Affinity 2.2 – This is new in Photo, Designer and Publisher

The update to version 2.2 of the Affinity Apps was released in September, but I was dealing with other topics (new Apple devices, iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, etc.) busy. Now Serif's PR agency has asked whether we would like to introduce Affinity Photo 2.2, Affinity Designer 2.2 and Affinity Publisher 2.2. And I'm happy to do that, because I've been using Affinity Photo since at least 2017. With the release of version 2.0 last year, I bought the complete package of three apps for Mac and PC.

This is new in Affinity apps version 2.2

Version 2.2 of the Affinity apps for Mac, iPad and Windows PC was released in September 2023. The update follows the release of version 2.0 in November 2022 and the update to version 2.1 in May 2023. Both already brought numerous innovations, improvements and options for working across apps. The official overview can be found with this link. Here are a few highlights of the latest update:

• cross references: Affinity Publisher now offers the ability to insert linked cross-references from one part of a document to another, e.g. B. “More on the topic can be found on page xyz”.
• Self-definable text variables: You can now also set self-definable text variables as fields in Affinity Publisher. This makes it possible to insert new fields and assign any values ​​to them. For example, once information such as pricing or a product's name is known, the values ​​in these fields can be updated and each instance of the value is adjusted throughout the document.
• Long press shortcuts for tools: Holding down a tool key (combination) now temporarily activates the respective tool until the key is released again. Then the selection automatically switches back to the previous tool. For example, when using the Brush tool, you can hold down E to switch to the eraser, then release the key to continue using the Brush tool.
• Grayscale and Hide Effects view modes: In Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher you can now switch to the corresponding view to hide all layer effects or switch to grayscale. Hiding layer effects is particularly useful for creating very complex designs with thousands of layers and effects while still being able to see the source material at all times. In addition, turning off the effects improves the performance of the program when the effects are not important.
• Support for OCIO v2: Particularly for VFX, film and 3D artists, Affinity Photo 2.2 offers support for OCIO v2. Configuration files including the extended features of OCIO v2 can now be used.
• New options for entering values: In any shape, frame, or artboard tool, you can now CTRL+click (Windows) or Command+click (macOS) to open a dialog to manually specify the size and other properties of the object being created. Similarly, pressing Return or Enter in the Move tool opens a new dialog that allows you to specify the precise distance over which the current selection should be moved.

Test Affinity apps for free and buy them with a one-off payment

In the overview linked above that Serif provides on the Affinity website, you will find many other small and large changes that were implemented in the apps with versions 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. You can get the programs, which are a good alternative to the Adobe apps Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, for a one-off price of €74,99 (macOS and Windows) or €19,99 (iPadOS). The universal license, with which you can use all three apps on all three systems, only costs €179,99 – a one-off fee; there is no subscription. Testing the apps is free.

Johannes Domke

[On vacation] After graduating from high school, Johannes completed training as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which led to his independence. He has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others, for several years now. His articles include product introductions, news, instructions, video games, consoles and much more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.