Photolab 6 and Affinity Version 2 "Export to App" Issues

DxO PhotoLab
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Hi there,

Just a heads-up. Photolab 6 Elite and Affinity 2 don’t play nicely with each other (through export to app function) in Windows 10. Please direct this to your software development team.

THE SITUATION:

I recently installed Photolab 6 Elite on my WIndows 10 system, everything is going really well. Except when trying to export to the new version of Affinity. The original version of Serifs Affinity (V.1) works flawlessly with all versions of Photolab but the recently released version 2 does not work with Photolabs “export to app” function.

ISSUES WITH LINKING PHOTOLAB 6 TO AFFINITY V.2:

In short, it’s impossible to find the executable using Photolabs folder browser.

Serif has changed the installation of Affinity V.2 in such a way, that using the “export to app” function can’t find it. Browsing through the Program Files directory could find my old Version 1 of the Affinity App, but had NO chance of finding the location for Version 2.

I ultimately found version two of Affinity by using the desktop shortcut path, then copying and pasting the complete file path to the Affinity2 executable into Photolabs external app folder browsing window.

You’d think this would solve the problem… but alas it isn’t so.

Unfortunately, it seems the “WindowsApps” folder within the Program File’s folder is hidden to Photolab. I could NOT see the WindowsApps folder at all in the browsing window of Photolab6.

I didn’t find it in any documentation, but it might be worth adding it somewhere for others who might have the same issue. The correct location for my Affinity executable was:

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityPhoto2_2.0.0.1640_x64__3cqzy0nppv2rt\App

Can you add the ability to browse hidden folders in Photolab?

SECOND ISSUE: EXPORT TO AFFINITY V.2 FAILS EVEN WHEN AFFINITY V2 EXECUTABLE IS LOCATED.

When I use “Export to App” to send images to the the newly linked Affinity 2…It just fails with “Affinity Photo could not be opened” message.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,
Hamish Macarthur-Onslow

1 Like
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AP2 uses an MSIX (Microsoft Store app) installer which is the way Microsoft would like app developers to go.Unfortunately, most software doesn’t play well with store apps. It would certainly benefit DXO to get on the front foot with these changes as I wouldn’t expect that it is a major coding problem.

Serif have promised a to issue a standard MSI installer for AP2 which will solve the issue, but as I have already said, DXO could show leadership by sorting this issue for the future.

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@harmo This has been covered in a number of similar topics on the forum and the method that works for me is a simple .BAT file located on C:| (in my case) that contains

start /b affinityphoto2.exe %1
exit

I have successfully accessed Affinity 2 from FastStone Image Viewer and PL6 and FastRawViewer via this “kludge”.

PS:-

Does that say more about MSIX than it does about the other applications including DxPL?

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Changing standards always causes initial issues. Companies can either ignore them and contribute to their customers problems or move forward and provide software that provides seamless compatibility. I would like to think that DXO might want to aspire to the latter?

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@IanS I agree but DxO fixing the problem means that DxPL users could then access Affinity but not users of other packages! None of the ones I mentioned can access Affinity 2 (except via the .BAT workaround)!

Currently DxO has more than enough issues with respect to DxPL that need fixing and I would prefer that they show their concern for their users by fixing those first, and actively participating in this forum, and if Serif does the same with Affinity (they appear to be active in their forum) then the problem will go away!

Photo Editing appears to be one area, in particular, where users have favourite programs for specific elements of their workflow and will “jump” from program to program (and back again).

So the need for seamless integration of editors is important (which Serif should have resolved before they released Affinity 2 or provided a fully documented workaround at the time of the release - but they have been particularly pro-active responding to users concerns and that is too their credit).

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Despite the URL of this forum beginning ‘feedback.dxo’ this is a user forum so you need to direct this request to DxO support:
https://support.dxo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Meanwhile, search the Affinity forum for workarounds, one of which is a utility called ‘aflauncher.exe’. See this post:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170283-affinity-photo-v2-exe-file-location/page/4/#comment-983460
together with the rest of that very long thread.

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@stuck While other techniques may or may not work the .BAT definitely does, I just added it to XnViewMP and it works!

It works for DxPL 6 (and DxPL5), FastStone, FastRawViewer, XnViewMP, Ashampoo Photo Commander etc…

Some programs only offer a .exe program when trying to setup the link but typing in “Affinity2.bat” seems to do the trick! This is a workaround not a fix but one that works for me!

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I’ll bow to your direct experience. Meanwhile, I’m avoiding this MSIX installer mess like the plague and waiting for them to release the promised MSI version of the installer:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170529-extremely-disappointed-that-this-installs-as-an-app-and-not-regular-software-program/page/15/#comment-988771

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Stream Deck was able to find the Photo.exe file directly, so some apps already work with store apps. Look at the good publicity DXO would receive if DXO worked while all the others struggled?

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check here if that helps for the meantime until Affinity will publish a ‘compatible’ installer. Can’t find the link, where it was said they are currently testing … it could be some time before christmas, while the initial offer I think ends by something like 14th december ( check yourself if necessary ! ).

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[quote=“Wolfgang, post:10, topic:29988”]
ends by something like 14th december
[/quote]:

It does end on 14th Dec, see here:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170529-extremely-disappointed-that-this-installs-as-an-app-and-not-regular-software-program/page/19/#comment-1000215

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I use Affinity Photo on most images and mainly use the launcher from the Affinity forum. Capture One and XnView exploit the default apps. In XnView I only need to press F3 while the image is highlighted and the image is opened in Photo. FastRawViewer has a macro for the executable directory. In Photolab I can also export the Photolab file to disk (I prefer tiff) then show the file in Explorer and right click on it to send it to Photo.

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Hi Stuck,

I’m sorry I should have mentioned more in my original post.

I actually did contact DXO support before posting this to the forum. However, as others have mentioned here. I assume DXOs support team are a little busy. So in the expectation that they’d take time to respond, and that it’s likely the user forum would have some ideas to try, I basically copied/pasted the information (sans screenshots of errors) here.

Thanks for your response, :~)
Harmo.

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https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170283-affinity-photo-v2-exe-file-location/page/4/#comment-983460