Affinity 2.0
Affinity has just released version 2.0 of all their software; Affinity photo 2.0, Affinity designer 2.0, and Affinity publisher 2.0. Their ipad apps have also been updated. This article is going to focus on Affinity photo 2.0, but I just want to mention that you can buy all the desktop apps in a bundle with a 40% discount right now.
Affinity Photo 2.0
New increased price
Affinity Photo 2.0 is more expensive than 1.0 was, it now costs $69.99 but for a limited time, it is on sale for $40.99. It is a one time fee, compared to Photoshop CC monthly subscription which costs $9.99. You will get the right to all the version 2 upgrades. Sadly there is no upgrade path for Affinity 1 owners.
This is according to 9TO5Mac the major new features.
Affinity Photo 2.0
Non-destructive RAW develop
Live masks with hue range, band-pass, luminosity
Compound masks
Live mesh warp
Brush engine improvements
The UI has got a major update. It now has a more polished look, redesigned tool icons and new layer icons. Some reviewers dislike the new tool icons, as they complain that they look too similar.
Here is breakdown of the 10 top changes.
Non-destructive RAW develop
Personally I find the non-destructive RAW development and new Live masks the most interesting features. I am not sure of how significant the brush engine updates are.
It is nice that it is possible to go back and change, how you developed your RAW image. If your only goal is to develop raw files, you should definitely consider lightroom or DxO photolabs. Both have lens modules and can correct lens imperfections like distortion, chromatic aberration and lens softness at the borders. Dxo photolabs is also not subscription based.
Live masks with hue range, band-pass, luminosity
The new mask system is clever in the way that it gives new possibilities for making advanced masks. Luminosity lets you select/correct part of the image with a certain brightness. The hue range lets you select for instance green trees, but not the blue sky.
I must say I'm disappointed that Affinity Photo 2.0 does not have ai mask selections capabilities.
Here is a good critical video from a well known Affinity youtuber Olivio Sarikas about the new features.
AI deep learning (artificial intelligence)
It is kind of disappointing that Affinity photo 2.0 does not have any ai functions. I wrote that I hoped for it in my blog post is-affinity-photo-good a year ago.
But it is even more true today, as ai development of the tools is exploding. Ai is much more than selection for instance in terms of image upscaling and restoration. To be fair to Serif, the Affinity developer ai features are probably very expensive to develop.
Here is an article about photo restoration in Photoshop CC
Affinity photo 2.0 versus Photoshop CC
For me the lack of AI functionality is a deal breaker. Even though AI tools aren't always perfect and might require fine tuning from time to time, they can save you hours of work.
Affinity Photo 2.0 versus Photoshop CC, it might boil down to economy. I totally understand the issue of being on a budget; 9.99 usd pr. month for photoshop CC adds up in the long run. If you are a photographer and want to go the Adobe way, be sure to sign up for the photographer plan, where you get both Lightroom and Photoshop for 9.99 usd pr. month, and not the Photoshop plan.
Don’t get me wrong; Affinity photo 2.0 is a really nice photoeditor apart from the missing AI functionality, you can do most of the things possible in Photoshop CC. Take focus stacking I find it easier to do in Affinity Photo. Affinity photo is a very robust and responsive app, even when working with very large files. I find the interface to be quite intuitive and straightforward, and I like the new icons' more modern look. Of Course that is a personal preference.
Hope you find the best suited photo editor for your needs 🙂
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