Let’s get technical
Mac
Hardware
- Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini
- Mac with Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3) chip or Intel processor
- 8GB RAM recommended
- Up to 2.8GB of available hard drive space; more during installation
- 1280x768 display size or larger
Operating System
- macOS Sequoia 15
- macOS Sonoma 14
- macOS Ventura 13
- macOS Monterey 12
- macOS Big Sur 11
- macOS Catalina 10.15
Windows
Hardware
- Windows-based PC (64-bit) with mouse or equivalent input device
- Intel, AMD or ARM64* processor
- Hardware GPU acceleration**
- DirectX 10-compatible graphics cards and above
- 8GB RAM recommended
- 1GB of available hard drive space; more during installation
- 1280x768 display size or larger
Operating System
- Windows® 11
- Windows® 10 May 2020 Update (2004, 20H1, build 19041) or later
iPad
Hardware
- Compatible with…
- iPad Pro (all models)*
- iPad Air (2, 3, 4 & 5)*
- iPad (2017 onwards)
- iPad mini (5 & 6)
* M1-equipped iPad models are recommended for more memory-intensive design
Operating System
- iPadOS 15 or later
Full feature list
2.5 New Features
All Platforms
- Updated SerifLabs RAW engine, including support for:
- FujiFilm X100VI
- Leica SL3
- Pentax KF (Ricoh)
- Samsung Galaxy S23+
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Sony ILCE-9M3 (A9 III) (improved)
- QR Code Tool
- Variable fonts
- Easier updating of modified text style
- Visual indication of rescaled text frame
Desktop only
- Native Windows ARM64 support
- Set grid preset as default
- Typography dialog becomes a dedicated Typography Panel
- Transform by absolute sizes using Transform Objects Separately
iPad only
- Mask to Below and Release now added to Layers Panel
2.4 New Features
- Layer states: make layer selections based on current query (formerly smart states) (for desktop only)
- Set selection box for rotated multiple selections
- Double-clicking (tapping) an object switches from the Node Tool to Move Tool
- Lock insertion targets
- Use Spacebar as keyboard modifier for Lock Children
- Space horizontally/vertically considers key object
- Size or rotate objects to same
- Import/export 32-bit HDR PNGs
- Use filename variable in path and output file naming in Export Persona (for desktop only)
- Updated SerifLabs RAW engine, including support for:
- Apple iPhone 13, 14 (all types), 15 (all types)
- Canon EOS R8
- Nikon Z8 (standard compression formats only)
- Panasonic DC-GH6
- Leica Q3 and M11 Monochrom
- Fujifilm GFX 100 II
- Hasselblad CFV-100c
- OM Digital Solutions OM-1 Mark II
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro (drone)
- and many more…
2.3 New Features
All Platforms
- Place and export password-protected PDFs, including the ability to individually allow:
- Document printing
- Content modification
- Content copying
- Export PDF files to PDF 2.0 (ISO 32000-2) standard, with optional password-protected AES-256 encryption
- Pixel grid can be switched on/off and colored
- Automatic grid returns to V2.3
- Change Assets Panel background color
- Spiral Tool:
- Choice of styles including Linear, Decaying, Fibonacci and Plotted
- Optional straight-line edges
iPad only
- Optionally deselect shapes after creation
- Curves adjustment graph editor shows all colored channel curves
Desktop only
- Move data entry enhancements:
- Scale option to resize by a given percentage
- Insertion Mode options to insert duplicates in front of or behind the original object
- Edit object properties as you transform
- Improved Number of copies slider behavior
- Brush names show by default on the Brushes panel
- Create new documents from assets by dragging from panel to title bar
- Create shapes of same type and properties from an existing shape selection
2.2 New Features
All Platforms
- OCIO V2 support
- Updated Lens Correction database to support cameras up to 13/05/2023
- Holding a tool shortcut temporarily activates the tool*
- Change guide color
- In-dialog renaming of brushes
- Use numeric keyboard keys to set brush flow, hardness and strength*
- Optionally prompt for group and layer names on creation
iPad only
- New Settings (Preferences): decimal place control for measurement unit types
- Shift-drag on RGB/CMYK sliders to change tint/intensity only**
- Scrolling Studio panels and context toolbars (except 12.9" Pro)
- *For iPad, use hardware keyboard
- **For iPad, use Command Controller or hardware keyboard
Desktop only
- Object data entry for creating precise shapes
- Move data entry for moving/duplicating objects
- When editing curves, delete a node via right-click
- When deleting node(s), optionally retain curve smoothness
2.1 New Features
Crop Tool improvements
- Crop to any pixel selection
- Use Phi Grid as a crop overlay
- Adjust crop area by dragging from anywhere on the crop area’s edge
- Crop area reduces to fit on rotation/straightening
- Crop area’s aspect ratio is constrained on resize with Shift modifier*
- Crop area is sized from center with ⌘/Ctrl modifier*
- Last used crop settings and zoom levels are remembered
- Esc key resets current crop area (for desktop only)
Enhanced Brushes panel
- Show brush names
- Show brushes as thumbnails
- Disable Associated Tools for all raster brushes
- Highlights the active brush
- Indicates modified brush settings
- Auto-scroll to last used brush when reusing brush tools (intra and inter-category)
- Alt-click on a new brush keeps your current brush width*
- Update Brush and Reset Brush if modified
Assets panel
- Expand All/Collapse All subcategories (for desktop only)
- Sort assets by name
- Modifier-free reordering of asset subcategories (for desktop only)
Layers panel
- Alt-click to Expand/Collapse All (child layers)*
- Step-through renaming of layers and export slices with Tab key (for desktop only)
- Rename layers via the Layers menu, with shortcuts (for desktop only)
- Hide layer type icons
Guides improvements
- Double-click any guide to open Guides Settings
- Drag distance (delta) shows in on-screen readout
- Drag a guide from rulers will switch on guide visibility (if set to off)
- Clone guides with ⌘-drag (Ctrl-drag)*
- Delete guides with Alt-click*
- Snap guides to ruler units based on the spread origin with Shift-drag*
- Snap guides to drag distance (delta) based on ruler units with Shift-Alt-drag*
- Snap to original guide position when moving guides
- Snap to original guide when cloning guides
- Nudge guide values with mouse wheel/arrow keys*
- Link margin or X/Y spread origin values in Guides Settings
- Paint mixer brush can autoclean
- Clone and Healing brush tools remember more last used settings
- Show special characters
- Affinity Designer’s Measure and Area tools come to Photo (for desktop only)
- Zoom Tool options in Develop Persona (for desktop only)
- The Spacebar repositions a rectangular or elliptical marquee selection as it is being drawn
- Mask to Below via Layer menu (for desktop only)
- Place Tool as an alternative to File>Place (for desktop only)
- Disable auto-selection with Move Tool, plus ⌘-click (Ctrl-click) override*
- Keyboard shortcuts for layer and brush blend modes
- Adjust stroke width using Node Tool or shape tools using [ or ] keys
- Balanced dashed lines plus more dash pattern sequences
- Clear arrowhead settings
- Search Bar for searching add-on content in your Account
- V5 PANTONE® Solid, Process Coated and Uncoated update
- One-click bitmap fill creation from assets or stock images
- Create bitmap fills by drag-and-drop from Finder/File Explorer to Color or Swatches panel (for desktop only)
- Paint with bitmap textures drag-and-dropped to Color or Swatches panel (for desktop only)
- Close All to close multiple open documents plus Apply to All option (for desktop only)
- WebP and JPEG-XL available in Batch Export
Photo iPad
- Style Picker Tool offers a dropper-based transfer of object styles
- Rulers
- Reset canvas rotation in Navigator Panel with double-tap
- Double-tap Zoom option to Zoom to 100% in Navigator Panel
- PDF passthrough
- PDF Options offered on opening PDF files
- Create compounds via long press on Geometry menu options
- More hardware keyboard shortcuts:
- Select Next, Previous, Top and Bottom
- Opacity
- Zoom options and other design aids
- More select options added to Quick Menu
- Apple Pencil: double-tap to open Quick Menu
- Show in Files on the Home screen (Live Docs) locates your saved file
- Disable brush preview for Apple Pencil Hover and peripheral devices
- Workflow improvements:
- Drop-down menus with checkable options no longer auto-close
- Less tapping needed for menu navigation
- Use iPadOS default Photos browser when importing from Apple Photos (iPad)
- Lock or rename layers, plus swap compound type, via left-swipe
- Double-tap to reset Opacity and Blend Mode to 100% and Normal, respectively (Layers panel)
2.0 New Features
General UI
- Redeveloped UI, tool and button icons
- New monochromatic iconography via Preferences (User Interface)
- High-contrast UI settings
- Drag document tabs to new windows (Mac)
- Restyled Studio panels via the Window menu (for desktop only)
- Redesigned Export dialog offers “always on” export preview
- Command controller for improved modifier-driven workflow (iPad)
- Quick Menu for context-sensitive access to commands (iPad)
- Compact Mode for Layers and Brushes Studios (iPad)
New document dialog redesign
- Easier preset management plus preset previews and favorites
- In-dialog access to new document presets, templates, samples and your account details
- Recent documents (grid or list) are searchable and support pinning (for desktop only)
- “Always on” Document summary panel (for desktop only)
All new Layers panel
- Much clearer drop zones for masking, clipping and reordering
- Parent bar to easily collapse parent items and drop layers above/below current parent group
- Unlimited levels of cropping/masking layers
- Identify layer types by icon (curves, shapes, text, pixel, mask, adjustment)
- Hide/show all other layers
- Copy layer effects (FX) from one layer to another
- Hover-over lock icon toggle (for desktop only)
- Drag-down Visibility icon to turn on/off multiple selected layers (for desktop only)
- Rasterize selected layers simultaneously
- Merge selected layers via right-click (for desktop only)
- Empty group created from single object
- Collapse parent layer/group from its child
Content link
- All Affinity apps on a device can now share brushes, styles, assets, application palettes and more
- Avoids unnecessary exporting/importing of content between apps on the same device
- Migration of custom 1.x content on upgrade (for desktop only)
- Link custom content to share with other apps
Selections
- Select Next/Previous Layer (Alt+[, Alt+]), and Select Top/Bottom/Parent Layer via Select menu (for desktop only)
- Select by group or layer content
- Disable auto-selection with Move Tool
- Freehand Selection Tool (Polygonal and Magnetic) automatically pans if you drag beyond document bounds
Placing content
- Resource Manager for controlling placed image and document resources (iPad)
- Quick Grids (for desktop only)
- Autoflow of multiple images and multi-page PDFs
- Layer visibility override for placed files (PDF/DWG/DXF)—turn off layers you don’t need
- Place linked web images using their URLs via Ctrl+drag-and-drop (for desktop only)
- Dropbox API integration to retain placed resource linkage across multiple devices
Photo Editing essentials
- Non-destructive development of linked/embedded raw images
- Layer states to experiment with design options and versions (for desktop only)
- Non-destructive Live Mesh Warp filter
- Perspective transforms: tool and filter have rotate and flip options
- Normals adjustment for editing normal maps from material and texturing workflows
- Drag-and-drop bitmap fill creation with intelligent scaling
- Pixel grid displays when zoomed in beyond certain level
Non-destructive professional masking
- Non-destructive compound masks for combining multiple mask layers using Boolean operations (Add, Subtract, Intersect, Xor)
- Create non-destructive Live masks based on targeted hue ranges, luminosity ranges or frequency (band-pass)
- Group contents remain editable when part of a mask
Raster brush improvements
- Improved raster brush quality and accuracy
- Distance controller changes brush characteristics with stroke length
- Brush tip interpolation for improved tip quality
- Switch to a crosshair cursor on all brush tools using caps lock (for desktop only)
- Wet edges on more brush tools
- Recently used brushes can be seen and reselected for each raster layer (for desktop only)
- Paint Brush Tool now has its own B keyboard key shortcut
- Brushes panel can display brushes as either nozzle thumbnails or strokes
Import/export/packaging
- WebP file import and export
- JPEG XL file import and export
- HIF file import (HDR 10 bit PQ encoded) produced by newer Canon cameras
- Drag/drop stock photos for new document (for desktop only)
- PDF export will export hidden Affinity vector layers that have child layers as invisible layers
Some important extras…
- Import Affinity and Adobe® Swatch Exchange (.ase) palettes (iPad)
- Force scale of stroke width, layer effect radii, corner radii and text frame content on object resize
- Displace filter offers Sobel (Affinity) and Red/green offset (Photoshop) load methods
- Support for additional spare channels in TIFFs
- Fill Opacity for ‘special 8’ blend modes
- Redeveloped Boolean operations and compounds
- Change stroke width with [ and ] keys; Shift key increases/decreases by an absolute amount
- HSL Color Wheel has box wheel type and offers recent colors and hex code readout/input
- Multiple shadow, outline and overlay layer effects per layer
- Create pattern layers from any raster layer content (including image layers)
- Easier Quick Masking of pixel selections in Channels panel
- Isolation (Solo) mode offers better group control
- Transform attribute for linked layers
- One-step undo/redo of complex assistant actions
- Updated lens correction database
- Style Picker Tool offers a dropper-based transfer of object styles (for desktop only)
- Paste Style support for copied text selections
- Editable EXIF data
- Preference to limit initial zoom to a maximum of 100%
Overview
Performance (for desktop only)
- GPU compute hardware acceleration gives super-fast compositing, editing and painting
- Massive improvement using integrated Intel GPUs
- External GPU support (hot-plug-and -unplug)
- Multi GPU utilization
- Quicker rendering of Live Filters
- Benchmark performance testing
Display support
- Regular, Retina and expanded gamut DCI-P3 (Mac)
- Wide color gamut (Display P3) (Windows)
- HiDPI
- EDR (Mac)
- HDR (Windows; >400 nits recommended)
Fast and Efficient Tool Set
- Pan and zoom at maximum refresh rate (with ProMotion support for latest Mac displays)
- Live tools, live previews, real-time editing
- RAW and regular processing united in one app
Professional
- Professional color spaces and profiles
- Pro file formats like PSD supported
- Modern camera RAW formats supported
- Full set of 16-bit filters
- Sub-pixel precision and pixel-perfect snapping
- Customizable toolbars, keyboard shortcuts and panels (for desktop only)
- Document presets or save your own custom document setups
- Work in pixels, points, picas and physical document units
Beautiful by Design
- Built from the ground up for professional photographers
- Benefit from a stylish and uncluttered interface
Clean Workspaces
- Dedicated personas (modes) for specific tasks and toolsets
- Uncluttered UIs for RAW editing, photo editing, panoramas, liquefy and tone mapping
- Export persona for fine control over export regions and settings
Solid Undo History
- Instantly undo/redo over 8,000 History steps
- Save History so you can undo steps later even on different computers
- A seamless AutoSave protects against unexpected shutdowns
- Cycle Futures feature prevents history loss after editing from undos
- Display history steps with thumbnails and date/time
Learning Made Easy
- Access our video tutorials on our YouTube channel - created by our dedicated Product Experts and inspirational pro users
- Comprehensive in-app product Help
- ‘At hand’ Hint Line for help with current actions (for desktop only)
No Subscription
- No subscription charge! Designed for pros, priced for everyone
- Buy through Affinity.store website, Mac App Store or Windows Store
- Updates available as we improve
License Activation, Registration and Account Access
- Single license or multi-app cross-platform Universal License
- In-app activation of licensing using your Affinity Store’s Affinity ID*
- Create Affinity ID and account during in-app purchase
- In-app purchase and registration (optional) via Mac App Store, iPad App Store and Microsoft store
- In-app access and viewing of your Affinity account
- Affinity Store content synchronization
- Auto-install of free and purchased Affinity Store content (brushes, assets and more)
Languages
- English (US and UK)
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Japanese
- Italian
- Chinese (Simplified)
RAW Image Processing
Dedicated RAW Editor with Split View
- GPU-accelerated RAW development
- Adjust RAW files and other RGB layers in the Develop persona
- See your adjustments alongside the original in real-time
- Automatic hot pixel removal (SerifLabs RAW Engine only)
- Manual lens correction override
- Updated SerifLabs RAW libraries
Adjustments and Lens Corrections
- Exposure
- Contrast
- Clarity
- Saturation (improved)
- Vibrance (improved)
- White Balance (improved)
- Shadows
- Highlights
- Camera and Output Profiles
- Spatial Lens Correction
- Chromatic Aberration Reduction
- Defringe
- Remove Lens Vignette
- Post Crop Vignette
- Detail Refinement
- Noise Reduction
- Noise Addition
- Curves
- Black & White
- Split Toning
Development Tools
- Painted Overlays
- Gradient Overlays
- Tones Clipping overlay mode
- White Balance Tool
- Blemish Removal Tool
- Red Eye Removal Tool
- Crop and Straighten Tool
- Pan and Zoom Tools
Detailed Image Information
- Histogram displays levels and clipping (presented in output color space)
- View clipped shadows and highlights in-image
- Use Scopes to assess intensity
- EXIF and other metadata supported
- Metadata editing with IPTC support
- Fine detail for Focus metadata
Slick Workflow
- Built-in History slider just for RAW edits
- Save Snapshots to branch your edits
- Save adjustment presets for use on other images
- Continue into the Photo persona for full editing
- Choose whether to automatically apply base corrections
- Remove automatic tone curve and apply your own
- Automatic lens correction and noise reduction
- Robust profiled lens correction can be switched on/off
- Raw image rotation
- Please visit our forum for the RAW support list
Image Editing and Retouch Tools
Live, Non-Destructive Editing
- Live adjustment layers
- Precise node control in Curves adjustment (for desktop only)
- Live filter layers
- Many filters work on masks, adjustments and spare channels
- Live blend modes
- Live gradients
- Non-destructive layer resizing
- Saveable selections
- Live adjustments to smart Shapes
- Blend modes work on masks, adjustments and live filters
Layers and Masks
- Advanced layer handling with unlimited layers
- Lossless layer resizing
- Nest layers into groups and groups within groups
- Drag and drop to organize layers and adjustments
- Clip layers by drag and drop
- Linked layers
- Fill layers
- Pattern layers
- See live previews under nozzle when painting masks
- Apply multiple masks and adjustments
- Group masks and adjustments to form composites
- Optionally move layers independently of their child layers or masks
- Lock, hide, duplicate and merge layers
- Unlock all locked layers simultaneously
- Show all hidden layers simultaneously
- Invert any layer type
- Drag and drop layers from one document to another (Windows only; floated and side by side)
Quick Masks
- Quickly and easily make masks from selections
- View as overlay, transparency, black or white
Channels
- View and edit image and layer channels
- Work with image alpha
- Make masks from channels
- Create spare channels and grayscale channels
- Isolate and edit spare channels as layers
- Duplicate spare channels (as backup)
- Create and add to selections based on channel data
- Invert any channel
- Per-channel blending options
Remove Unwanted Objects
- Content-aware Inpainting Brush intelligently removes objects like magic
Retouch Tools
- Dodge and Burn Brushes
- Sponge and Smudge Brushes
- Clone Tool (uses multiple global sources in desktop version)
- Healing Brush (uses multiple global sources in desktop version)
- Blemish Removal
- Patch Tool
- Red Eye Removal
- Blur and Sharpen Brushes
- Median Brush
- Color Replacement Brush
- Paint Brush
- Auto-adjust contrast, levels, color and white balance
Frequency Separation
- Frequency Separation built-in as a filter
- Edit tone/color and texture independently, retaining detail where needed
Advanced Filters
- FFT Denoise is one of several noise removers (for desktop only)
- Effectively remove moiré patterns and other types of noise
- Live Lighting filter gives on-screen light editing
- Change lighting types, extents and add bump maps
- Haze Removal includes impressive Distance slider
- Apply Image using arbitrary channel equations
- Custom equations-based distortion filter
- Lens Correction filter with camera, lens profile and focal length selection
Plug-ins (for desktop only)
- Use 64-bit Adobe® Photoshop® compatible plug-ins
- Installed plug-ins are detected and checked for compatibility
- LAB plugin support
- Edit in 32-bit RGB documents
- Support is growing, more plug-ins to be supported over time
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Editing
- Merge bracketed exposures together to create 32-bit images
- Unique Persona for Advanced Tone Mapping
- Edit effortlessly in 32-bit unbounded color format
- Full OpenColorIO support
- Maintain a true 32-bit lossless workflow and preview full tonal range
- OpenEXR multi-channel import and export
- Radiance import and export
HDR and EDR Display Support (for desktop only)
- Take advantage of displays that can reach high peak brightness values exceeding diffuse white
- See the extended brightness range of 32-bit unbounded HDR documents
- Get clipping warnings based on the display’s maximum brightness
Live Image Stacks
- Combine and auto-align multiple images
- Noise reduction and clear moving subjects from scenes
- Long exposure simulation and exposure blending
- Creative ‘time-lapse’ and motion effects
- Over 10 stack modes for very different results
- Change stack operator settings in real time
Astrophotography Persona (for desktop only)
- Dedicated Persona for stacking
- RAW and FITS image support
- Stack light and calibration frames (dark/dark flat/flat/bias)
- Stack, tone stretch and retouch entirely in 32-bit
- Stack files from different sessions using file groups
- Create full color, composite (HaRGB, SHO), grayscale or false color images
Panorama Image Stitching
- Automatically stitch RAW and other images into panoramas
- Create vertical, horizontal and mixed vistas
- Includes automatic color and perspective correction
- Panorama persona includes Inpainting and Crop tools
- Stitching candidates found automatically in folders
- ICC profiles supported
- 32-bit HDR support for high dynamic range stitching
Focus Merging
- Blend images with multiple focus areas for greater depth of field
- Create merged images with front-to-back sharpness
- Easily retouch focus-merged results using clone sources
Live Projection
- Pan and preview 360° images in real time
- Project and edit equirectangular 360° images
- Draw, project and edit multiple perspective planes
- Project to 2D temporarily for edits, then reapply perspective
Automation with Macros and Batch Processing
- Record and save actions as macros (for desktop only)
- Edit individual recorded steps and their parameters (for desktop only)
- Customize macro settings post recording (for desktop only)
- Import, export, and maintain a macro library
- Run batch jobs for bulk processing & conversion of images
- Apply macros in batch jobs for a seamless custom workflow (for desktop only)
- Batch processing supports scaling expressions (w, h and dpi)
Selection Tools
- Smart Selection brush
- Flood Selection Tool (magic wand)
- Shape-based marquee selection tools
- Add/subtract/save/load selections
- Select based on color and tonal ranges
- Alpha-based selections (Opaque/Transparent/Partial)
Refine Selections
- Select fine detail like hair and fur with advanced refining
- Set refinement border width, smoothness, mode, and feather size
- Output refinement as a selection, mask, new layer, or new layer with mask
Crop and Straighten
- Combined crop and straighten tool helps frame images
- Constrain to original or other aspect ratios
- Crop presets or save your own custom crops (for desktop only)
- Thirds grid, golden spiral and diagonals compositional overlays
- Uncrop with ease
- Darken areas outside crop area to aid composition
- Straighten simply by dragging across a horizon
Perspective
- Live perspective editing—real time
- Single- and dual-plane perspective editing
- Hide and show grids, autoclip layers
- See before and after views side-by-side
Mesh Warp Tool
- Real-time mesh warping of any layer
- Easily add nodes and reshape the mesh
- Fully edit nodes with familiar curve controls
Full Liquefy Toolset
- Liquify Persona for image distortion
- Non-destructive Live Liquify filter (uses Liquify Persona)
- See deformations against a custom mesh
- Push Forward and Push Left brush tools
- Twirl and Turbulence brushes
- Save and Clone meshes for efficiency
- Alter warp intensity with a Reconstruct Mesh slider
- Mesh and Mask editing tools
- See a before and after live split-view
- Use advanced brush controls for fine tuning warps
- Built in History just for your Liquefy steps
Advanced Histogram
- View for whole image or selected channels
- Limit histogram calculation to current layer or selection
- See coarse Histogram for speed, click to refine
Advanced Gamma Blending, Blend Ranges and Antialiasing
- Editable RGB blend space gamma per object or layer
- Apply multiple values in linear or non-linear blends
- Set preferences for default values
- Save custom coverage maps for reuse
- Per-layer hierarchical antialiasing
Detailed Image Information (for desktop only)
- See detailed image and luminosity information in real-time
- Monitor memory pressure and efficiency
- Information displayed for all color spaces
- Switch between different scopes and histogram views
EXIF Metadata
- View summary, full, and raw metadata
- Get detailed Focus information in the Develop persona
- EXIF and other XML-based data types supported
Brush Tools
- Hard-edged Pixel Brush tool for retro art and fine UI painting
- Full range of textured brush nozzles that work across brush tools
- See below for full information about paint brushes and controls
Color
Professional Color
- CMYK professional workflows
- RGB, RGB Hex, LAB, CMYK and Grayscale color models
- ICC color management profiles and conversion
- Seamlessly switch between color modes on-the-fly
- Copy Hex values to the clipboard
- Use Pantone® colors
- Set rendering intent and black point compensation (globally and on document convert)
- Work across color mode boundaries with selected adjustments
- End-to-end OpenColorIO (OCIO) workflows
- Lock to prevent color mode switching (for desktop only)
16-bits per Channel Support
- 16-bits per channel modes for RGB/LAB/Grayscale spaces
- 16-bit versions of all filters included
- Works on all supported hardware, no limitations
Advanced Rendering
- Live split-screen before/after views for adjustments and Develop persona
- Live wireframe, pixel, and retina/high DPI pixel previews
- Custom per-object gamma blending
Smart Color Picker
- Dedicated Tool for Photo Persona
- Accurately pick color using a magnifier over any part of your display
- Point or color averaged sampling
- Sample from current or all layers
- Grab in the source color space including CMYK, RGB and LAB color
- Simple panel-based Color Picker as alternative
Palettes and Swatches
- Use colors and palettes based on all the available color models
- Automatically create palettes based on document colors
- Import Adobe® Swatch Exchange (.ase) files
- Display palettes created in other apps using Apple system Color Palettes (for desktop only)
- Create complementary, analogous and other color chords (for desktop only)
- Built in swatches for colors, grays and gradients
- Generate palette from any image (for desktop only)
Global Colors (for desktop only)
- Update objects in your document when their base color changes
- Tint levels are retained when base color updates
- Use as solid colors or in gradients
Advanced Scaling and Resampling
- Resize images or just the canvas
- Anchor the canvas, change units, and maintain aspect ratio
- Automatic scaling of mixed artwork for highest quality output
- Lanczos 3, Bicubic, Bilinear and Nearest Neighbor resampling available
- Pixel Art algorithms for pixel art upsampling
Professional Color, Compatibility, and Output
Pantone® Color Matching
- PANTONE® Goe™
- PANTONE® GoeBridge™
- PANTONE®+ Formula Guide Solid (V2)
- PANTONE®+ CMYK
- PANTONE®+ Color Bridge (V2)
- PANTONE®+ Metallic, Neon, and Pastels
- Coated and uncoated variants
Photoshop® PSD Support
- Accurate opening/saving of Adobe® Photoshop® PSD files (includes 32 bit)
- Open very large PSB files
- Maintain layers, groups, gradients, blend modes, paths, masks and more
- Supports professional color modes
- Take PSDs into other supported software
- Editable Embedded Photoshop PSD Smart Objects
- PSD flattened image representation
PDF Open and Place
- Edit and save PDFs for round-trip app compatibility
- PDF passthrough for absolute output fidelity (for desktop only)
Pro Print and PDF/X Support
- Create and edit CMYK PDF/X files for pro printing
- Compatible with PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4
- Use spot colors
- Apply Overprint controls
- Add trim, bleed and crop marks
- Apply ICC color profiles internally and at export time
Streamlined Printing
- Print directly from Affinity Photo
- Switch between standard and advanced dialogs
- Control layout, scaling, color matching, and paper handling
- Access printer driver features
- Save as PDF from the print dialog
Full Open or Import List
- Adobe® Photoshop® PSD
- Adobe® Photoshop® PSB
- Extensive RAW import library (including CR3)
- DNG
- PNG
- TIFF
- JPG
- GIF
- TGA
- SVG
- EPS
- PDF/X
- EXR (Open EXR)
- HDR (Radiance)
- Adobe® Illustrator® AI (containing PDF stream)
- Legacy Adobe® Illustrator® AI files
- Adobe® FreeHand® (versions 9 to 11)
- Affinity Designer native file (for desktop only)
- Affinity Publisher native file (includes page navigation)
- HEIF with depth map (as separate layer)
Full Save or Export List
- Publisher template (.aftemplate)
- Adobe® Photoshop® PSD
- TIFF (layers preserved)
- PNG
- JPG
- Progressive JPG
- GIF
- SVG
- EPS
- EXR (Open EXR)
- HDR (Radiance)
- PDF (can also be opened in Adobe® Illustrator®)
- PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4
- Affinity common file format
Export document
- Export as entire document or current selection
- Exclude background from selection
- Resampling
- File size calculator
Export Presets
- Create your own export presets
- Use popular presets that are supplied with Affinity Photo
- Use presets to save whole images or specific regions
- Set your default export format
Slices and Retina/high DPI Graphics
- Output individual layers, groups, or image as slices
- Draw custom-sized slices at export time
- Automatically create slices at layer sizes
- Auto-name export files using layer/slice names
- Use slice presets for popular image formats
- Apply slice presets to selected slices (for desktop only)
- Multiple export setups, formats and resolutions per slice (for desktop only)
- Output all slices at once, just one slice, or selected slices
- Hide layer contents during export process
- Exclude layer content from export
- Output standard and retina/high DPI resolution graphics in one go
- Retina/high DPI versions are auto-named with @2x and @3x suffixes
- Export to absolute sizes (for desktop only)
- Deliver UI design assets (iOS)
Advanced Export Controls
- Continuous Export updates files any time your image or design changes
- Maintain EXIF or other metadata on output
- Embed an ICC profile with an exported image
- Apply a Matte color
Efficient Affinity File Format
- Compact and fast native file format
- Also fully editable in Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher
Workspaces and Workflows
Easy setup with New Document dialog
- Presets for different types of output, e.g. Print, Press Ready
- Create your own custom page presets
- Access Photo templates (.aftemplate)
Custom Studio Panel Layouts (for desktop only)
- Dock or float panels
- Group and order panels as you prefer
- Hide and expand panels as you need them
- Dynamic panel names give focus to what you are using
- Create and save panel (and toolbar) presets
Rotate Canvas
- Rotate your workspace for more natural retouching and painting
- Use keys, menus, touch gestures and graphics tablet controls (for desktop only)
- Disable canvas rotation to prevent accidental use
Screen Modes (for desktop only)
- Work with single screens or multi-monitor setups
- Optimized for regular and retina/high DPI screens
Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts (for desktop only)
- Apply your own favorite presets for the fastest workflows
- Save and load shortcut sets
- Popular shortcut conventions are supported
Customizable Toolbars (for desktop only)
- Create your own toolbars or customize existing panels
- Reposition and reorganize tool groups
- Set the primary toolbar to be single or multi-column
- Add toolbar buttons for specific features you like using
Powerful History and Snapshots
- Instantly slide through over 8,000 History steps
- Save History to revisit steps from previous sessions
- Roll through processes in files from other photographers
- Undo actions performed in other Affinity suite apps
- A seamless AutoSave protects against unexpected shutdowns
- Store editing states as Snapshots to revisit later
Transform Panel
- Move and scale accurately using the Transform Panel
- Enter values in mixed units
- Perform calculations using standard expressions
- Include mathematical expressions like Pi and Phi (for desktop only)
Preview Stock Imagery
- Search for Stock images within Affinity Photo
- Add previews to your layer stack as guidelines
- Search Commercial and Model Released images
- Stock Panel to access free and royalty-free image resources
Adjust Tool and UI Settings
- Light or dark user interface (for desktop only)
- Adjust background and UI gray levels
- Set tool behavior and appearance in Preferences
- Manage how input devices help your workflow
- Increase/decrease tool control size and UI text size
Navigator
- See in thumbnail where your zoomed-in viewport is
- Save views, and quickly switch between views (for desktop only)
Efficient Copy/Paste
- Highly compatible copy/paste of image and vectors for other apps
- Copy/paste within Affinity apps with or without formatting
- Paste formatting or effects from one item to another
- Copy/Paste Merged for flattening
- Paste Inside and Insert Above/Below/Inside current layer
Optional Live Assistants
- All assistance is non-intrusive and can be hidden/disabled/tweaked
- Hint Line at bottom of the UI gives useful tool tips (for desktop only)
- Context Toolbar provides live controls and options per tool
- Assistant Manager tunes layer, mask, brush and adjustment behavior
- Choose how Affinity Photo manages mixed-media design tasks
Assets for easy access to stored content
- Dedicated panel for asset storage
- Great for storing cutouts, shapes, brush strokes and watermarks
- Import/export assets
Compositing
- Images placed as Image layers to retain DPI and color space
- Multi-image placement click-by-click for compositing (for desktop only)
- DPI/scaling control for all placed images and documents (for desktop only)
Resource Management
- Missing resource alert on document load
- Linked/embedded placed image policy at document setup
- Dedicated Resource Manager for image/document management
- Display placed image (or document) status
- Convert resources from embedded to linked (and vice versa)
- Recursive resource links are honored
- Collect linked resource into a ‘sidecar’ folder for project portability
- Relink multiple missing ‘same folder’ images in one operation
Live Filters, Adjustments, and Effects
Live Adjustment Layers
- Levels
- White Balance
- HSL (with hue color ranges and color picker)
- Recolor
- Black and White
- Brightness and Contrast
- Posterize
- Vibrance
- Exposure
- Shadows/Highlights (improved)
- Threshold
- Curves
- Channel Mixer
- Gradient Map (with global color support)
- Selective Color
- Color Balance
- Invert
- Soft Proof
- 3D LUT (3D Look Up Table for adjustments)
- Lens Filter
- Split Toning
- Shareable LUTs
Live Filter Layers
- Gaussian Blur
- Box Blur
- Median Blur
- Bilateral Blur
- Motion Blur
- Radial Blur
- Lens Blur
- Elliptical Depth of Field
- Tilt Shift Depth of Field
- Field Blur
- Diffuse Glow
- Maximum/Minimum Blur
- Clarity
- Unsharp Mask
- High Pass
- Ripple
- Twirl
- Spherical
- Displace
- Pinch/Punch
- Lens Distortion
- Perspective
- Liquify (using Liquify Persona)
- Denoise
- Add Noise
- Diffuse
- Dust & Scratches
- Vignette
- Defringe
- Lighting
- Shadows/Highlights
- Halftone
- Procedural Texture (with advanced presets)
- Voronoi
Non-Destructive Editing
- Live, editable filters, adjustments, layer fx, and blend modes
- See effects, blend modes and adjustments instantly, no lag
- Apply to any image layer, group—even to vector art
- Edit any time, make changes without using Undo
- Edit blend modes per layer, per adjustment, per filter, object etc.
- Act on client requests without costly reworking
Live Layer Effects
- Gaussian Blur
- Outer Shadow
- Inner Shadow
- Outer Glow
- Inner Glow
- Outline
- 3D
- Bevel/Emboss
- Color Overlay
- Gradient Overlay
- Layer Effects (with global color support)
Live Blend Modes
- Normal
- Darken
- Darker Color
- Multiply
- Color Burn
- Linear Burn
- Lighten
- Lighter Color
- Screen
- Color Dodge
- Add
- Overlay
- Soft Light
- Hard Light
- Vivid Light
- Pin Light
- Linear Light
- Hard Mix
- Difference
- Exclusion
- Subtract
- Divide
- Hue
- Saturation
- Luminosity
- Color
- Average
- Negation
- Reflect
- Glow
- Contrast Negate
- Erase
Professional Paint, Sketch, and Texture Tools
Professional Brushes
- Add depth with rounded and textured retouch tools
- Paint using high-quality, professional brush nozzles
- Create paintings of any size, paint over images of any size without lag
- On-page brush preview sets width, hardness, nozzle spacing and rotation
- Mimic natural media including watercolors
- Customize opacity (accumulation), hardness, spacing, flow, shape, rotation, and luminosity
- Pressure responsive (Jitter) to above brush properties
- Wet edge support with customizable ramp profiles
- Multi-brushes (combining brushes for a more interesting, less uniform brush stroke)
- Brush symmetry (up to 32-way) and optional brush mirroring (up to five-way reflections)
- Brushes with multiple nozzle textures can set their own nozzle controller/ramp
- Wet edges and accumulation now on color brushes/brushes with HSL variance
- Nozzle rotation using left and right arrow keys (before and during stroke application)
- Paint straight strokes constrained to X or Y axis
- Create image brushes from any pixel selection
- Create intensity brushes from any mask’s pixel selection
Stroke stabilization
- Enable Stabilizer for super smooth brush strokes
- Rope or Windows mode for different smoothing behavior
Import/Export Brushes
- Add Affinity brush packs from external sources and giveaways
- Import Adobe® brushes (.abr files)
- Export brush packs to share with others or to back them up
- Easy double-click brush pack installation
- Share brushes for use in Affinity Designer
Custom Brushes
- Create completely custom raster brushes using your own textures
- Customize brush behavior and settings like wet edges and blend mode
- Organize brushes using your own categories
- Install brushes made by other users
Tablet and Touch Controls (for desktop only)
- Paint with pressure using graphics tablets
- Advanced controls like tilt, angle, velocity and other inputs
- Map graphics tablet buttons and stylus wheel commands
- Rotate canvas, pan, and zoom using track pad gestures
Vectors and Mixed Discipline Design
Create Native Vectors
- Draw paths and shapes with a best-in-class Pen Tool
- Convert shapes to selections
- Use a library of Shapes that include smart customization nodes
- Fully edit paths and shapes with a familiar Node Tool
- Multi-node selection, alignment and transforms
- Curve and construction snapping
- Presets for shapes or save your own shapes
Import/Export Vector Artwork
- Open and edit SVG, EPS, PDF, FH and AI files
- Output SVG for efficient Web graphics
- Save as PDF or EPS for compatibility
Beautiful Gradients
- Super-smooth gradients for overlays, shapes, and masks
- Live tools for dragging gradients on-screen
- Drag and drop colors onto gradient paths and nodes
- Linear and radial gradients respond to object scaling/shearing with skewed fill handle editing
Noise and Opacity in Gradients
- Add texture to gradients with noise
- Blend color washes and overlays with opacity
- Gradually blend noise and opacity as easily as color
Image/Document Design Aids
- Add margins and guides
- Multi-column guides
- Hide/show rulers (for desktop only)
- Spread origin repositioning (for desktop only)
- Reposition guides from ruler area when using multiple tools (for desktop only)
- Add custom guidelines from rulers or by typing in values (for desktop only)
- As-you-drag measurement guides
- Candidate-based snapping system including Force Pixel Alignment
- Colored square, triangular and axonometric grids
Pixel-Aligned Graphics
- Create accurate artwork for the Web and UI design
- Preview with pixel accuracy at regular and retina/high DPI levels
- Snap to grids
- Dynamic snapping aligns elements on-the-fly
- Advanced snapping controls include saveable presets
- Exclude objects from snapping
- Snap to pixel selection bounds
Aligning and Distributing
- Align to left, center, right, top, middle, bottom
- Alignment handles for precise alignment of a selection to a position on page
- Works to selection bounds, spread (artboard), margins, first/last selected
- Distribute elements automatically for even spacing
- Easily manage Z-order using layers, toolbars, or keyboard shortcuts
Seamless App Switching
- Move work between Affinity products
- (Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher can be purchased separately)
Shared Affinity Format and History
- Design across disciplines as easily as switching tools or personas
- Save your file in Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer, they are 100% compatible
- Undo tasks performed in other Affinity apps
Accurate Typography
Pro Font Support
- Add elegant text with OpenType, Type 1, and True Type fonts
- Use advanced OpenType features including Ligatures
- Insert placeholder text while constructing designs
- Insert special characters and symbols
- Copy and paste style between objects
- Font fallbacks
Live Font Previews
- Fonts are previewed instantly while creating or customizing text
- Access fonts by collection for efficiency
- See recently used fonts first (for desktop only)
- Browse recent, used or your favorite fonts (for desktop only)
Live OpenType Feature Previews
- Typography Panel shows live feature previews
- Easily select the right Stylistic Set every time
- Preview Ligatures, Contextual Alternates, Swashes and more
Glyph Browser
- Quickly insert special characters into your text
- Display in glyph or Unicode order
- Filter by font subset, e.g. Cyrillic
- Search for phrase, glyph value or Unicode value
Character and Paragraph Panels
- Style text with on-screen panels you can dock, move, and resize
- Adjust kerning, tracking, shear, baseline and other character attributes
- Easily set leading, indents, tab stops and justification
Art and Frame Text
- Adding scalable art text is perfect for quick headlines and callouts
- Add body text paragraphs using frames as containers
- Control alignment, justification, character and paragraph settings
- Optionally scale text content when scaling the parent text frame
- Vertically align frame text
- Fit text frame to contained text
- Live spell checking as you type
Text-on-a-Path
- Type text along a custom curve or shape
- Control start and end points
- Set text on both or either side of lines
- Convert shapes to text paths
- Control all the normal text attributes including baseline
Text Styles
- Ensure text appears consistent
- Apply character and paragraph styles
- Easily update styles cross-document
- Design from scratch or from text selection
- Style hierarchies
- Style groups
Input Devices
OS X/macOS
- Pressure-sensitive graphics tablet and pen
- Force Touch and regular Trackpad
- Mac keyboards
- Touch Bar
- Magic Trackpad and Magic Trackpad 2
- Magic Mouse and Magic Mouse 2
- Generic multi-button and wheel mouse
- Dictation offered by macOS
Optional Hardware
- DSLR or other camera
Windows
- DirectX 11 and Direct 2D rendering with Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform (WARP) fallback
- Hardware accelerated for smooth panning/zooming and rendering
- Optimized for Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book (including support for detachable screen)
- Surface Studio with Surface Pen/Surface Dial
- Gesture, Pen, and Touch Screen input support
- Generic multi-button and wheel mouse
- Wacom (and other WinTab devices) support
- Uses Microsoft Concurrency Runtime to fully utilize/scale across modern CPUs
- High DPI support across multiple monitors
Optional Hardware
- DSLR or other camera
- Scanner supported by Windows