Migrate from Photoshop to Affinity

Export

1. 1

   Step 1

   Install Affinity

   Create a free Canva account if you do not have one, then download Affinity for Mac or Windows from affinity.studio. The suite is free for individuals. Canva's AI tools inside it are not.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Collect the PSDs

   Copy the working files, linked assets, and fonts onto the machine. Affinity cannot see Adobe's cloud libraries.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Note the plugins and actions

   List the Photoshop plugins and actions a file depends on. They will not run. Decide what you will rebuild with Affinity's own tools.

Import

1. 1

   Step 1

   Open the PSD

   Use File, Open and pick the PSD. Affinity keeps a lot of the layer stack. Save a native Affinity file beside the PSD so you are not editing the only copy.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Check the layers that matter

   Look at masks, text, and adjustment layers on a file you know well. Fix type that substituted a missing font before you send anything out.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Export for everyone else

   Send PDF, TIFF, or a flattened PSD when someone else still uses Photoshop. Assume a complex PSD saved back out of Affinity is not identical.

What breaks

• Plugins, actions, and 3D

  Photoshop plugins and actions do not run. 3D layers and some smart objects come in flattened or not at all.

• Adobe Fonts and libraries

  Fonts activated through Adobe Fonts need a license you can actually install. Cloud libraries and generative fills stay in Adobe.

• CMYK that was already delicate

  Affinity does real CMYK, which is why it ranks high here. Still compare a proof. Black generation and spot colors are the usual surprise.