
 
What a great topic for a chat! I have tried Affinity versions 1 and 2 and I like it. Some things I like even better than in Photoshop, like setting up guides. And I like the price of Affinity so, so, SOOOOO much better! FREE is awesome!

But, I've spent the last 30 years using Photoshop. I have invested in add-ons and tools. I know that .abr brushes translate and most digital scrapbooking things in .jpg or .png or .tif. But tool preset brushes do not. I don't know about styles or anything else.

It's more that my fingers just know how to do things and do them as I'm playing and I don't even have to consciously think about it anymore. So trying to make a full switch away from Photoshop to the free Affinity.Studio would be truly hard.

I like knowing that it's there and available if I ever hit dire straits and can't afford Photoshop anymore. But it would be a painful learning curve. One that I don't know if I wanna mess with.
 
I am at the mercy of the PS cloud at this point, which my husband created with PS and I just use one of his 3 allowed devices. He loves photography, but hasn't been able to do it for quite a few years now due to life stuff. I now have PSCC 2025 on my computer now that I properly got updates going in the cloud. I always worry about changes in software, I have been through quite a few since 2004 when I decided to dive fully into digital scrapbooking design. I DO still wish that Ulead Photo Impact was still supported because I was doing my own illustrations, but making various shapes to create them, back then. All of my .UFO files are no longer viewable. I downloaded software, tried different websites, etc. that said they can let me use/view them, but they are all NOT what I needed. *le sigh*

Anyhoodle, I just realized that I don't need to be replying in here since...yeah...nothing to do with what I am using...sorry :wardrobehide:

I was reading replies and felt the need to jump in :spinningchair::hiding2::monkebootie::thankyouspin:
 
Have you been watching James Ritsons youtube videos, they are so good, easy to follow and explain many of the tools and how to use them. He should know since he is the developer for Photo. At present he seems to make a new video every day.
www.youtube.com

James Ritson

Part of the Research Team at Affinity: software development, with a focus on image processing. My channel isn't directly affiliated with Affinity (i.e. it contains content made in my own time), but I treat it with the same level of care as I would my job.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
catgoddess said:
They'll need to pry PSP (PaintShop Pro) out of my cold, dead hands.

That said, I'm glad there's a decent, free program out there now for everyone to use. I'd love to know what you think of Affinity, @scrap-genie since you're also a PSP user! I won't switch, though. lol
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I haven't done much with Affinity yet (and like you won't leave PSP) but it looks quite a bit like my PSP and wasn't too hard to find some things that were different. For anyone switching, I think the videos would be helpful.
 
I'm a long term Serif user and use Affinity now.
As for similarity with PS etc, the changes that Affinity have been making to the software interface are designed to reduce the learning curve for PS users. Personally I find it annoying that they have changed some icons, moved stuff and renamed tools between Affinity 2 and 3. It makes scrapping harder for me, but I know why they've done it.
 
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