Affinity: The Complete Design Course – Beginner to Pro

Explore the Affinity interface, locate panels and toolbars, and understand the differences between bitmap and vector formats to navigate the software with confidence.

Learn how affinity divides into vector, pixel, and layout areas, covering logos, icons, infographics, photo edits, posters, and multi-page books, and note where overlaps occur.

Create a new document in Affinity and choose an A4 landscape layout. Switch between vector, pixel, and layout studios, adjusting panels and tools from the view and window menus.

Explore how to access and customize panels and toolbars across vector and layout studios, manage color and stroke, reset panels, and use shortcuts like the tab key to toggle visibility.

Explore how to manage studios and panels in affinity, switching between vector and pixel layouts, using color grading, retouching, and slices, with Canva AI features tied to paid accounts.

Explore how to access, dock, and customize toolbar tools, hide and show tool sets, and use sub tools for efficient vector, pixel, and layout workflows.

Compare vector and pixel images, and see why vectors scale smoothly for logos. Learn to edit vector shapes with nodes and bezier curves.

Explore vector shapes in the vector studio and learn to combine shapes. Apply geometry concepts and prepare for a project after mastering the basics.

Create and manipulate vector shapes in a beginner-friendly workflow, using move, rotate, and scale (with shift), and fill (hsl) and stroke controls with rectangles, circles, and donuts in vector studio.

Learn to quickly select multiple shapes with the move tool and use the transform objects separately toggle to control rotation and scaling of multiple items.

Explore vector shapes using tools like rounded rectangle, star, and donut, and adjust corners and curves with the red dot. Create a QR code to embed URL and preview changes.

Use the node tool to convert shapes to curves, then select and move individual points or lines, and adjust curvature with handles for custom vector shapes.

Discover how to duplicate objects efficiently with copy and paste, mac and pc keyboard shortcuts, and quick alt or option drag techniques.

Use the corner tool to round sharp corners by selecting a point and dragging, and apply the same action to multiple points or shapes for cohesive curves.

Master geometry boolean operations to add, subtract, intersect, and divide shapes in vector design, enabling you to create logos and icons.

Explore the shape builder tool to unite and subtract shapes, switch between add and subtract with plus and minus, and copy overlapping areas for creating complex vectors.

Create an animal from basic shapes using vector tools, with a dog as the example and variations to tailor it to any animal.

Learn to create a dog head using vector tools in a new RGB A5 landscape document, employing triangle and circle shapes, Pathfinder, shape builder, snapping, and copies for precise alignment.

Create dog ears by combining a circle and shapes, using the pathfinder to subtract, the segment tool for a semi-circle, and rounded corners while resizing keeps the corner circles fixed.

Add final details to the head by creating a white nose shine and a red tongue, adjust strokes and fills, and organize layers by grouping parts for a vector illustration.

Create the dog's body by drawing an ellipse, matching its color with the eyedropper, and adding rounded rectangles for legs and feet, then unite the shapes into one form.

Create dog's front legs from long rectangles, add paw circles, and unite them. Position crescent tail behind the body, sample colors with the eyedropper, and fine-tune size and rotation.

Add life to a dog by overlaying a white rectangle on half the figure, adjust opacity, and reorder layers to protect the eyes, then save and export the character.

Save an editable Affinity project and reopen it later from the file menu, then export to JPEG, PSD, or PNG with adjustable quality settings.

Find and reopen your files in Affinity by using the file menu open option, or by tapping the Affinity icon to reach the welcome screen and access recent documents.

Copy and recolor basic shapes with the alt key to create wild creature variations, using the eyedropper to pick colors and convert to curves with the node tool.

Design a scalable vector background and logo by building a rounded-square backdrop, pasting a mouse illustration, and applying layered colors, grouping, masking effect, and expressive artistic text.

Create background variations by building a vertical layout with a rectangle whose bottom corners are rounded, paste the dog, add bold top text in Ariel Black, and cut out overlaps.

Create a landscape background, shape a wedge of cheese with curves and holes, subtract top shapes, then add rat or dog motifs with alt and shift keys.

Explore strokes, fills, color, and gradients as you switch between x-ray and line modes, create and save solid colors, and build dynamic swatches.

Master fill and stroke basics in Affinity, adjusting stroke width and colors, while using x to toggle fill/stroke and / to remove them.

Navigate vector, pixel, outline, and x-ray modes to view and select shapes. Learn when to click or drag for filled and unfilled objects and how visibility aids selection.

Experiment with shape settings by drawing a rectangle, adjusting color and stroke width, using presets to alter corners, then independently round corners with the red dot and revert if needed.

Explore color panels, including the color wheel and sliders, to adjust hue, saturation, and lightness; compare tint and opacity and apply RGB, CMYK, and hex values.

Save colors to swatches using document and application palettes, including Pantone spot colors for printing. Create blues and greens swatches, rename palettes, and reuse colors across new documents.

Master gradient basics by using the fill tool, adjusting color stops, and exploring pigment blend to create smooth color transitions in vectors.

Learn to add, move, and delete color stops to shape gradients, adjust the middle point, and switch pigment blend, creating solid shapes with dynamic stop-based color control.

Save the gradient by saving the active stop color from swatches. Use the move tool, click the shape, and save the gradient to the document or application.

Explore how vector, pixel, and layout studios share the same fill tools, colors, swatches, shapes, and gradients, showing that learning across modes is three in one.

Create a gradient poster by blending multiple gradients and adding text. Explore color combinations suitable for posters or social media.

learn to design a poster with radial gradients and layered circles, explore how overlapping elements blend to create a blue celestial look, and master clip to canvas basics.

Create an a4 CMYK document for an office printer with no bleed. Build planet-like circles using radial gradients in cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and compare CMYK brightness to RGB.

Move the background behind the shapes and experiment with layers and blend modes. Use hard light to create dynamic color overlaps by adjusting gradients and colors.

Add a top gradient by layering shapes with linear, elliptical, or radial gradients, adjust colors and blend modes like hard light to create a subtle background for text.

Use the artistic text tool to input natural satellite, select Helvetica, adjust tracking, rotate the text, scale to fit the margin, and switch color to white.

Add and duplicate text with the option key, remove all caps, apply bold and small caps via the character panel, and adjust the paragraph leading to tighten spacing.

Export the artwork as a high quality jpeg for office printing, choosing jpeg, setting quality to 100, adjusting width and height in pixels, and saving as celestial bodies.

Convert the document from cmyk to rgb, adjust colors and blend modes, place a moon image from unsplash, and export as rgb jpeg.

Explore how photographs, layers, and an adjustment layer create image edits in the pixel studio intro, including brightness adjustments and color or black-and-white options.

Shift between vector and pixel modes in affinity and see how photos rely on pixels. Megapixels measure millions of pixels, and more pixels generally yield higher image quality.

Master cropping in Affinity by using unconstrained, original ratio, and custom ratio options, adjusting pixel sizes and megapixels. Use the straighten tool to align horizons and verticals for precise crops.

Learn how layers work in pixel and vector in Affinity: toggle background, cat, shadow, graffiti and vector stars, rename and delete layers, adjust opacity and blend modes, and flick studios.

Save your work in affinity as an .af file and open it later, and export to PSD to preserve layers for Photoshop users.

Use adjustment layers to fine-tune brightness and contrast on images. They affect all layers below, can be toggled on/off, moved above or below objects, and edited for later saving.

Learn to use levels to read the histogram and adjust lightness and darkness, balancing black and white points and gamma for accurate exposure and punch.

Learn how curves adjust lightness and darkness to control contrast by placing points on the curve. Use an s-curve to increase contrast and a reverse s-curve to reduce it.

Master curve adjustments to selectively darken light areas and lift shadow details without blowing highlights, keeping white areas intact, using points on the curve and toggling visibility.

Use color balance guided by histogram and whites to fix color, apply opposite colors (magenta, blue), compare before/after, and refine skin tones and overall balance.

Apply a black and white adjustment layer to a color image, adjust reds, yellows, blues, and greens and its opacity, and stack layers to control color versus black and white.

learn to create sepia-toned vintage looks by converting images to black and white, applying recolor with hue and saturation, and adjusting lightness for presentations or social media.

Apply split toning to highlight and shadow areas with separate colors. Adjust the balance to control the mix of yellows and blues with the image.

Use the HSL adjustment to selectively color objects with a color picker by adjusting hue, saturation, and lightness, while background colors remain mostly unchanged.

Use selection tools to isolate parts of an image, so you can recolor the car without affecting the background, and choose automatic or manual selections for different images.

Learn how selections isolate edits using the rectangular marquee and other selection tools, so brushes and brightness and contrast adjustments on an adjustment layer affect only the chosen area.

Explore advanced selection uses by copying a selected area to a new layer, pasting, and managing intersected areas, while moving and organizing vector and pixel layers.

Use selections to isolate areas, delete parts, and apply pixel filters like Gaussian blur; be careful, since filters affect the whole layer if no selection is active.

Invert a selection to affect everything except the dog, then apply blur or color adjustments via adjacent, non-destructive adjustment layers. Deselect using the pixel menu if needed.

Outline the car with the freehand selection tool, subtract areas to keep lights unaffected, then use HSL with the color picker on an adjustment layer to shift orange to red.

Learn to use magnet and straight-edge selections, refine with freehand tools, apply HSL color adjustments with color picker and masking, and fine-tune contrast with levels for targeted hat edits.

Explore the object selection tool and learn when to use rectangle, freehand, and magnetic lasso, then subtract and refine selections for accuracy.

Learn to isolate the subject and desaturate the background with selection tools and adjustment layers, increasing the subject's saturation for a color subject on a black and white backdrop.

Create an image composition for social media by cutting out a house, adding shapes and text, and adjusting colors to refine the window and overall vector layout.

Extend images with Canva AI's generative expand tool, widening the scene and adding a gradient background and text. Manage layers, merge results, and experiment with pro features for best realism.

Use the object selection tool to isolate the house, refine with overlays, and clean edges with freehand, magnetic, and straightedge tools for a precise cut.

Extend the selection with a straight edge, copy the bottom section to a new layer, and blend a vector shape underneath to complete the house cutout.

Set the document height to 7000 pixels with the anchor at the bottom to add space above, then in vector mode draw a rectangle and apply a top-to-bottom transparency gradient.

Apply a gradient to a shape using the fill tool on a rectangle, pick colors with the eyedropper, and adjust linear or radial options for a morning sky blend.

Master adjustment layers to target individual layers, applying black and white or vibrance to the house, background, or sky independently by placing the adjustment above the chosen layer.

Select each window in pixel mode and apply brightness/contrast and color balance to add red and yellow for a warm orangey glow. Compare before and after to see warmer reflections.

Arrange text and shapes in the vector studio by aligning text with the M edge, maintaining spacing to avoid tension, and experiment with colors, gradients, and layers.

Learn how to save your project, export for the web with JPEG best quality, and resize to 1080 pixels wide for social media, while experimenting with shapes and colors.

Create a romantic movie poster using Affinity, guiding you step by step as a beginner to place yourself or your loved ones into the poster, then print or frame.

Learn to blend two people in Affinity by Canva using masks or the erase tool, adjusting brush size and softness on each layer to erase edges.

Balance skin tones by applying a lens filter adjustment to individual layers to add warmth with orange. Drag adjustment onto correct layer and tweak the slider to match warmth.

Place a background image, crop it, and resize it to fit the canvas. Drag the image behind the foreground layers, adjust position to align the horizon, and avoid unintended masking.

Master the clone brush tool to remove seagulls and a buoy by sampling pixels with the alt/option key, painting on a new layer, and undoing with cmd/ctrl z.

Learn to save and export your Canva designs with save as, choose between JPEG for screen use or PDF for print, including press-ready PDF options, and share your finished work.