The term I am using - cutout - has nothing to do with masking or removing an image. Instead I refer to the Photoshop filter factory effect. I use tis effect to simplify colors and shading to create a cartoon like image. It varies on numbers of levels to effect, edge simplicity and edge fidelity. I use this filter to create posters, flyers and more for clients. I am liking the windows beta of Affinity Photo and am seriously thinking of giving up my Photoshop CS6 for it. The workflow is a tad different, but this is one capability I can't find. I don't want to pay the exhorbitant cost of Adobe's CC subscription, but the $50 cost for Photo is sooooooooo enticing. The program is already ahead of my CS6 so I would love to move to it once it goes on sale.
Some of us graphic designers don't just do photography.
ps - if this is something more easily done in Affinity Designer, please let me know and point me at any tutorials.
Thanks tons