Affinity Photo 2
Professional photo editing software with a one-time purchase model, no subscription required.
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask affinity-photo-2Quick Take: Affinity Photo 2
Photo 2's craft lives on free inside Affinity. For Mac retouchers who do not need Photoshop-only plugins, it is the best cost-to-capability trade in 2026. Buy Canva Pro only for generative tools.
Best For
- •Retouchers Leaving Photoshop Subscriptions
- •Product and Portrait Editors on Apple Silicon
- •Hybrid Creatives Needing Photo Plus Layout Free
What is Affinity Photo 2?
Affinity Photo 2 was Serif's paid Photoshop alternative. In August 2026 the live product is Canva's free unified Affinity app. Announced 29 October 2025, Affinity merges photo, vector, and layout tools into Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios on Mac and Windows. You sign in with a Canva account; you do not buy a $69.99 Photo 2 licence for new installs. Photo-class strength remains: non-destructive RAW develop, live filters, advanced masking, retouch brushes, high-bit-depth compositing, batch jobs, and strong PSD interop. Vector and layout tools sit in the same file, so a retouched hero image can move into a brochure without another app purchase. Core editing is free. Optional Canva AI Studio (Generative Fill, Expand & Edit, Remove Background, generative images) needs Canva premium, Pro commonly ~$144/year per person USD. Canva states Affinity content is not used to train AI. Classical heal/clone/grade/composite work never requires that upsell. On Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.x, Affinity is native and fast on layered retouch files that used to justify Creative Cloud. Competitors include Photoshop, Pixelmator Pro, Capture One for tethered RAW, and GIMP. Search still says Photo 2; install Affinity. A practical migration week looks like this: install Affinity, open ten real client PSDs and RAW files, export deliverables, and write down only the failures. Most studios discover missing pieces are niche plugins or generative expand, not healing tools, curves, or masks. Frequency separation, luminosity masking, focus merges, and panorama work remain free. Soft proofing and CMYK export cover packaging reviews. Batch jobs handle e-commerce volume without a cloud render queue. If generative fill becomes weekly, add Canva Pro; otherwise keep the budget at zero and put the former Adobe money into storage or colour-accurate displays. Community voice on X still frames Affinity as the free Photoshop path for artists who refuse subscriptions, which matches Canva's acquisition thesis: professional tools free, AI optional. Update Affinity after major macOS releases.
Analysis: Affinity Photo After the Free Canva Launch
Affinity Photo 2 represents a significant evolution in professional photo editing software, both technically and commercially. Understanding its architecture helps explain its performance characteristics and recent transformation into a free product.
History & Background
Affinity Photo was originally developed by Serif Europe Ltd, a British software company founded in 1987. The first version launched in 2015 as a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop with a one-time purchase model during Adobe's controversial shift to Creative Cloud subscriptions. Version 2 arrived in 2022 with a rewritten engine and expanded capabilities. In March 2024, Canva acquired Serif for approximately $380 million, which pointed to ambitious expansion into professional design tools. By October 2025, Canva consolidated the three separate Affinity applications (Photo, Designer, Publisher) into a single unified app and made it completely free, disrupting the traditional creative software pricing model. The October 2025 free launch is the definitive status for new Mac users in August 2026: install Affinity, not a paid Photo 2 binary from grey markets.
How It Works
Affinity Photo 2 uses a proprietary rendering engine tuned for modern hardware. On Apple Silicon it uses Metal 3 for GPU acceleration so heavy filter stacks still preview live on large images. The .afphoto format keeps layers, masks, and adjustment history, including multi-gigabyte files. Editing stays on-device, so work is offline-capable and does not require a cloud render path. Personas (Photo, Develop, Tone Mapping, Export, Liquify) split workflow stages without forcing destructive commits between them.
Ecosystem & Integrations
The Affinity ecosystem centers on compatibility with industry standards. It reads and writes PSD files with high fidelity, preserving layer structures for collaboration with Photoshop users. PDF/X support enables professional print workflows. The brush engine supports importing ABR (Photoshop brush) files. While the plugin ecosystem is smaller than Photoshop's, key third-party tools like Nik Collection and Topaz Labs plugins are supported through standard plugin architecture.
Future Development
Under Canva ownership, Affinity's roadmap emphasizes AI integration while maintaining the core free offering. Future updates are expected to bring deeper Canva ecosystem connectivity, direct publishing to Canva's template marketplace and cloud storage integration. The underlying engine continues to evolve with improved machine learning capabilities for selection, masking, and generative workflows, though the most advanced AI features will likely remain tied to Canva Pro subscriptions. Cross-platform parity remains a priority, with Windows and iPad versions receiving simultaneous feature updates. Expect Canva to keep core retouch free while expanding premium AI credits and export bridges into the wider Canva ecosystem.
Key Features
Professional RAW Processing & Develop Persona
Affinity Photo 2 has a dedicated Develop Persona for RAW work that sits in the same class as Adobe Camera Raw for everyday exposure, white balance, curves, and HSL edits with live previews. The RAW engine covers 600+ camera models and applies lens profiles for distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. Gradient and brush masks handle local fixes; the Tone Mapping Persona covers HDR-style processing on single frames or bracketed sets.
Layer-Based Non-Destructive Editing
Affinity Photo 2 is built around unlimited layers with blend modes, masks, and adjustment layers. Live Filter layers keep effects editable (depth of field, lighting, blur, distortion). Curves, levels, black-and-white, and color balance stack as adjustment layers you can mask one by one. Photoshop users will recognize the layer stack and can keep similar file hygiene without relearning the whole hierarchy.
Machine Learning Object Selection
Version 2.6 added on-device machine learning tools: Object Selection and Select Subject. They run locally on Apple Silicon (M-series) and compatible Intel Macs, so selection stays on the machine and works offline. Hair and fur still need cleanup passes, but the first selection is usually good enough to cut minutes off mask setup compared with hand-tracing.
HDR Merge, Panoramas & Focus Stacking
Affinity Photo 2 includes advanced image stitching capabilities including HDR merge for combining bracketed exposures, panorama stitching with spherical and cylindrical projection options, and focus merge for extended depth-of-field photography. The tone mapping algorithm produces natural-looking results without the exaggerated halos common in automated HDR tools. For astrophotography, dedicated astro stacking features align and composite multiple exposures to reduce noise and enhance faint celestial details.
Frequency Separation & Professional Retouching
Portrait work gets built-in frequency separation so you can edit texture and color/tone on separate layers and keep pore detail while smoothing skin. Inpainting handles content-aware fills for blemishes and stray objects. Dodge and burn, clone stamp, and healing brushes finish the kit, with pressure-sensitive tablet input for brush dynamics.
360° Image Editing & Equirectangular Projection
Unique among professional photo editors, Affinity Photo 2 offers native 360-degree image editing capabilities. Users can import equirectangular panoramas and paint, clone, or apply adjustments directly on the spherical projection. This is essential for virtual tour creators and immersive content producers who need to remove tripods, patch nadir points, or enhance sky and ground details in panoramic photography without converting to flat projections.
Who Should Use Affinity Photo 2?
1Professional Portrait Photographer
A wedding photographer imports RAW files from a weekend shoot into Affinity Photo 2's Develop Persona to batch-adjust exposure and white balance across hundreds of images. Using the frequency separation technique on key portraits, they smooth skin texture while preserving natural pore detail. The Inpainting tool removes distracting background elements, while dodge and burn layers sculpt facial lighting. The final images are exported in both high-resolution TIFF for print albums and compressed JPEG for digital delivery, all without monthly software subscription costs eating into profit margins.
2Landscape & Astrophotography Enthusiast
An astrophotographer uses the Focus Merge feature to stack multiple exposures of the Milky Way, achieving sharp star points from foreground to infinity. They employ the Tone Map persona to balance shadow detail in foreground rocks with bright sky gradients without creating artificial HDR artifacts. The panorama stitching tool combines a 180-degree sweep of the horizon, automatically correcting for lens distortion. Using the selective color adjustment with luminosity masks, they enhance the saturation of the galactic core while preserving natural sky colors, processing entirely offline during a remote camping trip.
3Graphic Designer & Content Creator
A social media content creator composites product shots for an e-commerce brand in Affinity Photo 2. Object Selection pulls products off white backgrounds; layer masks and blend modes drop them into lifestyle scenes. Live filter layers hold campaign-wide color grades that stay editable when the client asks for a tweak. 360-degree editing builds product views for web embeds, exported straight to web-optimized formats.
How to Install Affinity Photo 2 on Mac
Affinity Photo 2 is available through the Mac App Store or as a direct download. Following Canva's acquisition, the unified Affinity app (combining Photo, Designer, and Publisher) is now completely free. System requirements: macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later, with Apple Silicon M-series chips or Intel Core processors supported.
Download from Mac App Store
Open the Mac App Store and search for "Affinity" (the unified app) or "Affinity Photo 2" for the legacy version. Click "Get" or "Install", the app is completely free with no purchase required. Alternatively, download directly from affinity.studio.
Install and Launch
The app will automatically install to your Applications folder. Launch Affinity Photo 2 from Launchpad or the Applications folder. On first run, macOS may prompt you to confirm opening an app downloaded from the internet, click "Open."
Grant Permissions
Navigate to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders, then grant Affinity Photo 2 access to folders where you store images. For full functionality including machine learning features, ensure your Mac meets the system requirements (macOS 10.15+, Apple Silicon or compatible Intel).
Pro Tips
- • The new unified Affinity app (free) replaces Affinity Photo 2, Designer 2, and Publisher 2, consider migrating to access all three workflows in one interface.
- • For machine learning features (Object Selection, Select Subject), ensure you're using an Apple Silicon Mac or compatible Intel system with sufficient RAM.
- • Legacy Affinity Photo 2 license holders can continue using their version indefinitely, though transitioning to the free unified app provides the most current features.
Configuration Tips
Set Up Color Management for Print Work
Navigate to Preferences > Color to configure your ICC color profiles. For professional print workflows, enable "Convert opened files to working space" and select an appropriate CMYK profile for your print provider. This ensures color consistency from screen to final output.
Customize the Studio Panels
Affinity Photo 2's Studio panels can be arranged to match your workflow. Drag panels to create floating windows or dock them to the sides. Save your layout via Studio > Studio Presets so your preferred tool arrangement loads automatically for different project types.
Configure Keyboard Shortcuts
Import Photoshop-compatible shortcuts via Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts, or create custom bindings for frequently used tools. Assign shortcuts to personas (Develop, Photo, Tone Mapping, Export) for rapid context switching during complex editing sessions.
Alternatives to Affinity Photo 2
While Affinity Photo 2 offers exceptional value as a free professional tool, several alternatives cater to different workflows and preferences within the Mac design ecosystem.
Adobe Photoshop
Pixelmator Pro
GIMP
Capture One Pro
Pricing
Affinity Photo 2's $69.99 one-time Mac licence is obsolete for new buyers. Unified Affinity is free for professional photo, vector, and layout tools with a free Canva account. Optional AI features require Canva premium (Pro commonly ~$144/year per person in USD; Business/Enterprise also qualify). No subscription is required for non-AI retouching and compositing. Legacy v2 files open in the free app.
Pros
- ✓Full professional photo editor free under Affinity
- ✓Non-destructive RAW, live filters, and strong compositing
- ✓Native Apple Silicon speed without Creative Cloud
- ✓PSD interop good enough for most commercial handoffs
- ✓Vector and layout tools included at no extra cost
- ✓AI optional, classical retouching is not paywalled
Cons
- ✗Canva account required to activate
- ✗Generative AI needs paid Canva plan
- ✗Some Photoshop smart-object/plugin workflows do not transfer
- ✗Capture One/Lightroom still lead tethered catalog pipelines
- ✗Tutorial naming mixes Photo 2 and new Affinity UI
- ✗Plugin marketplace smaller than Adobe's
Community & Support
The free release pulled more people into Reddit (r/Affinity, r/AffinityPhoto), the official Affinity forums, and a long list of YouTube channels. Serif still publishes video tutorials and docs on its learning platform. Brushes, styles, and templates circulate as free user assets. Support is email tickets plus a community knowledge base for common workflows. Canva ownership has not emptied those channels; photographers and designers still treat Affinity as a serious Photoshop alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions about Affinity Photo 2
About the Author
Creative Software Expert
Expert Tips for Affinity Photo 2
X users still push Affinity Photo as the free Photoshop replacement post-Canva, price zero beats feature anxiety for most retouchers.
Do not confuse free Affinity with free Firefly-class generation; generative fill is the paid Canva layer.
Pilot PSD round-trips before full studio migration; fidelity is good, not magical on smart objects.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
Mac Photo Editing Software
Professional and consumer-grade photo editing tools optimized for macOS
Photoshop Alternatives
Subscription-free alternatives to Adobe's professional photo editor
RAW Photography Workflow
Tools for processing and editing RAW image files from digital cameras
Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- Canva made all-new Affinity free on 29 October 2025, combining photo, vector, and layout tools.[cite-1]
- Core Affinity photo tools are free; generative AI requires Canva premium.[cite-2, cite-3, cite-4]
- Canva Pro is commonly about $144/year per person and unlocks Affinity AI.[cite-6, cite-7, cite-8]
- Canva states Affinity content is not used to train AI.[cite-2]
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Research queries: Affinity Photo free 2026