Affinity Photo 2
Serif Affinity Photo 2 proves that budget software doesn’t have to mean compromise. James Abbott finds out whether it offers a real alternative to the established giants
Growing challenge Affinity Photo has long been Photoshop’s main rival and this is the best version yet
Website:
affinity.serif.com
Price: £60/$70
Who would have thought that photo editing software released as a Maconly version in 2015 could take on the behemoth that is Adobe? That’s exactly what Serif has achieved with its Affinity products – Affinity Photo has undoubtedly become Adobe Photoshop’s main rival. With some revolutionary new features alongside an inexpensive perpetual license, the latest Affinity Photo 2 provides an even more compelling alternative to the market leader’s subscription-based photo editing software.
Affinity Photo 2 is pixel-based photo editing software available for Mac, Windows, and iPad, and it offers most of the functionality of Photoshop CC alongside its own unique features. The software uses a single interface split into ‘Personas’ that are used for performing specific editing tasks, such as Raw processing or image adjustments and manipulation. It is a highly capable and powerful piece of software, that’s only let down by the lack of RAW image cataloguing or some kind of image browser for viewing and managing images.