Canva has released Affinity for iPad, an app that brings sketching, vector graphics, photo editing and page layout into a single interface. The core tools are free for individuals, provided they have a free Canva account. Following last year's Mac and Windows release, the iPad was the last platform missing from the lineup.
The app is organised around four studios: Sketch, Vector, Pixel and Layout. Users switch between them within the same .af file, the same format used on desktop. Canva says the interface was designed for touch rather than scaled down from the computer version.
Image: affinity.studio — https://www.affinity.studio/
The main addition is the new Sketch Studio for freehand drawing. It includes a customisable brush library with more than 350 editable brushes that respond to pressure, tilt and barrel roll on the Apple Pencil. The Sketch to Shapes tool converts hand-drawn forms into editable vector shapes, and the drawing stays in the same file for refinement in Vector Studio.
The photo side includes RAW editing, non-destructive adjustments and a Mask Tool designed to trace difficult edges such as hair and fur with the Apple Pencil. Layout tools support multi-page documents, master pages and print-ready output. Apple Pencil Pro support includes barrel roll, squeeze and hover, alongside pressure and tilt.
Some desktop features are missing at launch. According to a comparison reported by the specialist press, these include Books, Batch, Data Merge, Quick Adjustments, the Info and Scope panels, macro recording and Astrophotography Studio. Canva says more features will be added over time.
Image: FortAwesome — https://github.com/FortAwesome/Font-Awesome/issues/14923
The AI tools, including Generative Expand, image upscaling, noise reduction and Decompose Layer, which splits a flat image into editable layers, remain paid and are available through Canva AI Studio with a Canva premium plan.
Affinity for iPad is available from today on the App Store as a free download with in-app purchases, and requires iPadOS 18.0 or later.
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