Cannot assign Affinity Photo 2 as a Customer Editor or Default Editor (Windows)

[AndyBell]

Hi

Two things:

Since updating to Affinity Photo 2, which was installed to C:\Users\andy\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityPhoto2.exe, I cannot assign it to a Custom Editor. When I try to I get the message 'The file cannot be accessed by the system' Even if I run PM as Administrator, I get this error. I can launch Affinity Photo from a command prompt using this path, so I don't understand what's happening...

Also, why is setting up Custom Apps buried, almost hidden, in the settings? It took me ages to figure out how to assign them and why are there only 10 allowed? I would far prefer to have something like 'Maintain...' added as the last entry of the 'Edit Photo With...' menu, with no limit to how many editors can be assigned...

Andy

[Kirk Baker]

Andy,

Two things:

Since updating to Affinity Photo 2, which was installed to C:\Users\andy\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityPhoto2.exe, I cannot assign it to a Custom Editor. When I try to I get the message 'The file cannot be accessed by the system' Even if I run PM as Administrator, I get this error. I can launch Affinity Photo from a command prompt using this path, so I don't understand what's happening...

Photo Mechanic uses a feature of Windows to open applications and it is failing.  Photo Mechanic could try and execute the file directly, but it would have difficulty with multiple files being launched or when there are several files being launched.

Won't the AffinityPhoto2 installer let you choose an install location?

Also, why is setting up Custom Apps buried, almost hidden, in the settings? It took me ages to figure out how to assign them and why are there only 10 allowed? I would far prefer to have something like 'Maintain...' added as the last entry of the 'Edit Photo With...' menu, with no limit to how many editors can be assigned...

Please see the documentation here:
https://docs.camerabits.com/support/solutions/articles/48001145596-launching-preferences

As for why there are only 10?  We thought that would be plenty enough for most users.  How many would you like to have?

-Kirk

[AndyBell]

Kirk

When I upgraded the Affinity programs to V2 I just accepted the default locations. I wasn't expecting the tools that I integrate with them to have difficulties as a result.

How many? Well, there's DXO Photo Lab, Luminar, Topaz Photo AI, DXO Nik Collection (8 programs), Affinity (3 programs) and those are just my regulars. When I used Exposure X4 (they're on X7 now, I think), it let me set up unlimited external editors with individual parameters for each tool. The PM implementation isn't as comprehensive as I would like... Also, when sending multiple files to the editor, it seems to launch multiple instances of the app, passing one photo as a parameter, rather than launch one instance with multiple parameters. That doesn't work for every tool I use. Again, a choice would be nice.

For the moment I'm working around PM's trouble with Affinity by getting it to launch a little app I wrote (I'm a C++ Dev) that then uses CreateProcess to launch Affinity with the image as a parameter...

Andy

[ahoward]

Here is a thread from the last time someone reported the issue, we figured out some workarounds, and then in the thread I linked at the end, it looks like Affinity may have made a new type of installer that might solve the problem: https://forums.camerabits.com/index.php?topic=15317.msg75250#msg75250

[carlseibert]

I posted this somewhere. I may have been on the Affinity forums. In any case, if anybody Googles into this thread....

Affinity has two installers for Windows. One, which is meant for the Windows App Store, I guess, installs the program in some crazy place under the user's AppData directory. Bad things happen, including that other programs have trouble starting the Affinity product.

If you go to the Affinity site you can download the program with a normal .EXE installer that will install the program in the normal place - in Program Files - and everything will work fine, no workarounds needed.

I uninstalled the Affinity programs and reinstalled using the MSI/EXE installer. None of my preferences were destroyed and everything was chirping birds and smiles.

That said, make sure you back up your prefs and addons first, like always.

One thing to note: Starting Affinity with the Control key down will bring up a dialog for deleting your prefs when the program starts. The keystroke in Photo Mechanic for "Edit" uses, yes, the Control key. It's easy enough to click "Cancel" and not worry. Once the program is running, there will be no more of that nonsense. It's also easy to one day accidentally click to delete your prefs. So. Backup your prefs!

If you start Affinity first, so it's running when you Control+E a picture in PM, you will not see that prefs dialog.

On the Mac version, this doesn't happen. None of it, actually. So there's that.

Happy Googling

-Carl