Removing Paper Background: Photoshop vs Affinity (What’s Different) @TomFroese
Removing Paper Background: Photoshop vs Affinity (What’s Different)  @TomFroese
Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Learn how to make analogue inspired illustrations in Affinity — Take Inky.af on Skillshare — https://skl.sh/3XQ7AAO — Use this link and get 1 month free membership!

If you’re switching from Photoshop to Affinity and trying to figure out how to remove the white paper background from scanned ink drawings or textures, this video will save you a lot of frustration.
In this video, I show how I’ve removed paper backgrounds for years in Photoshop, and then walk through how to get the same result in Affinity — including why the Photoshop instinct doesn’t translate cleanly, and how Affinity actually approaches the problem more directly once you understand its logic.

This is not a basic tool tour. It’s a workflow translation for experienced Photoshop users learning Affinity.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
0:05 Context: Photoshop user migrating to Affinity
0:47 Removing paper background in Photoshop
3:12 Removing paper background in Affinity
5:26 Recolouring the artwork in Photoshop
6:04 Recolouring the artwork in Affinity
7:10 Layer handling: Photoshop vs. Affinity
8:03 Learn illustration in Affinity with Inky.af on Skillshare

In this video, you’ll learn:
—How I remove paper texture from scanned line art in Photoshop
—Why that same approach feels awkward in Affinity
—The Affinity-native method for removing white paper backgrounds
—How to preserve subtle ink texture and grayscale nuance
—How recoloring ink works differently in Photoshop vs Affinity
—How to make your ink marks editable and reusable in both apps
—Along the way, I also point out some important mental-model differences between Photoshop and Affinity — especially around layers, masks, and color — that can trip people up when they’re switching.
—Toward the end of the video, I briefly mention Inky.af, my Skillshare class where I show how to use these exact techniques — removing paper backgrounds, working with analog marks, and building flexible color systems — to create finished illustrations using a complete, Affinity-based workflow.
—If you’re mid-switch from Photoshop and trying to figure out how to work with Affinity instead of fighting it, this video is for you.
—If you found this helpful, please let me know with a comment — and I’ll see you in the next one.

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Mr. Tom Froese |

Removing Paper Background: Photoshop vs Affinity (What’s Different)

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