Why I Ditched Adobe and Chose Affinity
As a surface designer, Adobe Photoshop (Ps) had been my go-to photo software for my entire career.
Everything I could have possibly wanted to do - from simple cleanups of my painted designs to full scale repeat patterns - were done in Ps.
I started way back when Adobe still offered hard discs working my way up through their subscription plan just a few months ago.
I was a loyal customer, always paid on time, and often participated in their Beta programs to help work out tech bugs before official releases.
Imagine my surprise when I was notified - NOT via Adobe communication but through a friend - that Adobe was preparing to DOUBLE the price of the package I had been using for the last 5 years.
Twenty dollars up from the 10 I was paying may not seem like a huge deal, but if you multiply that by 12 for a year ($240 yr) and by at least 5 (provided they did not raise it again in that time) and it brings you out to a whopping $1200 before taxes!
All for the simple photography package!
Enter Affinity
I had heard that many others were jumping the Adobe ship and moving to the Affinity suite, which is the premier rival of Adobe products at the time of writing this.
So obviously, I needed to take a close look.
Affinity offers three different programs, each of which corresponds to an Adobe main product:
Affinty Photo = Photoshop
Affinty Designer = Illustrator
Affinty Publisher = Adobe InDesign
Each is available for individual download, a free 7 day full feature trial, and if you purchase it is a ONE time fee…no subscription model (a HUGE plus for many!)
Below is a screenshot of Affinity’s current prices as of 3/12/25 (and nope, no affiliate link as they do not have a referral program set up right now).
Screenshot from Affinity’s purchase page
Notice that the price of the ENTIRE suite is LESS THAN one year of the basic Photoshop Photography Bundle I was paying for with Adobe’s latest increase! And they offer a 14 day satisfaction guarantee or 100% back, no questions asked.
Too Good to Be True?
With a free week trial up front and a 14 day money back if I wasn’t happy, I took the plunge, watch every YouTube tutorial I could find and set to work giving both Affinity Photo and Affinty Designer a whirl.
I will say there IS a learning curve however, many of the same hotkeys from Photoshop (Ps) work in Affinty Photo for the matching or near-matching tools.
I am able to cleanup and edit my traditional watercolor work in much the same way as I did in Ps.
Repeat patterns are a whole ‘nother process - very different from just using Ps’s Pattern Preview tool, but once you get the hang of it, it does speed right along (watch for a future tutorial here on the blog!)
The ONE and only complaint I have right now is that you can only “save” as an affinity file which cannot be opened or used outside of affinity products.
For all other file types: JPG, PNG, PSD (YES! you can export as a PSD file without complications!), Tiff, etc - you must EXPORT and choose your format in the dialog box. It’s just one extra step, really. Nothing complicated, but still it would be great if these formats would be available through a simple save option.
So Tell Me…
Have I piqued your interest?
Have you already checked out the Affinity suite but were overwhelmed with trying something new?
Or, have you taken the plunge like me and are loving it?
Let me know in the comments below!
Also…if there is a specific tutorial you’d like me to create on using either Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer as a traditional art in surface design…let me know!
Don’t feel you are locked into the Adobe machine for life.
Slowly new reivals will vie for their coveted title of photo editing King…Affinity just might take the lead some day….