Affinity Designer 2: Tutorial for Beginners [2024]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2024
- ✅ Looking for HIGH QUALITY Fonts, SVGs, Graphics and More? Check out:
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Learn Affinity Designer 2 with this FREE crash course! Covers a wide range of topics including vector essentials, layers, text, colors, images, design tips, and more! Applies to Affinity Designer V2 on Windows and MacOS.
💻🚀 Download my FREE PDF with 10 more Affinity Designer tips here:
👉 trenttech.gumroad.com/l/affin...
(Cost is $0 but a small donation helps support this channel! 😇)
Thanks for watching!
Trent
CONTENTS
0:00:00 Intro
0:01:14 What is Affinity Designer?
0:03:42 PART 1 : SHAPES + LAYERS
0:03:54 Creating a Document
0:05:15 Shapes
0:08:56 Navigation
0:09:43 Rotation & Flipping
0:10:25 Alignment
0:11:40 Snapping
0:13:10 Rulers, Guides, and Grids
0:16:10 Layers
0:20:06 Groups
0:22:28 Exporting (Basic)
0:23:03 PART 2 : COLORS + STROKES
0:24:54 Strokes
0:29:02 Color Picker
0:30:43 Gradients
0:35:00 PART 3 : TEXT + FONTS
0:35:21 Frame Text
0:36:26 Artistic Text
0:37:42 Text Options
0:38:41 Text on a Path
0:40:22 Fonts
0:41:40 PART 4 : INTERFACE
0:43:49 View Modes
0:46:12 Personas
0:47:22 Artboards
0:49:59 PART 5 : VECTORS
0:50:09 SVG
0:54:25 Curves
0:59:15 Nodes
1:01:10 Pen Tool
1:04:55 Pen Tool Demo
1:07:07 How Nodes Work
1:08:29 Node Actions
1:11:36 Knife Tool
1:13:14 Vector Assets
1:18:30 PART 6 : IMAGES + BRUSHES
1:15:41 Images (JPG, PNG)
1:20:55 Embedding VS Linking
1:22:59 Pixel Persona
1:26:38 Masks (Raster)
1:28:34 Vector Brush
1:32:38 Exporting Raster + Vector
1:34:21 PART 7 : BUILDING SHAPES
1:34:27 Shape Builder
1:38:56 Boolean Operations
1:42:45 Compounds
1:44:34 Clipping
1:47:32 Masks (Vector)
1:49:35 PART 8 : SPECIAL EFFECTS
1:49:50 Blend Modes
1:54:00 Adjustment Layers
1:57:10 FX
NOTE: Some resources in this description contain Affiliate Links that earn me a commission and help support this channel. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
✅ Download my FREE PDF with 10 more Affinity Designer tips here:
👉 trenttech.gumroad.com/l/affinitydesigner_10_Tips
(Cost is $0 but a small donation helps support this channel! 😇)
I'm only 23 minutes in, and I perceive you are a great teacher. Thank you! To me, unless I have a teacher, Affinity is a challenge to learn. It's like no other. Open a blank page, with no manual, and begin clicking. 😂 Thank you for this video! My design life just got easier!!!
Excellent tutorial. I took this as an unexpected crash course after leaving Adobe for Affinity. This was just as good as the courses I paid for to learn Illustrator. I think you'll have an influx of new views soon. Thanks!
We don't know what we don't know. You certainly help to dispell the ignorance with your wealth of knowledge. Thanks so much for a great job.
Thanks for watching, @johntraiger8003!
Fantastic Tuturial!
Thank you!
Checking this out because all of their stuff is on a big sale at time of writing.
Bonkers that "it's a one time purchase" is a selling point these days.
awesome tutorial! learned a lot, thank you!
This video is very well made, you rarely find anything like it. Thank you 😀
Sir, you are THE BEST person ever! I'm currently switching from adobe to affinity and you're such a savior..I've been using adobe since 15 years but somehow affinity apps feel very different and I was stuck..till now, thanks!
Thanks Stefan, I'm happy it was useful!
This is the best, most concise tutorial I’ve seen! Thank you for your time.
Thanks so much for your comment and the tip, Julie!
Hey Trent, wondering if you have a tutorial re: debossed/engraved effect for an illustration.
Hi Julie, I do not have a video on Bevel/Emboss yet. However, I want to create a video on all the FX (which is where the Bevel option is), so stay tuned :)
I wonder how many people googled "how to lock children" 😂
Amazing tutorial, I've learned extremely much from this and I'm gonna repeatedly come back to this video. Really well done!
Ha, yes, "lock children" could be taken the wrong way out of context....
Great video! Clear explanations with many good examples in a pleasant pace: not too fast, but not too slow either. Top teacher! Thank you for your time. 👍
Best crisp tutorial for real starters. Great work!
Thanks for watching, @MuraliKrishnaKunapareddy!
This is the best tutorial I’ve found on TH-cam!!! Well done!
Always looking out for your content. Thank you for your time.
Hands down, thumbs up, lol, the best crash course for Affinity Designer 👍👍
Thanks for watching, @RebelliousX82 !
Clear and crispy - as always!
This is great, thanks for putting this together. I've known some of this stuff for two decades from photoshop and similar tools, but your straight to the point approach doesn't feel redundant. Keep it up!
Great, great video about Affinity Designer and all its capabilities and possibilities. The way you explain and the speed of your words are just precise. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Fellow Brazilian here. Great course, the best i found on youtube!!! THANKS!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this tutorial! Very helpful!
Your videos on Affinity Designer are absolutely great. I really enjoy your videos and I discover something new every day.
Thank you for your effort and keep it up.
No problem, Mark...thanks for watching!
Thank you so much!! This is great to start using the program tools
Now that was a tutorial worth sitting through. I cannot remember something as loaded with good stuff such as this. I'm about to start going through your back catalogue. Thank you !! Aiden
Thanks Aiden!
Great course. Thank you so much.
Totally Awesome!!! Thank you
I'm new to Affinity Designer and this video is brilliant to get started with AD
Thanks @roman_fla, glad it was useful!
This is an excellent video! Thank you so much
Fantastic tutorial. I learnt so much.Thank you very much Sir
You are amazing iv'e learned more in one video than ever wow!!!
Great overview mate, thanks a lot👌🏻
I waiting this tutorial
Thank you so much sir 🙏
Man thank you so much for all the hard work I'm sure went into this. This was the best most comprehensive Affinity tutorial Ive ever taken. I feel like it filled in so many gaps in my knowledge that were bugging me! All the best to you!
Thanks @ethanunick83, I appreciate it!
Best instruction video I've seen in a long time. Wish I'd seen this a month ago when I started my journey. Would like to see a video that could help importing jpg black and white line art into AD and then how best to create Celtic Knots, from simple Trinity to complex designs. So many options and hard to tell which is the best; pen tool or shapes, when to add or subtract, or when to use Shape Builder or compounds. No one addresses these as they don't involve many of the graphic tools that AD offers. But, still you clarified so much in the crash course.
Thanks for the comment, @jacisiehl5002! Yes, black and white raster lineart provides a particular challenge. One thing you can try is converting it to vector with Creative Fabrica's free tool. The results can be hit or miss, but it is worth a shot:
www.creativefabrica.com/features/vectorize-image/ref/2746202/
I show how to use it, along with coloring line art with Vector Fill and raster painting, in this video:
th-cam.com/video/dgrfQd45FJ8/w-d-xo.html
Eye opener! This is the best tutorial I've watched in two years regarding tutorials for designer software. Definitely what I needed and I even now understand how and why vector holds quality and why png etc does not [bonus]. Absolutely brilliant! Heading to purchase this software now that I have confidence to invest and learn from your videos.
Thanks @dripxstreetwear, glad to hear it was helpful! Have fun learning :)
@@TechnicallyTrent , so far so bad 😂😂. Typography is something I would like to make my niche, I have wondered through programmes such as Kittl, They're brilliant it does most for you, but they become a dime a dozen and there is no way to manipulate to your own unique style. Could you recommend some beneficial videos for a beginner wanting to focus on typography in Affinity please?
For typography, I just released a video on the Artistic Text tool:
th-cam.com/video/iTqPvYfKNEE/w-d-xo.html
I will be releasing a video on the Frame Text tool in a few days. I focus more on how the tools work than actual typography concepts. But I do want to create a general Typography 101 video about how type can be used with graphic design. Stay tuned!
@@TechnicallyTrent watched this within one hour of release, even my hubby who has absolutely no interest at all commented on how easy anyone can follow along to your tutorials.
Getting to know what each tool is capable of is fundamental, I find your video length perfect and not to over whelming.Thank you Trent, keenly waiting for your next release, no pressure or anything 😅
Just purchased AD a few days ago and really impressed with the functionality and smooth feeling of it. Your explanations are perfect, clear and concise, no wasted time.
Thanks Craig!
You truly are a really superb teacher - clear and thorough, anticipating and addressing our potential areas of confusion. And this is such a generous offering. Thank you so much!
Thanks Jan, no problem!
Thank you so much, I am very grateful for your kindness in sharing this information for free. This makes it so much easier for a newcomer to learn how to operate the seemingly overwhelming software. Much love.
Thanks @ethosuniverse, I'm glad it was helpful for you!
Great Tutorial!
Super thorough and helpful! Impressed by the knowledge and clarity, not to mention how direct/succinct everything was. Subscribed!
Thanks @rjacksonartwork189!
You are a Genius... Thank you
Excelllent tutorial ! Apprecieate it .
Good teacher I salute you BOSS
Great Video!
thank you for the video bro
Trent, this is an incredible tutorial, thank you SO much!
No problem, @TracyCul, glad it was useful!
Thank you!!!
I have been using Affinity since it was released, this is one of the best overview videos I have seen, Nice work!
Thanks Mark, I appreciate it!
Great tutorial 👌very clear instruction covering many really useful techniques which i didnt know about. It will be a major help to me. Thanks! Saved for future ongoing reference! 💛
Thanks @carolinedaniell265 , I am glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this tutorial! I've just finished it after years of laziness. I finally feel at ease and I really feel like I understand a lot of the software!
Thanks @gloups825, I am glad it was helpful!
Your tutorial is top notch!
Thanks Jean!
Good course! Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you!
Excellent
Excellent video! I had trouble understanding the Pen Tool and you made easier to understand with how and when to use which mode.
Hi @gh0stransist0r, glad it helped!
My first 30 minutes using Affinity Designer; 😐
I'll adapt using this tool for a few coming weeks.
First 1 hour; Designer 2 generally runs smoother and is more efficient on lower-end hardware.
awessome! ty for this!
No problem, thanks for watching!
Thanks for your efforts, it surely helped me understand Affinity features and their uses. 🌟👍
Glad to hear that!
Thank You!!!
No problem
Thanks!
Thanks for the donation, @user-fl5tq5cn9w, I appreciate it!
Thank you very much for your work, gave me a good idea of the program!
Great to hear!
Thank you very much!!!
You're welcome!
Thank you for the effort. Even though I have been using AD for quite sometime now, I enjoyed the video.
Thanks, @vs3183!
Thanks for the content. I try to learn and become proficient with at least 1 new major software title each year (CAD, Design, Video, etc.) So this was my first stab at something from Affinity products. Needless to say, I watch a lot of tutorials to help me learn. You are an excellent instructor!
Thanks for the donation @WickedWood, I appreciate it! And best of luck learning Affinity :)
Danke!
Hi @thomasgabriel1957, thanks so much for your donation! It is much appreciated! - Trent
Thanks
Thanks so much for the donation!
Bedankt
Hi @olgamobiel, thanks so much for your comment and your donation! I appreciate it :)
Wow you can be good at anything 😂❤
Thank you so much for your tutorial!! It’s really helpful 🙏 would you do a tutorial for Affinity Photo?
Hi @hangnguyen9684, thanks for your message! I would like to do a similar video for Affinity Photo, but I haven't planned it yet. But I hope to do it at some point!
1:35:00. magic !!
Yes, the Shape Builder is pretty awesome!
45:15 view document in xray mode ctrl +Y
45:45 split view "Comma" key
46:12 personas
47:55 convert shape to curves
Thank you, I’ve never used a programme like this before am looking forward to learning…one thing I would love to do but am having problems with is adding text to a spiral. I have been playing all day with no luck, now to look at your other vids to see if there is anything on one of these.
Hi @corinnecollins, thanks for watching!
I have a video for putting text on paths (and circles) here:
th-cam.com/video/u7oHYMoMgTo/w-d-xo.html
I think I made that video before the Spiral tool existed, but the technique will work with Spirals as well. First make a spiral with the Spiral Tool. And then with your spiral selected, select the Artistic Text tool and hover over part of the spiral. You'll see your cursor change to indicate that you can start typing. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much perhaps you show a demo on your next live for me x
Sure, I'll answer it on today's live stream :) @@corinnecollins
Thank you so much I’m in the UK and I think your live is at 15.00 my time 🤞🏻
Very helpful tutorial thank you sharing your knowledge I was wondering if you plan to do a tutorial like this for Affinity Photo Thanks in advance
Hi Jose, thanks for the comment! Yes, at some point I may do a version for Affinity Photo. It is on my to-do list :)
Going to start replacing Adobe trash real soon. Going to follow this.
"I can drag them into my compound..."😂 who knew affinity Tutorials could get so spooky!
Ha, yes, some comments can definitely be taken out of context ;)
Great tutorial, thank you. Good ones are hard to find. I'd appreciate the same for Affinity Photo and maybe the iPad versions, if you are into those as well.
Hi @LennardHarders, thanks for the suggestion! Those topics are on my TO DO list!
Thank you for taking the time to make this fantastic video.
Thanks a lot, this was so helpful while switching from AI! Do you happen to have or are willing to make a crash course for Affinity Photo as well?
Hi @gabrielmnt4119, thanks! I am in the early stages of planning an Affinity Photo tutorial. I'm not sure when it will be finished, but stay tuned!
I can only rotate the canvas with the View menu, did you make a shortcut to allow for your mouse to rotate the canvas with ALT+SCROLL WHEEL?
Don't worry, found the settings in the Settings > Tools option for ALT+ Scroll Wheel
Trent I was wondering why you don't have light mode set to do your tutorials. It may just be me, but in my opinion it's a lot easier to see what's going in the video with light mode set.
Hi Phil, thanks for the suggestion! The short answer is I just use the default settings. Also, for myself, dark mode is a little easier on the eyes (I sometimes think I squint too much in my videos due to the light, an that would go up 10x in light mode probably). Anecdotally, I do see that most people prefer dark modes in tutorials. However, I'll keep trying to find ways to make my videos easier to see for everyone. Thanks again!
Oh, what I would give to be able to name layers directly in photo2 ipad. This is my number one beef with the program.
Oh, I didn't know that was missing in the ipad version. I haven't used it too much. Yes, that is a super important feature I use all the time in desktop!
Hi Trent,
Any chance you'd know whether Affinity software will work on the new iPad pro M4 2024?
I know it works on iPads in general but just wondering if it will on this brand new model?
Hi @orlamdc, thanks for the question! I think it should work, although I don't have that latest iPad. I see the Affinity product specs listed here:
affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/full-feature-list/
Do you have that iPad? If you don't have Affinity yet, you can try downloading the free trial to your iPad. Hope this helps!
Trent
I don't have the iPad yet or any iPad. I'm currently using the Affinity Suite on my PC laptop and have had it for a few years now. I was just considering purchasing an iPad as Affinity isn't compatible with my Samsung Android tablet. Maybe I'll wait until the autumn/winter before getting an iPad so some users may have results on using Affinity on this new Pro M4 version.
Love your tutorials. I find them very helpful.
Cheers,
Orla 👍
Hello, is this course ok even if I’m using affinity designer on iPadOS or should I find other tutorial specifically affinity designer on iPadOS?
Hi @danicajanelumain3572, thanks for your question!
Probably an ipad focused tutorial would be best. However, if there are some concepts you want clarity on, parts of my video may be relevant, too (ex: booleans and compounds). I've added a chapter list so you can easily jump around. Hope this helps!
Is there a watercolor brush included?
Hi @leatharobinson8067 , yes there is a category of Watercolor brushes. It does some water physics, but it doesn't seem as robust as something like Procreate in my opinion. I recommend downloading the free trial of Affinity Designer and seeing if the watercolor brushes meet your needs. When you get the program, you can go to Window -> Brushes to see the available brushes. Hope this helps!
4:45 how to reset interface
9:39 rotate is not enabled by defualt
11:47 where I left off 4/9/2024
this may be a stuoid question but... can you import brushes from Pro Create into Affinity Designer?
Hi @michaeldzaman5940, good question! As far as I know, you cannot directly import them. However, some of those Procreate brush files are really just .zip files. If you give them the .zip extension, you can try extracting the contents and then seeing that they are made of PNG files. You can then try to create an Affinity brush using those PNG files. I'll look into this topic more and try to make a video on what is possible!
Can't work out how to use the backslash key to work outside the canvas? What am I doing wrong? Thanks.
Hi @77blondin, are you working with an artboard? If you have defined an artboard, objects in the artboard will not be displayed outside the canvas. But in the layer stack, you can try dragging those objects outside of that artboard layer and seeing if they are displayed. Let me know how it goes!
@@TechnicallyTrent Hi Trent
I’m a total tech virgin with no knowledge other than watching your Affinity designer tutorial which I started this week. I got the whole Affinity suite to start a POD business. I’ve learnt so much and you’re such an accomplished teacher - high praise to you🙏 can you talk some basics about the art board, how to define it etc.,?
Many many thanks
blondin
@@77blondin Yup, I have a video about Artboards here. It may be overkill for a beginner, but it is a useful concept to know:
th-cam.com/video/dj5cnsyb68M/w-d-xo.html
@@TechnicallyTrent OK I’ll give it a go!
How to merge Affiinity designer with mid journey and c
hat GPT?
Hi @user-vd2rb2hv2b ,
I don't know of any plugins that enable MidJourney or ChatGPT to be used in Affinity Designer. But I use MidJourney images in Affinity Designer all the time...you just need to download the images from MJ and then import then into your Affinity Designer document. Hope this helps!
@TechnicallyTrent Thanks for the information that you gave. I was aware of that. Canva has a setup with midjourney, and I was hoping that affinity had something similar
My create button working on the very beginning. How can I solve the problem 😔
Hi @asrafulfardin5332, which part of the video is giving you trouble? Are you unable to create a new document?
@@TechnicallyTrent Yes. My create button is not working. How can I fix that. Please help😢
@@asrafulfardin5332 Which platform are you on? (Windows, Mac, IPad). Perhaps you need to uninstall and re-install.
How can I open tools on right side
Layers brush effects whole gone
Hi @figueroaernan03!
Sounds like you may have hidden the Studio. To show it, you can go to Window -> Studio and uncheck "Hide Studio".
Also, you can try hitting the TAB key to toggle your whole interface between hidden and displayed.
Hope this helps!
Trent
44:00 I've tried every hotkey and prayed to every diety I can think of. This tool does not work when I press \
Hi @danielnorton9803,
If you look in your layer stack, does it show an "Artboard"? If you have objects nested in an artboard, they will not be visible if they are outside of the artboard canvas. But if you drag it outside the artboard in the layer stack, then it should be visible outside the canvas. This can be useful for things like reference photos and temporary assets. Hope this helps!
@@TechnicallyTrent THANK YOU 😭
@@TechnicallyTrent nevermind, this is only working when the image is outside a layer stack. It doesn't even work if an artboard is in my scene
6:20 A star are not here, why?
Hi @omarkhalednunes1760, that shape will look like the last shape you selected. For you, it will probably show Rounded Rectangle by default. If you click on that, in the shape dropdown, you should see the star. Hope this helps!
Why did you start with tools rather than explaining how layers are used?
Hi @kevint.8553! Some topics could be done in a variety of orders. In general, I like to show people how to do something with a tool before covering other aspects of the interface.
Darn! He shows you a quotation box. but he does not show how he created it!
Hi Jim, the quotation box is one of the Shapes. if you right-click on the Shapes in your toolbar (where the Rounded Rectangle, Star, Triangle, etc.. are) you will see some quotation and callout shapes. Hope this helps!
Ok, thanks much.@@TechnicallyTrent
Yea...it is called callout ellipse tool , tnx!@@TechnicallyTrent
One time purchase? My biggest disappoint with Affinity is that lie. If there ever is a version 3 I will not buy it.
Hi @albertlecuyer6761, Affinity does qualify as a "one time purchase" for me. You buy it once and then you can use it forever, and get updates for that major version release. I do like the Affinity pricing model more than the monthly subscription costs of almost all other software these days. Yes, if there is a new major release (ex: V1 -> V2) it will cost money, but they gave existing users a discount. And if the current version is enough for you, you can keep using it forever.
@@TechnicallyTrent I agree Affinity's business model is better then Adobe's and the price of the suite is better then Corel's however my purchase of Version 1 came with a promise of free updates. I was irked to find out otherwise. I bought a number of add-ons and all three workbooks and the t-shirt. I still have version 1 and now have 2. I like both versions. I like your content and will continue to hit the thumbs up button until version 3. I live on a fixed income and the increasing cost of living will leave me behind.
Unlike other software, the versions stay relevant. You only have to upgrade if you want to. E.g. there are new cool features. They update the original with .1 or .2 etc. Those are free and they usually ADD a small feature. The newest update adds more customization options to the spacing tool, for example. NO CHARGE. The latest as of March 2023 is 2.4 .
I use version one still, and works well for me
Does anyone notice the search function in help is gone in 2.5.2?
Hi Will...it seems like Search was removed for some reason in 2.5. I found some info on their forums:
forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/204242-help-search-missing-from-affinity-designer-publisher-in-v25/
Hopefully it will be added back in at some point!
Excellent tutorial!
Thanks, @globabren , glad you liked it!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for the tip, FrankBelt!
Bedankt
Thanks Huser, I appreciate it!