Updating Default Image Editor - Affinity Photo 2

SketchUp Pro
1

Hi There, not sure if this is a new bug or affinity / Windows 10 / Sketchup incompatibility… but I cannot point my preference to the newly purchased Affinity 2 suite… it was simple before… just tracked down the executable in my program files and “choose” it…
af1
Now, when I track down the lastest Affinity Photo 2 exe… I find that it is no longer in “program files” but in WINDOWAPPS

af2
af21125×472 94.9 KB

The Problem is …

this is a protected folder and Sketchup preferences does not allow me to CHOOSE it

af3
af31030×391 47.5 KB

and I cannot manually type it into the Default Image Editor field…

I have no idea why W10 installed the executable in the WINDOWAPPS folder… I did a default Affinity Install… it has never done this before… and as you can see Affinity seems to be the only “non Microsoft” program there…

Of course I can work around this by bypassing the Default Image Editor call and edit the image outside of SU actions… but it seems to flag something more…

PS I am using SU 2021 still

Any thoughts?

2

hello,

apparently sketchup is not the only software having issues with this new hidden path.

you might want to try this, someone among their team managed to create a launcher that would fix the issue

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170283-affinity-photo-v2-exe-file-location/&do=findComment&comment=983460

3

Thanks Paul… seems like an Affinity stuff up, still no fix after 3 months now it seems… even though “their programmers are working on it”

Was able as a temp fix to create the batch file on my desktop and choose it from the Default Image Editor preferences and that worked for the moment…

start /b affinityphoto2.exe %1
exit

place that in a batch file and name it what you want!

6

You’re actually pointing it at the wrong executable.
You want:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityPhoto2_200.4.1701.0_x64__844sdzfcmm7k0\App\photo.exe

SketchUp will be able to open that.

For others who have a similar issue with the newer style MSIX or UWP type packages , which are usually installed via the Microsoft Store , this is how I found the link:

  • I ran the editor (affinity photo 2 in this case)
  • Pressed Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Windows Task manager
  • find the program you want in the list and expand it
  • then right click and choose “open file location”

image
image1110×1015 55.4 KB

This then takes you to the folder where the program’s executable is

image
image2185×745 65.7 KB

copy and paste the address from the address bar , in my case :
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityPhoto2_200.4.1701.0_x64__844sdzfcmm7k0\App

and then add the name of the exe file you want on the end (\photo.exe)
e.g.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityPhoto2_200.4.1701.0_x64__844sdzfcmm7k0\App\photo.exe

1 Like
7

I was in the Affinity forums yesterday about this same issue. What is happening is the installer is a .msix file, from the Windows Store, is sandboxed. The batch file mentioned by @gsharp is a temporary fix that will break when the App is updated. The path referenced by @Elmtec-Adam cannot be accessed by the system. From the Affinity forum aflaunch.zip (Why are we using MSIX for Windows installers? - Frequently Asked Questions about V2 software - Affinity | Forum) is is in a post from Patrick Connor. I have also uploaded a copy of it
aflaunch.zip (9.7 KB)
Point the file preferences path to this file. I have verified it does work.

8

I tried it in SketchUp and it opened Affinity photo