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91
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Al Stevens on January 20, 2021, 04:45:56 AM »
I use InDesign CS2 for typesetting. I tried Scribus and found it intolerably slow and buggy with novel-length book files. I used to use Photoshop CS2 for cover design, but it stopped working on my Windows 7 machine. Its user interface fonts are too small on my Surface Pro, so I switched to GIMP for covers. None of what I'm using now for writing and formatting (OpenOffice, GIMP, Indesign CS2. Paint.net) costs anything, so I see no reason to switch.

I did pay for my drawing program. It's called Leonardo and is still in development. It's perfect for drawing on the Surface Pro. I did all the sketches for my last two books on Leo as well as the political cartoons I draw for the entertainment of my online followers.
92
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:40:45 AM »
I tried a very, very complicated indesign file (14 pages, many layers, master page with more layers, etc) and it did import although there's a bit of tidying to do. A lot of the text boxes are too small so the text has disappeared, and the master layers (with common elements) appear to have been duplicated and placed at the bottom of the stack on every page.

Nothing I can't fix up, but it's not completely hands-free. That doesn't worry me though, as it's good enough.

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Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:25:17 AM »
Quote from: Post-Crisis D on January 20, 2021, 04:16:18 AM
If you're used to Adobe products and their interface(s), there will be a learning curve with Affinity.

No worries in that regard. I use Blender, and that thing has a learning curve like the steeper side of Everest.
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Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Post-Crisis D on January 20, 2021, 04:16:18 AM »
If you're used to Adobe products and their interface(s), there will be a learning curve with Affinity.
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Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Post-Crisis D on January 20, 2021, 04:14:17 AM »
Quote from: Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:08:33 AM
Okay, installing the trial version now.  I'll give it a quick look but will probably buy the suite at this stage.  I saw something about importing from Indesign files, but I suspect that might be from newer versions - we'll see.

I think it will work from InDesign CS4 onwards.


Quote from: Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:08:33 AM
Either way, thanks for sharing. I've been using Indesign 5.5 for years and years now, and I'm always worried Adobe will shut down the servers and stop it working in future.

I have InDesign CS6.  Still works.  If they shut down the activation servers, as they did with CS4 and earlier, you would still be able to use the software, but you wouldn't be able to re-activate it when/if needed.
96
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:11:55 AM »
For Aussies, it's currently $119 to get all three parts of the Affinity package.  I think that's less than one month rental on Adobe Creative Suite.

Really hoping it all works out. The website, installers, etc are all very slick which gives me hope.
97
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 04:08:33 AM »
Okay, installing the trial version now.  I'll give it a quick look but will probably buy the suite at this stage.  I saw something about importing from Indesign files, but I suspect that might be from newer versions - we'll see.

Either way, thanks for sharing. I've been using Indesign 5.5 for years and years now, and I'm always worried Adobe will shut down the servers and stop it working in future.

I got Photoshop Elements 9 with my Wacom tablet back in 2012 or so. It's been a real workhorse but it has its quirks and limitations.

Whatever happens, there is no way I will ever rent software from Adobe - not at their ridiculous Aussie prices.

98
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by The Masked Scrivener on January 20, 2021, 04:07:53 AM »
Quote from: Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 03:54:16 AM
What would interest me is if this Affinity software can import Indesign files, but the likelihood is small.  I've tried using Inkscape (free) and Scribus (free) but neither quite do what I want.

I have not tried it myself, but Affinity says:
Quote
Affinity Publisher can import InDesign files that have been saved in IDML (InDesign Markup Language) format, which is available in InDesign CS4 and later. With earlier versions of InDesign, you can export documents to PDF and then import that format directly into Affinity Publisher.
https://affinity.help/publisher/en-US.lproj/index.html?page=pages/GetStarted/importDocument.html?title=Importing%20documents
99
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Post-Crisis D on January 20, 2021, 04:04:52 AM »
Quote from: Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 03:54:16 AM
What would interest me is if this Affinity software can import Indesign files, but the likelihood is small.

If you can export the InDesign files as IDML, you should be able to open them in Affinity Publisher.
100
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: Software Opportunity
« Last post by Simon Haynes on January 20, 2021, 03:54:16 AM »
I'm using Adobe Indesign CS5.5 for all my book covers and Photoshop Elements 9 for all my drawing tasks. Neither are rental software, luckily.

The one thing I'm missing from PE is the ability to open groups inside PSD files. For that, I have to load them into Gimp (free) and make any changes to the file in that software. There's also Krita (free) which is a decent paint package as well.

What would interest me is if this Affinity software can import Indesign files, but the likelihood is small.  I've tried using Inkscape (free) and Scribus (free) but neither quite do what I want.
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