Want a free Photoshop alternative on Linux? How to get Affinity today: 2 ways

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

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ZDNET key takeaways

• Affinity is an image editor that's, unofficially, come to Linux.
• You can install it either via AppImage or a script.
• Both installations have their issues, but it's worth doing.

One of the loudest cries centered around the Linux OS for years has been the need for Photoshop. Well, Adobe is never going to capitulate on that, so users have had to make do with the likes of GIMP.

Although GIMP is my go-to for image creation and editing, a lot of people can't seem to get on board with it (either because of the learning curve or the UI). Because of that, alternatives have popped up now and then, most of which failed to garner enough attention to become serious players in the image editing space.

Also: 10 Linux apps I install on every new machine (and why you should, too)

However, in 2024, Canva acquired Affinity, which is considered the "next generation of professional photo, design, and layout tools built for creative freedom." Canva has a huge range of editing tools and outstanding color management. Affinity is not just for image creation and editing, but it's also a full photo editing studio. And unlike GIMP, as soon as you open Affinity, you immediately see how serious it is.

This tool oozes power and usability, with a UI that shouldn't challenge many. On top of that, Affinity has all the features that could easily make for a solid alternative to Photoshop. With Affinity, you can create vector, pixel, and layout graphics, as well as make use of AI.

Affinity offers a complete toolset for image editing and design, raw support, HDR support, merging tools, comprehensive layering, brush customization, and even publication layout. And it's free.

But how do you get it on Linux, and does it work as expected?

How to get Affinity on Linux

There are a couple of ways to install Affinity on Linux. 

1. The easy way

First, I'll show you the easy way, which is via AppImage. Fortunately, some clever developers have created an AppImage for Affinity that contains everything necessary to run the app.

The downfall of this method is that Affinity runs rather slowly, and the GUI tends to suffer from screen tearing.

Also: How to create a gradient transparency in GIMP

To simplify using the AppImage, I would recommend installing Gear Lever, which I've demonstrated in "How to add AppImages to your Linux desktop menu - this tool makes it a snap."

With Gear Lever, all you have to do is download the latest version of the Affinity AppImage, open Gear Lever, click Open, locate the downloaded file, click Move to Menu, and then click Launch. You can then close Gear Lever because there will now be an Affinity launcher in your desktop menu.

After you click Launch, be patient, as it does take some time for the app to open. Once it opens, you can start working with Affinity.

2. The challenging way

The next method is a bit more challenging.

This method first involves installing python-pyqt6, which is done via the command:

sudo apt install python3-pyqt6 -y

or

sudo dnf install python3-pyqt6 -y

Once that is installed, run the Affinity installer command, which is:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ryzendew/AffinityOnLinux/refs/heads/main/AffinityScripts/AffinityLinuxInstaller.py | python3

I tested this method on the daily version of Ubuntu 26.10, and it failed. I then ran it on Zorin OS, and that failed on me as well. Both instances failed during the Wine installation. I then ran the Wine installation manually on Zorin OS (sudo apt-get install wine) and ran the Affinity installer again.

Also: How to make GIMP more like Photoshop

Next came Fedora. This time around, the installation continued, allowing me to select the version of Wine to install.

I went back to the Zorin OS installer, and instead of clicking One-Click Full Setup, I clicked Setup Wine Environment and, lo and behold, the installation didn't fail. After the Wine installation was completed, I then clicked One-Click Full Setup and allowed it to finish. There are a lot of dependencies to install, so you can expect it to take between 20 and 30 minutes to finish.

The installation of Affinity can be nap-inducing.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

It's a long-haul installation, but when it was finished, I found the results to be worth the effort. The full installation ran much faster and more reliably than the AppImage.

In the end, if you have the time and the patience to go through the full installation (and you're not running Ubuntu 26.10), you'll wind up with an app that runs better but uses significantly more memory than the AppImage. 

Also: I love Photoshop, but Canva's free Affinity tools won me over (and saved me money)

And in both cases, you can't sign in to your Affinity account. I've tried it several times; the app opens the Affinity website, where I was already logged in, and then runs the app launcher, which fails to actually launch the app. Essentially, attempting to sign in will only frustrate you.

A solid Photoshop alternative

Affinity is a solid entry in the image editing space. It offers tons of features (some that GIMP can't touch), has a great UI, and has some serious beef in the color department. 

Also: Can this $70 Linux app make up for the lack of Photoshop? I tried it to find out

Hopefully, in the near future, the installation will become considerably easier and viable for the average user. Until then, I would recommend going the AppImage route, simply because it's easier and makes fewer demands on your system.