Affinity is a creative application that combines vector design, pixel-level photo editing, and page layout in a single document, letting designers move between drawing, retouching, and typesetting without exporting files between separate programs.
Affinity is a creative application that keeps vector drawing, pixel editing, and page layout inside one document, so a project does not have to be exported from a design tool into a different program for retouching or typesetting. Work is built on layers, and the studios for each discipline sit in the same workspace, which means artwork can be drawn, masked, colour graded, and placed onto a page without switching applications. Edits are non-destructive, stacking as adjustable steps that can be reordered or removed at any point. Files save in Affinity's own format, and common industry formats open with layers and structure intact, so existing projects keep working.
Feeding work in and out matters as much as the tools inside. Documents from other design and illustration programs can be brought in with their layers, text styles, and structure preserved, which makes Affinity practical for teams that receive files from clients or collaborators. Finished artwork can be exported to common image, print, and web formats, or handed to online collaboration tools so colleagues can review and continue the work elsewhere. A supporting AI studio adds generative and editing options when it is available. Large documents with thousands of layers stay responsive, and asset libraries and packs collected beforehand are easy to keep organised with a download utility such as Free Download Manager.
The practical benefit of Affinity is that three jobs which normally need three applications collapse into one, and the saving is paid in fewer wasted steps: no intermediate exports, no re-importing a design to retouch a placed photograph, no rebuilding a layout because a logo changed. Non-destructive editing means a wrong decision becomes a step in the layer stack rather than a lost afternoon, and the saved undo history lets a document be rewound in detail even after export. Performance matters for the same reason: page layouts with heavy imagery and illustration work with thousands of objects stay workable, so time goes into the design instead of into waiting for the canvas to redraw. Because Affinity keeps work in its own file format while reading common industry formats, files can be exchanged with clients and collaborators without forcing everyone onto the same tool.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Vector Studio covers graphic design, illustration, and logo work with a pen tool, node editing, boolean operations, precise measurement guides, and corner controls. Artwork stays resolution independent, so a logo can be scaled from a business card to a billboard without redrawing or losing edge quality.
Pixel Studio handles photo editing with layers, masks, adjustment stacks, live filters, and retouching tools, along with RAW development and composite work. Because it shares the document with the vector tools, a photograph can be retouched and placed into a design without leaving the application.
Layout tools provide pages, master pages, facing spreads, text frames, and flowing text for brochures, magazines, and books. Typography support includes paragraph and character styles, OpenType features, and text on a path, which keeps long documents consistent as they grow.
Everything is saved in Affinity's own document format, which holds vector, pixel, and layout content together with the full edit history. A single file can therefore contain a poster's illustration, its retouched photography, and its page setup, instead of three files that must be kept in sync.
Adjustments, filters, and effects are stacked as layers rather than baked into the image, so each step can be reordered, muted, or deleted at any time. Undo history is saved with the document, which means work can be rewound after an export or a reopening.
Files from common design, illustration, and desktop publishing applications open with layers, text styles, and structure preserved, and finished work exports to standard image, print, and web formats. That keeps the application usable in mixed-tool studios where colleagues work in other software.
The rendering engine is built for demanding documents, keeping extremely large layer counts and very deep zoom levels responsive during editing. For illustrators and layout designers, that means less waiting on the canvas and more time spent making decisions about the work itself.
Finished assets can be exported to online collaboration platforms for shared review and campaign work, an optional AI studio adds generative and editing assistance inside the application, and designs can be passed to motion tools for animation. Plugins and asset packs extend brushes, styles, and templates further.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Affinity.
It is a creative application for graphic design, digital illustration, photo editing, and page layout. Designers use it for logos, posters, packaging, retouching, and multi-page documents, moving between vector, pixel, and layout tools inside one file.
For most professional work it does. Vector drawing, pixel-level retouching, and page layout share one document and one interface, so there is no need to export a design into a photo editor or rebuild a layout after an edit has been made elsewhere.
Yes. Documents created in common design, illustration, and desktop publishing applications open with their layers, text styles, and structure intact, and finished work can be exported to standard image, print, and web formats for handoff to colleagues.
Yes. Adjustments, live filters, and effects are stored as layers that can be reordered, muted, or removed at any time, and the undo history is saved with the document, so earlier states remain reachable after an export or when the file is reopened.
Yes. Pages, master pages, facing spreads, text frames, and flowing text are supported, along with paragraph and character styles, OpenType features, and text on a path, so brochures, magazines, and books can be produced in the same document as their artwork.
An AI studio provides generative images and editing assistance, and it is available when the connected plan supports it. The core vector, pixel, and layout toolsets work independently of it, so the AI options are an addition rather than a requirement for everyday work.
Yes. Documents with very large numbers of layers and extreme zoom levels remain responsive, which matters for detailed illustration and image-heavy page layouts. Reusable styles, asset libraries, and linked resources also help keep big projects organised.
Affinity is a creative application that combines vector design, pixel-level photo editing, and page layout in a single document, letting designers move between drawing, retouching, and typesetting without exporting files between separate programs.
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