Serif’s Affinity Photo 2 costs a one-time $69.99 and is significantly more powerful than Elements. It supports full RAW editing, macro recording, and iPad sync. It is not "pre-activated" but is a legitimate, ethical alternative.
The biggest leap for v2025 is the expected integration of Adobe Firefly’s generative AI directly into the Elements workflow. Unlike the subscription version (which requires cloud credits), the Elements version may offer local, GPU-accelerated AI for: Adobe Photoshop Elements v2025 Pre-Activated - ...
The hallmark of Elements is "Guided Edits" (walkthroughs for complex effects). v2025 will likely add guides for: Serif’s Affinity Photo 2 costs a one-time $69