A quick list of updates and not so updated applications I use regularly.
The Affinity Suite: This has had a few bug fix updates since it recently was bought by Canva but no sign of where they might be going after this major change in the company. It will take time to hire new people to add new features to be sure and while things seems as they always were in most ways after such a huge shift I wish there was some indication what will be happening down the line to assure me. Insecurity on my part but we have been waiting for a few things for a LONG time that now might be in reach like a Digital Asset manager, Epub tools in Publisher that can be worked on live in the program, the ability to save export presets on iPad, improved selection tools and a host of other things. I have noticed and uptick on the forum of posts bitching about various things that are identical in tone to when it updated to 2.0 and suddenly Adobe bots were (it seemed obvious to me) were stoking discontent.
Adobe: I am free of all Adobe products, including "back up" versions in case I need them for something. In many years, I have not and getting it all off my system was a relief. They are company non-grata at the moment because of their predatory subscription and licensing agreements that people finally starting reading and this has led to a huge uptick in Affinity users which bodes well for the software I use instead of Adobe. They burnt the bridge to my computer before the subscription thing with their poor service but the subscription thing sealed deal for me to move to other things.
Blender 4.2 : It's out and I am terrified to update for fear of losing any of the addons I have from the previous version. I am being extra cautious but so far it doesn't seem that I need to be. I will need to put a day aside to set up the new version and reinstall my addons. Since leaving Cinema 4D I have produced one new animation I am extremely happy with but I am little hesitant for a new project. Newbie jitters I am sure.
Final Cut pro: A recent update added some "AI" features that might be handy but won't work unless you have an M_chip Mac which is a bummer. I can't buy a new computer every year because they change the chips they use and won't support not so much older machines that were top of the line 2 years ago. I am more and more afraid they will go with a subscription model as they have with the iPad version, In that case I'll be moving to DaVinci Resolve.
Toon Squid and Procreate Dreams: Procreate Dreams was released with some pretty amazing new features but has struggled to add some that most other animation software have had for years and the promised addition of some of those amazing features to Procreate itself have not materialized either. Toonsquid, a one man band situation is in Beta of V2.0 with a TON of new features I can't wait to try out and use. Not sure when the release version will be ready but the sooner the better for me. It is looking like it will become my go to for 2D animation app. Only on iPad but that is fine, the iPad pro is more and more becoming my laptop alternative.
Topaz Labs Photo AI & Video AI: Constantly updating and improving I can't find fault with the products or service I use from them. I can't afford the latest update to Photo AI, it would be about 135$ CAD and I need more work to come in to justify that. One thing that has given me pause is the release of "Pro versions" of some of their software that need a subscription to access. I have not looked into what that means too much, subscriptions are a non starter for me but depending on what client needs are, I could see signing up for a month, doing the work and letting it go until the new client needs something. The real issue I have is... weren't the products I have been using "Pro"? They were certainly sold as that and I found them pretty useful. Makes it sounds like the last few years I have been sold inferior products to entice me into a subscription service. This is probably paranoia from all the Adobe controversy but it is in the back of my mind now.
No comments:
Post a Comment