visual.af

Knit for Affinity

Turns any layer into knitted fabric. The image becomes a grid of V-shaped stitches, its colors are grouped into a short palette and every stitch gets its own shadow, fibers and relief.

Filter Gallery

Get this one and 19 more effects in Filter Gallery

Knit is part of Filter Gallery, a plugin with 20 effects in one window inside Affinity. It’s a free download with CRT, ASCII, Dithering and Beads, and a USD $9 license unlocks Knit and the rest.

Also for Windows · 2.1 MBAlso for Mac · 2.4 MB

  • Windows and macOS
  • Affinity 3
  • Up to 3 computers
See all 20 effects
Before After: Knit for Affinity BeforeAfter
Sample illustration by Visual.af, processed with Filter Gallery.

4 presets to start with

Pick one in the Filter Gallery window and adjust it from there. Every control can still be changed.

  • Knit for Affinity: Default

    Default

    Sixty stitches across and eight colors, with strong relief, like a wool sweater.

  • Knit for Affinity: Chunky

    Chunky

    Thirty thick stitches and six colors, like a piece knitted on big needles.

  • Knit for Affinity: Fine

    Fine

    A hundred and ten fine stitches and twelve colors, so the picture reads in more detail.

  • Knit for Affinity: Pastel

    Pastel

    Lighter, washed-out colors with low contrast and a soft bloom.

What each control does

They have the same names as in the Filter Gallery window.

Stitches across
How many stitches fit across the layer. Fewer stitches means bigger ones; the height adjusts on its own.
Colors
How many yarn colors the fabric uses. The effect picks the ones that best represent your image.
Relief
The depth of each stitch: shadows, highlights and fibers. At zero, the stitches are flat.
Brightness, contrast and saturation
They adjust the image before the palette colors are chosen.
Bloom
A soft glow in the brightest areas. The radius sets how far it spreads and the threshold, the brightness where it starts.

Tips

  • Few colorsWith 4 to 8 colors the fabric looks closer to a real one, with flat, well-defined color areas.
  • SilhouettesIf the layer has transparency, the empty areas stay unknitted and the fabric takes the shape of your cutout.
  • Logos and pixel artSet as many stitches across as your drawing has pixels, and every pixel becomes one stitch.

Filter Gallery

Take Knit and 19 more effects to your Affinity

Filter Gallery is a plugin with the 20 Visual.af effects in a single window. You choose by looking at thumbnails of your layer, adjust with a live preview and compare before and after, then apply.

  • 20 effects with their presets
  • Zoomable preview and comparison slider
  • 4 free effects to start with
  • One payment of USD $9, up to 3 computers
The Filter Gallery window inside Affinity

Installation

It installs in a minute

The installer copies the plugin into the Affinity plugins folder and turns on the setting Affinity needs to load it.

  1. Download the installer

    Download FilterGallery-Setup.exe. It doesn’t need administrator permissions.

  2. Open it

    Click “OK”: it copies Filter Gallery into Affinity and turns on “Allow "Unknown" plugins to be used”, which Affinity needs. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click “More info” and then “Run anyway”.

  3. Restart Affinity

    Choose Filters › Plugins › Visual.af › Filter Gallery with a pixel layer selected. The effect is applied to that layer, so duplicate it first with Ctrl+J if you want to keep it.

  1. Download the installer

    Download FilterGallery-Setup.pkg. It doesn’t need administrator permissions.

  2. Open it

    Click “Continue” and then “Install”. It copies Filter Gallery into Affinity and turns on “Allow "Unknown" plugins to be used”, which Affinity on Mac needs.

  3. Restart Affinity

    Select a pixel layer and choose Pixel › Filters › Plugins › Visual.af › Filter Gallery. The effect is applied to that layer, so duplicate it first with ⌘J if you want to keep it.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work on a Mac?

Yes. Download the Mac installer (FilterGallery-Setup.pkg): it works with Affinity 3 on Macs with Apple Silicon or Intel. The installer is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens without warnings.

Does Windows warn that it isn’t safe?

It can happen. Because Filter Gallery is new, Windows SmartScreen doesn’t know the installer yet and may show “Windows protected your PC”. It is 100% safe: click “More info” and then “Run anyway”.

What if Filter Gallery doesn’t show up in Affinity?

Go to Settings › Photoshop Plugins, turn on “Allow "Unknown" plugins to be used” and restart Affinity. Also select a pixel layer before you open the Plugins menu: the filter only works on a selected pixel layer.

Which version of Affinity do I need?

Affinity 3, on Windows 10 or 11 or on a Mac.

Does it work with text, vectors or groups?

Like every filter in Affinity, it works on pixel layers. To apply an effect to text, vectors or a group, duplicate it and turn the copy into pixels first (rasterize it).

Does it create a new layer?

No. Like every filter in Affinity, the effect is applied to the selected layer. Duplicate it first with Ctrl+J (⌘J on a Mac) if you want to keep the original, or undo with Ctrl+Z (⌘Z).

On how many computers can I use the license?

On three. If you change computers, you can free one up from the window itself with your purchase email.

Does it need the internet?

Only to activate the license and check for updates. The effects are calculated on your computer and your images never leave it. Offline, the license keeps working for 14 days.

How do updates work?

When there’s a new version, the window shows a notice with an “Update” button. Affinity uses the new version the next time it starts.

More effects in Filter Gallery

CRT

Turns any layer into a tube screen: curvature, RGB phosphors, scanlines and bloom.

ASCII

Turns your images into art made of characters, in their original colors or a single ink, with a transparent background.

Dithering

Dithers your images with Bayer matrices or random noise, in the original colors or your own palette.

Beads

Build hama bead designs from your images: beads with volume, an adjustable hole and a colored pegboard.

Ink

Lines of ink that bleed into the paper, with 1 to 3 inks, overprint and misregistration.

Bricks

Turns your images into a mosaic of building bricks, with flat or studded pieces.

Hologram

Turns your images into a hologram of lines that rise with brightness, with glow and interference.

Topographic

Contour lines over your image, like a topographic map of its brightness.

Flare

Glow, horizontal light streaks and dragged bands over the brightest parts of your image.

Digitalism

A phosphor screen of vertical lines that thicken with brightness, with glow.

Stipple

Your image drawn with loose ink dots, closer together in the shadows.

Woodcut

Your image carved in wood: solid ink, parallel strokes and cross-hatching.

Wireframe

A glowing wire mesh that bends with the brightness of your image.

Halftone CMYK

Your image printed in four inks, with dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Water

Your image under water, with waves and caustic light.