Everything that surrounds photo editing at the moment is something that is within the reach of the vast majority of users. For this, we can use a good number of software solutions that help us, such as Affinity Photo .
We can find programs of all kinds for these tasks that we discuss, some paid, others free . At the same time, there are applications in this same sector that are very complete, while others focus on simplicity of use. The fact of opting for one title or another will largely depend on the needs of each one. Along these same lines, we want to talk about a proposal that has been around for a good number of years and that has earned the trust of many.
Specifically, we refer to the solution called Affinity Photo, a commercial software that we can find installed on the computers of many around the world. It is worth mentioning that a few years ago this was one of the most popular programs in the Apple Mac world for photo editing tasks. After this success, its developers made the decision to launch a version for Microsoft‘s Windows system. In this way, what was achieved was to reach a much larger number of users.
What kind of users can use Affinity Photo
Well, as we mentioned when talking about Affinity Photo, we are actually talking about an application for photographic editing, as its name allows us to glimpse. It is worth mentioning that the program stands out for offering a good number of options that we can access for these tasks. It also offers us a fairly intuitive user interface that is suitable for everyone. With this, what we want to tell you is that Affinity Photo can be very useful for experts in the sector, as well as for those who are just starting out on these topics.
At this point we will tell you that the program supports multiple languages , including Spanish, which makes things much easier. At the same time we will say that due to the functions offered here, it can be said that we are facing a serious alternative to the well-known Adobe Photoshop, or GIMP. This is a program used by both novice and professional photographers and retouchers.
Get the most out of the user interface
In fact, those who have used Adobe’s approach will quickly notice that Affinity Photo’s user interface is very similar to Photoshop’s . We found many of similar functions in both products and even several commands and functions practically the same. We can affirm that several of the tools that we find here will be very familiar to users of other retouching alternatives.
Thus, the first thing we see when loading the program as such in its interface , is that the usual tools for this type of application are located on the left. They will help us with some of the most basic adjustments in these tasks. We find shortcuts to zoom, a brush for the mask, an eraser, the classic cropping tool, another for the white balance, etc.
On the other hand, to the right of the main window, at the top we see a series of tabs with information about the loaded image. Among these we highlight the Histogram, the color, the available brushes, etc. In turn, below these, we see another section equally separated into tabs for layers , effects , styles or image settings.
Get started with Affinity Photo
As we mentioned before, this is a valid application for all types of users, both advanced and novice. We have already mentioned that on the left side we find several common tools in these programs. On the other hand, to carry out the most common adjustments in the photos, we can go to the Settings tab on the right side. Here we find elements such as exposure, white balance, shadows, highlights, output profile , a gradient map, etc.
How could it be otherwise, this is a program that also supports working with layers, something very common in these times. The work with them is carried out from the tab with the same name, Layers. In addition, in order to greatly facilitate everything related to retouching as such, next to this we see another Effects tab with a good amount of these elements.
Other important functions for photo retouching
This is a photo retouching solution that will delight most who require a retouching program suitable for all levels . In addition to the commented tools, at the top of the main interface, we find a series of menus that give us access to the rest of its functionalities.
Thus, we find a wide range of filters from the menu option with the same name, or another section dedicated to working with texts. Here we find a multitude of functions related to this element that we usually also add to the treated photos.
How to download the Affinity Photo program
If you want to try this program first-hand, say that it is not a free solution , but we do have a trial version valid for 90 days. We can access it from this link . Once that period of time has passed, if we decide to buy the program, we will have to pay a total of 54.99 euros. This for the macOS and Windows versions. On the other hand we have a version for iPad that has a price of 21.99 euros.
Other alternatives to Affinity Photo
Photoshop Elements
In this case, we will talk about a program for editing photos that is simpler and faster than its older brother. Therefore Photoshop Elements has been designed to make it easier for users to create and edit photos, as well as to help us organize these specific content. It has a large number of tools for this that are quite intuitive. We can achieve all this by accessing this link .
Paint.NET
We can also make use of one of the best known proposals in this sense, such as Paint.net. Many consider this photo editor to be the middle ground between Windows Paint and Photoshop. It has a very simple and intuitive user interface that helps us to carry out any type of retouching or editing of our photos. You can download it for free from here .
