My initiation into Adobe products dates back to 1996, during my high school years working on the school newspaper. This period also marked my first encounter with layout and design through Adobe’s early iteration of InDesign, Pagemaker. Over the next two decades, I honed my skills across Adobe’s suite of publishing software, becoming deeply ingrained in their ecosystem.
In 2013, Adobe transitioned from traditional software to the Creative Cloud, shifting from a one-time purchase to a monthly subscription model. Over the years, subscription prices have gradually increased, and Adobe has made significant strides into the realm of A.I. creation. This move has raised concerns among many artists about Adobe’s use of their work to generate new images.
For decades, Adobe has been the gold standard in professional design software. However, the landscape is shifting. Serif Software has introduced Affinity, a suite of publishing tools that offer a compelling alternative to Adobe. As a seasoned layout artist, I was intrigued by the possibility of moving away from Adobe’s escalating costs. Despite my initial hesitation after 20 years of reliance on Adobe, I knew change was inevitable.
In 2024, I began exploring Affinity, gradually familiarizing myself with its capabilities. Learning new software amidst tight deadlines and high client expectations isn’t ideal, but eventually, I transitioned away from Adobe.
Affinity’s initial appeal was its integration across its individual applications—Publisher, Designer, and Photo. This seamless interaction within the Publisher app was a game-changer. My workflow involves laying out extensive text, creative vectored typography, and numerous photos. Traditionally, this required frequent switching between InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. With Affinity, I can accomplish all these tasks within Publisher by simply switching personas.
Personas in Affinity represent different software functionalities. For instance, in Publisher (Affinity’s equivalent to InDesign), I can switch to the Photo persona to edit a photograph directly without leaving the app. This eliminates the cumbersome steps of switching between multiple Adobe programs. Similarly, the Designer persona allows for vector graphic and typography creation within Publisher.
One promising feature I have yet to fully explore is the native editing of camera RAW files in Publisher. Although this might result in large PDFs, it could be highly beneficial for producing crisp images in high-resolution glossy magazines.
Affinity is not without its flaws. If you rely heavily on Adobe’s advanced A.I. features, Affinity might fall short. Their A.I. capabilities are still developing, and some tasks, like background removal, require manual effort. Additionally, as a newer company, Affinity has its share of bugs. On my PC, the program occasionally lags, requiring a few seconds to catch up.
Despite these shortcomings, Affinity’s single-price format is an attractive option for budget-conscious designers. My experience with Affinity has been positive; the software is intuitive and easy to learn, with only a minor learning curve. Recently, Serif announced Affinity’s acquisition by Canva, a popular online design tool. This merger is likely to accelerate the development of A.I.-based design assistants, enhancing Affinity’s capabilities.
In conclusion, Affinity has won my vote. It’s time to bid farewell to Adobe.
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