Affinity plans to grow the adoption of its design and editing software nearly twentyfold over the next three to five years.
Photo Andrea De Santis via unsplash
Artificial intelligence (AI) may be transforming the photo-editing landscape, but professional creators will continue to rely on specialized, high-precision tools, Affinity CEO Ashley Hewson told Business Standard’s Aashish Aryan in a recent interview.
“AI is really good at certain things, even in photo editing—such as making quick, accurate selections from large batches of images,” Hewson said. “But when it comes to professional workflows, tools like Affinity and Canva provide the depth, control, and precision that AI alone cannot replicate.”
According to the report, Affinity plans to grow the adoption of its design and editing software nearly twentyfold over the next three to five years. The company has seen especially strong traction in India since the launch of its latest app in October.
“The number of domestic users on the platform has grown six times compared to all previous growth combined,” Hewson told the publication. “Our approach to India is to ensure the app is localised end-to-end. We support all Indian languages, and the AI tools are available in local languages.”
As cited by Business Standard, India is now Affinity’s fourth-largest market globally, hosting a growing base of developers and freelancers. Hewson said the company plans to invest further in the region to expand its reach.
Affinity—originally founded in 1987 as Serif—was acquired by global design platform Canva in 2024. The acquisition, according to the report, has helped Affinity integrate its various design and editing tools under a single umbrella app.
Since becoming free for all users, the Affinity app has seen over three million downloads in its first month, Hewson said, adding that Canva’s ecosystem now serves more than 360 million active users worldwide.
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