Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.
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@lilith said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with no restrictions or payment needed.:
What I mean is that we can have a free version with some basic features
No plans for this at this time.
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@lilith said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with no restrictions or payment needed.:
I think regular people would not create the discriminatory content it mentioned,
That's not the problem. The problem is "in our sole determination". Something that is viewed as discriminatory by one person won't be by another. Different people will interpret the same thing differently, particularly in the world of visual arts, and the fact that they are clearly stating they might "permanently" "terminate" access "without notice" means you could suddenly find yourself cut off from a tool you need for your work, without warning, based on someone else's opinion which you might not share.
You may not think of what you created as fitting those categories, but that doesn't matter. If they do, then you lose your access.
The first issue is that the license terms are based on things which are subjective instead of objective.
As others also echoed, the second issue is that they have turned it into a subscription.
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@lilith said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
Is vectorstyler also considering releasing a free version?
OMG Noo! If you want a free product than use a free product. But I'd rather have a good product without hidden costs and weird terms (search for the 'Affinity terms' on the Canva site) now or in the future with no things after a subscription-based paying wall now or later, but a perpetual license for the product which is trustworthy and where the company keeps its promises. The price VectorStyler goes by is very reasonable. Especially for the development cycle rate. IMO it's also not reasonable to even ask to make it free knowing this is a one man thing. It makes me think if you understand what time goes into creating such software.
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I think we should all be thankful to have such a dedicated developer behind VectorStyler (@VectorStyler). His commitment to improving the app, listening to users, and implementing bug fixes and requested features—often in such a short time, no matter how complex or niche—is truly remarkable and something rare in today’s software world.
I want to support his effort financially (the price is more than fair) to help ensure that this great tool continues to grow and evolve over time, and that his motivation to keep improving it remains strong.
I’d also like to contribute in my own small way to helping VectorStyler gain more visibility and attract new users. I believe what’s mostly missing right now are quality tutorials. I’ve never made YouTube tutorials before, but I’d be willing to give it a try. I remember it was mentioned that promotion would become a focus after the 1.3 release—if there’s a plan for that, I’d be interested in knowing how I could help.
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Do it and learn along the way.
My little tutorials often started for different reasons. Either through
VS features that I was exploring myself, or it was a way to
familiarize myself with VS's features. Or as a small project that I
did for myself and later had the idea to share it. Explaining things
to others often helps with understanding as well.Btw i can recommend using "ScreenPal"—it's a great tool for this.
It's easy to learn, has some video editing tools, and you can upload
your videos for free to your free account.
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@Subpath yes, you're right. I should just start and do it. I was wondering what channels to use if one was planned. Where can I find your tutorials on YT ?
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You won't find me on YouTube, and I have no interest in doing so.
I don't know if that will change in the future, but I don't really think so.I post my tutorials here in the forum to show features, for helping
new users, and serve as a reminder for myself.
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@Subpath said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
You won't find me on YouTube, and I have no interest in doing so.
I don't know if that will change in the future, but I don't really think so.Actually, I’d suggest posting your tutorials on YouTube. Here are the reasons: 1. They’ll reach a much larger audience, which can attract more new users. 2. People can subscribe to your YouTube channel to access all your videos—finding all your tutorials on the forum is practically impossible. 3. You can share the YouTube links on your tutorial page after uploading the videos, which kills multiple birds with one stone. Hope you’ll consider this suggestion!
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@Subpath And here’s another thought: if your tutorial videos consistently draw a huge following—tens of thousands or even millions of subscribers—they could also bring in some extra income, haha!
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@monsterfox said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
Hope you’ll consider this suggestion!
Well, I've already considered this and consistently decided
against it. And that will remain the case for the time being.I get all your points. But in my eyes having and managing
a YouTube channel is a bit different ballgame.My goal was and is not to have a large following or to
earn extra money on the side (which in Germany, depending
on income, could be taxable; you might even have to register
a business and deal with various other things).People who are interested in VS and have questions can check
out the forum, ask their questions, and may find something
helpful in the Tutorial Section.
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This is too juicy to not respond to. This is actually very bad news for the design ecosystem. Pause and consider the true ramifications of this gesture. It is not generosity. It is not good will. It is not good. Especially for people who rely on design on to put food on the table. These are just the most obvious problems I can think of. There are probably others:
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Affinity is now a loss leader: Something given away freely in the hopes that people will buy something bigger. If the intention is to dislodge Adobe in the enterprise, it is simply not going to happen. I should not have to point out why. Canva and Affinity both have Adobe accounts and used it throughout the campaign. To make animation and videos. If this strategy of loss leader fails, then what happens to Affinity? Development stalled. Original team pushed out. Features pay walled - because how else are they getting back the hundreds of millions of Australian Dollars they spent buying Affinity?
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Affinity is now being subsidised by an AI company: Think about that for one second. Do you not see the sheer absurdity and incongruity of it? If you watched the keynote, the time dedicated to Affinity in 1.5 hours is literally 7 mins. Someone can tell us what the percentage is. This is a company that's on a singular mission to put actual designers out of commission by having their AI models aggressively wolf down human creations, and then reverse engineer and vomit tens, hundreds, thousands of variations of designs in a few minutes' time. Everything about this reeks of utter hypocrisy. It is Canva seeking to neutralise the one true competition they have. Freelancers and indie designers are not using Adobe. They use Affinity. SMEs also don't hire design agencies. They hire freelancers or indie studios. By acquiring Affinity, and possibly throwing it into development limbo, Canva is neutralising the one real threat it has. SMEs can now use Canva. This is not conspiracy theory. This is Business 101. Mind boggles at the sheer amnesia of the design community. How many times do you need to see this happen before you'll catch yourself in the moment?
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This move has put Affinity in a precarious position: Parse the whole script and you'll notice something. Affinity can never again become a perpetual license software. That road is now closed. Because if it does become one time purchase software, people will mutiny, having become used to free software. They also promised to keep it free not just now. Free. Forever. For everyone. They'll get hung, drawn and quartered if they so much as try to implement subscription or introduce paywalls for key features. But as I said, it is impossible to go any other way, having promised to keep it free, forever, for everyone. There's only the freemium route. Which is just subscription by other means.
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When it comes to software, there is only thing which can be called free and it is not what Affinity is. Free and Open Source software that allows complete and unfiltered access to the codebase, without any possibility of rescinding licensing, without any way of hindering adversarial interoperability is the only thing in the world of software that is Free. Free with a capital F. Free. Forever. For everyone. Every thing else, I mean, literally everything else, has a cost. It may not be obvious. It may be hidden under clever corporate-speak like Generosity. But you are always paying a price. In the form of data. In the form of behaviour metrics. In the form of attention to ads. Please, please do not be naive about this. If they're so generous, they can easily release Affinity's code into the public. Or at least the code to their file formats.
@VectorStyler: I beg of you to never make your software free of cost. People should be able to buy and own their tools. Like a carpenter, plumber, or electrician.
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No amount of firewalling, no amount of creating back-ups will save your version of Affinity: In one year's time, it will call to the mother server. https://www.reddit.com/r/Affinity/comments/1omyuay/affinity_v3_stops_working_after_one_year_offline/
Read that thread for proof. You're a hostage to Canva, and they can leverage your files any moment into a subscription. Canva is not your friend. They are a billion-dollar conglomerate out for market dominance. Like every other company. Their kindness and generosity have strong business motives. -
Canva will go public. The founders will lose voting rights unless they keep the majority share. They will be beholden to their shareholders. This is not a if, but when.
Over and out, Daniel.
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A few more thoughts have occurred to me.
I'm focusing on vector graphics.My thoughts revolve around whether I would even consider
working with Affinity Designer even it is essentially free.I used CorelDraw for professional work for many years. Tried
and know many other vector graphic apps too. I was never
impressed with Illustrator. The handling and the user interface
put me off at my first try, never miss it in my live.I once bought the first version of Affinity Designer because the
symbol function and the ISO metric studio looks interesting to me.
Also the fact that you can create vector and pixel graphics in the
same app which is still, in my opinion, the biggest advantage of
Affinity Designer.But I quickly found the vector graphic features and how to create
vector graphics in Affinity Designer too limited for my needs. Which,
incidentally, is why I ended up with VectorStyler through a post in
the Affinity Designer forum.I don't believe that Affinity Designer will satisfy illustrators who
create vector graphics in the long run. And that, in my opinion, is
precisely the biggest incentive to come to VectorStyler. Because
you'd be hard-pressed to find this range of vector graphics features
anywhere else.
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In the time I have been away, I have convinced a few of my colleagues, and snooty Art Directors, to try VectorStyler. They had the following feedback to give, which is both a testament to @VectorStyler Csaba's insane efforts as well as a guiding North Star for his future efforts. I paraphrase, but here goes:
- VectorStyler is the most advanced vector software in the market today.
- While the effort to imitate Irritator (our by-word for Adobe Illustrator) is welcome, the developer should not go too far in this direction as Illustrator has many things that can be vastly improved.
- The UI is cluttered and requires a cohesive philosophy to guide choices - I have already provided you my thoughts on how you could address this issue. But this is one of the most consistent issues that was raised. What they mean is there has to be a way to balance the sheer number of options/features available vs keep it simple, clear and instantly obvious. Please check out VIVA DESIGNER. Please. It has a brilliant way of making the interface simple based on your levels of expertise.
- The program begins to lag behind as the number of effects, objects and nodes begin to increase together. A common issue in most vector programs. I don't have a solution here. This is true even in my experience and look at my monstrous overclocked computers in my signature.
- Lack of RTL and Indic language support is a deal-breaker. Without it, we cannot use it as many of our clients come from India and Middle East. You can solve this either through plugins or through direct coding.
- The developer should find out if it is possible to work with companies who can provide elements such as Fonts. Evanto was suggested. But I understand that this might take VS down the line of sub fees. Alternatively, you can tag team with such companies and cross sell each other. VS users get 50% off their Evanto license. And Evanto users get 10% off VS fees. Just an idea. This immediately widens your pool of buyers. But several colleagues mentioned that Adobe Fonts is a major, major selling point for them. These are enterprise users in a major design agency (which I have privately mentioned to you, but I can't publicly mention), and for them the lack of licensed professional-grade fonts is a major drawback.
- VectorStyler should change its name to Vectorstyler - like a proper noun. Easier to remember. Bicapitalisation is so 90s!
- Don't become sub based. Don't be evil. Provide quality. True quality. Profits will follow. Or you will set the standards. Either way, you'd have been successful.
Remember, these are the collective feedback of some of the best talent in the industry. You managed to raise their eyebrows and go "woah"! Kudos to you mate @VectorStyler !!!
