Same boat here; I’ve used Elements for decades (apparently since I got a pack-in verson of Elements 2.0), and only upgrade when an OS update breaks the version I’ve been using. It’s got much of the features of its big brother, minus the offset printing capabilities, and does far more than what I use it for, mainly touch-up and web production.
I’ve also probably only bought only four different iterations, so over the course of two decades I’ve paid a “subscription fee” of…~$1.25/month (my memory is the first two copies I purchased were $50; it’s now $100).
I agree. Photoshop can’t be beat. But I no longer use it enough to justify the cost. Affinity Photo took a while to learn its quirks (ie, differences from Photoshop), but then it’s been quite satisfactory. Similarly with Affinity Designer vs Illustrator.
I’ve used the whole gamut over the years in an attempt to jump off the Adobe apps & their nefarious subscription model. These days I use the Affinity suite for most everything. Occasionally I need Illustrator for some one-off archival project that Affinity Designer can’t handle, so I do a one-month subscription. (Pixelmator was my go-to for a long time, but I stopped using it when they went to the Pro version.)
I use and enjoy ON1 Photo Raw as my primary photo editor. I too gave up on Adobe, though I willingly pay ON1 for annual version updates. Their product and their support are excellent, IMHO.
I’m not a graphic designer l, but I liked working with the affinity products when trying to design something that I’d later send to another more experienced person.
Well ON1 is one I’ve never heard of. And made a few miles north of me in Portland, OR. It is only $99 for a “forever” non subscription product (until Apple upgrade breaks it). Capture One is also pretty popular but far more expensive at $300. Both have a trial so I can download it and see how incredibly slow it will run on my 2018 mini
I use EazyDraw for my modest graphic requirements for line art illustrations for books and articles about optics – basically it’s an updated MacDraw. I also use Graphic Converter for modifying illustrations, EpsonScan2 for my Epson Scanner, and the Nikon software that came with my digital camera for photography. EazyDraw is my favorite because it’s hard to find anything that can do the type of line art I want.
I just stumbled onto this on Youtube. It seems the Pixelmator folks are extending Photomator to work outside of the Photos library - meaning it will be able to edit and organise images anywhere.
Hopefully this is the start of a more expansive DAM offering.
I have “dinked” with just about all of the editors mentioned at some time or other. They all can do amazing things, but the learning curve is getting too steep for old brain cells. I use Apple Photos for basic editing and I use Acorn for the simple composites and other experiments. KISS rule applies here for me.
Yes, they’re very good indeed. Robin Whalley covers them well on YT, his aesthetic wouldn’t be mine, but he covers the tools thoroughly - https://www.youtube.com/@RobinWhalley
I just received an email from Capture One saying they’re closing down Capture One Express - the cut down version of Capture One specifically for particular camera brands. I think Fuji was the last remaining but I’m sure there were Nikon and Sony versions previously.
My guess is this is just one more step towards a single, subscription model for Capture One Pro. Whilst I didn’t use Express, what I find a little disappointing is their treatment of current users.
“You won’t be able to download and access Express from our website after January 30. If you already own an Express license key, you’ll no longer be able to activate this. We’ll end all support for Express after January 30. Your images and edits will still be available until January 30”
So basically you’re on your own after January 30 - you’ll lose all access to your catalogs. It makes me wonder about the future of my fully paid license for Capture One Pro. If they decide to go the subscription route will they just turn off my version? Interesting times ahead I suspect.
