Affinity Photo 2

[LaurenceT]

I've just bought into this and I'm having trouble finding suitable tutorials. Almost all tutorials seem to be geared towards AP1 and for instance I can follow James Ritsons stacking and basic processing only 

up to the stacked image point, the next bit is totally unlike my version of Affinity and I'm effectively stumped at that point and can't proceed.

I'd be grateful for any advice. 

[Vroobel]

Hi,

I have had the AP v.1 for around two years and like it. Of course, when they announced v.2 I tried the trial version and the first thing I failed with was importing Russell Croman's plugins and even James Ritsons' plugins for astrophotography. Maybe I did something wrong, but I didn't decide to pay for v.2 if v.1 was good enough for retouching which I presently use the AP for. I use PixInsight for stacking, other processing tasks and post-processing which I think many imagers recently prefer.

 

[LaurenceT]

Thanks for that, I'm not going to venture as yet into PixInsight, I don't think my ageing brain can cope with that. Anyway, I've come out of idiot mode and realised that I was missing the levels panel, I've now opened that and I can proceed.

[Vroobel]

Perhaps I didn't leave the mode too?  🤔 😆

[Gfamily]

With the new SeeStar I'm doing a lot more processing, and I've downloaded the new version (on trial) along with the new macros, having had V1 for a while. 

I'm very impressed. I don't know if I've been misusing DSS, but it's always needed a lot of fettling after completing a stack; whereas the AP stack in AffV2 is just effortless (and quick too).

Then, the macros do what's needed, and since the steps are applied as Layer transformations, they can be selectively removed or selectively duplicated if you're not happy with the result.

One thing I've done is combine a Stretch, an Enhance and a B/ground Removal into my own 'starter for 10' macro which seems to do up to 75% of the basic processing I need. 

I know I'm not using it to its fullest extent, but it just does things well enough, without breaking your hard won data irreparably.