CRT
Turns any layer into a tube screen: curvature, RGB phosphors, scanlines and bloom.
Pixel Stretch for Affinity
Drags the pixels of the image from a line into long streaks of color, all the way to the edge of the layer. One side of the line stays intact and the other turns into stripes, like a scan that moved halfway through.
Filter Gallery
Get this one and 48 more effects in Filter Gallery
Pixel Stretch is part of Filter Gallery, a plugin with 49 effects in one window inside Affinity. It’s a free download with CRT, ASCII, Dithering, Beads, Knit, Bricks, Glitch and Pixelate, and a USD $12 license unlocks Pixel Stretch and the rest.
Also for Windows · 3 MBAlso for Mac · 3.1 MB
See all 49 effects
BeforeAfter
4 presets to start with
Pick one in the Filter Gallery window and adjust it from there. Every control can still be changed.
Default
From the center, the right half turns into horizontal streaks.
Down
Vertical streaks fill the bottom of the image, down from a line just below the center.
Soft
The right side stretches gradually, so the shapes still show before they turn into streaks.
Up
Vertical streaks fill the top of the image, up from a line just above the center.
What each control does
They have the same names as in the Filter Gallery window.
- Strength
- How much the pixels stretch. At 1 only the line remains, dragged into streaks; lower values keep more of the image, stretched out.
- Angle
- The direction the pixels are dragged in.
- Falloff
- How gradually the stretch begins: at 0 it starts at full strength right at the line; higher values let it grow slowly.
- Center X
- The horizontal position of the point where the stretch begins: 0 is the left edge and 1 the right edge.
- Center Y
- The vertical position of that point: 0 is the top edge and 1 the bottom edge.
Tips
- Choose the lineThe streaks take the colors of the line where they start: move the center over a row with interesting colors, like the edge of a face or a sunset sky.
- Framed by stripesLeave the subject on the intact side and let the rest turn into streaks: the stripes frame it and give the image a sense of speed.
Filter Gallery
Take Pixel Stretch and 48 more effects to your Affinity
Filter Gallery is a plugin with the 49 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.
- 49 effects with their presets
- Zoomable preview and comparison slider
- 8 free effects to start with
- One payment of USD $12, up to 3 computers
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.
Download the installer
Download FilterGallery-Setup.exe. It doesn’t need administrator permissions.
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”.
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.
Download the installer
Download FilterGallery-Setup.pkg. It doesn’t need administrator permissions.
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.
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 Affinity have a Filter Gallery like Photoshop?
Not built in. Affinity has filters and live filters, but no window where you browse effects as thumbnails of your own layer, like Photoshop’s Filter Gallery. Filter Gallery by Visual.af adds one: you open it from Filters › Plugins, see each of the 49 effects on your layer, adjust it with a live preview and apply it.
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
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.
Knit
Turns your images into knitted fabric, with V-shaped stitches, relief and a palette of a few colors.
Bricks
Turns your images into a mosaic of building bricks, with flat or studded pieces.
Glitch
Your image broken like a corrupted signal: shifted bands, RGB split and color bars.
Pixelate
Your image in big pixels: squares, LED dots or small tiles.
Shape Grid
Your image as a grid of dots, crosses, rings and squares picked by its tone.
Pixel Melt
The colors of your image run in streaks like melted paint.
Liquid Dots
Dots that grow in the tones you choose and merge like drops.
Overprint
Your image printed in up to three overprinted inks, with grain and misregistration, like a riso print.
Gold Foil
Your image embossed in gold, silver or copper, or stamped in foil on paper.
Sunprint
Your image as a cyanotype: Prussian blue on watercolor paper, with a brushed border.
Thermal
Your image as a thermal camera would see it, in six heat palettes.
Blob Tracking
Boxes, numbers, coordinates and lines over the spots in your image, like a tracking system.
Aberration
Your image stretched out from a sharp center, with rainbow fringes toward the edges.
Bloom
A deep glow around the highlights of your image, intense up close and soft in the distance.
Ink
Lines of ink that bleed into the paper, with 1 to 3 inks, overprint and misregistration.
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, a streak that drags the lights and fine stars on 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.
Paper Texture
Fibers, crumples and folds of paper over your image.
Fluted Glass
Your image seen through ribbed glass.
Halftone Dots
A grid of dots that grow with the shadows, like a printed photo.
Halftone CMYK
Your image printed in four inks, with dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Lens Distortion
Your image through a lens that bends it, with the colors split at the edges.
Water
Your image under water, with waves and caustic light.
Engraving
Your image redrawn in engraved lines, like the portrait on a banknote.
JPEG Artifacts
Your image as an over-compressed JPEG, broken into square blocks.
VHS
Your image as a frame from a worn VHS tape.
Bar Shift
Your image cut into strips that slide by different amounts.
Film Stock
The colors of analog film on your image, with a warm glow around the lights.
Light Leak
A beam of colored light leaking into your image from an edge.
Bokeh
Your image out of focus, with highlights that open into shapes.
Glass Tiles
Your image seen through a grid of glass blocks.
Kaleidoscope
A slice of your image repeated around a center, like a kaleidoscope.
Spun Rings
Your image cut into rings that turn by different amounts.
Waves
Your image bent by waves: ripples, zigzags or shifted strips.
Liquid
Your image flowing in swirls, like paint on water.
Mirror
One half of your image reflected onto the other.
Progressive Blur
Your image sharp on one side and more and more blurred toward the other.
Floor Reflection
Your image reflected on a glossy floor, blurring as it moves away.
Diffuse
The pixels of your image scattered, like frosted glass or spray paint.