Affinity Photo 1.8 brings Nik Collection compatibility and more

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Affinity’s low-cost Photoshop alternative gets useful extra features and is a free update for existing users

Affinity Photo 1.8
(Image credit: Affinity)

Affinity has updated its trio of professional creative applications, with Affinity Publisher 1.8, Affinity Designer 1.8 and the product of most interest to photographers, Affinity Photo 1.8.

Read more: Affinity Photo 1.8 review

Affinity Photo 1.8 brings some key compatibility updates, notably improved support for the native Photoshop PSD file format and the ability to work with PDS smart objects, maintaining full resolution and editability.

And thanks to a collaboration between Affinity and DxO software, Affinity Photo 1.8 is now fully compatible with the DxO Nik Collection 2.5 plug-in suite, just updated.

Affinity Photo can be used independently as a powerful Photoshop alternative sold for a single low-cost fee rather than as an ongoing subscription. It's already one of the best photo editing software applications you can get, and this latest version makes it easier to use it alongside other programs. 

Read more: Affinity Photo vs Photoshop: the key differences explained

Affinity Photo also available in an iPad edition sold separately, which we rate as one of the best photo editing apps for mobile devices – this gets the option to customise keyboard shortcuts in the latest update.

Affinity Photo 1.8

Affinity Photo 1.8 now offers full compatibility with DxO's newly updated Nik Collection 2.5 plug in suite. (Image credit: Affinity)

The Affinity family

Affinity Photo is part of the Affinity creative family, sharing a common file format with Affinity Designer, Affinity’s vector drawing illustration program, and Affinity Publisher, the company’s most recent product and a direct rival to Adobe InDesign – the version 1.8 update brings the ability to open InDesign documents directly. 

Affinity Publisher 1.8 also uses the company’s StudioLink technology to make Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo tools directly available in an Affinity Publisher layout.

Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher work together or independently and are sold separate. For existing users, the new v1.8 versions are a free update.

Read more:

• This is the best photo editing software right now
• We pick the best photo editing apps for phones and tablets
• Affinity Photo vs Photoshop: the key differences explained

Rod Lawton
Rod Lawton
Contributor

Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com