Affinity Photo version 2 full non-destructive workflow

In this start-to-finish video, I will show you the workflow that I used on the image using version 2 of Affinity Photo. We are going to start in the Develop Persona making some basic adjustments before entering the Photo Persona. Here we use the clone brush tool to remove some distracting cars and then add an Adjustment layer. Next, we head back to the Develop Persona to make the mountains stand out even more. It is easy to make adjustments both in the Photo Persona and to be able to re-enter the Develop Persona and everything is non-destructive.
01:04 White Balance
02:07 Cropping
03:55 Overlays Gradient
04:58 Raw Layer Embedded
05:40 Raw Layer Linked
06:40 Photo Persona
07:02 Clone brush tool
09:32 Adjustment Levels
10:44 Develop Persona mountains
13:11 Live filter Clarity Clouds
14:59 Develop darken Cyan sky
Removing objects from an image • Simple way to removing...
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Thanks for watching, David

[@trilokgubba]

100 likes to you for adding that clarity and detail in your explanation.

[@davro06]

Thank you @trilokgubba, so pleased that you enjoyed the video and my explanation:)

[@tompatton2086]

By far the best explanation I've seen with regards to working back and forth between the Develop and Photo personas. Very well done David. Thank you so much for this! 🙂

[@davro06]

Thank you for the very kind comment @tompatton2086 , yes it has a lot of advantages being able to go back and fore between the two personas. Cheers David

[@RoryMolePublishing]

Thanks very much for clearly explaining your process with RAW development. I use almost the exact same process on my images. I was in a bit of a quandary coming from Adobe Lightroom Classic recently even though I have been with Affinity from the beginning and have the latest update of version2. Lightroom has a wonderful masking set of tools that I thought could not be done by any other software, but since I've had version 2 of A Photo all of this changed for me. I don't need Lightroom anymore because of Photo's updated RAW capability in version 2. Regards to you.

[@davro06]

Pleased to hear that you enjoyed the video and you're on the same lines when processing your images. I think many of us have come from PS or LR, there are bound to be tools that are missing from Affinity but there are workarounds for most :) I can't say I missed PS and I wouldn't go back now, besides the cost!! lol Thanks again David

[@EElgar1857]

A wonderful lesson - one of the best I've seen. Now I understand RAW embedded vs. linked! The features of A.P. 2 are really quite amazing, especially considering its low price. 😁

[@davro06]

Thank you so much for the kind words and I'm pleased you now understand Raw and linked files. Yes the features in AP v2 are amazing for the price but don't tell them that🤣 Cheers David

[@cpnock]

As I dont shoot RAW that often I have not really looked at the Develop persona. The use of Overlays came as a bit of a revolution, so many thanks.

[@davro06]

It's well worth using Raw files cpnock as it gives you so many options. Blend modes are magic :) Cheers David

[@ynekevollemans]

I am so grateful for this tutorial. The possibilities with overlays are so wow. I am becoming a big fan of AF 2. Thank you sir.

[@davro06]

You're very welcome yneke vollemans, so pleased that you found it helpful. AP2 is a great programme :) David

[@phillipduff819]

This is indeed an excellent video to show the capabilities, (leaving aside that the idea of totally changing an image by doing things bey removing cars, darkening sky and making an image which wasn't really what was there, is a very personal choice, which I am not a fan of generally unless it is commercial). I appreciate the effort put in here to help us out with understanding how to use this rather excellent tool.

[@davro06]

Thanks very much for your comment and to a degree I agree with you. However, as far as removing objects such as cars people and other non-permanent items yes they can go, but permanent fixtures such as power cables/poles, lampposts etc no, they stay. But then that was from the photographic school I went to back in the days of B/W film lol As for the sky, this is taking the scenes to how I thought it was when I fired the shutter and hopefully not overdoing it lol Once again thanks, it is so good to hear your comment and talk about it:). Cheers David

[@JohnPal-ek9gq]

This is such a great video David. Thanks for taking the time to create and share it. I'm now subscribing to your channel and looking at what else you have developed.

[@davro06]

Pleased to hear that you enjoyed the video and thanks for subscribing and sharing! Cheers David

[@extremelydave]

Oh yeah! This answered several questions I've had about V2!!! Great video Dave!!!

[@davro06]

Thanks :) Good to hear that you found it helpful Dave Nelson, Cheers David

[@martineacott9330]

Thank you for this. A great explanation, and exactly the type of image I'll be doing the most work on.

[@davro06]

You're very welcome @martineacott9330, pleased to hear this will help with your images. Cheers David

[@lloydstuartm.d.5625]

Great video! I started with Affinity and upgraded to version 2. I'm torn between using this and Luminar Neo which is so much easier to use but has less options than Affinity. I'm still not sure which one is best for me. This video was awesome though. Thanks and will subscribe!

[@davro06]

Glad it was helpful! I've used Luminar Neo as well but I always end up back with Affinity it is far more flexible. At the end of the day, it is what works for you... or use both 😁 Thanks again David

[@cliffdickinson7091]

Brilliant. Your understanding of this tech is illuminating and wonderful.

[@davro06]

Thanks for the kind comment Cliff Dickinson, pleased to hear that you enjoyed the video. Cheers David

[@johnchilver536]

This is a game changer for me. Thanks David.

[@davro06]

Pleased that you found the video helpful John Chilver. Cheers David

[@bbbnnn8277]

David: another outstanding video - as a result I'm using the Develop Persona much more. RECOMMENDATION - do a video on Affinity V2 "Band Pass" under "New Live Mask Layer." I stumbled on to this feature and was able to accomplish amazing sharpening. A video from you would make it a more controlled process.

[@davro06]

Bbb Nnn, thanks very much for the kind comments :) Don't worry, I have added "Band Pass" as well as some of the other masks to the list :) Thanks again David

[@bbbnnn8277]

@@davro06 David: you got me going on Photoshop Elements with super videos. I got smart and switched to Affinity and I'm very glad you also made the move. You're making my Affinity experience better with each video.

[@RandomNameTitle]

Thanks for the useful tutorial, I've just moved from Affinity 1. By the way the car park is free, the 'pay kiosk' is actually a small public loo. I recognised the scene immediately, it's just down the road from me. 👍

[@davro06]

Pleased you enjoyed the video and I'm sure that you'll enjoy using Affinity Photo 👍 We were visiting friends who live just outside Strangford and were very impressed with the beautiful scenery in Ni. Didn't stop at the car park as we were heading for that stunning little restaurant up in the hills overlooking the coast, next time!😃Will Cheers David

[@reinhardgrossmann8054]

Great demonstration👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@davro06]

Glad you liked it @reinhardgrossmann8054 Cheers David

[@johnhorne6987]

Very informative and describe in a easy to understand way.

[@davro06]

Pleased that you found it informative John Horne and thanks for the kind words. Cheers David

[@JohnCollins-iy1pw]

When making small adjustments i.e. WB/ETC I prefer to place my mouse cursor in the percentage box and use the mouse wheel,this gives me much more control.

[@davro06]

Great suggestion John Collins, it doesn't work with all mice nor mine so I'm unable to use it. cheers David

[@stubrides8766]

Thanks so much for this video. Learned a lot....

[@davro06]

You're welcome Stu Brides, pleased you leant from the video. Cheers David

[@EdwardKilner]

Subscribed. Saved. Finally, an explanation of destructive editing and how to avoid getting it! One minor criticism: Should have been two videos, first with quick focus on Non-destructive info, followed by the editing one. The editing you did showed switching back and forth between Develop and Photo personas. Never would have known this was possible without this video. Creating a folder, copying my original camera file into it, editing that in Affinity...a bit "overcooked" is it not? I'll do it but reluctantly. Why did Affinity make the change and why did they not ever explain it as you did? Finally, my habit has been to just never use the Develop persona. What do I really miss out doing this? Overall, 4 stars. Will be 5 stars if you provide a worthy reply.

[@davro06]

No pressure for that extra star then..lol Yes you're right it could have been two videos @EdwardKilner but as it was an upgrade to Affinity version 2 I wanted to do it as a "full workflow" how I work on a raw file through to finished image. Going back and forth between Develop and Photo Persona was a game changer and allows you so much more flexibility. The main reason to use Develop Persona centres more around shooting raw images to start off with. Raw images are so much easier to edit, you can pull back over/under exposed areas, white balance and shadow and highlights work much better in the DP than PP. You can correct Lens distortion, toning, no destructive cropping, and reduce noise and then there are Overlays, the best thing since sliced bread. You are missing out on some of the best editing tools in Affinity Photo:) Yes, loading from your camera onto your PC/Mac is a bit overlooked but not easy to cover as there are so many different ways. Some use their own software programms, and others like you and me create a folder and load the images into the folder. The folder structure is very much a personal thing we tend to develop it ourselves, Year, Month, Subject etc Pleased you enjoyed the video, Cheers David

[@EdwardKilner]

@@davro06 RAW shooter exclusively since 2007. Used Nikon Capture until it … died. DxO since then, until Affinity 1, now 2. Don’t do heavy editing with masks, etc, but want the capability. Affinity did a poor job in my opinion in the change to V2. I twigged to a difference before I did any harm. Did appreciate your video, plus those of Morganti (watched 3 times now), plus another fellow in last couple of days. KZbin recommended these, seems to be getting better. Engineer, Project Manager and trainer, certified old fart, very linear thinker: if you say you are raising contrast, I ask why? And would appreciate an answer. Otherwise, I miss what you say next. And, if I’m supposed to see that change, you have to give me time. And, if it affects a specific area, you need to point it out, or you will confuse me and I’ll get behind. You are free to ignore my comments, but I have a vested interest in watching good, clear, concise videos. Focused too. Thanks for the detailed reply you gave me above.

[@davro06]

​@@EdwardKilner thanks for the insight, always helpful. I started with Photoshop around 16 years ago (PS4) and worked for many magazines and photographic companies over the years. I agree with your comment and hopefully, I give you time but don’t forget you can pause and rewind the videos. Happy to answer questions and comments but the important thing is to experiment and enjoy yourself :) Cheers David

[@EdwardKilner]

@@davro06 You are not the first to advise me to pause, rewind, and view again. Most times I watch KZbin videos on an iPad, maybe not near my desktop. Love the iPad, but the KZbin app does not make it convenient to rewind precisely and does some non-functional dimming for too long upon resuming. Not under your control of course. But, I do exactly as you suggest, a lot. And, if I wasn’t having fun anymore, I’d find something else. Learning new stuff keeps me from acting my age, so to speak.

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

👍👍👍

[@davro06]

Thank you 👍😁

[@allanwallace4065]

Where can we find the image used for this, we'd like to follow along with this picture, thank you. Really nice tutorial.

[@davro06]

With most videos, I try to use stock images which you can download but this is one of my own images @allanwallace4065. The video tackles some common problems that can occur and how we can correct them. Your images might not have all of the problems but hopefully, small parts will be able to help you. Hope this helps David

[@Martinbeef]

This looks great and I'm trying to follow along, but I cannot access the different layers of pixel, raw, etc. all I have with any RAW image is the Pixel layer in Affinity 2. any suggestions please?

[@davro06]

Hi @Martinbeef , sorry but do you mean that you don't have any raw images only pixel? In the layer stack, only the "clean up" layer is a pixel layer the other layers are Adjustment layers apart from the Background layer which is the Raw layer. Hope this helps and please let me know how you get on. Cheers David

[@maze400]

Thank you for this video, very informative. I was wondering about "save as" vs. "export" Would you mind sharing your thoughts on which one to use, when, and why?

[@bramelsheretan]

save as - is when you save within the Affinity software, afphoto file export - is for when you want a different file format, jpg, tif, PSD, etc. You can also set the dimensions and quality

[@davro06]

Michael Mazor, pleased you found the video to be informative.:) I was planning on the "save as" subject along with other items for a follow-up video. Cheers David

[@davro06]

Bramel Sheretan, that's right and "save as" has other advantages... more to follow:) Cheers David

[@phillipkristensen1949]

Great video! However, I did not get very far until something went wrong. I developed using linked and then created a clean up pixel layer... But when I try to edit the pixel layer useing the Clone brush tool nothing happens. I can edit the raw layer, but when I select the pixel layer, no edits are applied. What am I missing?

[@davro06]

Thank you, pleased that you enjoyed the video! :) On the Clean-up layer make sure on the Menu Bar you change "Current Layer" to "Current Layer & Below" You will then be able to work on the Clean Up layer. Hope this helps. Cheers David

[@SplitSniper7]

Is there a way to get a similar un-destructive result if you're using a Stacked HDR images?

[@davro06]

Yes, you could use stacking but the Develop Persona is simpler to use and easy to adapt with other images. Cheers David

[@grahamwalker3819]

Is the image right at the beginning, by any chance, the A75 somewhere near Carsluith?

[@davro06]

I think it's the A2 @grahamwalker3819 heading towards the Mourne Mountains just outside Newcastle. A beautiful part of the country. Cheers David

[@grahamwalker3819]

@@davro06 never been that way. Funny how entirely different places can look the same. Beautiful as you say.