Affinity Just Changed The Game For Photographers
Ayup! Lots of creative folks have been eagerly awaiting today's announcement from Affinity. The internet has been going wild since the much-loved apps were removed from sale a short while ago.
Speculation and rumours flooded social media and YouTube, with murmurings of subscriptions and it all going to shit. Alas, all the drama was firmly silenced in the last hour. Affinity is now completely free. Yes!
It's had a much-needed brand refresh, and now comes packaged as Affinity by Canva. This was to be expected. Additionally, all three apps, Photo, Designer and Publisher are now combined as one absolute powerhouse of a digital art, design, layout, illustration and editing tool.
Ultra fast, super smooth, and incredibly precise, Affinity keeps up with you when you need it most. Every adjustment, filter, and layer effect updates live, meaning you can see your work exactly how it will export and achieve pixel-perfect designs every time.
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Affinity Might Just Have Timed This Perfectly
This announcement arrived, rather conveniently, on the last day of the Adobe Max 2025 conference. If you managed to catch any of the presentations, you'll know that the word AI was being used around 100 times per hour on average. The response seemed underwhelming.
At one point, the guy on stage had to prompt the audience to cheer. This says it all. While most creatives aren't against AI, there needs to be a balance. This is where Adobe have gone against what it's users actually want. They're rapidly heading towards absolutely everything in their apps being controlled by AI. No thank you!
Lots of frustrated creatives. Too much AI. Along comes a new, improved version of the most worthy alternative to Adobe. Pretty strategic (in a good way), I have to say.
Non-destructive editing keeps your original layers and files intact, giving you the peace of mind you need to be truly creative. No smart objects or workarounds. Stack edits, then tweak, erase, reorder, or remove them, without ever committing or flattening.
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What's new?
The first thing you'll notice is the incredible new website, affinity.studio. Super sleek and extremely well-designed. As mentioned, you'll also see the new Affinity branding and logo. Again, really nice work here.
To download the app, you simply have to register or sign in, then you have access to both the Mac and Windows versions (iPad is coming soon). Once you open it up, it'll feel familiar to previous Affinity users. The tool icons have been updated, and you can easily change between vector (previously Designer), pixel (previously Photo) and layout (previously Publisher).
Fully-fuelled photo editing. From epic image composites to non-destructive RAW editing, Affinity has everything you need from your pro photo editing software.
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What's the catch?
The only thing you won't have access to is Canva's AI tools. These are available with a Canva Pro subscription, for those who require it.
Other than that, the free version of Affinity gives you access to some seriously powerful design and editing tools.
Yes, Affinity really is free. You can use every tool in the Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios, plus all of the customization and export features, as much as you want, with no restrictions or payment needed. If you’re on a Canva premium plan, you’ll also be able to unlock Canva’s powerful AI tools within Affinity.
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Rethinking Adobe & Affinity
I switched from Adobe to Affinity in 2024, but recently returned to Adobe. This was mainly for my personal work and a few issues with PSD mockups not working properly in Affinity. One of the first things I'll be testing out as I dive into the new app.
That aside, the Adobe Max conference really isn't sitting well with me this year. AI isn't the be all and end all for most creatives. Yes, it can be used productively and in some cases, speed up our workflow, but nobody asked for AI everything.
At the very least, I'm swapping back to Affinity for all of my work related tasks. Over at my business, Leaflet Lion, we design and set up print files for clients, which is much easier in Affinity. Everything I do in Illustrator and Photoshop can now also be done in Affinity.
That just leaves Lightroom. Not rushing into anything there, as it's by far my favourite Adobe app. Plus, I'm stuck in their delightful subscription model for another half a year or so, anyway.
Creative freedom (that's actually free)
I think it's fair to say, nobody saw this one coming. Canva and Affinity have quietly shocked and impressed the whole of the internet.
A really exciting move that's bound to stir things up with Adobe users. Props to Canva, the new(ish) owners of Affinity. They've played this game very well. I'm super-excited to see how it all pans out now.
Right then. Excuse me, I have a new app to go and explore. Wohooo!
