Affinity Photo for the iPad - for illustration

Last week Affinity Photo was released for the iPad. It's a full blown photo editing app with all the bells and whistles for the iPad. It truly is a pro caliber app. It's designed for photos, but how does it perform when it comes to drawing and illustration? Lets find out.
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[@BackToSquare1]

Brad, you are my favorite youtuber

[@dd-dc2xo]

I second that.

[@l0udly235]

Robert's rules of order?

[@UnknownGunslinger]

So they beat Photoshop in making a better Photoshop for the iPad? Get it together Adobe!

[@neshiah4747]

Ivo Sotirov no, they didn’t. Affinity Photo crashes...and crashes...and crashes. Waste of money.

[@softblushes5928]

Neil Macleay Not for me?

[@mandyajel]

Neil Macleay I wouldn’t say it’s a waste of money, pay a one off fee for an app you can come back to it later once they’ve fixed the bugs, you pay a monthly subscription for adobe software, you still get bugs but if you stop that subscription you can’t come back to the software unless you pay £100 more over the months to use it. I’d sooner pay a one off fee of 20 bucks that can do *almost* the same thing as photoshop then I’ll do that rather than pay 15 bucks every month to use the same thing. Okay yes it crashes and has bugs in it, one example that annoys me is when I exit to gallery come back later and go back to finish editing that photo I get a corrupted error message and I have to re-do everything again. But it’s not all the time. So for me it’s perfect, especially since I don’t have a laptop at the moment either. And I can’t carry my gigantic desktop everywhere with me. It’s not an app for everyone and it takes ALOT of getting used to and a lot of swearing when things go wrong. But at the end of the day it’s a good app for people like myself that can stay over night in a hotel and edit my photos there rather than waiting until I go home and editing everything in one go.

[@TaraShulerAuthor]

Affinity has not crashed once for me.

[@MurdersAndExecutions]

Neil Macleay it doesn’t lol

[@Buzzed4LightYears]

As always, love your videos Brad 👍🏼 I look forward to your product/App reviews the most.

[@TheDavidWWright]

Wow, this looks good! Thanks, Brad.

[@leestevenson80]

Great work as always Brad, cheers

[@biggalluva]

I haven’t even watched it yet, but thank you in advance!

[@crazymotorcycle]

one of the best youtube reviewer's.

[@matejkollar6615]

I have been waiting for this video, thanks Brad

[@NiteRoach]

I've found that switching to another tool or undoing then redoing will fix the color picker tool. Thanks for the review Brad, enjoying the app so far!

[@NihongoGamer]

Your video edits just keep getting better and better brad. Keep it up!

[@carmels_7768]

NihongoGamer your review? Plus 10.5 inch iPad review?

[@ellisagutierrez9574]

Thanks man!! I just bought this last week. I can't wait for ios11!! It's gonna make everything so much more awesome on my iPad Pro!

[@darrenalbertson-digitaldus6227]

A bit humorous that now the iPad Pro is being lauded about "where it's going" as it was so soundly criticized for not being a full-on laptop capable device, tho many of us "caught the vision" of where Apple was heading with it and iOS and were fine with the journey and far less critical. Apple put the power and capability out there just begging developers to catch on. So with Affinity Photo we see what iOS is capable of with "pro" apps in the touch environment, especially with iOS11 on the horizon, and makes me wonder if Adobe will now pull its head out and finally come on board with it's pro app Creative Suite for the mobile touch environment.

[@boldlinedesignllc]

Thanks for this video Brad. It helps to know Affinty photo can accomplish so much more than just photo-editing on the ipad. I hope they view your review and make future plans to embrace the illustration market further with this app. Personally, I'm anxious for the Designer app to be released since most of my workflow involves vectors

[@IamMusicNerd]

It's like Procreate, Pixelmator, and Autodesk Graphic in one app. Mind blowing.

[@neshiah4747]

Thank you Brad, that is very useful🙂

[@kwallyg]

Thank you... it's a great app..

[@månemannmånemann]

Maybe there wasn't when the video was uploaded, but now there are opacity settings in the "layer studio" (what they call the layer panel) - if you just click the three dots in a circle inside the studio, there it is along with blend modes, lock, solo (very useful), gamma and some settings I don't understand. And now you can also double tap with 2 fingers to undo and 3 to redo (context menu is now long press, similar to Procreate), and you can rotate like in Procreate, can be switched on/off in navigator (studio?). So one would think they've watched this review... I'm glad they didn't include the swipe up/down with three fingers to copy/cut/paste from Procreate.

[@Iamlovesonic]

So helpful, thx! I hope you'll do an in-depth class on this in the not so distant future.

[@MaidenBklyn]

This is so exciting!-- an app that incorporates both raster and vector functionality! I'm looking forward to a more in-depth tutorial!

[@RymVri108]

Thanks for this! Really great video even 3 years later. I've learned everything on Adobe, but don't want to pay the monthly subscription for what I get out of it and was looking for alternatives that I could use on my iPad. Think I found my solution.

[@martinowong]

Thanks so much for the video! I was on the fence about the app, I decided to get it in the end

[@Apwbdtosct]

Martino Wong hello, how is the app holding up?😄

[@nebrag]

I´ll try. Thank you!

[@TheKevphil]

VERY exciting, Brad! All I need now is an iPad Pro! I actually bought the desktop version of Affinity Designer, and thought it was really good. But since I have access to Photoshop, Affinity Photo for the computer was less tempting. I am hoping that Affinity Designer will eventually let you rotate the canvas for vector work. So far, the only app that (sorta) lets you do that in Manga Studio!

[@carmels_7768]

I believe you can rotate canvas in the settings, in the video if you pause you can see it has rotation curves

[@truecuckoo]

Great stuff mate!

[@MegaFederation]

Thank you so much for this video! I want hesitant because I wasn't sure I could draw on it like I could in desktop programs.

[@lettuce6321]

Indeed it is like Photoshop CC!

[@LolixBelle]

i use procreate but just got affinity photo for the gradient maps and playing with it for a bit and just love how i can toggle between both apps :P

[@paulgray3444]

Thanks for this! Nice!

[@DiogoMarques07]

Nice video Brad. I'm a webdesigner and this app is really good for it too..

[@Cherry_and_Peach]

Great video Brad keep up the good work

[@nomad100hd]

I've been using it on the desktop for a while now. I have adobe CC from work but i also need to know about alternative to advice students what to buy.

[@Turkey_Fart]

Yesssss, I'm so fucking glad this app exists. Procreate is Great, but it's about time a photoshop level app came out for the iPad. With iOS 11 coming out soon, the iPad will be damn close to a desktop/laptop experience and I'm so happy. I love my iPad but I will love it even more.

[@publicsaar]

Had the same issue. The app crashed and didn't save my document. They still have a way to go with refining in on stability, but it is one of the best pro apps for the iPad.

[@Bmxsessions]

Hey I bought ur Udemy t shirt course the other day I’m 85% through. It’s kick ass course thank you. 👍👍👍

[@not_an_author8972]

This is a great review and I'm so happy you're talking about it, since I don't think I've heard about it yet. However, I am also hoping for a look at the updated Autodesk Sketchbook app. It's way, way better now that it's updated, believe me.

[@weergaven-do3du]

Brad is the best

[@carmels_7768]

Wow you really do make a non abusive/harmful to the developers way Keep it up your the best so far for review apps and tablets and creating drawings and new styles and analysing plus more

[@mariobosse9600]

Thank's for your advance

[@ErnestHebert]

To twist the screen: Under the "hand" is a "Rotate Canvas Tool." It's in some personas but not others--I haven't figured that out yet. ... Thanks so much for this introduction to Photo.

[@carmels_7768]

Apparently their is already opentype to import brushes love the review

[@Cheerscharms]

Love the videos! I got procreate after watching your other video about it. Now I want to ask if this is better or procreate? which would you prefer? :) thanks!

[@Jspeed181]

Yeah I have Affinity Designer. I wasn’t sure if you could draw regularly with a brush like you do on Photoshop, but I see that you’re doing it in the app.

[@kidsartschoolsandyflett5741]

So excited about this app. I'm a big procreate fan , but will use this app for sure for my illustration . So thanks for your awesome video Brad . Can you do some more explanations of features for dummies like me ? For example ... how to use the text function .... and an explanation of the colour function ( eg converting from RGB to CMYK )

[@steve_the_designer]

Couldn't have said it better, Brad - this app blows me away. Fully featured pro level on the iPad WHAT?. The hair isolation alone is worth the price of admission. If they can do the same with Designer it's goodbye Adobe subscription for me. As always a great review.

[@damonasberry288]

Great overview, Brad! This app rocks! I'm already working towards ditching both adobe, and my laptop. I'm really looking forward to the changes they are making to the iPad Pro! Another great vid, keep up the good work! Go Cavs! Go Browns!!!

[@carmels_7768]

Damon Asberry you can barely edit but go ahead if your an illustrator/photographer then your gonna love this 1 pound package called the iPad (get the new iPad Pro 10.5 it's just better)

[@damonasberry288]

vertleo _ I have a 12.9 iPad Pro (1st Gen), a laptop, and a desktop that I will never get rid of so I'll be okay. I have already tested a few projects on Affinity Photo and it is definitely up to snuff for the Graphic design and illustration projects that I do. With the iOS 11 changes, it will make it that much easier for me to get rid of my laptop and just stick with my iPad Pro and my desktop. I'm not a fan of Adobe's subscription model and have been disappointed with their iOS apps (all except Comp), so that's why I'm excited to have a competitive product.

[@carmels_7768]

Damon Asberry cool so your not an editor or huh? I only said it's not good for video editing but pretty much everything else

[@damonasberry288]

vertleo _ No, I'm neither a video or audio editor. I'm primarily a 2d digital artist and graphic designer. That's why, for me, the iPad Pro has been pretty close to being a perfect portable device for a while now. With the iOS changes and new apps like Affinity Photo, it's inching even closer

[@DougB]

You're not going to do anything with this app if you ditch Photoshop. It is destructive editing, and it isn't a DAM, so there's no going back to RAW data once you have hit that "develop" button. This might not be so terrible IF the processing and demosaicing algorithms weren't entirely crap, but they are. Go to the Affinity Photo forums. Lots of good discussion going on about this. Affinity said that they'd eventually develop a DAM and maybe non-destructive editing. Until then, this is just another concept with some neat features.

[@rafaelleonardo7728]

I was going to ask you about the price, but I just saw it in the beginning of the video. Great review as always! I'll definitely check it out as soon as I can, it seems that it'll make my manga creation process a bit easier. Now we only need a Manga Studio for the iPad Pro and I'll throw my laptop away.

[@calvindexter75]

Great review Brad, as always. I have been using the iPad Pro and the Procreate for quite a while now and I love it. How does Affinity Photo compare to Procreate? Is it a still a must-buy if I already have Procreate? Keep up the amazing work!

[@simonwilson770]

Great video Brad, first I’ve heard of it and I think I’m gonna try it as I want something vector based for my iPad and clip studio is not doing it for me. Cheers

[@ARCTURUSRA]

What pen do you use on the pro I like the response time on the touchscreen ?

[@thebradcolbow]

It's the Apple Pencil.

[@stinianne9674]

It would be so great if you could create another KZbin video sharing affinity photo ipad graphic design tips. I'd even buy an udemy course on the subject at this point. You are spot on about asking can I do this? And then taking an hour to figure out how. Their instructions are awesome for photo editing. I got more from this one video on graphics editing. Thanks!

[@deio977]

Brad, thank you. Just bought the course and practicing with it. I am not a beginner, but not an advanced one either. I am trying to practice as much as possible and your videos are very helpful. :) Keep it up. Do you have also more courses from udemy?

[@danielbenson5895]

Hey love your videos was just wondering if its possible to 2d animate on affinity photo?

[@charbelhaddad6507]

for those that want fonts, an app called Any Font would help you out

[@juzeljames7793]

thanks....what about brushes?

[@Aciimov]

Juzel James Any Brushes?

[@KuttyJoe]

I bought this app a hour ago to see if it was something I might use. It took me about 10 minutes to know that I was going to move to return it. It's overflowing with bugs. Performance is terrible on my iPad Pro 12.9". It has plenty of features, but it's the performance and bugs that kil it immediately for me.

[@AloneinFiction]

What are your settings to draw in Vector in Affinity Photo?

[@youetznab]

They need to do this as a touch mode for Windows 10..

[@amanthy]

Does this have a stabiliser to help make smooth lines?

[@fcor389]

Is there a way to convert a Pen Tool path you make into a selection, same as photoshop with the same presision?

[@MEXUS.]

I just noticed that your beard is coming back. Excellent.

[@onokas]

Hi Brad, I just saw this review, almost 2 years later! Now that Affinity Designer for Ipad is out, I'm curious if you would still consider Affinity Photo for illustration, or has Designer become the preferred app. I'm coming at it with the angle of doing paintings, concept art, etc - not necessarily vector illustration.

[@gabeweiner2557]

What canvas size and brushes do you use in this app

[@vrishankramineni4285]

Are there timelapse replays in the app? Like in procreate

[@vigneshmoorthy6047]

If it can import kyle's brush.. easy sync everything to desktop app.. export to psd. Then its a Great app.

[@carmels_7768]

Vignesh Moorthy it does lol

[@dukeyvee]

Havent been able to get the same "pencil" brush capabilities with AP like I can with Procreate. For example in Pro light push= light pencil, hard push=hard pencil and size of line stays about the same. its only when i tilt the pencil in Pro that it gives me the wider line but in AP it doesn't respond to the tilt. Is it just a matter of adjusting settings or is it not a thing.

[@alexswitch5878]

I have a few questions, I hope you can help me out. Is procreate able to work with stop motion films too? or should i just go for photoshop & illustrator. I am new at all of this, I dont know what to download or what to do. I want to draw and make illustrations, but still be able to try my hand at stop motion and editing animations. if you have any advice please share. should i get procreate and this?

[@PumperWolf]

This is also available on the Mac and is more powerful, is designed in its roots to take full advantages of macOS technologies.

[@dansingh1167]

Is it better than sketchable or Autodesk on the surface pro for drawing cuz on my surface I get a crap ton of bugs with Photoshop

[@cabaniukm5949]

Can I import my affinity designer file into affinity photo to add painting to my vectors??

[@MrMichelPM]

Gosh darn great job with your initial impressions of Affinity Photo for iPad Really like your review style so much!! My only BIG niggle with Affiniy Photo for iPad is Serif isn't or won't offer, at this time, support for third party smart Bluetooth stylii. Not a fan of the Apple Pencil, at all! Nothing about it, to date, appeals to me. I have downloaded Affinity Photo to my iPad on the WWDC day (because I already use Affinity Photo and Designer on the Mac) and contacted Serif and they have stated that they are currently only supporting the Apple Pencil which makes Affinity Photo, for me for now, of limited use since I cannot use Affinity Photo with my stylus of choice. I have a very fine point Joy Factory "active" capacitive stylus that I can use with Affinity Photo, but without palm rejection, it will be hard to use with this app! Let's hope Serif adds third party stylus support in future update releases.

[@amirkhan-tr5ij]

If I have affinity designer on iPad is it necessary to have Affinity photo as designer have both vector and raster

[@Kevinrhoe]

3:30 cracked me up😂

[@anishsharma6762]

Hey Brad, can you review more Windows illustration apps? Thanks! Now i will watch your video.

[@anishsharma6762]

Btw, your hair on top with the beard look is good, keep it

[@VikiKloper_allcandraw]

Great review. I was trying to import some Kyle T. Webster brushes into the app. It is definitely possible, but they don't behave well in the app. I hope it get better with time. Right now i am using photoshop sketch with Kyle's photoshop brushes and it is amazing!

[@thebradcolbow]

Thanks Viki! That's really good to know.

[@carmels_7768]

Viki Kloper it can import brushes

[@bluelemming409]

How can you import them?

[@VikiKloper_allcandraw]

In photoshop you need to make ABR files out of them and save them on your computer. Then you can import them in Affinity photo on your iPad.

[@bluelemming409]

Thanks. Is there a way to batch save them or do I have to do it individually?

[@nawkouttv4862]

Is there palm rejection I'm looking and can't seem to find it

[@Oaken_head]

How is that edges of your brushes are so smooth? Mine are pixelated if I zoom my sketch even a little... Any tips?

[@argenisjdelimag]

Hello, when is the review? I like to use it, you gonna do tutorial.? Thanks

[@BackToSquare1]

this app makes me wanna get an ipad pro

[@billtang79]

BackToSquare1 Although according to Affinity Photo website, they do support the cheaper 2017 iPad as well.

[@gbc9053]

billtang79 but you don't get the Apple Pencil

[@anhhuynhkimnguyen6793]

@@gbc9053 The apple pencil (in my country, at least, idk about others) costs more than my drawing tablet so, no.

[@gbc9053]

Anh Huỳnh Kim Nguyễn I made this a year ago so my views have changed but I was just stating it doesn't have an Apple Pencil which is important for some users. Anyway, the comment is kind of obsolete anyway as the 2018 iPad is out and it does support it. I wasn't really trying to say it was a worthwhile investment or something like that

[@violet7204]

I love Affinity Designer and Photo, but for drawing/illustration, I would probably prefer Procreate and Affinity Designer...

[@kapablekid]

Hey, solid video. I am curious, you mentioned that it does "everything" available from the desktop, does this also include the lasso tool + move + transform? I am really excited about the 12.9 version. It has been years since I have wishing for a true digital sketch book. Thanks again.

[@thebradcolbow]

Yep, all those selection tools are in here. If you look really really close in the speed drawings here I use it a little bit. The app probably doesn't have *everything* from the desktop, but it has most of it.

[@kapablekid]

Nice, thanks for the reply Brad

[@emilyorth2468]

I was actually wondering this myself! Those tools are a must for me, which is why I find this preferable over Procreate.

[@RareMade]

Also do you think buying a cheap iPad Pro is good enough or for $300 more should i get the 10.5 inch idk im stuck cause i wonder if the new latency speed is really noticeable or not?

[@jollojakar8995]

Get the 10.5. You're forgetting about 120hz screen refresh, on a 20% larger display. Both of those you will notice immediately.

[@johntreeman8468]

Is there a way to use fonts or add fonts to the app? Like i am used to on my desktop?

[@carmels_7768]

John Treeman yes search it up

[@lancegrube8512]

Hey Brad or someone please help. I can use affinity photo or procreate or paintstorm. I need to make or buy a brush that draws white with light pressure and black with heavy pen pressure....(Apple pencil) Is this possible? It will triple my speed....

[@kqxx]

Is this comparable to illustrator app and Procreate on iPad?

[@pattyali5243]

Hello brad, watched the video and downloaded the app onto my ipad pro 12.9" I cant get the app to run without freezing when i try to open a photo, (from photos on ipad not cloud it freezes.) I tried to reinstall the app but still have the same problem. They dont have any tech support by phone, they tell ya to go to the forum for help. I havent been able to get any answers on the forum as of yet. This looked like such a great alternative to photoshop and illustrator. Is anyone else having a problem? Do you have any advice?

[@bluemanstudios3749]

Is it compatible with Apple Pencil

[@DonnaInForma]

Options - general options - saving interval 🤓

[@kaysss2087]

is this app compatible with iPad air 1?

[@edboymovies]

Hey brad, or anyone here in the comments, do you think with the new software update, it would bring the iPad closer to being like a mac while retaining tablet features?

[@thebradcolbow]

I love some of the new updates they are bringing to the iPad. I think it's a smart move on Apple's part. I still think it's a step behind the Mac but it's a great move forward.

[@andrescomparini2797]

Make a review of the ibisPaint X app for illustration

[@shurhongukire4306]

for Android not yet release ?

[@bcortens]

Where did you get that little rubber nub that keeps the charging cap connected to the rest of the pencil?

[@thebradcolbow]

I picked it up here and is probably the only reason my pencil still has its cap :) amzn.to/2t5QXnu

[@bcortens]

Thanks so much :)

[@TheMrtoast70]

would you recommand the new 10.5 inch version or should i get the 12.9 for student work (writing working with documents) and also i am very interrestet in digital paint but i am at the beginning. So for creativity i would draw, design and also eventually 3d model on the ipad. Also are there any good apps for 3d modeling on the ipad ?

[@thebradcolbow]

I think for most people the 10.5 is probably the better option. It's easier to hold and carry around.

[@TheMrtoast70]

thank you for your quick answer :)

[@carmels_7768]

TheMrtoast70 umake is a good app for 3D design/modelling search it up theirs literally a bunch of 3D apps

[@Tanuki071973]

Shapr3D? They say they have a big update coming too.

[@MrStephenfull]

Does it support multiple art boards or symbols by chance?

[@thebradcolbow]

I hesitate to say no because there is so much in here I may have missed it. But I didn't see artboards or symbols.

[@MrStephenfull]

Ugh ok. Still dreaming of an incredible UI tool for iOS... So many half baked ideas...so much room for improvement...

[@glennevangelista]

is it better than procreate?

[@hatguyfan22]

I don't know what video to leave this comment on. Have you seen the new app Vectornator?! It's for Vector art and it looks COOL!

[@kalom060]

Okay, that looks interesting, but does it have something like clipping mask?

[@thebradcolbow]

Not the way Photoshop does, but there are all sorts of selection tools and I'm pretty sure you can turn those into masks.

[@kalom060]

Thats a shame, procreate doesn't "support" that neither.

[@carmels_7768]

kalom060 you can do selection refinement which is better search it up on the mac version or the wwdc17 demo they did or the beginning of this video it's much better than selection refinement

[@nickgennady]

How about a Affinity Video editor on IPAD!!!

you should have more subscribers dude...

[@vdimopoulos]

i love your review man you helped me a lot ot buy in the end surface pro 4 i5 8gb 256gb. have a look on an application (still in beta phase but awsome) LEONARDO, i would like your opinion on that!

[@SakuOhno]

Hey, Brad! Did you hear about the Eve V?

[@thebradcolbow]

I saw a video about it yesterday, looks like it might be pretty cool.