Software updates - and lack thereof August 2024

 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. 

Review: Procreate Dreams

 Procreate is the go to drawing/painting program for me and many others, its clean interface, fantastic price with lifelong free updates and ever expanding features has made it the choice of pros and hobbyists and puts them all on an even playing field. Its been around I think 15 years and while it started out a little wonky the makers have been attentive to users and determined to democratize art. When they announced a new product only a couple months ago, it was a mystery what is might be. Well, now we know and it appeared on my ipad when i woke up one morning this week and i was very excited to try it out.

The idea is to democratize animation in the same way Procreate did for art and drawing. Simple interface, professional quality output at an affordable price and again, lifetime free updates. It sort of succeeded. The performance is beyond anything else, it supports infinite undos and canvases up to 1 MILLION pixels, plays 4 K video in real time and your animations also play in real time with no need to render them first. They have stated some of these features will be making their way into Procreate soon. 

With all that amazing stuff being true, it is also true that this is a 1.0 app and it’s missing not only some basic features in other apps already out there like Toon Squid, which is even cheaper, but crucial drawing features already in Procreate. While Procreate has an uncluttered interface it suffers from hiding features by making them available with gestures you need to learn that are not always intuitive and sadly Dreams has inherited some of that. The thing that surprised me the most was the lack of drawing assistance tools like being able to draw perfect lines or shapes and the lack of some effects like a glow or bloom which Procreate has. It doesn’t export to animated gif like Toon Squid. 

This sounds like it is a disappointment, but it isn’t really for me overall. I expected and they were pretty upfront it was missing some important features before the release so bitching that they are not there when I knew they wouldn’t be seems dumb. The company has a very good, well earned reputation for quick updates and adding features the users want and buying it now insured me I was getting a nice price that i would never need to pay again and to begin learning at the ground level before new more complex features are added. I did the typical bouncing ball test to try it out and it took a couple tries and some you tube videos to make progress and figure out how I might use this. Was a bit frustrating but I see a lot of potential. 

Animation is complex, and no matter how easy someone tries to make it, it will always be complex. This allows some simplification and will introduce new features over time that will streamline things but Procreate Dreams is made to encourage hand drawn, traditional animation techniques over other types of animation which might help keep the human touch in what you create with it.