Hi! How is this coming along?
-
Hello guys,
6 months ago I enjoyed my 42 days trial but then found VS still not ready for prime time on some aspects and set it aside. Nothing excruciating but a lot of small things that were stopping me enjoying designing on VS.I liked it a lot tho, it's the only program so far I'd use instead of AI (unless someone can resuscitate freehand!) and back I am peeking in to see what's cooking now.
I see there's a chance to buy it but 95€ for something still in development, well, it bugs me.
Is there someone already using it in a real production environment? I do graphic design for a living so I can't have half baked solutions when I have to deliver something. It has to work and it has not to stress me out.But like 90% of (old) AI users I hate Adobe's expensive cage and I'm always on a search for an escape route.
So what's your experience so far?
Best,
Ivan
-
@Torakikiii I'm glad you came back to check in. I believe VS has come a long way, even in the last six months. I would guess many of the issues you ran into have either been fixed or at least addressed in the forum. I know of so many issues that affected my workflow late last year that are no longer an issue today.
I switched over to using it full time as my primary vector editing program in January and do 95% of the things I need to do professionally within VS. For the times I get stuck, I still have a copy of Adobe CS6 I rely on for those unresolved issues.
I am confident that within the next year or so, any and all reasons I still use CS6 will be fixed and added in VS and I can move on from Adobe entirely.
A vector powerhouse program like VS takes time to build and smooth out the wrinkles on. The developer has been on an aggressive pace fixing bugs and adding improvements to VS all along. He recently released a tentative roadmap plan of where VS is headed over the next couple of years. It's worth taking some time to read through his plans for VS, they are quite inspiring and will make VS a formidable player amongst the vector editing program options.
@VectorStyler has explained the maturation process for VS - this past year was a lot of focus on fixing bugs and improving the UI experience. He is now spending the next few months working on the first phase of the roadmap with the occasional bug fix update as needed. The reality is, VS is going to be in heavy development over the next couple of years with new features and updates added in stages. It's both exciting and also requires a lot of patience!
If you believe in where @VectorStyler is taking VS over the next couple of years, then supporting the cause is a no-brainer and a huge help to seeing it done faster. The more people supporting VS by purchasing it, using it, sharing about it and giving constructive feedback, the more the community as a whole is helped.
If I were you, I'd consider purchasing VS not because it's already perfected, but because it helps support the developer as he improves it. The cost is not overly expensive and the abilities already within VS more than justify the cost. Then use VS to go as far as you can in your professional work and each time you hit a roadblock, post about it on the forum so the issue can be addressed. Use your other vector editing programs to get past the issue at hand and keep putting VS through the paces. This is what I did for all of 2021 and into 2022. Anything that inhibited my professional workflow, I brought up on the forum and did my best to help explain and solve it. With the developer being so attuned to the needs of the users, many of my issues are now resolved.
The processes you use in Illustrator and elsewhere may not be the same as what others use and need, so giving specific feedback can be a huge boon to your ability to use VS fully and cut the adobe cord for good. For the sake of VS and the community, I'd encourage you to invest in VS and share your valuable insights as often as you can - while it's been a sacrifice to do so, I've also found it incredibly rewarding to be an integral part of the maturation an amazing vector program.
-
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
I see there's a chance to buy it but 95€ for something still in development, well, it bugs me.
VectorStyler will always be in continuous development
Current version is 1.1. Version 1.2 should be out somewhere this autumn.If you need rerun extension of the trial, send me an email to csraba at vectorstyler.com
-
@VectorStyler said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
VectorStyler will always be in continuous development Current version is 1.1. Version 1.2 should be out somewhere next autumn.This autumn!?
-
@Ingolf said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@VectorStyler said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
VectorStyler will always be in continuous development Current version is 1.1. Version 1.2 should be out somewhere next autumn.This autumn!?
Yes! This autumn!
-
@VectorStyler said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@Ingolf said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@VectorStyler said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
VectorStyler will always be in continuous development Current version is 1.1. Version 1.2 should be out somewhere next autumn.This autumn!?
Yes! This autumn!
Really looking forward to the improvements of version 1.2 this autumn!
-
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
(unless someone can resuscitate freehand!)
I'm with you there, you must be as old as I am LOL :-)) Aldus Freehand was always my choice over AI.
I'm also with you on forming an escape committee
-
VS certainly has some catching up to do in some areas
and a unique (but powerful) approch. But even in the current
state you won't find anything better for that money.And as Boldline wrote, Vectorstyler is working really hard to fix
the weak spots and is also very open to suggestions for improvement.I don't work professionally anymore, worked with Coreldraw for many years
and still own a copy. And as it is VS is currently the vector graphics program
I use the most.
-
@Igull said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
Freehand
Maybe we could start a separate discussion in the Feature Requests sections about what favorite features of Freehand to implement.
-
@VectorStyler
LOL, I'm so old I can barely remember what I had for lunch, I'd have no chance remembering the finer points of Freehand 3.0 from the 80's and 90's
More than likely 'though, VS would knock it into a cocked hat in the features arena !
I do remember that converting text to paths was a big thing 'though - never seen before LOL - just on truetype fonts IIRC, not the postscript variety (are PS fonts still a thing these days ??).
Like smoking, you really don't want to go back to those days I can remember it was around 400 GBP 'though - probably in the days when 1 GBP = 2 USD !!!
-
@Torakikiii What is a great software ?
I would say, a software that could help you make 90% of your job without even wondering what are the different tools and features you just used. Something natural, almost obvious. For the last 10%, you may sometimes juggle with different solutions because of a need for speed, a client demand or a missing feature.
It would be perfect.
My experience taught me that we can adapt/adjust to new/different softwares. Sometimes because we feel we need something different, better or sometimes because the company we are working for is using this alternative/different solution. Some people here have been using Freehand, Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity Designer, Corel Draw...
I haven't found yet a perfect vector software and it doesn't matter. I mean that, once I know what I can do and how with a software, I adapt my workflow to it. So, amongst the vector softwares I know, Illustrator is great but not very innovative recently (don't mention the 3d part pls
), Affinity Designer is fast (even with old computer) and super user friendly but so many real vector features are missing, and VectorStyler is dense, complete but also too complex sometimes and still has bugs.I personally don't mind using different software to achieve what I need to.
About the price, I totally understand it can be an issue. I have an old computer, a cheap tablet and I always think before investing in a software. But...
I bought VS while still in my trial period because I remembered that 20 years ago I paid 2000€ for the Adobe Trilogy, then later only less than 1/10 of it for the Affinity trilogy and VS is less than 1/20 of it (I know, just one software). I bought VS after having a nice lunch with my wife in a restaurant. When back home I realised that I just paid the same amount as 2/3 of VS license for 2 (happy) hours. So I stopped thinking too much and just paid the license. Since then I have spent much more than 2 (not always happy but always interesting) hours exploring the software and I did 2 illustrations.
Yep, geek style.
-
...I personally don't mind using different software to achieve what I need to...
exactly as i do
What i often miss from this price discussion is some sort of price/value relationship.
People buy Affinity Designer because of the price, but wait years (and still do)
for features that are already built into VS. And as I said before, for me VS is a bargain
with all its features and it was a no brainer to buy it.
-
You cannot call VS a program "in development" as in "unfinished". The program is released in a now quite stable v1.1, and the number of features is at a level that Affinity will never even come close to in the whole lifetime of their products. They don't even have programmers skilled enough to implement the vectorfeautures you find in VS. They also cram their programs with third party code - usually using mediocre algorithms - so the price reflects what you get. And you get it slooooowly.
The price of VS is not high. If you look at programs that have just as many and advanced features, the price point there is much, much higher. Or you use Inkscape, where the usability is really poor. What you can afford is of course another matter.
The program is under development towards new versions, and they even come quickly and continuously. You get a long period of updates included in the price, and then you have to upgrade. This is quite normal.
On top of that, you have here in the forum an exceptionally responsive developer who fixes bugs incredibly quickly.
Whether you like the program as a whole is a different and more personal matter. Whether you can use the program alone or in combination with others depends on what designs you do.
I use it not surprisingly for vector manipulations and posters; Affinity Designer when the output is bitmap and lends itself to that, and Illustrator... at gunpoint.
-
Guys,
just to make sure it's clear. I did like a lot VS when I tried. I even wrote in my first message that's the only true alternative to AI I've found.But really, I have 30+ years of expertise in the field of prepress and in my case, I didn't feel I was ready to leave AI for it. That's why I poked in 6 months later to see how it was coming along.
I might buy it in the future for my personal use. The programmer seems to be a great guy and very responsive, that's super. I hope it's not a one man band because there's a lot to do to manage such a project. If it is, well, it's then even more impressive.
I hate subscription based software. I prefer to pay for upgrades (when I feel it) or special modules I might need.
So enjoy VS, it's coming along nicely. No one can really compete with Adobe (Aldus could, they bought it and shut it down). Corel draw (my first vector program) is a niche software, Affinity is the instagram girl of vector design.
VS needs to find its spot, possibly being the geek guy of the vector design world.best!
-
@Torakikiii Yes, I also have more than 25 years of experience with Illustrator and CorelDRAW, and I still have them installed. And subscribe to Adobe CC.
That doesn't change my arguments above. I stand by them.
But, I do have really bad experience with replacing programs that have reached a solid maturity point and that the whole world uses from designer to print or web. So professionally, I've never replaced the Adobe suite, and I certainly won't in my career. And that goes for several other programs - unless time and the market overtake them. You won't find complete alternatives to Microsoft Office and Adobe, for example. Unless one's needs become less.
As a stand-alone program, I think VS is both reasonably priced and functionally incredibly rich already in version 1.
-
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
... Affinity is the instagram girl of vector design ...
very funny
i like this saying
-
@Torakikiii said in Hi! How is this coming along?:
Affinity is the instagram girl of vector design.
You made my day
-
You have to judge a programme on what it is, not what you want or think it is.
Affinity Designer is not actually designed to be a vector design program. I am both annoyed and indignant that Serif markets it (also) as a vector design program. They are so aggressive in their marketing that it ends up on the edge of truth. Their labels "styles" and "vector brushes" are pure nonsense. "Styles" are apply once presets and "vector brushes" bitmap brushes on a vector path. etc.
Designer is essentially a program that controls bitmaps via vector elements, and that even when you try to make vector-only outputs rasterizes way too much. There are no more vector features in Affinity Designer than in many small programs. They're just beautifully implemented.
A shame. As a design program for more artistic complete designs that end up as bitmap, or is bitmap, Designer works excellently, bitmap and raster can be mixed without thinking about the technique, and the programs are lightning fast. If you look at the work done in Affinity, it is obvious that the program's potential is being exploited to the full. Out there.
I haven't experienced real alternatives to Affinity Designer in the program's own true genre measured in ease of use, easy workflows and raw speed, while Illustrator and CorelDRAW may get unexpected competition from Vectorstyler one day.
