Hello Affinity, Goodbye Adobe: A Creative Shift

A Creative Evolution

I’ve been living and breathing motion design and video editing since the mid-2000s. For most of that time, Adobe was at the heart of my creative world. Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator were my go-to tools for countless personal and professional projects.
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However, after years of reliance, I started questioning: Is it time to switch from Adobe to something better?

The First Breakup: Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve

In 2021, I made the first major move in my creative journey — I dropped Adobe Premiere Pro.

Why? I discovered a better alternative: DaVinci Resolve.

That year, I bought the Blackmagic Design Speed Editor, which came bundled with a free license of DaVinci Resolve Studio. While I had already explored the free version, the full version was a game-changer. It quickly became my go-to video editing software because of its clean, powerful, and stable features — and, importantly, no monthly fees.

Simultaneously, I began upskilling myself to become a colorist using DaVinci Resolve. The software simply made sense to me. Even with Adobe’s flashy updates, I never once felt tempted to return. If I considered another option, it would be Final Cut Pro, a one-time payment model I’ve appreciated from my past experience.
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You can check out one of my recent works, fully edited using DaVinci Resolve Studio, here: Kerambit Digital Video Product on Gumroad.

Breaking Free from After Effects with Fusion

While DaVinci Resolve also includes Fusion, Blackmagic’s answer to After Effects, I didn’t immediately jump ship. After Effects had become deeply integrated into my workflow.

I started exploring Fusion with each new project, gradually pushing myself to rely on it more. But after unsubscribing from Adobe Creative Cloud, I found myself resubscribing to After Effects to meet a client deadline. I successfully delivered the project, but it was clear: I was still dependent on Adobe for motion design work.
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That said, with every new project, I’m using Fusion more seriously. The gap is closing — I’m not 100% free yet, but I’m almost there.

Moving Away from Adobe: The Final Straw with Photoshop and Illustrator

I’ve had my eye on Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Photo 2 for a while. So recently, I revisited the Affinity website and found something that caught my attention:
    •    A six-month free trial
    •    50% off the full bundle — only MYR399 for a one-time payment
That was my Adobe deal-breaker. I made the jump.

First Impressions: Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Photo 2

After diving into Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Photo 2, I’m genuinely impressed. The best part? I can seamlessly open old Illustrator and Photoshop files without major issues. That alone made the transition much smoother.
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During a recent project, I needed something akin to Lightroom to make my photos pop. While I haven’t found the perfect replacement yet, I discovered that Affinity Designer allows me to apply LUTs directly to image layers — a workaround that worked quite beautifully. I wish they allow quick previews I select my preferred LUT. That option should be available one day, sooner or later,

Projects Created During the Transition

Here are some projects I’ve worked on during my switch to Affinity:

• Adobe Illustrator to Affinity Designer (Malay Version) – Check out my latest work on Gumroad. Asas Kerambit on Gumroad.

https://ilmkhal.gumroad.com/l/asaskerambit

• First Full Poster Designed in Affinity Designer 2 – A promo poster for my Silat teacher’s upcoming seminar. (Note to self: stick to 1080 x 1030 px for better social media output.)

• T-Shirt Design for Sekilat Silat School – Originally done in Illustrator, but easily editable in Affinity Designer 2. The only issue? I can’t export back to AI format, and my print shop only accepts Illustrator files. If they don’t budge, I may have to find a new printer.

The Partial Goodbye: Adobe, Thanks for the Memories

After overcoming the last hurdle, I can confidently say: my transition from Adobe Creative Cloud to Affinity is nearly complete.

The best part? I’ve cut down on monthly costs while switching to tools that work — and work well.

So, here’s to a new chapter.

Welcome, Affinity.
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Au Revoir, Adobe — and thanks for all the beautiful (but sometimes painful) years.

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Author

My name is ilmi
I am a creative professional
I teach Silat, Muay and Kickboxing after work.