Is it worth buying affinity designer?
Affiliate Disclaimer : Artmellows.com may contain links to affiliate websites( Amazon and others), and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. For more Info check our Disclosure here.
Manny Acharya
Welcome to Art Designs & Gadgets Mellows, a Goto place for your Digital Art, Gadgets & Tech related Information, Tips, and Learnings.
If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Adobe Illustrator that’s just as functional and visually appealing, go no further than Affinity Designer.
It’s easy enough for new users to pick up and use as a learning tool, yet strong enough for small-time graphic designers working on a tight budget.
What is Affinity Designer?
Affinity Designer is a design software programme.
Affinity Designer is a vector graphics editor developed by the UK-based Serif Labs as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator.
Founded in the early 1990s, Serif is a producer of low-cost desktop publishing software for PC/Windows aimed at novices.
Despite its low price of $49.99, Affinity Designer was designed for experienced graphic designers who are used to working in a Mac environment and are therefore a better fit.
Although Affinity Designer appears to be a Photoshop/Illustrator mashup, might it be a viable solution for designers who often use both programmes?
Do long-time Adobe.com users think Affinity Designer has enough features to tempt them away? Is it more suitable for people who are just getting started, or is it more advanced?
7 Solid Reasons to switch to Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is One time Purchase
Unlike Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer doesn’t have a subscription based system. It’s a one time pay software. That is Good Is it not?
Professionals use Affinity Designer
For many years, Adobe Illustrator has been the industry standard. To put it another way, Affinity is a newcomer to the fray.
When it comes to creative professionals, Adobe is presently the most frequently used software family.
While an Affinity suite might be a big competitor to Adobe in the future. The Affinity Designer iPad App is a big-time pro for the software.
Both Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer are used by hobbyists and professionals.
Affinity Designer is a powerful program that creates great vector graphics, designing professional-level results.
This software uses two types of layers: Pixel and Image Layers.
It is possible to make changes to the pixel layers (editable). Using tools like the Paint Brush Tool and the Inpainting Brush Tool you may make changes to the raster content in these images.
Rasterized layers, processed RAW pictures, or copied image data all produce pixel layers.
Layers in an image are “immutable” (constant). They’re produced when you drag and drop pictures into the document or use File>Insert to place them.
It is unable to make changes to picture layers since they include the original image data (such as compressed JPEG information).
Using a tool like the Paint Brush Tool [B] will ‘rasterise’ an Image Layer into a PNG. You may apply non-destructive behaviours to them (adjustment/filter layers, masks, clipping layers).
Perfect for Illustrators and Graphic Designers
Illustration and graphic designers who frequently deal with vector graphics and raster pictures at the same time will find Affinity Designer to be a valuable tool.
Because of the ease with which the workspace may switch between vector and pixel modes, it is also a favourite among digital painters.
Combining the use of two personalities at the same time can result in a variety of intriguing consequences.
If you are a designer who works with customers who are constantly requesting Adobe Illustrator source files, Affinity Designer will be of little use to you in your work.
If you are able to submit PDFs of your drawings, Affinity Designer will be able to provide you with everything you want.
Affinity designer have a free trial
- 90-day free trial across Affinity’s suite (Mac and Windows versions)
- Discount price offer for users who want to purchase the full version instead of the trial (app for Mac, Windows PC, iPad)
- Get your Free trial here
Easy to use
Affinity Designer is quite easy to sue. While this application still necessitates some learning, it is far more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator.
Affinity Designer keeps things simple, which makes it easier to use and less confusing.
Adobe software is used to educate the techniques of designing whether you’ve ever attended a design school or even study graphic design online by watching tutorials.
In large part, this is due to the widespread usage of Adobe software. In addition, their usability is a plus.
Instead of being simple, Adobe Illustrator’s user interface is quite complex.
Finding your way around the programme is quite tough without the aid of training videos.
Affinity Designer is no different. The user interface, on the other hand, is far more straightforward than in Illustrator.
Most likely due to the absence of several of Illustrator’s more complex tools, such as the mesh tool, blend tool, knife tool, and a wide range of filters and effects available.
They’ll be included in the next revisions. However, they are purely optional items that you may go without.
Compatible with both Mac and Windows
Affinity Designer is quite easy to sue. While this application still necessitates some learning, it is far more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator.
Affinity Designer keeps things simple, which makes it easier to use and less confusing.
Sub-Brushes are an Affinity software feature.
This lets you layer various brushes on top of one other and apply them with each brush stroke.
Each sub-brush may be fully customised with its own detailed parameters and dynamics.
For example, in Architectural Visualization, bitmap brushes can be randomly strewn (for example, for trees and vegetation) or sophisticated stacking of brushes can be used for raster painting and masking.
Learning Curve is quite simple
If you’re new to vector drawings, Affinity Designer can help you get started. Most people have no idea what vector drawing is, but if you follow instructions, you’ll have it down pat in no time.
What's the difference between Affinity Photo & Affinity Designer
Both Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo operate with both raster and vector graphics, so it’s important to know the differences between the two.
However, the programme you use will solely be determined by your specific demands and requirements.
They’re both made by the same person and may be found on the same company’s website.
Affinity Designer is a simple graphics editor that works on several operating systems.
There are no limitations to what you can do with this application because it was created with professionals in mind.
Affinity Designer is compatible with today’s cutting-edge computer hardware and software. It’s quick and adaptable, so even the most demanding users will be satisfied.
Raster graphics may be used with Affinity Photo. It’s compatible with iOS, macOS, and Windows PCs alike. I
It has a lot of cool features, but it needs high-end processing power to run well. For artistic tasks, you may use it as a full-featured picture editor.
Resources:
Check out the Comprehensive List of Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:
Is affinity like Photoshop or Illustrator?
Affinity Designer has many more file formats supported than Illustrator.
Particularly due to the fact that Affinity Photo and Designer share a file format. As a result, the same file may be edited and customised with ease on both programmes.
The software also supports Adobe Illustrator AI and Photoshop PSD file types, in addition to all the others.
Another useful tool in Affinity Designer is called Personas. So you can go back and forth between vector and pixel drawings….
You’re into simultaneously working on forms and images? Imagine having Photoshop and Illustrator all in one spot.
Illustrator, of course, accepts and opens a wide range of file formats. Having to work on the same project in Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time might be inconvenient.
What does Affinity designer do?
First available on Macs in 2014, Affinity Designer made its way to Windows in 2016 as a more powerful alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It took a lot of guts to go up against an industry giant like Adobe, which has been there for decades. Affinity found a way to make it happen.
If you’re into vector graphics design, Affinity Designer has everything you’ll ever need. The quality of the software is one of the reasons it has become so popular, not only because it is free (there are even free Illustrator competitors).
There are motion features included in Affinity Designer that allow for smooth 3D element changes even if you aren’t using Photoshop.
More than 2021 pre-loaded visuals are included, including backgrounds and icons.
There are also helpful libraries of common vector drawings included with it.
Furthermore, the software’s user interface is quite simple to use. Features of Affinity Designer:
Features of the Affinity Designer:
- Astonishingly affordable
- There are several tools available.
- Depth of expertise in terms of features
- advanced layering techniques
- A massive number of plugins
- Organize your workflow with the help of the robust Personas tool. Designer (Vector-based design), Pixel (Raster-based design), and Export are the three personalities (For exporting your project.).
- A zoom of over 1,000,000 per cent is available in Affinity Designer. The software is very accurate because of the precise zoom.
- Three times as quick as Illustrator in Adobe Photoshop. 60-frame-per-second pan and zoom capability.
- Create numerous art boards in a single document, which is ideal for projects that span multiple pages.
- Affinity Designer is available for iPad in a powerful version.
- Captures and stores a history of every modification you make.
- Contains gradients, alterations, and effects that are updated in real-time. Curve adjustments and transformations may be previewed in real-time as you make them in the application.
- Capable of organising through the use of layers and colour coding.
- CMYK and RGB colour modes let you create for both screen and print, making it a versatile tool.
- Raster and vector graphics can both be created inside the same project. This two-way editing option is a lifesaver and far superior to Adobe Illustrator’s equivalent. If you want to produce in raster, you’d normally have to do so in a different application. Affinity seamlessly transitions from one mode to another using layering methods and Personas.
Do you want to develop web page layouts, logos and other visual items, but you don’t know where to start?
Comparing Affinity Designer vs CorelDraw is a great way to see which programme offers the greatest value for your money.
With Affinity Designer, graphic illustrators, designers, and experts may create graphics from scratch using a huge library of templates and filters that are already integrated into the software.
CorelDraw is a well-known vector-graphics editor. Drawing and editing capabilities are both included in CorelDraw, which makes it stand out from the competition.
It is compatible with the most widely used CAD formats, such as AutoCAD, EPS, and MS-DOS.
Resources:
Check out the Comprehensive List of Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:
Final Thoughts
With this powerful picture editing programme you can mix, rotate, and alter photos to create works of art that are untouchable.
It has an easy-to-use snap-to-work method, a wide range of effects and tools, and a handy drag-and-drop function. Despite the fact that it has over 120 colour schemes, there are just a few palette options.
Design professionals that use an Affinity Designer have the ability to modify and combine shapes, change colours, and even add text while working.
Graphic design tasks involving images or graphics can take use of this program’s wide range of compatibility with a wide variety of file types.
Resources:
Check out the Comprehensive List of Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:
