Affinity Photo is one of the best and most comprehensive alternatives available for Photoshop. It’s therefore understandable to wonder if, like Photoshop, Affinity Photo could allow the user to use Smart Objects. Since Smart Objects are so much more convenient to use than typical images, this is a must for a lot of people. So, does Affinity Photo have smart objects? 

Affinity Photo can, in a sense, use smart objects. Though it will use them as embedded documents. PSD smart objects can be imported and then converted into embedded documents with many of the same features they had as smart objects.

If you’re looking to use Smart Objects in Affinity Photo but you’re not sure how to do so, we’ve got you covered. In our guide below we will discuss how there are smart objects in Affinity Photo before giving you step-by-step instructions on how to import them. So if you’d like to spice up your next project with smart objects come along and let’s dive right in!

Are There Smart Objects in Affinity Photo? 

We’ve mentioned that Affinity Photo can import smart objects as embedded documents but we haven’t really gotten to the question of whether Affinity Photo has its own smart objects. So are there any smart objects in Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo cannot create smart objects, it can only import them. So in that sense, there are no smart objects intrinsic to Affinity Photo. Still, Affinity Photo has its own sort of smart objects in its embedded documents. This is actually what it converts smart objects into. 

Though they are labeled differently, they retain the same features they had as smart objects in photoshop. 

How Do You Use PSD Smart Objects in Affinity Photo?

It’s one thing to know you can import smart objects into Affinity Photo and another to know how to do it. If you’ve tried in the past only to find that smart objects wouldn’t import, don’t worry, we’ve got the solution. You just need to know how to enable PSD smart objects to be imported into Affinity Photo.

Follow the steps below to enable PSD smart object to be imported into Affinity Photo: 

1. Open the preferences menu: If you’re on a Mac, you’ll find the preferences menu by clicking on “Affinity Photo Beta” at the top of the window. It should be in the middle of the drop-down menu. If you’re using Windows, you’ll find the preferences menu under edit. 
2. Go to “general settings” and enable PSD import: When the preferences menu opens, click the first gear icon that says “general.” A menu should pop up with different settings with checkboxes by them. Look for the option “import PSD smart objects where possible” and check the box next to it.
3. Import a smart object: Now you can drag and drop or import a smart object into Affinity Photo and test things out. The smart object that you choose should come in with many of the same features it had before. Though now it will be labeled an embedded document. 

It’s as simple as that. Now you should be able to import any of your PSD smart objects as embedded documents in your Affinity projects. 

Can You Export Smart Objects From Affinity Photo

Now that we know both how and that we can import smart objects into Affinity Photo, let’s turn our attention to what we can and cannot export. So, can you export smart objects from Affinity Photo the same way you can import them?

Affinity photo can export smart objects as embedded documents. It’s important to stress that they will be exported as embedded documents, so they technically won’t be in the same format they were in Photoshop. Still, as we stated before, they retain the same features. 

Conclusion: So Really, Does Affinity Photo Have Smart Objects?

At the end of the day, you can import and use PSD smart objects onto Affinity Photo in much the same way you could import and use them in Photoshop. To do so, however, you will have to go into the general settings in your preferences and check the box that allows Affinity to import PSD smart objects. 

PSD smart objects that are imported into Affinity Photo are converted into embedded documents. Though they are embedded documents they retain the same features that they had as smart objects in PhotoShop. Now you can enjoy all the features you’re used to using on smart objects in Photoshop and apply them in Affinity Photo as well!