What is Affinity Photo?
Affinity Photo no longer exists as a separate paid application. Affinity is now a single program from Canva, released free of charge, that contains a Vector Studio, a Pixel Studio and a Layout Studio — the work that used to be split across Designer, Photo and Publisher. Photo work happens in Pixel Studio: layer-based raster editing with unlimited layers, non-destructive adjustment and live filter layers, RAW development with lens profiles and noise reduction, HDR Merge, Focus Merge and astrophotography stacking, frequency separation for retouching, and liquify and mesh warp tools. It runs on macOS and Windows, is a native build for both Apple silicon and Intel, and requires a Canva account to sign in. Every tool is available at no cost, though Canva's AI features inside Affinity need a paid Canva plan. It suits photographers and retouchers who want professional raster tools without a subscription.
Verified product facts
- Type
- image editorEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- FreeDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- CanvaDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Official website
- www.affinity.studio/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Affinity Photo does at a glance.
Unlimited raster, vector and text layers
In one document
Non-destructive adjustment layers and live filter layers
30 or more blend modes
With on-canvas live preview
Curves
For RGB and individual channels, plus levels and exposure adjustments
Colour balance and selective colour
Spot healing, inpainting and clone stamp tools
Dodge and burn
With pressure sensitivity
Liquify, mesh warp and lens correction filters
Refine edge workspace
For hair and complex subjects
Channel, luminosity and depth masks
RAW Develop
With lens profiles and noise reduction
HDR Merge, Focus Merge and astrophotography stacking
Frequency separation and a full suite of liquify tools for retouching
Macros and batch processing to automate repetitive edits
High-bit-depth workflow
With ICC profiles
Imports Photoshop PSD files
With layer fidelity and works in the .af format
Exports finished work directly to Canva
For collaboration
What you can use Affinity Photo for
- Retouching portraits with frequency separation and liquify tools
- Developing and correcting RAW files non-destructively
- Building a composite from several stacked photographs, textures and elements
- Merging bracketed exposures into an HDR image or stacking astrophotography frames
- Running one set of edits across many files with macros and batch processing
Who is Affinity Photo for?
- Photographers and retouchers who want professional raster tools without a subscription
- People already working in Affinity's vector or layout studios who want photo tools in the same document
- Anyone with a Canva account who wants to hand a finished file to colleagues inside Canva
Who is Affinity Photo not for?
- Anyone who needs to use the software without a Canva account, since signing in is required
- Users who need Canva's AI tools in Affinity, which require a paid Canva plan
- Anyone who needs the software to be open source, which it is not
Limitations
- Signing in requires a Canva account, so the application is tied to a cloud identity
- The former one-time licence for Affinity Photo is gone; the app is now free and funded through Canva
- Canva's AI features inside Affinity require a paid Canva plan
- Closed source, so the application cannot be audited
- It is one studio inside a larger application, so there is no separate Affinity Photo download to install
Strengths and trade-offs
What Affinity Photo does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios is available free, with no restrictions or payment required.Developer-stated
- The macOS build is a native application that runs on Apple silicon and Intel rather than through translation.
- Editing is non-destructive by default, with adjustment layers and live filters that can be revisited without flattening the original image.Developer-stated
- RAW development includes lens correction and noise reduction, and stays non-destructive from first tweak to final export.Developer-stated
- HDR Merge, Focus Merge and astrophotography stacking cover exposure and focus bracketing and deep-sky work without extra software.Developer-stated
- Retouching tools include frequency separation and a full suite of liquify tools.Developer-stated
- Imports Photoshop PSD files with layer fidelity, so work can move between the two applications.Developer-stated
- Photo editing sits in the same document as vector and layout tools, so a project does not have to be split across three programs.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- A Canva account is required to download and sign in, so the app is tied to a cloud identity.
- Canva's AI tools inside Affinity are locked behind a paid Canva plan.
- The application is closed source, so its implementation cannot be inspected.
- The previous perpetual licence for Affinity Photo no longer applies, because the product has been replaced by a free application.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Downloaded from the Affinity site for macOS or Windows, which requires signing in with a Canva account or creating one.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Sign in with a Canva account, then open an image or start a new document in Pixel Studio, where the photo editing tools live.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Exports files directly to Canva, and the workspace can be extended with the vector and layout tools from the other studios.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
What happened to Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo was a paid raster editor sold as a one-time licence alongside Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher. That product no longer exists in that form. Affinity is now a single application from Canva, released free of charge, and the former Designer, Photo and Publisher programs have become its Vector, Pixel and Layout studios. Anyone looking for Affinity Photo should look for Affinity, and should expect photo tools under Pixel Studio rather than a separate download.
What changed for buyers is the licence rather than the feature list. There is no purchase, which removes the cost, and it also removes the option of owning the software outright in the sense the old licence offered — the application is now tied to a Canva account, and the paid tier has moved to Canva’s own plans.
Photo editing
Pixel Studio is the part that corresponds to the old Photo. It works on layers and keeps editing non-destructive by default: adjustment layers and live filter layers stack on top of the original image and can be revisited or removed without flattening anything. A document can carry unlimited raster, vector and text layers, with thirty or more blend modes previewed on canvas.
The toolset is broad. RAW development applies lens profiles and noise reduction without committing the changes. Stacking covers HDR Merge, Focus Merge and astrophotography, and macros and batch processing automate work that repeats across files. Retouching uses frequency separation and a full suite of liquify tools, with spot healing, inpainting and a clone stamp alongside a refine edge workspace for hair and other complex subjects. Masks can be built from channels, luminosity or depth, and the workflow runs at high bit depth with ICC profiles.
Cost and accounts
Canva states that every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios, along with all customisation and export features, can be used as much as you want with no restrictions or payment, and that the app will keep receiving free updates. What is not free is Canva’s AI: features such as Generative Expand, Generative Fill, Smart Selections and Super Resolve require a Canva premium plan. Signing in with a Canva account is required either way.
Canva also states that the macOS build runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel, so there is no translation layer between the application and the hardware.
Questions about Affinity Photo
Is Affinity Photo still a paid app?
No. Affinity Photo no longer exists as a separate paid product. Affinity is now a single application from Canva, released free of charge, and photo editing is one of its studios. Canva states that every tool can be used without restriction or payment.Developer-stated
Do I need a Canva account to use Affinity?
Yes. The download process prompts you to sign in with a Canva account or create one free, and the application is installed from there.
Does Affinity run natively on Apple silicon Macs?
Yes. Canva states that the macOS build is fully optimised for macOS and runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
What are the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios?
They are the three working areas inside the single Affinity application. Vector Studio holds the vector design and illustration tools, Pixel Studio the photo editing tools, and Layout Studio the page layout tools — the work previously split across Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher.Developer-stated
Are Canva's AI features included in free Affinity?
Not all of them. Canva states that users on a Canva premium plan — Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education — can unlock Canva's AI tools within Affinity through the Canva AI Studio. Generative Expand, Generative Fill, Smart Selections, Depth-Aware Masking, Portrait Blur, Colorize and Super Resolve are among them.Developer-stated
Can Affinity Photo still open Photoshop files?
Yes. Canva states that PSD files can be imported with layer fidelity, and that PSD, AI, IDML and DWG files can be brought into Affinity with layers and structure preserved.Developer-stated
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
GIMP
Free and open-source image editor for retouching, compositing and artwork.
Both are raster editors used for photo work and compositing, but Affinity Photo is a free closed-source application tied to a Canva account while GIMP is free software with a cross-platform interface.
Pixelmator
Apple's AI-assisted image editor for Mac and iPad.
Both are professional Mac photo editors, but Affinity Photo is free and cross-platform with a Canva account while Pixelmator Pro is an Apple product sold on the App Store.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Affinity Designer
Vector design studio in Affinity, now free from Canva.
Both were separate Affinity applications and are now studios inside one free program, so the distinction between them is a workspace rather than a purchase.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
