Photoshop is a fantastic tool, as is Affinity Photo. However, many people end up using both because one is weak, the other is strong, and vice versa. The issue is, these applications don’t mix well, and it’s likely going to be rough trying to work on the same project with them both.

While Affinity Photo and Photoshop have similar purposes, the actions of one cannot always be transferred to the other. While there are some actions from Photoshop you can import to Affinity Photo, those aren’t even guaranteed to work like they are supposed to.

Now, just because these two applications don’t work well together doesn’t mean you have to choose one over the other; it’s simply figuring out how to create what you need with the two applications without creating extra work for yourself. It can be a little time-consuming initially, but it’ll make your projects relatively easy once you figure it out.

Affinity Photo Macros

The way Photoshop actions work is similar to how Affinity Photo uses macros. You can create a process by recording several movements and operations, therefore creating an action that works all at once. Essentially, you get to create your own actions through a series of movements.

Macros can be used to complete a wide variety of tasks and creations as long as you create them to do so. You should be able to create the equivalent of a Photoshop action in Affinity Photo if you know how to do so.

Go through Affinity Photo to the File drop-down menu. From there, you can go to Personas and click on Liquify. Once you are there, you should be in Affinity Photo’s liquid user interface, which will allow you to edit and adjust almost anything. However, it is likely that you don’t have the options for macros quite yet.

By default, macros are not automatically enabled in Affinity Pro, and you have to switch them on yourself. You can enable macros by going to view > studio > macro. This will open your macro recorder, where you can create macros. Then by going to view > studio > library, you can view and edit your previously created and saved macros.

Once your macros are enabled, they will show up as normal on the toolbar, where you can use them at any time. From there, you simply open your macro recorder, record a set of actions that need to be done, and you now have a simple button to press instead of doing all those individual actions.

Now, there are a few Photoshop actions that may be able to be imported into Affinity Photo, but there is no guarantee that they will work well enough for them to actually be worth importing. Still, it’s always worth a try. You can export an action from Photoshop and import it into your macro library to see if it will work the same.

If that doesn’t work for you, it’s always a great option to purchase some macro packs from Affinity Photo to import in. This way, you won’t have to create so many macros on your own.

(Source: Photography Raw, Unigtp)

Using Brushes in Affinity Photo

One of the few things that do work with both Photoshop and Affinity Photo is the brush tools. Chances are, if you have the brushes that work with Photoshop, you can use them in Affinity Photo with no, or minimal, issues.

It’s even possible for you to try and use the same brushes while also importing the actions that you want to go along with them. But unfortunately, you may have issues getting either of them to work. Now, you can always buy brushes specifically for each application and minimize the chance of issues with brushes, but that can cost a good amount of money.

While anything could work from Photoshop in Affinity, there is always a higher chance it won’t work, and you will become frustrated with an unfinished project. The best bet is to try and use tools and processes that have been created for each individual application.

(Source: Photography Raw, Unigtp)

Final Thoughts

Even in this advanced age of technology, there are still some hiccups that happen from time to time between specific applications and software. Photoshop and Affinity Photo are examples of two applications that don’t work well together. Using one of the two softwares is going to be the best bet. Something that may prove useful for quick designing is Placeit.net, a web-based graphic design tool that I find myself using frequently for putting together a design in a hurry.