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Alfred's Serif Users' Forums → General Discussion → Canva-Affinity Live Stream Announcement(s) What do we think?
BTW: as far as I tested it, it does have new problems.
Did you mean to say it doesn’t have new problems? If you really meant ‘does’, it would be very helpful to know what problems you’ve found so far.
Yes, it would be welcome,
but it appears Canva have optimized the UI for photo users. Also, they pushed photo and AI not saying much about the Publisher side, which would normally have a light UI.
"Be patient, Grasshopper." (remember that show?) I suspect it will become available, perhaps even with colored icons. ;-)
Incidentally, Canva changed Serif's direction and apparently slowed the maintenance releases for V2. Which gives you some idea of the way Canva works.
I cannot recall V1 being maintained by Serif when V2 came out. By the way, V2.6.5 is presently in beta.
That's some evidence that the old Serif team, led by Ash Hewson, really aim to honor their past pledges.
JAmedia wrote:Yes, it would be welcome,
but it appears Canva have optimized the UI for photo users. Also, they pushed photo and AI not saying much about the Publisher side, which would normally have a light UI."Be patient, Grasshopper." (remember that show?) I suspect it will become available, perhaps even with colored icons. ;-)
JAmedia wrote:Incidentally, Canva changed Serif's direction and apparently slowed the maintenance releases for V2. Which gives you some idea of the way Canva works.
I cannot recall V1 being maintained by Serif when V2 came out. By the way, V2.6.5 is presently in beta.
That's some evidence that the old Serif team, led by Ash Hewson, really aim to honor their past pledges.
Yes, I do remember the TV series. It is still available. Light UI WAS available and was taken out. You mean they are going to put it back?
The indications don't suggest that.
Affinity V1 became Affinity V2 It was an incremental upgrade. Though as they are perpetual licenses some stayed on V1 (also some on Serif Page Plus)
V2.6.5 is released. It isn''t in Beta. It fixed two bugs in the Mac versions and cut off a lot of the Affinity account stuff. However, it now says "Your licence is active and will never expire". And "You do not need to remain online or signed in to use your purchases" Which is good. In fact, it is better than the affinity-studio licence.
The evidence is that the old serif team are gone. 5 out of the 8 Serif Directors resigned when Canva took over. Also the direction of travel for the engineering development was changed by Canva. They slowed up the updates for V2 in 2024/25.
Make no mistake despite the V3 in places it is not Affinity V3 it is Canva affinity-studio V1. It is a new App, new logo, new website, In fact give it another 12 months the "affinity.studio" name will be the only connection to Serif. The emphasis is on photo, AI. and selling subscriptions.
BTW people are calling affinity-studio: AbC or "Affinity by Canva". Remember, Canva has 380 Million users. Affinity 5 million, half(?) of whom are not going to Canva's AbC. So Canva won't be listening to the 2.5 million Pro and serious users of Affinity (many of whom came from Adobe to escape subscriptions) as they make up less than 0.5% of the Canva market.
So if you want to know the direction of travel for AbC look to Canva not Serif. Canva is a huge corporate that is about profits. It is very different to Serif in size and ethos.
As I look at the app, it's V3, it even says so on the splash screen.
And this is the last I'll say about this. Clearly, you're not happy with the changes after the Canva takeover and I'm by and large pleasantly surprised by what they came up with.
Anyway, this whole industry is changing rapidly. Who knows what awaits us in a few years?
As I look at the app, it's V3, it even says so on the splash screen.
And this is the last I'll say about this. Clearly, you're not happy with the changes after the Canva takeover and I'm by and large pleasantly surprised by what they came up with.
Anyway, this whole industry is changing rapidly. Who knows what awaits us in a few years?
I have been in this industry over 35 years. I know how it works.
I know how corporate marketing works, as I have seen it from the inside of companies like Canva and Serif.
I am please you are happy with affinity-studio V1. So you go your way with AbC and the rest of us, possibly the majority of Affinity users, will go our own way.
@JAmedia,
I am not so sure about your claim that the majority of the Affinity users will abandon Affinity for something else.
The new workflow, using the integrated Vector - Pixel - Layout workspace, is a very smart move. Many also appreciate the new features like Image Trace.
You’ve been in this business for 35 years, and you’ve seen shifts like this many times before. However, when you look at the Keynote speech, you cannot deny that Canva has a completely different vision than Adobe. Canva's goal is to empower its users by giving them the tools they need with a fair-priced subscription.
Adobe, on the other hand, lets its users bleed from their over-priced monthly subscription models. Once you stop paying, you lose access to your artwork because the application doesn't work anymore. Is this so much better?
The goal of Canva/Serif is to break into that abusive Adobe monopoly. By making the base Affinity apps free and providing AI features in a monthly subscription, they are just doing that.
I have had (and still have) a Canva Pro subscription for a very long time, besides the v1 and v2 Affinity apps. I tell you, both are going perfectly together. Don't be misled by those mass publishing people, who are only interested in pumping out as many books as they can! Those are not the people who are using Affinity Studio because it takes them too long, too much effort, and they don't care about the precision you and I need in our daily work. Many can't even explain what "bleed" is.
When I read between the lines of your replies, I feel (as with many Affinity users here) disappointment and concern about the whole new situation. What happened in the Affinity world is a very big change, which can be frightening at first. You have very valid points about this change. However, don't let fear be in the way of your progression in the creative process. Just take your precautions, in case your fear/concern is coming true. In that way, you can make use of the new model and still your work will be protected.
The world’s changing fast, yes — but that’s where the best work still finds room to surprise. Keep creating, keep evolving.
Forward, ever forward!
Fascinating assessment of two multinational companies that both have a near identical subscription model, though to different market segments.
However, I am used to having to do the analysis without the emotive stuff and deeper due diligence.
Several of your assertions above are just wrong, in that the evidence does not support them.
Time will tell, so let's come back to this in 12 months and see where we are?
@JAmedia;
I appreciate your take. I wouldn’t quite call the two subscription models identical, though — their structure, audience, and purpose differ once you look a little deeper.
My view comes from hands-on use of both systems over time, not just theory, so I’ve seen where each one shines and where it doesn’t. But you’re right, the next 12 months will reveal a lot about how creators adapt. It should be interesting to watch.
My view comes from hands-on use of both systems over time, not just theory, .
My view is neither theoretical nor being a user.
You need to examine the evidence.
A login at Companies House helps.
@JAmedia,
That’s fair
I’ve seen the filings, too. My interests are more in how all this plays out for creators in real workflows, though.
That’s where it really matters.
@JAmedia,
That’s fair
I’ve seen the filings, too. My interests are more in how all this plays out for creators in real workflows, though.
That’s where it really matters.
They make very interesting reading, not just the numbers.
That, and other things, will dictate how things are played out if you can read and understand what the documents are saying.
It is a bit like reading an estate agents blurb and knowing what it actually means,
My own Mar-Comm manager had worked for some multinational companies and could translate the meanings. We had both been involved in buyouts and mergers in different capacities. Software engineering in my case.
I hope you get what you are hoping for, and as you are a Canva subscriber already I expect you won't be disappointed. Whereas those who moved from Adobe (and subscriptions) won't be going anywhere near Canva (or their subscriptions)
.
@JAmedia;
Experience always adds a valuable perspective.
I’m well aware of how these transitions can unfold behind the scenes. Still, I tend to judge by how the tools perform in real-world use, not just in financial filings or boardroom plans.
Either way, I think we both agree it’ll be interesting to watch how this plays out for the creative community itself.
At the moment, I am using Affinity Studio to create my new book, and I have to say, I like what I see so far.
As I wrote earlier: forward, ever forward!
@JAmedia;
Experience always adds a valuable perspective.
I’m well aware of how these transitions can unfold behind the scenes. Still, I tend to judge by how the tools perform in real-world use, not just in financial filings or boardroom plans.
Either way, I think we both agree it’ll be interesting to watch how this plays out for the creative community itself.
At the moment, I am using Affinity Studio to create my new book, and I have to say, I like what I see so far.
As I wrote earlier: forward, ever forward!
Good luck with the book. I would be interested in your experience in affinity.studio (it isn't Affinity Studio, the A is lower case)
I do a lot of non-fiction: Four magazines a year (two column with lots of pictures) and multiple books, all not fiction. Fortunately, I don't write most of it!! :-) I am hoping to had editing over to someone else and concentrate on writing and documentary videos.
We had been standardizing on Affinity V2 However as affinity.studio is a completely different file format we are not moving to that as most of our people want to stay on V2. Had there been an Affinity V3 (with three apps) we would have moved to that.
We are now contemplating our next move which won't be to Canva.
I would be interested in your experience in affinity.studio (it isn't Affinity Studio, the A is lower case)
The ‘a’ in the logo is lowercase, and (like all domain names) ‘affinity.studio’ is lowercase, but Affinity is written with a capital ‘A’ everywhere else on the site.
@JAmedia,
Thanks — appreciated! I’ll gladly share how it goes once the book’s further along. I’m testing how well the new unified workspace handles mixed content — images, text, and layout-heavy pages — and so far, it feels stable and intuitive.
I completely understand your team’s position on staying with V2. The format shift is a real consideration, especially in a multi-user setup. I’m curious where you’ll head next if you move on from the Affinity ecosystem — sounds like you’ve got some interesting projects running.
Thank you for your professional and polite replies. They’re rare these days, and I truly appreciate that.
Kind regards,
Chris
I completely understand your team’s position on staying with V2. The format shift is a real consideration, especially in a multi-user setup. I’m curious where you’ll head next if you move on from the Affinity ecosystem — sounds like you’ve got some interesting projects running.
There will have to be a lot of thought involved. I have only just persuaded some to think of moving off MS Publisher thanks to MS finally dropping it. This may have been the final trigger for Canva, A lot of the people still using MS Publisher fall ill into Canva's target demographic.
Regards
Chris
FWIW, I came across this on the VS forum:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Affinity/comme … r_offline/
Reportedly, Affinity v3 (or whatever you want to call it) will stop working after a year offline.
Which pretty much means your v3 "license" is only good for as long as their servers let you use it, if you let it connect to the Internet periodically.
Also amusing that VS users are complaining about Affinity v3 not being a perpetual license when VS is pretty much in the same boat. As it requires Internet activation, if VS's servers are one day gone, you aren't going to be able to use it either.
A lot of the people still using MS Publisher fall ill into Canva's target demographic.
I’m guessing you mean they don’t fit well into the target demographic, rather than suggesting that they become unwell! 
MS Publisher just closed its doors, and no one is whining the blues about a major outfit shutting down a program forever.
Because no one will miss it?
Because printers cringed when a client said their project was in MS Publisher?
Because people are glad it is gone?
Because MS Publisher gave "Publisher" a bad name?
I'm confused about all the posturing about licenses and shutdowns and such. MS Publisher just closed its doors, and no one is whining the blues about a major outfit shutting down a program forever. What's with that and v3? At least v3 works. So does v2. Will it shut down? Who knows? Keep guessing.
Something else will come along. It always does. Kinda like busses. There's always another one a few minutes away - until there isn't and we find a new bus stop.
Meanwhile, I like v3. I like v2, too. I don't care if either or both shuts down tomorrow. I have things more important to me than a pile of ones and zeros. I'm sure you all do, too.
Edited to add: In any case, software will come along - just like a bus - to replace what you're complaining about. Or not. Who knows? No one.
No one is complaining about MS Publisher going because most thought it had been discontinued over a decade ago. There have been no updated in years (and before that only every 2-4 years) In the last 15 years it was only to move it to Office 365. The last up-data, now I have looked, was 5 years ago.
Most users were not non-professionals who had been upsold the MS Office bundle with it in or, most I saw, had a "borrowed" corporate licence for their MS Office. The Cooperates didn't use it much, it was just part of the bundle with things they did want. Their professionals used other things like Quark and Aldus Pacemaker.
BTW MS gave over 2 & 1/2 years notification of pulling MS Publisher. They didn't freeze the website, close licences and say there will be a notification in a month.
As @DCR mentioned, most Printers didn't like it or, as I have seen on many printers websites, didn't accept MS publisher files at all.
Most of the professional world thought MS Publisher had gone over a decade ago, and it was only a few amateurs using it at home on old PC's
Also, no other programs could import MS .pub files. I believe LibreOffice does now, though I don't know which versions, but no professional programs do. There is no MS Pub viewer (unlike word and excel)
As for is Canva's affinity.studio being Affinity V3, yesterday I had an email from Serif (Europe) saying " This isn’t a version three. It’s something else entirely. An all-in-one, customizable app, combining photo editing, vector design, and page layout in one smooth, powerful space. "
So according to Serif " This isn’t a version three. It’s something else entirely so that is sorted. This is Canva's affinity.studio V1
MS gave over 21/2 years notification of pulling MS Publisher
21/2 is 10½, which I’m pretty sure isn’t what you meant! The usual way to express ‘two and a half’ in numerals is to put a space before ‘1/2’, like this: 2 1/2.
I suspect you actually wanted to type ‘2½’ but didn’t know a quick and easy way to do so. I like the web page at https://symbols.typeit.org for such situations, and I find myself using it quite frequently.
JAmedia wrote:MS gave over 21/2 years notification of pulling MS Publisher
21/2 is 10½, which I’m pretty sure isn’t what you meant! The usual way to express ‘two and a half’ in numerals is to put a space before ‘1/2’, like this: 2 1/2.
I suspect you actually wanted to type ‘2½’ but didn’t know a quick and easy way to do so. I like the web page at https://symbols.typeit.org for such situations, and I find myself using it quite frequently.
You are correct (edited it now) thanks for the link, that is useful.
It was a surprise that MS was giving over two years notice for end of life for something most of us though had died years ago.
The reason being is that people with 365 licences won't be able to open their .pub files when publisher stops in October 2026 as it is a cloud based system.
Those with a stand alone perpetual publisher will be OK, but Publisher went to 365 in 2013. So you will only be able to open MS publisher files that are still using the 2010 version of Publisher (ie one that is 15 years old) So the only option is looking like Libre Office depending which version of MS Publisher files it supports or convert them app to EPS or PDF.
This is the same problem users of Affinity V1 and V2 will have in 15 years...
The problem Canva affinity.studio users have is they don't have a perpetual license... it is free or subscription. Either can change what you get (or not) at any time. So like the MS Pub 365 users they could have files they can't open.
Alfred's Serif Users' Forums → General Discussion → Canva-Affinity Live Stream Announcement(s) What do we think?
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