Unless you have lived under a rock, you probably read or seen YouTube videos about the Photoshop debate about how Adobe can use creators' images. So upset, Photoshop users consider switching to Affinity Photo like never before. But did you know that Canva bought Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher back in March 2024? The deal was worth 380 million USD for the software and 90 employees based in the UK. Canva is an Australian-based company that is big in online browser-based content creation. Check them out at https://www.canva.com; they have a free account option and a subscription-based account option.
Canva's tools and Affinity Photo AI
Canva's creation tools and templates are very easy to use, and they employ a lot of AI features. Back to Affinity Photo AI, Canva wants to expand their portfolio and target the more advanced creatives so they have a better opportunity to compete with Adobe. There seem to be different opinions whether Canva will keep the Affinity software as it is now, a one-time purchase, or change it to a subscription-based software. I really hope they keep it a one-time purchase at a fraction of what Photoshop costs. Maybe Canva will integrate some of Affinity's software into their online platform. More interestingly, will Canva put AI features into Affinity's software? Affinity Photo AI features like the time-saving AI features you find in Photoshop would be nice.
Affinity Photo's future
Here is a list of key AI features you find in Photoshop. I hope Canva will develop some of them into Affinity Photo. Adobe doesn't disclose how much they spend on developing AI features for Photoshop, but it is known to be a very large amount.
Generative Fill: This feature allows users to add, remove, or replace content in images using text prompts. It intelligently matches lighting, perspective, and depth to create seamless results. It's useful for filling in gaps, extending images, and making complex edits easier and faster (Adobe) (Photoshop Training Channel).
Generative Expand: This tool expands the canvas size of an image and uses AI to fill in the new blank areas with content that blends naturally with the existing image. This is especially useful for changing aspect ratios without losing the visual integrity of the image (Adobe Helpx) (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Neural Filters: These AI-powered filters reduce complex workflows to just a few clicks. They include features like skin smoothing, style transfer, and colorization, which can significantly enhance portraits and other types of photos(Adobe Helpx) (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Remove Tool: This tool allows users to easily remove unwanted objects from images. By brushing over the object, the tool replaces it with content that matches the surrounding area, preserving the overall look and feel of the image(Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Contextual Task Bar: This new feature offers a dynamic on-screen menu that suggests the most relevant next steps in your workflow, reducing the number of clicks and making common actions more accessible (Photoshop Training Channel) (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Content Credentials: This feature automatically adds metadata to images edited with AI tools, providing transparency and helping to prevent the spread of misinformation. It allows users to control the information shared with their images (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Adjustment Presets: These presets speed up complex tasks by allowing users to preview and apply different looks to their images instantly. There are 32 new presets that can be customized further in the layers panel (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Enhanced Gradients: The gradient tool now includes on-canvas controls, allowing for more precise adjustments and faster workflows (Welcome to the Adobe Blog).
Here you see the same promt in canva photoshop and dall e. Maybe canva will incorperate ai features into afinity photo.
A dense and enchanting forest covered in a carpet of colorful wildflowers.
A dense and enchanting forest covered in a carpet of colorful wildflowers.
A dense and enchanting forest covered in a carpet of colorful wildflowers.
AI is perhaps a bit hyped at the moment. Let's not forget that Affinity Photo is very good in regards to non-AI features like a very clean user interface and overall speed with lots of advanced tools, some of them even better than the ones found in Photoshop.
You could try the free trial :)
Focus stacked image in afinity photo.
32 bit exr file tone mapped in affinity photo.
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