Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.
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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 !!!
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@Daniel I agree with the interface and the constant addition of new features, which make the program very complicated to use. I think everything needs to be simplified and streamlined. Otherwise, VectorStyler will remain an example of power and a plethora of features that are increasingly difficult to use, (at least for me). After this we would need some tutorials to cover at least the first steps of the program and some plugins to automate more complicated operations. Bye, and good luck!
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@Daniel said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
- 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.
There is no intention to copy Illustrator, the goal is to have features that are sufficient for any user moving from Illustrator.
- 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.
UI improvements can and will be done. Some things are a bit more difficult. Some of the provided ideas will be in 1.3 (not all). Panels have a simple initial state. Ideas are welcome.
I have no plans to turn the UI into Canva, or anything similar.- 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.
This is a known issue. There is an option in Object Options, to cache a vector object as an image and redraw only if its content is change. For objects with many effects this can be enabled.
- 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.
There is RTL support already (Paragraph panel menu Direction -> Right to Left) and also OpenType substitution and positioning features are implemented. But text shaping is not yet supported (it is planned for the future), so if the OpenType font does not define a feature, VS cannot do it.
- 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.
If APIs are available, these can be added in the future
- VectorStyler should change its name to Vectorstyler - like a proper noun. Easier to remember. Bicapitalisation is so 90s!
Considering it.
- 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.
Focus has been on quality and will be. No intention for subscription, or changing the model.
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VectorStyler’s toolset, brushes, and transformation options already go way beyond what Illustrator offers. No need to chase Adobe. Take what works, skip what doesn’t. Just keep refining and modernizing the workflow, keep some familiar muscle memory for those switching over, but focus on what actually makes sense.
I’ve seen a few people say the UI feels “cluttered,” but honestly, I don’t really get that. It’s not much different from any other full-featured vector app. VS just has more depth, way more than Affinity, for example. The number of panels can look intimidating at first, but that’s kind of the tradeoff with having real power and options. Maybe having some built in default workspace templates like Beginner, Advanced, Technical, Artistic, and so on could help new users get comfortable faster.
Coming from Illustrator myself, I see similarities, but those who use Corel or other apps say the same thing! VS seems to be its own entity, it just happens to have some pieces that feel familiar to everyone.
As for partnerships, I’d rather not see VS tied to Envato, Pantone, or any AI company. That kind of thing usually kills independence and flexibility. Font integration could be helpful, but keep it open, like through Google Fonts or something similar. Let users pick what they want instead of forcing anything in. Honestly, I love how easy it already is to load color palettes and fonts through the built-in tools.
No subscriptions, please! Everyone hates them with a passion I love how simple it can be: one-time purchase, optional paid upgrades for major version updates. People want to own what they buy, not rent it.
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@Boldline Totally agree.
VS is super functional and flexible. I think UI is pretty good and appreciate developer efforts to find a balance between functionality and usability.
VS’s core strength lies in its developer. His willingness to listen to user requests and find solutions is commendable. I’ve been using VS for complex artwork, and it’s been a great experience so far.
I’m okay with the subscription model or version upgrade pricing for future development of VS app.
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We all have histories with different software. My own history has lead me to VectorStyler. That is after decades of loving a true vector approach. The combination of value and quality keeps me working with VectorStyler. Free and lacking is lacking.
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@Kumr Happy to upgrade to new major versions when there's good value in it, but once whatever software goes into subscription model, no matter what pricing, I'm gone. I don't rent software. And I'm sure many others won't like that either. That's the biggest reason most of us left Adobe.
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Affinity has a mesh feature now, but it's not as good as Illustrator's Gradient Mesh. I think Affinity Studio can handle highly-complex vector artwork and a lot of text, but it still lacks Gradient Mesh and Live Paint for advanced vector illustration
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Who expects a much cheaper tool, which is now free, to
compete with Illustrator? I've always been surprised that so
many people touted it as such.
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@Subpath said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
Who expects a much cheaper tool, which is now free, to
compete with Illustrator? I've always been surprised that so
many people touted it as such.If Affinity Studio had Illustrator's Gradient Mesh and Live Paint, it could've killed Adobe's vector illustration software. Unfortunately, it's closed-source, so it might become an abandonware as happened to Quixel Mixer after having been purchased by Epic Games
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There's a simpler and more ethical way to make money that propels that development forward without falling into outright subscription.
You can allow users to buy individual features. That's it. Features that they need can be bought once and used forever as a part of their version. All future improvements to that feature is free. For instance, if I have say, Alignment Fixing as a feature. I can buy it for the price of a coffee (say £2) - say 1000 people buy it, that is £2000 pounds for one feature. £2 for me. I will have it in my version forever. All future improvements or additions to this feature are free. This means that I can skip features that I don't need - allowing for a bloat-free software. This will also ensure that I don't need to buy a whole new version at the end of the version cycle.
This is essentially a plug-in based architecture from day one, which Vectorstyler already has. Every feature is a module. You can build your own version of VS. There's also the other possibility:
Core bundle (£15-30): Essential tools everyone needs - basic drawing, layers, export
Feature packs (£2-5): Grouped related features - "Typography Pack", "3D Tools", "Advanced Export"
Premium features (£5-10): Truly advanced, niche capabilitiesThe only problem is if I have to share a file with someone who does not have a feature that I do that I have used in my document. I don't have a solution here. Maybe @VectorStyler does. Maybe there will be a prompt to buy it? I don't know.
We develop a piece of software which does exactly this. It is one-time implementation fee + buy features you want. Tier-based pricing. It works. We make a ton of money. But it is a different line of business.
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@gotanidea: Affinity's Mesh fill is NOT a true Mesh fill gradient. It is essentially a clipped square onto which a mesh gradient is applied. This means that if you were to expand the shape beyond the limits of the mesh square, the gradient won't scale, leaving gaps. Mesh Gradient works exactly like any other gradient. It scales with the shape. If I have to recreate and reapply the fill, then it's pointless. Useless. If you've used Serif DrawPlus you'll know this problem has existed for ages.
For 25 years.
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There's also the even more democratic way of product development where you allow community to crowdfund features. And then release the feature for free. But this only works if its a huge community. In tens of thousands. If not hundreds of thousands. I don't know how many users VS has.
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@Daniel said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
@gotanidea: Affinity's Mesh fill is NOT a true Mesh fill gradient. It is essentially a clipped square onto which a mesh gradient is applied. This means that if you were to expand the shape beyond the limits of the mesh square, the gradient won't scale, leaving gaps. Mesh Gradient works exactly like any other gradient. It scales with the shape. If I have to recreate and reapply the fill, then it's pointless. Useless. If you've used Serif DrawPlus you'll know this problem has existed for ages.
For 25 years.Yes, Affinity's Mesh is a very poor way to imitate Illustrator's Gradient Mesh. I bet Affinity developers still can't find the algorithms of the superior Gradient Mesh
However, I'm impressed with Affinity's smooth performance when dealing with thousands of points, lines, shapes and words
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@gotanidea said in Affinity Designer Now FREE with All features can be used, except for AI.:
However, I'm impressed with Affinity's smooth performance when dealing with thousands of points, lines, shapes and words
Well, i am not sure but as Affinity Designer is a vector/raster graphics mix.
I always suspect a bit of raster graphics magic behind that smoothness.
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Loss leader strategy is a game for the big companies that have deep pockets to finance it. And it doesn’t work through free versions with pro upgrades. VectorStyler is Pro by nature, so that suggestion makes no sense anyway.
Affinity didn’t become free because Canva are great humanitarians whose hearts bleed for the small creators.
