Thread

1. ToyKeeper · 1791171873 · focus · HN ↗

   It's wild that anyone still uses Adobe software these days. Adobe is one of the most famous companies for enshittification, and the open-source alternatives are generally very good.

   Personally, I switched to open-source alternatives way back in the late 1900s, and they've only continued to improve ever since. Adobe has been lagging behind for over a quarter of a century, in the ways which matter to me, and they keep getting farther behind as they turn to worse and worse methods of extorting money from people.

   YMMV, of course.

   I can get behind almost anything which reduces lock-in for Adobe's remaining customers, but from what I see in other comments, this probably ain't it. It seems very vibey and buggy. But maybe after more work is put in, it could be good. It looks like it wasn't supposed to go public yet, and they're aware that it's not ready yet.

   1. pitchlatte · 1791182091 · focus · HN ↗

      i personally like affinity better than the FOSS photoshop alternatives, mostly for UX reasons. what i still haven’t found a good replacement for is Lightroom. i use darktable but the way the interface is laid out is antithetical to getting into an efficient flow state. and i say this despite the fact that i consider the output strictly superior to Lightroom (or in fact anything i’ve ever used).
   2. techpression · 1791182448 · focus · HN ↗

      It’s actually quite simple, give me any open source alternative and I can give you ten major features it lacks that Photoshop has. If you just use Photoshop as a pixel editing tool, sure, but it does a lot more than that.

      I’ve tried getting rid of creative suite for years, but when it comes down to it no competitor has actually come close.

   3. internet_points · 1791183393 · focus · HN ↗

      Two main things:

      Network effects like presets and plugin ecosystem, tutorials and books, team knowledge (you can ask a colleague how to do things).

      Switching costs like lightroom catalogues, learning new programs, if it works why fixit.

      And the price is not that high if your company pays for it. Open stuff would have to be much better and Adobe much more buggy before most people consider switching.

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