Affinity update adds QR code generator, variable font support

AppleInsider

Affinity 2.5 is here, with a handful of new tools including a QR code generator, some user experience upgrades, and support for ARM on Windows.

Affinity's new QR code generator

Affinity, known for its line of creative software geared toward photographers and designers, has rolled out Affinity 2.5, the first update since the company was acquired by Canva in March.

The new update brings a new QR code generator to all three programs, allowing users to quickly add codes to their documents. The codes can be scanned to perform actions, such as visiting websites, initiating phone calls, sharing contact info vCards, or launching FaceTime or WhatsApp.

Variable font support has also been added. Users can now use variable fonts in all Affinity apps. Users can utilize predefined font sizes, such as light, bold, and condensed, and also control axes of variation on variable fonts.

Affinity adds in variable font support

Affinity Designer now has a Stroke Width Tool, which gives users an on-document way to edit the pressure profile of curves. Additionally, users can click to add or remove pressure points along the curve.

The Pencil Tool in Designer has been reworked a bit, too. Now a new curve-smoothing algorithm gives better, smoother results overall. Auto-close has been updated to only close when a user is near the start point of the curve being drawn.

Users can now set grid settings as the default so that when they create a new document, those settings will be applied. The new setting can be found within Grid and Snapping Axis settings.

Lastly, Affinity has rolled out native Windows ARM64 support for its entire creative suite. Affinity says Windows users should notice the difference most when working on documents with thousands of pixel layers or vector objects.

Affinity V2.5 is available as a free update to anyone who already owns Affinity V2. Individual Affinity V2 apps can be purchased for a one-time cost of $69.99 for macOS and Windows, or for iPad for $18.49.

Affinity offers a universal license for its products, giving users all three apps on all three platforms for $164.99. Affinity V1 users can upgrade to V2 for $123.74.



Read on AppleInsider

Luis.A.Masanti

Long… long ago… maybe too long to most readers… Adobe developed Multiple Master fonts.
Those could change the width, stroke, etcetera… but also the could change form Serif to Sans-Serif and more.
That did not work too good at its time. But now it seems to be resurrected in ‘variable fonts’"

MacPro

Where is this product line with generative AI?  I own all of their products, and they are up to date, but I confess I have not used them since Adobe and Topaz embraced AI, which has saved me an enormous amount of time in photo editing for my clients. I know, I should go and check myself .... and a few moments later I see the article about their Masking AI!  OK, I'll check it out.

MacPro

Luis.A.Masanti said:

Long… long ago… maybe too long to most readers… Adobe developed Multiple Master fonts.
Those could change the width, stroke, etcetera… but also the could change form Serif to Sans-Serif and more.
That did not work too good at its time. But now it seems to be resurrected in ‘variable fonts’"

I just had a flashback to the program (name?) and the ability to load a PostScript font, modify it with full spline control, and save it as a new font. That would have been in the early 1990s, right? I think FreeHand could do that but I seem to recall a dedicated Font application. Was it Fontographer? I must have the wee disk somewhere, I have them all in a box.