Serif Affinity Designer vs. Serif Affinity Photo - Comparison

Choosing between Serif Affinity Designer and Serif Affinity Photo was historically a decision between vector precision and raster editing, but the landscape changed dramatically with the late 2025 unification under Canva. While these professional tools are now integrated into a single cohesive platform on Windows 10 and Windows 11, understanding the distinct capabilities of the Designer (vector) and Photo (pixel) personas remains essential for creators. Designer focuses on scalable lines, curves, and typography perfect for logos, while Photo provides a pixel-level darkroom environment for retouching and compositing.

• Vector vs. Pixel Personas: Affinity Designer utilizes mathematical paths for infinite scalability, whereas Affinity Photo relies on a raster engine for detailed manipulation of individual pixels and photographic textures.
• Non-Destructive RAW Development: The Photo workspace includes a dedicated Develop Persona that processes RAW files with granular control over exposure and white balance without altering the original data.
• Advanced Typography & Grids: Designer offers sophisticated text controls, including text-on-path and OpenType support, paired with isometric grids and constraints for precise UI and layout work.
• Live Liquify & Retouching: Affinity Photo excels in image manipulation with a dedicated Liquify Persona for reshaping distortions and frequency separation tools for high-end skin retouching.
• Shape Builder & Knife Tools: Exclusive to the Designer toolset, these features allow users to combine objects or slice through vector shapes interactively for complex geometric illustrations.
• Unified StudioLink Workflow: Users can instantly switch between Designer's vector tools and Photo's raster brushes within the same interface, eliminating the need to export files between applications.

Affinity Designer is the primary choice for illustrators, brand designers, and UI artists who require clean, scalable graphics for logos and print materials. In contrast, Affinity Photo serves photographers and digital artists who need to correct lighting, remove unwanted objects, or create complex multi-layer composites from existing imagery.

With the core features now accessible in a unified environment, the distinction lies in your primary medium—lines and geometry for Designer, or light and texture for Photo—allowing you to leverage the strengths of both for a complete design workflow.