As someone searching for photo editing software, you likely already know about the two big names – Affinity Photo and Adobe Photoshop. But deciding which one better suits your needs can still prove difficult.
That‘s where this comprehensive feature-by-feature comparison guide steps in to help! By exploring key differences in pricing, interface, tools, performance and more between these advanced photo editors, we‘ll arm you with everything required to determine the smarter choice for your work.
Let‘s dive in…
Affinity vs Photoshop: Price and Payment Compared
One major point of differentiation between Affinity Photo and Photoshop is how much they each cost long-term.
Affinity uses a one-time payment model – you pay only once to use it forever. The Windows and Mac versions each go for $69.99, while the iOS edition costs $19.99.
Photoshop, on the contrary, moved to a subscription model since 2013. This means you need to pay $19.99 per month for access to the desktop and iPad apps.
At first glance, it may seem Affinity gives you substantial savings. But how do the numbers actually compare when calculated across years of use?
Here‘s a detailed cost breakdown:
| Yearly Cost | Affinity Photo License | Photoshop Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $69.99 | $239.88 |
| Year 2 | $0 | $239.88 |
| Year 3 | $0 | $239.88 |
| Year 4 | $0 | $239.88 |
| Year 5 | $0 | $239.88 |
| Total (5 years) | $69.99 | $1,199.40 |
Over 5 years, Affinity Photo adds up to just 5.8% the cost of a Photoshop subscription!
That‘s a potential 94% savings amounting to over $1000.
Assuming at least 3-5 years of use, choosing Affinity seems the far cheaper option. But we also need to account for exclusive stuff you gain access to via a Creative Cloud membership:
- Lightroom
- Cloud storage space
- Regular app updates
- Advanced features
- Mobile app support
Now the picture looks more balanced. Let‘s dig deeper to understand exactly what each offers…
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Comparing Performance With RAW Photo Processing
Ask any professional photographer what file format they shoot in, and majority will surely yell "RAW!" unison.
Unlike JPEGs, RAW images record full, uncompressed data as seen by your camera sensor. This allows much finer editing control to process colors, recover highlights, reduce noise etc. during post-production.
So for pixel-peeping sticklers, comparing the RAW prowess of Photoshop vs Affinity Photo is vital.
According to industry testing lab DXOMark, "Photoshop remains unrivaled in rendering RAW conversions with incredible quality". Benchmarking on multiple camera RAWs shows it retains finer detail, delivers cleaner signal-to-noise ratios, and extracts the full dynamic range available.
But Affinity is no lightweight either. Here‘s a real-world example comparing edits:
Original RAW Photo – Canon 5D MkIII, f1.4 lens @ 200 ISO
In low light shots like this, noise and color inaccuracies can easily creep in. But Photoshop‘s superior processing produces sharper detail with barely any grain compared to Affinity – visible in the 100% cropped views below:
Photoshop rendering: Smooth, sharp, with clean colors
Affinity rendering: Slightly more noise and darker tones visible
For most online use cases, Affinity holds its own. But Photoshop‘s advanced RAW development clearly beats it when printing large gallery canvases. This matters greatly to professional photographers selling their artwork.
So while Affinity suffices for hobby social shares, commercial artists may still prefer using Photoshop.
Key Differences Summary
Before deciding on either platform, here are five major points of differentiation recapped for you:
Affinity Photo:
- Costs only $69.99 one time for desktop use
- Modern customizable interface
- iPad optimization and seamless syncing between desktop and tablet
- Powerful tools for most editing tasks barring niche features
- Capable RAW processing for online sharing needs
Adobe Photoshop:
- Subscription costing $239.88 yearly
- Industry standard used widely for over 30 years
- Compatible across desktop, iPad, iPhone and Android
- More advanced niche tools using AI and Sensei algorithms
- Superior professional-grade RAW rendering
So in the battle between these photo editing heavyweights, is there a clear winner for you? Let‘s analyze further…
Which Should You Choose: Affinity or Photoshop?
After comparing these options in depth, would I recommend Affinity over Photoshop to most users?
In my expert view as an industry analyst – Yes, Absolutely!
Affinity wins as the smarter choice for the average photographer who doesn‘t need niche tools offered by Photoshop. Why?
Because you get 90% of the same editing and manipulation capabilities at a significantly lower price point. Affinity‘s one-time payment versus an annual Photoshop tax effectively puts hundreds of dollars extra in your pocket over a few years!
And its modern UI means you can dive into creative projects on a tablet too – fantastic convenience for photo hobbyists these days.
However, power users working professionally in creative industries may still prefer Photoshop for its specialty features, safety nets like cloud backup, and greater format compatibility when collaborating with teams. Things like batch automation for thousands of image edits also matter greatly to production houses.
So evaluate carefully whether those advanced capabilities justify its long term subscription costs for you personally.
Or if like most casual users, you mainly just fix selfies to look prettier on Instagram…then I suggest give the more affordable Affinity apps a try first!
With fewer barriers to entry and still-powerful manipulation tools, Affinity Photo likely does everything needed for daily photo touch-ups, both on Windows and that iPad in your bag. Dare to make the switch from Photoshop and save hundreds.
Hope this detailed feature comparison helped guide your preferences. Feel free to reach out in comments if any questions!
