2017 App of the Year Affinity Photo for iPad has been updated with its third significant release since it originally launched back at WWDC 2017. The app, which brings desktop-class photo editing capability to the iPad, includes a number of significant enhancements in its 1.6.7 update.
What’s new in Affinity Photo 1.6.7
- Save overwrites back to the same location, without needing to create a copy
- Shoot direct in RAW or HDR from within the app
- Major upgrades for RAW processing including adjusting shadows, highlights and clarity on RAW images
- Ability to add your own fonts
- Opening and editing files in place directly from the iOS Files app
- A new ‘Solo Layer View’ mode, allowing you to isolate individual layers instantly
- Further enhancements to the handy Drag & Drop functions introduced with iOS 11
- A new ‘Show Touches’ option to create more detailed screen captures – great for users who create tutorials
A few features immediately stand out to me. The ability to save overwrites back to the same location will speed up workflows, as will opening and editing files directly via the Files app. Another enhancement that stands out is the ability to quickly jump into solo layer view, which lets you quickly target a layer for editing in complex multi-layer projects.
Obviously the ‘Show Touches’ option is a big feature for me, as someone who likes to create video walkthroughs and tutorials. This is a feature that I use in LumaFusion, and I’m happy to see other developers adopting it.
In addition to these new features and enhancements, developer Serif is giving away three free bonus content packs for a limited time to celebrate the launch:
- Luminance Brush Pack (orig $9.99): A vibrant collection of 13 breath taking light effect brushes
- Retouch Brush Pack (orig $9.99): 20 studio quality retouch brushes for enhancing portraits
- Live Filters Macro Pack: Harness the full power of 28 non-destructive live filter layers
All bonus content can be accessed for a limited time by following this link.
Full change log for version 1.6.7
- Improved camera which can shoot RAW / HDR
- Ability to add your own fonts
- Added ‘Average blur” filter from desktop
- Brand new shadows / highlights algorithm in Develop
- Brand new clarity algorithm in Develop
- Can now open / edit files in place – directly from the Files app
- New “Solo” layer option in layer properties panel
- New preferences option to show touches – good for screen recording
- Improved iOS 11 Drag & Drop support
- Rotate image in Develop
- Enhanced angle / tilt support for Apple Pencil
- New “Constrain” modifier button for Depth of Field tool
- Snapping candidates can be selected by hovering over them whilst in a drag
- Assorted fixes and improvements
I’m a huge fan of Affinity Photo on the iPad. I’ve covered it several times before, and use it on a day-to-day basis on the Mac and iPad. It’s definitely one of the most impressive iPad apps I’ve ever used, and deserving of all of its end-of-year accolades. If you’re an iPad owner who’s looking for a robust photo editing solution, then look no further.
Affinity Photo version 1.6.7 is available as a free update for existing users. If you don’t yet own the app, it can be purchased for $19.99 on the App Store.
