Serif's Affinity

**behzad** · 28 December 2017, 05:02 PM

So Acorn, your saying you can use affinity and just save the file and import to xara or when you edit it in affinity it automatically changes in xara? Which xara version are you talking about? Does this work with web designer pro 365?

**angelize** · 28 December 2017, 05:33 PM

yes it works with DP365. Just set affinity photo as an external editor. You can double click a bitmap to bring up the photo tools then double click again and affinity photo will launch a new document with your photo. after editing in affinity photo just click the standard ctrl+s to save and choose save flattened. Then go back to DP365 and your edited photo is there. you can go back and forth between the two programs and changes to your photo in affinity will update in Xara each time you save>save flattened.

However this does not maintain layers. If you need to maintain a layered workflow then your best bet is to export from Xara as a .psd and open the .psd in affinity Then the same going back. Going this route you will need to be careful of features that are unique to either program that may not carry across in the psd these will likely become rasterized or just not work

**mwenz** · 28 December 2017, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by gwpriester

...And while I might have more typographical control in InDesign, or Quark, I worked with a program with which I am conversant...

I typeset 7 novel interiors in 5 days. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that in XDP as efficiently as you could. But yep, better the devil ya know.

Originally Posted by gwpriester

...and I am very happy with the results.

As you ought to be, especially if Mary is!

Originally Posted by gwpriester

...I don't think anyone reading the book is going to say, hmmm? this book was not created in InDesign...

You may be surprised what gets picked apart regarding books in certain circles. Oh, they may not know what application was used, but it can be both quite detailed and brutal at times.

Originally Posted by gwpriester

My hope is the typography will make the reading experience positive...

I went to the link. I do like your wife's writing style/wording. The cover is quite nice too.

**behzad** · 28 December 2017, 06:49 PM

Thank you Angelize

**gwpriester** · 28 December 2017, 07:13 PM

Mary and I had a graphic design company in San Francisco and while she is primarily a writer, she is also a designer and painter. She picked the photos for her three books.

**gwpriester** · 31 December 2017, 10:50 PM

OK. My thoughts on Affinity. Great price. Clean and functional UI. Lot of features that remind me of Xara.

Nice splash screen and great web site with a ton of videos.

But I am sticking with Designer Pro X 12. (15 is unstable at this point).

**behzad** · 01 January 2018, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by gwpriester

OK. My thoughts on Affinity. Great price. Clean and functional UI. Lot of features that remind me of Xara.

Nice splash screen and great web site with a ton of videos.

But I am sticking with Designer Pro X 12. (15 is unstable at this point).

I agree, with xara I have been doing 90% of my professional work. I only use my old copy of adobe ill and photoshop to do some work, minor ones.
I am sticking with xara, for web design just finished my client site, it is in the gallary here in case anyone wants to see it. I am happy with it. It will get better.

As designers we really do not need the latest and all that jazz with new software and as I get older I have less time and patience to learn new programs. I was
with serif and they stiffed us all with webplus, they can do it again easily.

**handrawn** · 01 January 2018, 03:18 PM

affinity doesn't do website building, or by implication 'website-design'.. what it does is give some very good tools for those who do not need full-monty photoshop [like acorn said] stuff that should be in xara and is not - like colour management and gamut checking

oh I'll stick with xara designer 12 for the established workflows where they continue, why change what works... but future work is quite another matter and more open than it has ever been

**mwenz** · 01 January 2018, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by handrawn

affinity doesn't do website building, or by implication 'website-design'.. what it does is give some very good tools for those who do not need full-monty photoshop [like acorn said] stuff that should be in xara and is not - like colour management and gamut checking

oh I'll stick with xara designer 12 for the established workflows where they continue, why change what works... but future work is quite another matter and more open than it has ever been

What he said ^^^ ...

I mean, who really needs color management, best in class OpenType feature support, great drawing tools, excellent live noise control, a good brush system that will continue to improve, plays nicely with layout applications, and, and ...

Why is it an either or? I'll use both as best fits the design and sometimes both (like I do with AI anyway). I do think that Xara products (XDP in my case) render and draw more quickly for me and I'll continue to use it. But XDP is over-priced in both the print design work (I can purchase almost 3 licenses of AD for the cost of a yearly upgrade of XDP) & the web marketplace and is hampered by its WYSIWYG approach when it comes to web sites.

But hey, what one uses and for what purpose is a personal decision.

**Aciden** · 23 September 2019, 11:49 PM

Xara Designer was a great tool for illustrator and graphic designer, but at some point, Xara went to evolve toward web design. I started working in CorelXARA and really hoped that the program would develop towards graphic design, but unfortunately this is not so. The correct display of CMYK colors has not been implemented yet, all the features of OpenType fonts are not supported, the development of the ability to draw has stopped (see how Stabilizer is implemented in Affinity) and much more. At the moment, I almost completely switched to Affinity, but I sincerely hope that Xara will show itself, I will return to it.