Affinity Photo 1.8 review

Affinity Photo 1.8 is a free update for existing users, but is it enough to challenge the dominance of Photoshop?

Affinity Photo 1.8 review
(Image: © James Abbott)

Digital Camera World Verdict

Affinity Photo offers professional-level image editing capabilities at a lower cost than even Photoshop Elements, which is Adobe’s only editing photo software with a perpetual licence. With the ability to perform all the editing tasks you could ever need to, as well as simplified processes for achieving advanced editing tasks such as HDR and frequency separation retouching, it’s definitely worth testing with the free trial.

Pros

  • +

    Cost-effective perpetual licence

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    Non-destructive Live Filters

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    As feature-packed as Photoshop

Cons

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    Some features can be complicated

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    Saving and exporting have quirks

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    No image cataloguing

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Affinity Photo has a sense of David and Goliath about it. On the one side, you have the industry standard and market leader Adobe Photoshop, and on the other there’s a handful of smaller companies providing alternative editing software that has the potential to unsettle Adobe’s dominance. Affinity Photo 1.8 is certainly one editing programme that has the potential to take on the Goliath that is Photoshop.

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James Abbott

James Abbott is a landscape and portrait photographer based in Cambridge. He’s also an experienced photography journalist specializing in camera skills and Photoshop techniques. He is also a CAA-approved drone pilot and professional aerial photographer.