Adobe rival Serif unleashes powerful new Affinity Photo 2 creative suite

Screenshot of new Affinity V2 creative software apps
(Image credit: Serif)

Serif has unveiled a major upgrade to its Affinity creative suite, bringing big changes to the company's best graphic design software and photo editor tools. 

Known as Affinity Version 2 - it’s a sequel, after all - the bundle features what Serif dubs “reimagined versions” of vector graphics illustrator Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher.

Alongside the overhauled desktop tools, the company is also bringing its popular DTP software to iPad.  

What’s new in Affinity V2? 

Each of the three creative apps has seen a wealth of new features and improvements. 

Affinity Designer 2 boasts non-destructive vector warps, a smart X-ray viewer, and shape-building and knife tools for true hands-on creativity. AutoCAD and DXF files can now be imported into Designer, too. 

Affinity Photo 2 introduces non-destructive RAW file processing - which will catch the eye of Adobe Lightroom users (not to mention users of Lightroom alternatives). It also offers enhanced masking tools and JPEG XL support. 

Affinity Publisher 2 features the ability to join multiple files together as separate chapters, footnotes for academics, and auto-flow tools. According to Serif, performance has also been improved for those working on more complex projects. 

Almost all features found in the desktop apps make their way to the iPad version, with only a handful of exceptions. The UI, though, has been especially designed for touch-based digital artistry. It’s led to the arrival of a radial control panel, a quick menu accessed with a three-finger swipe, and a compact mode for making the most of the limited screen real estate.

"We have worked tirelessly to not only include many of the new features our customers have been asking for, but a whole host of usability and workflow improvements to make the apps more productive than ever. We think Affinity users both old and new are going to love it," said Ashley Hewson, Managing Director of Serif.

Affinity V2 tools are available now as standalone apps for a one-off fee - handy for users looking for a subscription-free Adobe Photoshop alternative and alternatives to Adobe Illustrator. A newly launched Universal License unlocks all three apps for Windows, Mac, and iPad devices for the discounted price. 

However, Serif admitted there are no upgrade routes for existing Affinity users; they’ll have to buy Version 2 like everyone else.

Steve Clark
B2B Editor - Creative & Hardware

Steve is B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware at TechRadar Pro. He began in tech journalism reviewing photo editors and video editing software at Web User magazine, and covered technology news, features, and how-to guides. Today, he and his team of expert reviewers test out a range of creative software, hardware, and office furniture. Once upon a time, he wrote TV commercials and movie trailers. Relentless champion of the Oxford comma.

Read more
Website screenshot of CorelDRAW Coral Vector
CorelDraw gets better with AI and Cloud-assisted features
Three iPhones on a red and orange background showing the new Photoshop app
Photoshop gets its most powerful free iPhone app so far – with a mix of classic tools and Firefly AI
Serif Affinity Publisher 2 page layout and desktop publishing software in use
Best Adobe InDesign alternative of 2025: Top picks for page layout designers
CorelDraw Go homepage showing design examples
Adobe arch-rival unveils online graphic design tool for beginners - and yes, it has a subscription
GIMP 3.0 interface from the website
Our favorite free photo editor finally got the update it deserves - and these are the top 5 features designers should know about
Screenshot of graphic design software Affinity Designer 2
Best graphic design software of 2025: Top picks tested for beginners and professionals
Latest in Software & Services
TinEye website
I like this reverse image search service the most
A person in a wheelchair working at a computer.
Here’s a free way to find long lost relatives and friends
A white woman with long brown hair in a ponytail looks down at her computer in a distressed manner. She is holding her forehead with one hand and a credit card with the other
This people search finder covers all the bases, but it's not perfect
That's Them home page
Is That's Them worth it? My honest review
woman listening to computer
AWS vs Azure: choosing the right platform to maximize your company's investment
A person at a desktop computer working on spreadsheet tables.
Trello vs Jira: which project management solution is best for you?
Latest in News
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Broadcom warns of worrying security flaws affecting VMware tools
Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine in Candy Pink with coffee drinks and capsules
My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even more
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC