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this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2026
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A few years ago I replaced Photoshop with Affinity. Affinity's user interface is pretty awful, even compared to Photoshop, but it does at least run a bit better. A few years ago I switched from premiere pro to da Vinci resolve, and though resolve has a bit of a learning curve, overall I think it's better than premiere - it's definitely faster and crashes a lot less.
I'm hoping that audacity 4 is a good enough audio editor to replace audition - we'll see, audition is actually pretty good imo but I'd accept a slight downgrade if it means I can get away from Adobe entirely.
Good
Good, fuck Adobe.
I've been using Affinity since 2016 and it has been a good decision so far. Since Affinity Publisher also replaced InDesign (Affinity Designer had already been sufficient for most things), I retired my old CS5.
At work I introduced the programs to my bosses; afterwards all the computers were switched to Affinity, and none of my colleagues miss the old Adobe stuff.
Only one old machine still has an old CS version installed, just for checking and viewing legacy files — it doesn't cost anything anyway.
Maybe not a good look to go "AI! AI! AI!" when the actual creatives who use the product get attacked for using AI:
Obligatory comment: we're never getting that hbomberguy video
I’m ready and waiting for a viable alternative to indesign but I haven’t seen one yet
Have you tried Affinity Layout (formerly Publisher)?
Fuck Adobe & their subscription model. I switched to affinity & never looked back
I mean, I use every alternative I can. Vapoursynth scripts, libraw-based projects, random GitHub repos, DaVinci…
But there are some features I just can’t get great support for outside of definitely-not-high-seas Lightroom Classic:
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Good lens profiles for weird lenses.
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Proper HDR PQ/HLG editing and AVIF/JXL export support.
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RAW support for newer cameras, like my little R50V
I have yet to try DaVinci’s photo editing mode though. That’s very interesting.
I'm a creative. I've used InDesign since version 1.0. I've built my career with Adobe tools.
Adobe Creative Cloud peaked around ten years ago. Since then, it's totally jumped the shark. I'm not even talking about the company, just the software and its features.
When I open InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator I'm trying to work. It's software I've used for, in some cases, 25 years. My point is, I know it inside and out.
The past few years, every new "feature" gets in the way of my work. Adobe has been changing things that already worked very well, or has added extra steps to do something that used to be easy.
Even worse, Adobe has started to fill its software with notifications that can not be disabled. Invasive blue dots. Invasive blue buttons. Invasive blue overlays that stay visible on the screen even when the software is minimized. Rich tool tips that aren't disabled by the option to disable rich tool tips.
Adobe has lost me as a devotee. It's been taken over by venture capital. The company only cares about adoption of new features.
Now, I use it out habit. Because my workplace provides it. Because it's what folks on my team are used to... but because they've come to the ecosystem so late, they only know a fraction of its capabilities.
If Adobe faces demise, I will mourn what if once was. But not what it has become.
We can always use older versions. I stayed in cs6 until I migrated full FOSS
Not if it's for work, generally speaking.
Been using Photoshop since 3.0 released on windows. I knew when they went cloud that shit was going sideways, but it was the acquisition of substance painter that did them in for me. Even though CC was kind of a mess, instead of building on the value proposition and including substance, they decided to have it as a separate charge.
Fuck adobe. Fuck subscription software.
Consider supporting ArmorPaint. It’s not a full Substance replacement yet, but it’s affordable and evolving well.
"Fuck Adobe" is my near-daily mantra. I actually utter it out loud at least once a day, if not more. I used to teach PS and worshipped at the temple of PS. These days, FUCK ADOBE!!!! I cannot wait for ANYTHING to replace Photoshop/Adobe. Adobe MUST die!.
I was like the other commenters in the thread, but I grew up on even somewhat liking Gimp (yet with PhotoGIMP plugin). It’s good enough for me, and in some places it’s even better. All I want from it is to have a bit better UX here and there, but that’s not too critical.
Adobe faces demise, I will mourn what if once was
What wait? You can mourn what it was even now. 🤷♂️
While their boot is on your throat, it is difficult to mourn what your oppressor used to be.
I agree. Try telling them this. They just gaslight you. “We can’t replicate this issue.” Always blaming your device.
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We're in a mature software stage for these art software applications. Easier to catch up than create new features that people make essential to their workflow. Today it's commercial alternatives that have closed the gap well enough. Someday in the future open source stuff will. It's inevitable
But now Adobe has generative tools. Every wannabe artist and ass CEOs will look into it as a primary feature.
It's only a matter of time before the open source stuff gets those features too, if people want them. There's plenty of decent open source generative AI out there. I'm sure people can find creative ways to incorporate them.
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Adobe has always been pricy. The tradeoff was that you were getting one of the best, if not the best piece of software for that nieche.
They have failed to keep their product the best while trying to lock in users with cancellation fees, which is going to backfire hard.
The only thing they can do to try and maintain dominance now is to go back to quality software that offers features that creatives want.
"go back to quality software" that sounds expensive! How about we cut our users' legs, so they can't run to the competition?
' - Adobe Executives
Hurt myself laughing at that last line. Are you doubting the mighty power of enshitification? Are you the last true believer in corporate quality?
Anyone who knows if I can migrate a huge old light room library. I closed my subscription about 3 years ago and my library has just been sitting there since. All my eddits should be saved in sidecar files but there is probably other stuff saved in the library that could be useful. I tried darktables back then, but I kinda dropped photography as a hobby so never looked much into it. I want to pick it up again some time soon tho
Been a while but last I checked it's unlikely you can, editing software isn't really an open system, and while they might use the same sidecar file that doesn't mean you can get the same edit from one in the other. Best option is exporting as high res TIF files and calling it a day.
Well deserved
Wonderful! Now I need an Acrobat alternative that my work will accept, and I can kick adobe to the slims from which it came.
Have you tried Firefox or one of its offshoots like Librefox? They are surprisingly good at viewing and editing PDFs. Just drag the PDF into an empty tab. But I’m sure there are other ways to open them.
That depends on what you do with PDF, for simple viewing I switched to web browsers
Bluebeam revu?
Edit: it's comparably priced to acrobat but is significantly better on all fronts (opens and runs faster and more reliably, markup tools are leagues above, pdf editing tools are more comprehensive, review tools are significantly more advanced, everything is more user friendly. It's wild how much better revu is when it's literally the same price point.
Our engineering department uses bb revu. I'll look into it as a replacement for Acrobat. Thanks!
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