one of the best creative suites for Mac and iPad

The Affinity suite has received its share of new features with the arrival of its Version 2. New features that make this suite of photo editing and graphics applications one of the best alternatives for creative work both on our Mac and on our iPad. A most interesting update that we were able to test in depth and which represents a more than interesting evolution.

And that’s where we started from the observation that the first version of the Affinity suite, made up of Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher and Affinity Designer, was already a reference. In fact, a few weeks ago I told you why I use Affinity Photo as my editing app and how not having subscriptions and targeting Apple environments is just the beginning of the story. Now with V2 already available we have even more reason to consider Affinity in our creative endeavors.

A single, subscription-free payment suite, more purchasing options, and exciting new features on iPad

Before we get started, let’s quickly review what happened with the update and what new features were introduced. First we must remember that if at the time we buy any of the Affinity applications, both in its Mac and iPad versions we can continue to enjoy it indefinitely. This is something very important because they are one-time payment applications.

This same one-time payment is still present in V2, although you have to pay per box again to take advantage of all the new features. The system that Seriff has provided for distributing apps is the smartest. We download apps directly from the App Store on Mac and iPad and, once inside, we have the option of purchasing the license directly from the Seriff store or through the App Store.

So, after passing the 30 days of free trial, we can get the apps in the way that suits us best. If we choose Seriff, simply by logging in with our account we will have access to the application. Affinity, therefore, it’s still a one-time payment suite, not a subscription.

We can choose to buy each of the six apps individually (counting the Mac and iPad versions) or get one universal license that allows us to enjoy the whole suite on all the devices we have. A very attractive option which also comes with a 40% discount at launch.

The other big new thing about this update is that although until now we only had Photo and Designer on the iPad and we left Publisher only for the Mac, now the layout app is also coming to the iPad. This means that we can work on our photo editing (Photo), vector design (Designer) or layout (Editor) projects wherever we are.

Improve performance and feature excellence

Given the news of the strategy and the update, let’s talk about the apps themselves. Let’s start with the redesign, a common factor in all of them, before talking about the specifics of the different parts of the suite. A design that has changed little enough to continue to be found on its site, and that has changed enough to make a difference in how we use apps.

Affinity interfaces have always been characterized by their cleanliness and the use of a design language very close to that offered natively by the Mac. In addition to the top toolbar and the contextual toolbar, just below we find the toolbar on the left and the palettes on the right.

In version 2 of the sequel the design becomes more refined. Complexity is eliminated in some icons and a more marked color is provided which helps us to quickly differentiate the tools. The whole interface is more sober and we see it in details like the points to modify the visibility of the cameras or in the color picker.

Dialogs have redistributed many options, moving what we use most to the top of the windows or giving it more importance. In a few days of use, I must say that more can be done more easily. And this is something that has a lot of merit, since evolving a tool by providing it with more functions can easily be synonymous with eternal menus and very complicated options, the complete opposite of what Affinity achieves in its entire suite. .

Where the most noticeable changes are in the iPad versions, which now include a new quick menu to access the clipboard and nine customizable operations, command control, to assimilate office workflow and more. We found a compact mode for the palettes and a new context bar, while there are new sliders for some attributes of brushes and similar tools.

We must also talk about performance, since there is a clear difference. If the previous version was already working very well on Apple’s silicon, this one hits the mark. It shows in the small details. It may take us the same 5 or 10 seconds as before to export our super drawing with thousands of layers to DWG, but to drag a snap and be able to move it instantly, to see how a vector updates in real time or to apply effects and corrections on the photos we will notice a much greater fluidity. Which, at least in my opinion, is essential, not only for greater productivity, but also because micro delays in regular tasks are really annoying when it comes to work.

Many more tools, more options than ever before

Getting into the details, let’s start with Affinity Designer, which now allows us to warp vectors non-destructively to apply on texts or illustrations. We can also add and subtract shapes to generate new lines or use the knife tool to quickly cut any shape or curved text.

For architectural projects that are close to my heart, as well as engineering projects, we can now measure lengths and areas of objects. You can also see the X-ray effect, which allows you to see the composition of an element and also to import DXF and DWG files, computer design standards.

On Affinity Photo now RAW development becomes non-destructive, so we can always go back and edit the revelation embedded in the file or linked externally. We can apply masks in real time, for example by creating a mask based on a specific color, a mask that focuses on the edges of the image or a mask based on brightness. Masks, moreover, can be combined non-destructively to create our compositions.

The ace mesh deformations are now non-destructive, with which we can make changes later without having to duplicate layers and manually manage the history of changes. Finally, we find a new brush engine that gives us more options in terms of distance control, tip interpolation and significantly improves performance and precision.

In Publisher we can now combine separate documents into chapters to create a single publication. To do this, we will automatically synchronize page numbers, tables of contents, indexes and styles throughout the document. A fundamental resource for collaborative layout. The tools for notes in the margin or at the bottom have improved, and the possibility of creating a single drawing that automatically repeats throughout the document until all the images we want have been placed. In the assembly, we can also modify the visibility of the layers of the linked files, directly in our document.

As we started by saying, a most powerful suite, with truly amazing performance, with thousands of options and at a single price, without a subscription. A great alternative to more well-known tools like Photoshop and which now gives us more reason to continue enjoy all the creative work in one place, even if we work from different devices.