Thoughts on Canva AI in Affinity
Ayup! Over the last week, I've been testing out some of the Canva AI tools in Affinity. Without veering (too far) into generative territory, some of what's on offer is legitimately impressive.
I'm not a huge fan of AI when it comes to adding elements to a photo. I stand by my recent post, which explores the idea of not using AI becoming a strong selling point. But what about removal and selection tools? If they're better with AI, is this acceptable?
Everything that makes Affinity a precision tool for creative professionals remains at its core: the speed, the control, the depth. Now, those same qualities are enhanced by Canva’s technology, giving you new ways to work faster, experiment more freely, and know that your tools will always keep up. Whether you’re refining a complex composite or extending parts of an image, these features work quietly in the background, supporting your process without ever getting in the way of craft.
The Canva AI Tools I've Found Most Useful
Using Affinity for graphic design and photo editing, I can certainly see myself using some of the Canva add-ons. Although I'm locked into an annual Adobe subscription (joy!), I've jumped the gun and removed all of their apps from my Mac. Not an easy process, given the tonnes of files it leaves behind after uninstalling everything.
Anyhow, I digress. There are a few bits I've been missing such as upscaling, advanced selections and generative expand. With a Canva Pro account, all of this and much more is available right inside Affinity.
A lot of Affinity users aren't overly keen on AI. I get it. But to me, the following are simply editing and design tools. In another life, maybe they wouldn't even be called AI. Other than generative expand, there's nothing here that photographers and designers haven't been doing for decades already.
Let's take a look...
1. Remove Background
The Remove Background tool is seriously exciting. It does one thing, and it does it very well. As with all tools of this nature, it works best when there's a clear definition between the subject and the background.
The mask it creates is phenomenal. It's as accurate and exact as you'd really want it to be. Zero adjustments required. As creative folks often need to remove backgrounds from their images, this one has the potential to start getting plenty of use across the board.
Automatically detect and isolate the main subject in an image with Select Subject or seamlessly erase unwanted backgrounds with Remove Background.
2. Object Selection
Next up, the Object Selection tool. This one's a little bit confusing, as you’ve already got Object Selection in Affinity itself.
The Canva AI version is supposedly more specific and meticulous. Hovering over different aspects and elements of your image, you'll see what it's suggesting to select. Super useful, although I'm not yet convinced it's any better than the version that comes already built in (requires a separate download and still uses machine learning).
In recent tests, they seem to behave in exactly the same way. That said, whichever one you use, it'll do a ruddy decent job. Hurrah!
3. Generative Expand
Generative Expand is something I often used in Photoshop. The fact that it's now in Affinity makes me undeniably happy.
This tool is perfect for adjusting image ratios for different use cases. For example, a mockup file will usually be in landscape. But what if we want to convert it to portrait for Instagram? Sometimes you can simply crop it, but often you'll need to change the canvas size and adjust the background accordingly. If said background has shadows and the like, this isn't always easy.
Alas, Generative Expand to the rescue. It seamlessly fills in any background gaps, et voilà. Good to go.
4. Super Resolve
In Photoshop and Lightroom, you can easily upscale your images when needed. Often useful when you're designing something and the provided/downloaded files aren't big enough.
If you made the switch to Affinity, this wasn't an option until now. With Canva AI enabled, we have Super Resolve (or Super Resolution). It seems to have two names, depending on where you look.
It does exactly what it says on the tin; upscales your photo or image. Additionally, whereas in Lightroom, it simply doubles the size of your file, Super Resolve gives you the choice to select the scale percent.
Paired with the arrival of Image Trace in this version of Affinity, we've got some pretty powerful upscaling tools for pixel and vector files.
Top tip - If you're working with a tiny pixelated file that you want to Image Trace, run it through Super Resolve first. This produces an infinitely superior end result.
5. Portrait Lighting
Lastly, although I'm not a portrait photographer, I had a quick play with the Portrait Lighting tool when editing a new profile photo. I'd seen a few video demos of this on YouTube. Oh my! Again, seriously impressive.
This tool basically lets you add studio style lighting to your image. You can move it around to where you need it, adjust loads of settings, and also use more than one light if needed.
I just used it to even out the lighting on the darker side of my face. Simple, quick and easy. What's not to love?
Will my content be used to train AI?
Your content in Affinity is not used to train AI-powered features, or to help AI features learn and improve in other ways, such as model evaluation or quality assurance. In Affinity, your content is stored locally on your device and we don’t have access to it. If you choose to upload or export content to Canva, you remain in control of whether it can be used to help AI features learn and improve — you can review and update your privacy preferences any time in your Canva settings.
Final Thoughts on Canva AI in Affinity
Wile I won't be using anything like Generative Edit or Generative Fill, some of these Canva AI tools are right up my street. The five examples above aren't just AI for the sake of AI (Adobe). They're a genuinely practical addition to any creative workflow.
Ultimately, this is the final piece of the puzzle. There's nothing I can't do in Affinity now that I used to be able to do in Photoshop or Lightroom. Happy days! Then there's the pricing.
An Adobe Creative Cloud Pro subscription will set you back a whopping £66.49 per month (£797.88 per year). How has this become anywhere near acceptable? Affinity, is completely free and the optional Canva Pro account will set you back £13 per month (£156 per year, or pay £100 annually). That's a vast difference when (depending on your exact needs) the tools are comparable.
I'm sold. To me, these are simply modern photo editing and design tools. If we have to call them AI, then so be it. Either way, they're exceptionally powerful and ready to shake things up across the creative industries. Are we finally seeing some genuine, viable competition for Adobe here?
