Canva announced that Affinity, the formerly separate applications Designer, Photo and Publisher, have been relaunched as a unified suite under Canva’s banner. The new version is positioned for professional design workflows while complementing Canva’s existing platform.

The updated Affinity is described as “free forever”, with no base subscription required. It launches for Windows and macOS, with an iPad version planned. It introduces a universal file type across design, photo and layout workflows, as well as built-in export and integration with Canva’s broader ecosystem. For production artists, this means one tool potentially covering illustration, retouching and layout tasks rather than maintaining three independent programs.

Pricing and licence model

Affinity’s previous one-time-purchase model has been replaced with a free-tier structure. The base app is free to download and use indefinitely, but certain advanced tools, primarily those involving AI, such as image generation, cleanup and smart-fill, require a Canva Premium subscription. The “free forever” offer therefore coexists with a paid layer, effectively turning Affinity into a freemium product.

Existing perpetual licences remain functional “for now”, but Canva has not published long-term support or compatibility timelines for those legacy versions. Older V2 editions have been withdrawn from sale.

Strategic rationale

Canva acquired Serif and the Affinity suite in early 2024, bringing roughly three million professional users into its ecosystem. The move gave Canva an entry point into the professional creative software market, where subscription-based incumbents like Adobe dominate.

With this relaunch, Canva appears to be positioning Affinity as both a professional-grade offering and a bridge between traditional desktop software and Canva’s web-based design platform. The strategy signals an attempt to make professional workflows part of Canva’s larger “creative operating system,” unifying its consumer and professional user bases.

Considerations for production use

While the “free forever” headline is attractive, Canva’s AI features remain deeply embedded in the new workflow. Many of these tools, including automatic cleanup, are gated behind Canva Premium accounts. This will require hands-on testing over time to determine whether they justify the eventual cost of subscription access.

The real test will be how easily Affinity can be configured for use inside pipelines. Questions remain about how long it will take to adapt the new unified app to established workflows, whether automation and scripting capabilities have changed, and how stable the new file system proves when used in multi-artist setups. Pipelines that rely on established asset management and render paths may require reconfiguration to integrate the new Affinity properly. The effort might be worthwhile if Canva maintains long-term product continuity, but that remains to be seen.

Integration with Canva’s cloud storage is another factor. The degree of flexibility when connecting to existing storage solutions, such as NAS or enterprise cloud systems (Dropbox, Google Drive, or on-prem servers), has not been fully detailed. Production teams will need to verify whether the new cloud hooks can coexist with external asset storage or whether data remains locked inside Canva’s ecosystem.

Despite these uncertainties, the relaunch is broadly good news for artists and small studios. A unified toolset with no upfront cost lowers the barrier to entry and provides an accessible alternative to subscription-only competitors. The performance and stability of the new app will ultimately determine whether it can find a lasting place in production environments.

Bottom line

The most striking structural change is that Affinity’s three separate apps for vector graphics, raster work and layout (Designer, Photo and Publisher)have been collapsed into a single executable. For artists used to bouncing between Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign (or, in our case at Digital Production, between Photoshop and InDesign several times per day and it feels like a thousand times a day), the prospect of handling illustration, image correction and page layout within one coherent workspace is admittedly tempting. If the combined app maintains the responsiveness that made the original Affinity trio popular, this could simplify day-to-day asset handling considerably.

Studios should test the software thoroughly before deployment, evaluate integration with their existing storage and pipeline systems, and monitor how Canva handles support for legacy perpetual versions. The promise of a free, professional toolset is welcome, provided it stays usable, open and supported long enough to justify the switch.

The post Affinity: free all-in-one design suite first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

On April 16th, Logitech released a software update for the MX Creative Console, expanding its creative reach with native support for Final Cut Pro and Adobe Lightroom, and adding new plugins for DaVinci Resolve, Figma, and Affinity Photo. These additions drop into the Logi Marketplace and extend what was already a beefy toolset for digital artists.

Resolve, Final Cut & Affinity Join the Party

Each new plugin comes with pre-configured profiles, customizable tools, and a generous set of workflow-enhancing shortcuts. This means fewer repetitive tasks, faster access to core functions, and—if Logitech’s pitch is to be believed—more time to focus on the actual work instead of chasing menu commands.

The update is designed for anyone working in image editing, video production, or graphic design. With Resolve and Affinity Photo, Logitech covers two additional heavyweight apps that had previously been left out in the cold. They now sit alongside the existing plugin suite, which already includes Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, Audition, and Capture One—Mac users only, for now.

Profiles, Presets, Power Tools

If you’ve used the MX Creative Console before, you know what to expect: a tactile, modular hardware surface aimed at cutting down on keyboard gymnastics. Each plugin update drops in prebuilt toolsets tailored to the app, but everything remains adjustable, so you can remap buttons, dials, and sliders to fit your workflow. The plugins are built with the idea of workflow acceleration in mind—think macros, contextual shortcuts, and settings banks for creative tasks like grading, compositing, and layout.

Availability and Pricing

The plugins are available now via the Logi Marketplace. Pricing for the hardware remains unchanged—see the MX Creative Console product page for full specs and regional availability. Plugin updates are included as part of the ongoing console support.

So: buttons pressed, workflows saved, artists mildly less grumpy. Logitech’s creative ecosystem might not be revolutionary, but it’s certainly evolving.

The post Logitech MX Creative Console: New Tricks for Old Hands first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Serif’s latest update to the Affinity suite—version 2.6—has arrived, bringing a host of new features designed to make your creative process smoother than a freshly rendered CGI scene. This free update is available to all current V2 users and covers Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher. If you own the complete package, remember to update each app individually to enjoy the full spectrum of enhancements.

Affinity 2.6: Smarter Selections, Sharper Workflow

Serif’s Affinity 2.6 update brings machine learning-powered selection tools, an upgraded RAW engine, and workflow refinements across Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher. The ML Object Selection Tool intelligently detects objects, handles multi-part selections, and allows fine-tuned edge matting, working on both image and RAW layers. The ML Select Subject feature automatically isolates primary subjects and can be recorded as a macro for batch workflows. These machine learning tools require Apple silicon (Mac/iPad) or x64/ARM64 architecture (Windows) with updated OS requirements.

Affinity Photo benefits from an updated SerifLabs RAW engine, adding support for new cameras like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Fujifilm GFX 100S II, Nikon Z 6 III, and Sony ZV-E10 II. Image and RAW layer handling has been improved: Merge Down and Inpainting now apply automatically, while pixel selections can be rasterized, masked, or duplicated with better control. The Flood Select, Marquee, and Freehand selection tools now use Shift to add and Alt to subtract, with anti-aliasing enabled by default. Other refinements include a Live Perspective filter shortcut (⌘/Ctrl + T), a centre-drawn Rectangular Marquee Tool, and better Colour Picker integration.

Affinity Designer and Publisher also receive practical upgrades. The Brush Panel now supports category-based search, making brush selection faster. Right-click options in the Layers Panel add Clear Mask and Fill Mask functions (desktop only), while the Inpainting and Patch tools remember previously used target layers. Multi-page spreads and page management tools in Publisher refine document layout workflows.

Affinity 2.6 is a free update for current V2 users, and the full suite remains available for a one-time purchase of $164.99. With these new AI-driven tools and usability refinements, production artists gain greater control and efficiency—but, as always, testing before deployment in critical projects is advised.

A Nod to Education and Nonprofits

In a move that would make anybody smile, Serif offers the entire Affinity suite free to eligible nonprofits and K-12 educators. This initiative aims to equip the next generation of creatives with professional-grade tools without breaking the bank.

Final Take

While these new features promise to enhance your workflow, it’s wise to test them thoroughly before integrating them into critical projects. After all, even the most advanced tools need a shakedown before the main shoot.

The post Affinity 2.6: Machine Learning Tools to the Rescue first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.