A F F I N I T Y D E S I G N E R F O R
I P A D
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Please Note:
This Help file is not an official Affinity deliverable, nor is it supported in any way by Serif. While every effort has been made to provide content accuracy, any
errors contained within are the author's responsibility and not that of Serif. If in
Introduction ...9
What is Affinity Designer for IPad ...9
About Affinity Designer ...10
Personas ...11
Key features ...12
Switching Personas ...17
Get started ...18
Create new documents ...18
Opening and importing ...20
Resizing document and canvas ...23
Embedding documents ...26
Placing images ...28
Viewing ...29
Saving ...31
Closing documents ...34
Touch Gestures ...35
Artboards ...38
About artboards ...38
Adding and removing artboards ...40
Selecting, Moving and Resizing artboards ...43
Renaming and viewing artboards ...45
Aligning and distributing artboards ...46
Design aids and artboards ...47
Exporting artboards ...48
Lines and shapes ...50
About lines and shapes ...50
Draw lines and shapes ...55
Edit lines and shapes ...59
About geometric shapes ...63
Draw and edit shapes ...65
Colour ...72
About colour ...72
Colour models ...73
Colour spaces ...77
Colour management ...78
Assigning colour profiles ...79
OpenColorIO ...82
Using OpenColorlO ...83
Selecting colours ...84
Sampling (or picking) colours ...87
Gradients ...89
Transparency ...92
Layers ...94
About layers ...94
Creating layers ...97
Selecting and editing layers ...99
Arrange/manage Layers ...101
Layer opacity ...105
Layer blending ...106
Layer blend ranges ...109
Layer masking ...113
Using adjustment layers ...116
Object control ...119
Selecting objects ...119
Grouping objects ...121
Duplicating objects ...123
Layer clipping ...125
Joining objects ...128
Creating compounds ...132
Aligning objects ...136
Soloing objects ...144
Transforming objects ...146
Rotating and shearing objects ...148
Rasterising ...150
Convert objects to curves ...151
Styles ...153
Paste Style and Layer Effects ...155
Using assets ...157
Symbols ...160
Symbols ...161
Object defaults ...165
Vector painting ...167
Painting vector brush strokes ...167
Modifying vector brush settings ...169
Creating custom vector brushes ...171
Pressure sensitivity ...173
Pixel (Raster) painting ...176
Painting raster brush strokes ...176
Modifying raster brush settings ...180
Creating custom raster brushes ...184
Erasing ...186
Pixel-aligned painting ...188
Text ...190
Working with text ...190
Artistic text ...192
Frame text ...195
Text on a path ...199
Character formatting ...203
Paragraph formatting ...205
OpenType font features ...207
Creating pixel selections(Overview) ...211
Painting pixel selections ...214
Flooding pixel selections ...218
Drawing pixel selections ...221
Pixel selections from shapes ...223
Sampled colour pixel selections ...224
Marquee pixel selections ...226
Modifying pixel selections ...228
Transforming pixel selections ...229
Refining pixel selection edges ...231
Creating outline selections ...232
Sharing ...234
Export ...234
Print ...242
Share ...243
Export Persona ...244
Exporting using Export Persona ...244
Layers Studio (Export Persona) ...248
Design Aids ...250
Using undo, redo and history ...250
Clip to Canvas ...252
Rotate canvas ...254
Grids ...256
Parallel projections ...259
Guides ...261
Dynamic guides ...263
Snapping ...265
Force Pixel Alignment ...271
Constraints ...273
Assistant ...277
3D Effect ...281
Bevel/Emboss ...284
Colour Overlay ...287
Gaussian Blur ...289
Gradient Overlay ...291
Inner Glow ...293
Inner Shadow ...295
Outer Glow ...297
Outer Shadow ...299
Outline ...301
Adjustments ...303
Applying adjustments ...303
Tonal adjustments ...306
Colour adjustments ...307
Other adjustments ...308
Workspace ...350
Interface Visual Reference ...350
Persona Toolbar ...351
Context toolbar ...352
Keyboard shortcuts ...353
Preferences ...354
Expressions ...358
Tools ...359
Vector design tools ...359
Move Tool ...359
Node Tool ...361
Corner Tool ...363
Pencil Tool ...364
Vector Brush Tool ...366
Colour Picker Tool ...368
Transparency Tool ...375
Vector Crop Tool ...377
Colour Picker Tool ...378
Shape tools ...379
Rectangle Tool ...379
Ellipse Tool ...381
Square Star Tool ...383
Triangle Tool ...386
Tear tool ...389
Trapezoid Tool ...392
Cog Tool ...395
Cloud Tool ...398
Diamond Tool ...401
Crescent Tool ...404
Arrow Tool ...407
Star Tool ...409
Heart Tool ...412
Pie Tool ...415
Callout Rectangle Tool ...418
Callout: Ellipse Tool ...421
Doughnut Tool ...424
Polygon Tool ...427
Text tools ...430
Artistic text tool ...430
Frame Text Tool ...432
Raster design tools ...434
Paint Brush Tool ...434
Pixel tool ...436
Erase Brush Tool ...437
Flood Fill Tool ...438
Freehand selection types ...440
Selection Brush Tool ...442
Refine Selection Tool ...443
Flood Selection Tool ...444
Export tools ...445
Slice Tool ...445
Studios ...446
Colour Studio ...446
Palettes ...451
Stroke Studio ...453
Brushes Studio ...457
Slices Studio ...462
Layers Studio ...465
Assets Studio ...471
Symbols Studio ...474
Layer FX Studio ...476
Adjustments Studio ...480
Text Studio ...482
Transform Studio ...487
Navigator Studio ...493
History Studio ...496
Appendix ...498
Supported file formats ...498
Contacting us ...499
Copyrights ...500
I N T R O D U C T I O N
W H A T I S A F F I N I T Y D E S I G N E R F O R I P A D
Affinity Designer for iPad offers the User a new and fresh high-end graphic design experience on your iPad device. All the power and precision of the Mac and Windows versions of Affinity Designer are at hand in this iPad version.
A B O U T A F F I N I T Y D E S I G N E R
The product possesses an impressive selection of professional-level concepts and Features aimed at pushing the boundaries of your design experience
• Stunning performance with instant redraw
• Intuitive workflow-oriented user interface
• Real-time pro-level dynamic tools
• Different tool sets, called Personas, for different design needs
• End-to-end CMYK, RGB, LAB, and greyscale pro colour space
• Comprehensive blend mode set
• Multiple applications rolled into one! Combine vector and raster design seamlessly, avoiding time-consuming flipping between separate vector and pixel application!
• Non-destructive operations
• Adobe illustrator import/export with high fidelity
• Interworking with other Affinity products
Why not review the product's key features in more detail?
SEE ALSO:
Key features
P E R S O N A S
Think of Personas as different workspaces within your application. For vector design work you can use the default Vector Persona; for additional raster brushwork and pixel selections, the Pixel Persona is the choice for you.
One final Persona, Export Persona, is ideal for exporting specific areas of your design as usable graphics (for web, print, etc.).
The idea behind Personas is that the user interface is kept uncluttered, thus improving your workflow and general ease of use. This ensures maximum efficiency and design focus.
You can switch between Personas with a single tap, with the workspace tools and Studios changing to that Persona's way of working.
H e r e ' s a n o v e r v i e w o f t h e s e t o f P e r s o n a s a v a i l a b l e t o y o u :
Vector Persona: The main Persona, hosting your core vector design tools.
Pixel Persona: Hosts raster brush tools for raster digital art or adding raster textures to enhance your existing vector design. You can also make selections to restrict edits to chosen parts of your design, particularly placed images.
Export Persona: For exporting artboards, layers, groups, and objects as export slices to different file formats and image sizes simultaneously.
As you tap between Personas, the tool set changes to that Persona's way of working,
SEE ALSO:
K E Y F E A T U R E S
Here's an overview of the key features of Affinity Designer
S y s t e m , p e r f o r m a n c e a n d c o m p a t i b i l i t y :
• For iPad Pro (all models), iPad 2017, iPad 2018 and iPad Air 2
• iOS 11 or later
• Optimised for:
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Grand Central Dispatch (GCD)-
Core Graphics-
Metal-
64-bit engine-
Apple Pencil-
Retina displayS o l i d g r a p h i c d e s i g n t o o l s :
• Artboards
• Accurate vector tools:
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Precise Pen tool-
Intuitive Move tool moves, scales, transforms-
Rotate from movable origin-
Node tool for fine tuning vectors-
Freeform Pencil tool• Raster finishing without switching apps
• Smooth gradients
• Add noise to fills and strokes as a solid or graduated attribute
• Powerful layers management:
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Drag-and-drop layers-
Non-destructive adjustment layers-
Pixel adjustments and effects on vectors-
Blend modes-
Layer and object Blend ranges (linear and non-linear) and blend gamma control-
Soloing of layers for focused editing-
Lock child layer position-
High-quality layer effects• Professional object control
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Symbols-
Corner tool-
Non-destructive 'compound' Boolean operations (Add, Subtract, Intersect, Combine)-
Convert shapes and text to fully editable curves-
Duplicate and transform objects with precision-
Customisable geometric shapes• Professional colour support
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16-bits per pixel colour depth-
Colour formats: RGB (8/16 bit), Greyscale (8/16), CMYK (8), and LAB (16)-
Colour models: HSL, RGB, Greyscale, CMYK, LAB-
Colour Picker Tool (colour mode aware, colour averaging, layer selection)-
Professional colour support-
PANTONE® colour support-
ICC colour profiling• Text and typography
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Artistic and frame text via Text Studio-
Text on a path-
Flowing text-
Spell checking-
Advanced typography including ligatures-
OpenType font features• Assets for object storage
• Customisable, saveable stroke styles
• High-quality layer effects
P a i n t i n g :
• Vector and Pixel (Raster)
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Multi-category Brushes Studio-
Change brush size, hardness, and opacity on the fly-
Import/export brushes, including ABR file import-
Create custom brushes (including image-based brushes)-
Multi-controller support with brush dynamics-
Pressure sensitivity (for Apple Pencil)-
Velocity sensitivity-
Controller-specific brush dynamics-
Customisable controller ramp!-
Stroke stabilisation for smooth strokes• Vector only
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Vector brushes with stretch and corner controls• Pixel (Raster) only
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Raster brushes for high-quality textures-
Wet Edges support with customisable ramps-
Smudge brush-
Create image brushesP i x e l P e r s o n a t o o l s :
• Seamlessly switch to and from pixel editing mode to apply finish to vector artwork
• Pixel selection tools
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Shaped selections-
Smart selection brush works over pixel and vector data-
Refine selections to capture fine detail• Pixel flood fill tool
• Pixel and vector artwork exported in harmony
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Pixel artwork scaled if required on output-
Nearest Neighbour, Bilinear, Bicubic and Lanczos 3 pixel scaling availableI n t e r o p e r a b i l i t y :
• Open Affinity Designer files (macOS/Win)
• Open Affinity Photo files (macOS/Win)
• Retention of vector design elements when cutting and pasting between Affinity Designer and other applications
• Access cloud storage (iCloud, Dropbox, Google drive) and local storage
U s e r i n t e r f a c e :
• Persona task-orientated workspaces
D e s i g n A i d s :
• Portrait and Landscape display modes
• Pixel, Retina, and Outline view modes with Split View support
• Constraints for selective intelligent object scaling
• Rotate canvas Incredible zoom range
• Intuitive panning
• Dynamic snapping guides for precise alignment
• Multi-object alignment and distribution
• Automatic, fixed and projection grids (isometric)
• Pixel-accurate alignment for web graphics and website mockups
• Fluid document History
• Save history with document (multi-session)
• Keyboard modifiers for on-the-fly tool changes
• Mixed-mode assistant eases vector and pixel mode switching according to the user's preference
• Defaults (document and global)
I m p o r t , E x p o r t a n d P r i n t i n g :
• Place images as dedicated layers
• Resampling: Nearest Neighbour, Bilinear, Bicubic and Lanczos 3 pixel scaling
• SVG import and export, including Inkscape extended SVG support
• Export slices, layers, pages, and artboards to PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, EPS, SVG, PDF and PSD, OpenEXR, Radiance HDR
• Preserve layers in exported TIFF images
• AirPrint printing
• Export to retina sizes (2x) and 3x
• Set export areas and file formats during or after designing
• Web-ready PDFs (Acrobat) with presets
• Professional hi-res PDF/X printing (CMYK) with presets
SEE ALSO:
Affinity Designer Personas
S W I T C H I N G P E R S O N A S
When you switch to a different Persona, you get a different set of tools for specific design needs, e.g. for raster painting, making selections or exporting.
T o s w i t c h t o a d i f f e r e n t P e r s o n a :
• From the top left of your workspace, tap on the Persona that you want to use.
As you tap between Personas, the tool set changes to that Persona's way of working.
SEE ALSO:
Switching Personas Affinity Designer
G E T S T A R T E D
C R E A T E N E W D O C U M E N T S
New documents can be created from presets or customised to meet your specific needs.
When you create your new document you specify a range of colour settings plus page dimensions depending on the purpose of your document.
These settings are as follows:
• Type—Select the aim and deliverable for your project (for quickly populating settings below). As well as print (press-ready CMYK), you can work to specific Photo print sizes, specific Web screen resolutions, and with the Devices option, design to iPad, iPhone, and Nexus document specifications.
• Page Preset—Offers sizes for UK/US print, photos, screen use, and mobile devices.
• Document Units—Displays your rulers and object dimensions in pixels, points or using physical measurement units.
• Colour Format—Sets the colour mode to RGB/Grey (8 or 16 bit), CMYK (8 bit) or Lab (16 bit).
• Colour Profile—Sets the colour gamut for the previously chosen colour format.
• Page Width/Height—Change these values to make a custom pagesize.(An alternative to selecting a Page Preset size above.)
• DPI—Sets the resolution of your document. For example, for professional print quality, set your resolution to 300 dpi.
• Orientation—Tap the portrait or landscape icon to present your document in your preferred orientation.
• Transparent background—Check to set your page background to be transparent.
• Create artboard—Sets your document up with a single artboard automatically in place.
When creating a new document, the Document Units define the exact size of your
Similarly, for physical Document Units (e.g. millimetres) you'll get the exact print size at 100%.
T o c r e a t e a n e w d o c u m e n t 1. From the Home screen, tap the plus icon.
2. Choose New Document.
3. Adjust above settings according to type of deliverable.
4. Tap OK.
T o d u p l i c a t e a d o c u m e n t
1. From the Home screen, tap the menu icon at the bottom right of the saved document‘s thumbnail.
2. On the pop-up menu, tap Duplicate.
3. A duplicate of the document is placed alongside the original document on the Home screen.
SEE ALSO:
O P E N I N G A N D I M P O R T I N G
For many users, the starting point to your project will be to open or import an image and then edit it. Images can be accessed from local and cloud storage (e.g., iCloud), or from your iPad's Apple Photos app. Of course, you can also open already saved Affinity Designer
documents (iPad or desktop), PSD, and PDF files.
The choice of whether to open or import files is an important decision in Affinity Designer.
Understanding the difference will help with file management and backup strategies.
O p e n i n g i n p l a c e
You can open images and previously saved Affinity documents (plus PSDs) from local or cloud storage. When opening, the key point is that these files are kept in their original location and will be overwritten on saving. However, if you add layers to an opened 'flat' image, you can either flatten the document on saving (this overwrites the original image in its original location) or save the document to a new fixed location on local/cloud
storage.The latter preserves all layer information.
I m p o r t i n g b y c o p y i n g
Unlike opening, importing always makes a copy of the original image or document and loads it as an 'internal' document. The imported file could be from your Apple Photos library or from local/cloud storage. On saving, the document will be added to cloud storage or On My iPad to a fixed location.
After Before
O p e n i n g v s . i m p o r t i n g
Recent documents are shown as thumbnails at the top of your Home screen for your convenience. They are actually open minimised documents, so saving and closing a
document will create a physical file and remove the document's thumbnail from the Home screen.
T o o p e n a n i m a g e o r d o c u m e n t i n p l a c e : 1. From the Home screen, tap the plus icon.
2. Select Open From Cloud to access your local or cloud storage (e.g., iCloud, Dropbox or other cloud storage).
3. Navigate to, then tap the file to open.
T o i m p o r t a n i m a g e o r d o c u m e n t ( b y c o p y i n g ) :
1. From the Home screen, tap the plus icon.
2. Select one of:
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Import From Cloud—accesses your local or cloud storage.-
Import From Photos—accesses your Apple Photos library.For either of these two options, navigate to and tap the file you want to open.
T o d i s p l a y a d o c u m e n t :
• From the Home screen, tap a recent document's thumbnail.
An opened or imported file's colour space is preserved by default, but you can assign a different colour space via the Document Menu (Convert Document option).
On opening or importing an image, the ‘Background‘ layer is locked by default (this can be changed by updating your Preferences). Layers which are locked show in the Layers Studio with a lock symbol next to them. Locked objects, when
selected, appear with crosses around their bounding boxes.
SEE ALSO:
Create new documents Place images
Saving
Closing documents Colour management Supported file formats
R E S I Z I N G D O C U M E N T A N D C A N V A S
In Affinity Designer you can resize your document or canvas. The former lets you scale on- page objects in proportion with the new document size, while the latter lets you grow or shrink just the canvas with a choice of how to anchor the canvas on resize (objects will never resize).
D o c u m e n t r e s i z i n g
Changing the document size will increase/decrease object dimensions in relation to a change in document Width and/or Height. In doing so you have a choice of resampling methods to control the quality of scaled objects.
After
C a n v a s r e s i z i n g
For canvas resizing, the canvas is independent of the page and can be resized in relation to a configurable anchor point (e.g., Middle Centre). As objects don't scale, resampling is not required. This is useful for expanded your working area if you're envisaging a bigger design than initially thought.
T o c h a n g e t h e d o c u m e n t s i z e : 1. From the Document menu select Resize.
2. On the context toolbar, select the Resize option to be 'Document'.
3. Adjust your document dimensions using the Width and Height settings. To resize the width and height independently, tap the lock icon (to unlock) between these settings.
4. (Optional) Select a different measurement unit from the Units selector.
5. Choose a DPI and Sampler resampling method. Tap Resample to enable resample using the chosen sampling method.
6. Tap the check to resize.
After
T o c h a n g e t h e c a n v a s s i z e :
1. Repeat as for Document Size but choose the Resize option to be 'Canvas' instead.
2. Select an Anchor point which will resize the canvas 'under‘ the document from that anchor point.
3. Tap the check to resize.
T o r e m o v e u n w a n t e d o f f - c a n v a s a r e a s :
• From the Document menu, select Canvas and then Clip Canvas.
T o e x p a n d t h e c a n v a s t o f i t o b j e c t s :
• From the Document menu, select Unclip Canvas.
SEE ALSO:
Creating new documents
E M B E D D I N G D O C U M E N T S
You can place any document from local or cloud storage into your current document without the need to open each file in turn. Affinity (Designer, Photo, etc), Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, SVG, EPS or PDF can be embedded. These files are embedded documents and can be edited without leaving your current document.
Before and after documents from Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer embedded into current document.
T o e m b e d a d o c u m e n t :
1. From the Vector Persona, open the Document Menu and tap Place Image.
2. You will be presented with two options. Tap Import from cloud. Use this command to access files on local storage too (On My iPad location).
3. Navigate to, select, then tap your document files 4. Do one of the following:
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Tap to place the document at its native size.-
Drag on the page to set the size and position of the document.Embedded documents are indicated as such in the Layers Studio and use their original document name as the layer name.
T o e d i t a n e m b e d d e d d o c u m e n t :
• With the Move Tool enabled, double tap the placed document. You‘ll notice that the Layers Studio will change to that of the embedded document.
Changes are saved within the main document without affecting the original. You can return to the original using the Home button at the very top left of your
workspace.
The edit-ability of the embedded document may be affected by how the original document was saved in its native application.
P L A C I N G I M A G E S
You can add additional photos and raster images to your page as a new layer directly from cloud storage (iCIoud, Dropbox, etc.), local storage (On My iPad), Apple's Photos app, or even from email messages.
The placed image's embedded colour profile will always be converted to the document‘s current working space.
The placed image is added as an image layer rather than a pixel layer. This allows its native resolution to be kept. Some brush operations (e.g., retouching) will
automatically rasterise image layers to the document resolution; selection
manipulation on an image layer will require manual rasterisation via the Layers Studio.
T o p l a c e a n i m a g e :
1. From the Vector Persona, open the Document Menu and tap Place Image
2. Tap Import from Cloud or Import from Photos. Use the former to access local storage via the On My iPad location.
3. Navigate to, select, then tap your image file 4. Do one of the following:
-
Tap to place the image at its native size.-
Drag on the page to set the size and position of the image.Alternatively, you can drag and drop images from any of the above locations as well as your emails.
V I E W I N G
There are a variety of viewing options available which offer pre—export previews of your work as you create your designs.
Vector, Pixel Retina and Outline View modes.
V i e w m o d e
The view mode is made up of two distinct components:
1. how objects are displayed on screen, and 2. how your project page is presented.
To access the view modes, go to the Navigator Studio and tap on the left and right arrows to toggle between different view modes.
M o d e s Vector
Drawn objects are displayed as vectors by default. This means that, regardless of the current
Pixels
During design, vector objects are presented as if they are constructed from individual pixels.
This is an accurate representation of how your design will appear once exported and viewed as an image.
Retina Pixels
As with Pixel mode above, but represents how your design will show on retina and high DPI displays.
Outline
During design, page objects are presented as paths only (with no fills or strokes).
V i e w s
Main View
This presents the selected mode in isolation on a single page.
Split View
Selecting Split View presents two modes simultaneously on the same page, allowing for a comparison to be made. A sliding divider can be repositioned to view different areas of the design in either mode. The Main View mode that has been selected will display on the lefthand side of the divider, with the Split view mode displaying on the right.
SEE ALSO:
S A V I N G
In Affinity Designer all edits you make are saved in the document history, not just for the current session but for any subsequent session too. You can also save your project as
an .afdesign file at any time Where this file will be written to depends on whether you have imported an image or opened an image "in place".
Affinity Designer's Home screen acts much like a series of "tabbed" documents you would typically find in the desktop version. All documents are stored internally as part of the app‘s storage, but you can also save them out.
If you have opened a file "in place" (eg from cloud storage), the document will be saved back to that file. If you have imported a file, and thus created a copy, the document will be saved to either local iPad storage ("On My iPad") or to iCloud Storage (in a directory named
"Affinity Designer") where you can easily access them. The choice of save location is determined by the Preferences option.
If you have imported a RAW image or an image from your Apple Photos library, a saved Untitled document will always be created. For other imported documents (eg, .afdesign or image files), the existing filename will be used.
If you need to undo your work at any time, you can use the History Studio to scroll back to a history step from which to begin editing again; history steps subsequent to this step will
T o r e n a m e a n U n t i t l e d d o c u m e n t :
1. From the Home screen, tap the menu icon at the bottom right of the saved document's thumbnail
2. On the pop-up menu, tap Rename.
Renaming a saved document will not alter the title of the file where it is stored
T o s a v e y o u r d o c u m e n t :
1. From the Home screen, tap the menu icon at the bottom right of the saved document's thumbnail.
2. On the pop-up menu, tap Save.
T o c l o s e y o u r d o c u m e n t :
1. If you wish to keep your work, ensure you have saved the document first by using the Save option.
2. From the Home screen, tap the menu icon at the bottom right of the saved document‘s thumbnail.
3. 0n the pop-up menu, tap Close.
T o s a v e a c o p y o f y o u r d o c u m e n t ( f r o m w o r k s p a c e ) : 1. From the Document Menu, select Save a Copy.
2. (Optional) Enable Save History if you want the history to be retained in the copy 3. Enter a new file name for the copy,
4. (Optional) Enable Save History if you want the history to be retained in the copy 5. Enter a new file name for the copy,
6. Tap Save.
7. Choose your desired cloud storage and (optionally) a directory to save the document to.
Using either Save a Copy or Save with the location set to iCloud Drive is useful if you want to continue editing your iPad project on the desktop version of Affinity Designer.
SEE ALSO:
Opening and importing Closing documents
Using undo, redo and history History Studio
C L O S I N G D O C U M E N T S
A document is considered open when it appears as a thumbnail, alongside other documents' thumbnails, on the Home screen. Tapping the thumbnail in the Home screen simply brings it into view. Closing a document removes the document from the Home screen if you've already saved a copy of it or deletes it permanently if you haven't saved it, If saved, you can open the saved copy at a later date.
T o c l o s e a d o c u m e n t :
1. From the Home screen, tap the menu icon at the bottom right of the document's thumbnail.
2. On the pop-up menu, tap Close.
You'll be warned on exit that your work will be lost unless exported or saved.
SEE ALSO:
Opening and importing
T O U C H G E S T U R E S
Affinity products for iPad are designed to be used with touch-based gestures like pinching, tapping and swiping.
The following gestures can be used in Affinity Designer:
N a v i g a t i o n
• A two-finger drag will pan around your document.
• A pinch gesture will zoom into and out of your document, respectively.
• Swipe up/down on the Navigator Studio‘s icon will zoom to screen centre.
• Double tapping within the Navigator Studio window will Zoom to Fit; double tap again to revert back to original zoom level.
• Double tapping a layer thumbnail (in Layers Studio) will Zoom to Object.
• A rotate gesture (twist) will rotate your canvas. In Preferences (Tools), the Allow canvas rotation in all Tools option must be enabled.
B a s i c o p e r a t i o n s
• A two-finger tap undoes the last edit you have made.
• A three-finger tap redoes the last edit you undid
• A long press shows which fingers are involved in a gesture. This will display as a blue overlay.
• Dragging up and down on the Stroke and Text Studio icons will adjust the stroke width and text size, respectively.
• A single-finger long press (no drag) and release brings up the Edit Menu for clipboard options or pixel selection options (if Pixel Persona is active).
T r a n s f o r m i n g
• A single-finger hold while moving an object constrains movement to horizontal, vertical or 45 degrees.
• A single—finger hold locks an object's aspect ratio as you resize.
• A two—finger hold resizes an object from its centre.
• A three—finger hold, resizes an object from centre and locks its aspect ratio.
• During shape creation, a two—finger hold sets the starting point of the new object.
• A single—finger hold while rotating an object will rotate in 15 degree intervals.
O b j e c t c o n t r o l
• Swipe right/left on an object(s) to select and deselect in Layers Studio.
• On the Layers Studio (within the Vector Persona or Export Persona), with an object selected, a two—finger tap on another non—adjacent object will select all objects in between (same layer only).
• Double tapping on an object inside a group will select it while still grouped.
• On the Layers Studio, pinch inwards (either vertically or horizontally) to group selected objects. To ungroup, do the opposite and pinch out.
• With Move Tool active, 3 two-finger hold (with an object selected) plus a one finger drag on an object duplicates the selected object.
L a y e r c o n t r o l
• Swipe right/left on Iayer(s) to select and deselect in Layers Studio.
• On the Layers Studio (within the Vector Persona or Export Persona), with a layer selected, a two-finger tap on another non-adjacent layer will select all layers in between.
C o l o u r c o n t r o l
• Swipe up/down on the Colour Studio icon to adjust the luminance of the selected colour.
• Swipe left/right to swap colours between stroke and fill on colour selectors in Colour Studio.
• Swipe up on Stroke or Fill colour selector to set no fill in Colour Studio.
• Holding down a finger when using the Fill Tool constrains fill path movement to 45 degree intervals
P e n t o o l d r a w i n g
• While drawing, a single-finger hold converts a node to a cusp (sharp corner).
• While drawing, a two-finger hold constrains control handles to 45 degree intervals.
• A two-finger hold lets you reposition existing nodes (control handles are locked).
• A three-finger hold repositions the last active placed node (with snapping).
P a i n t i n g
• With the Paint Brush or Pixel Tool selected, a long press and drag displays a colour picker for your stroke.
• With the Paint Brush or Pixel Tool selected, after an initial stroke is laid down, a single- finger press and tap at another point on the page draws a straight line stroke.
You can enable palm rejection in Designer so that the app only responds to touch when it is used for gestures. To do this, go to the Preferences from the Home
A R T B O A R D S
Artboards are discrete design areas, of any shape and size, within the same document, on which you can place design elements. Objects which extend beyond the boundary of an artboard are clipped to the edge of the artboard's design area.
A B O U T A R T B O A R D S
Using artboards, you can convert a single page document into a multi—page design project.
Their true power lies within their flexibility - artboards have limitless uses.
The size of artboards can be based on presets or customised to suit your needs. They can be moved and resized just like other objects in a document and can be arranged in any way you want—sometimes this will be important to the outcome of the design, other times it simply helps you organise your work
Artboards also possess their own colour and opacity properties, so these can be adjusted at any time during the design process.
A r t b o a r d t o p i c s :
• Adding and removing artboards
• Selecting, moving and resizing artboards
• Renaming and viewing artboards
• Aligning and distributing artboards
• Exporting artboards
S o m e u s e s f o r a r t b o a r d s
• Two artboards of equal size might represent two sides of a page.
• Several artboards of varying sizes could be used to create a branding concept including a company logo, letter headed paper, compliment slip, envelope, business card and
brochure.
• Various sized artboards might be placed together for an advertising campaign which
includes a billboard poster, full and half-page ads, flyers, as well as web banners and rich- graphic emails.
• Numerous artboards of equal size showing different screen displays of a mobile app.
• Two equal sized artboards could be used to design the back and front of a book cover, with a third, changeable width artboard in the middle to accommodate the spine.
• Numerous artboards of equal size could be created to allow for the design of a pack of cards.
• Progressive mock-up artboards might be placed together leading to the final, signed off design artboard.
• Several artboards displaying colour variants of an identical design.
• Various sized artboards arranged logically to form the basis of a concept sheet for character design.
SEE ALSO:
A D D I N G A N D R E M O V I N G A R T B O A R D S
Artboards can be created with new documents or added to your current document at a preset or custom size at any time.
A d d i n g a r t b o a r d s
When creating a new document, you can automatically create your first artboard using the settings in the New Document dialog.
Once you have a document open, you can add additional artboards in different ways:
• using the original document‘s dimensions—perfect for creating multi-page documents
• using preset sizes—perfect for device-specific designing
• using the current selection‘s dimensions
• at a custom size
• by copying or duplicating other artboards
R e m o v i n g a r t b o a r d s
Artboards can be deleted from your project at any time. Any objects placed on the artboard will be deleted as well.
T o c r e a t e a n e w d o c u m e n t w i t h a n a r t b o a r d : 1. From the Home screen, tap the plus icon.
2. Choose New Document.
3. From the dialog, adjust settings according to type of deliverable.
4. Select the Create Artboard option.
5. Tap OK.
T o a d d a r t b o a r d s a t p r e s e t d i m e n s i o n s : 1. (Optional) With the Move Tool, select one or more objects.
2. From the Document Menu, select Artboards.
3. On the context toolbar, from the Preset pop-up menu, select:
A. Document—to add an artboard at the current document‘s canvas dimensions.
B. Selection—to add an artboard at the top of the layer stack at the same size and position as the selected object(s).
C. any other preset—to add another artboard at a device specific preset's dimensions 4. On the context toolbar, tap Insert Artboard
T o a d d c u s t o m s i z e a r t b o a r d s : 1. From the Document Menu, select Artboards.
2. Drag on the pasteboard.
Modifiers:
As you create artboards, the following modifiers can be used while the artboard is being drawn:
•Hold down a secondary finger (or thumb) to constrain the artboard's proportions at the time of creation.
T o c o p y o r d u p l i c a t e a n a r t b o a r d : With an artboard selected, do one of the following:
• With two fingers held down, drag the artboard to be copied to a new position.
T o r e m o v e a s e l e c t e d a r t b o a r d :
To remove a selected artboard:
• Tap Delete at the bottom left of your workspace.
• On the Layers Studio, tap Remove.
SEE ALSO:
Selecting, moving and resizing artboards Create new documents
Duplicating objects
S E L E C T I N G , M O V I N G A N D R E S I Z I N G A R T B O A R D S
Once selected, artboards can be repositioned anywhere on the pasteboard and resized at any time to suit your needs.
Artboards can also be rotated and sheared directly on the pasteboard using the Transform Studio.
Selected artboards can be modified in a variety of ways using different tools, depending on how the artboard was originally created.
T o s e l e c t a r t b o a r d s :
Do one of the following:
• On the Layers Studio, select an artboard entry.
• With the Move Tool selected, do one of the following:
-
Tap on an artboard's label.-
Tap on any empty artboard.Holding down a secondary finger (or thumb) during any of the above operations will allow you to select multiple artboards.
T o r e p o s i t i o n a n a r t b o a r d : Do one of the following:
T o r e s i z e a n a r t b o a r d :
With an artboard selected, do one of the following:
• Using the Move Tool, drag the artboard's selection handles.
• On the Transform Studio, adjust the Width and/or Height settings.
Modifiers
When using the Artboard Tool, the following modifiers can be used:
•Hold down a secondary finger (or thumb) constrains the artboard's proportions to a square when resizing.
T o r o t a t e , s h e a r a n d f l i p a n a r t b o a r d :
With an artboard selected, do one of the following on the Transform Studio:
• Adjust the Rotation and/or Shear settings.
• Adjust the Flip and Rotate settings to flip horizontally or vertically, or rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise in 90° intervals.
SEE ALSO:
Adding and removing artboards Aligning and distributing artboards Rotating and shearing objects
R E N A M I N G A N D V I E W I N G A R T B O A R D S
Artboards can be renamed and selected as targets for zooming, just like any other document objects.
Newly created artboards are given the default naming convention of 'Artboard {n}', while copied or duplicated artboards take on the same name as the original artboard.
Artboard names appear in the Layers Studio as well as being located above their artboard on the pasteboard. To help you organise and identify artboards, you can rename them.
You can also zoom to artboards using various magnification levels, for focused working.
T o r e n a m e a s e l e c t e d a r t b o a r d : 1. Select an artboard.
2. On the Layers Studio, tap More.
3. Tap the artboard's name at the top to bring up a rename dialog. Type a new name for the artboard.
T o z o o m t o a n a r t b o a r d :
On the Layers Studio, double tap the chosen artboard's layer thumbnail.
SEE ALSO:
Artboards
Selecting, moving and resizing artboards
A L I G N I N G A N D D I S T R I B U T I N G A R T B O A R D S
Although discrete design containers, artboards can be aligned and distributed just like any page object.
Once selected, artboards can be used in conjunction with the available aligning, distributing and spacing commands.
T o a l i g n a n d d i s t r i b u t e a r t b o a r d s :
1. Select multiple artboards
2. On the Transform Studio, choose Alignment Options.
3. Choose an Align Horizontally or Align Vertically option.
4. (Optional) Choose an Align to option to set the alignment criteria for the operation, i.e., to spread, selection bounds, first selected or last selected.
Use the last icon in the icon strip to distribute (space out) artboards horizontally or vertically, either automatically or by a set width (by disabling Auto).
SEE ALSO:
Selecting, moving and resizing artboards Aligning objects
Distributing objects
D E S I G N A I D S A N D A R T B O A R D S
Unique guide and grid layouts can be established on each artboard to help you position
objects. Furthermore, you can activate snapping to dynamically align objects to these guides, or to the current artboard and other artboards in the document.
When snapping is active, dynamic guide lines appear when an object is aligned to the edges, corners, or midpoints of the current artboard or other artboard in your document. Any
artboard can be a candidate for snapping to.
For more information on guides and snapping, see the Guides, Grids and Snapping topics.
T o s e t a n a r t b o a r d a s a s n a p p i n g c a n d i d a t e :
• With the Move Tool selected, tap the artboard you wish to make a snapping candidate.
Objects will snap to the artboard's edges, corners and midpoints if snapping uses a candidate list to snap to.
SEE ALSO:
Selecting, moving and resizing artboards Aligning and distributing artboards
Guides Grids Snapping
E X P O R T I N G A R T B O A R D S
Artboards can be exported in several ways: a single artboard as an individual image, all artboards concatenated in a single image or multiple artboards as separate images.
If you select an artboard before proceeding to export, the selected artboard will automatically be selected in the Export dialog.
If you choose to export the entire document, all artboards will be concatenated in a single exported image. The resulting image dimensions will be based on the smallest possible size relative to each artboard's size and position on the pasteboard. In other words, the smaller the artboard sizes and the closer they are together, the smaller the overall image's
dimensions.
You can also simultaneously export all artboards as separate images. The Export Persona is used to create slices (export areas) automatically for individual artboards.
T o e x p o r t a n i n d i v i d u a l a r t b o a r d o r c o n c a t e n a t e d a r t b o a r d s :
1. (Optional) Select an artboard.
2. From the Document Menu, select Export.
3. Adjust the settings in the dialog.
4. From the Area pop-up menu, select the named artboard.
5. Tap 0K.
To export concatenated artboards, choose Whole document from the Area pop-up menu.
T o e x p o r t m u l t i p l e a r t b o a r d s u s i n g E x p o r t P e r s o n a
1. Select Export Persona.
2. On the Slices Studio, tap the More button to set the default export format for every artboard slice.
3. Tap Export All at the top of the Studio to export all checked items. Navigate to a level above the export folder to be chosen, tap Select, and then tap your export folder to select it.
4. Tap Open.
SEE ALSO:
Artboards Export
Exporting using Export Persona
L I N E S A N D S H A P E S
A B O U T L I N E S A N D S H A P E S
When you want to draw vector lines and shapes you'll need to use the Pen, Pencil, Brush and Shape tools. Editing lines and shapes is done with the Node Tool.
Lines and shapes have both stroke and fill properties These can be defined before creation and can be modified at any point afterwards.
C u r v e s a n d l i n e s
A curve is an open path that has a distinct start and end. These end points are defined by nodes. A curve with just two nodes is referred to as a line.
The path between nodes is known as a segment and can be straight (A) or arched (B).
Complex curves are created from multiple nodes connected by segments (C).
Lines and curves generally have a stroke applied.
Segments between nodes can be straight (A), or curved (B). Multiple segments make up more complex curves.
The type of node controls the connected segments. There are three basic types of node:
• Sharp (A)—causes an abrupt change in direction between segments, creating a point.
• Bezier (smooth) (B)—creates a continuous curve between segments,
• Smart (C)—creates a continuous curve but uses a line of best fit.
When drawing curves, any combination of nodes can be used. Each node also has control handles. These appear when the node is selected. The length and slope of the control handles determine the shape of the segment. A node can be edited at any tim
S h a p e s
A shape is a closed path with no discernible start or end. It is made up of multiple nodes and segments.
You can also easily create geometric shapes using the Shape tools. These have special properties that enable you to quickly create otherwise difficult to draw shapes, such as circles, rectangles and polygons.
F i l l i n g s e l f - i n t e r s e c t i n g s h a p e s
Shapes which have been constructed using self-intersecting lines can be filled in two different ways: Alternate or Winding. The former mode applies a fill or transparency to contiguous sections alternately along the lines. The latter fills all sections encompassed by the shape's outer lines These can be applied via the Edit Menu.
Alternate and Winding Fill Modes respectively,
T o s e t F i l l M o d e :
• With the object selected, from the Edit Menu, select an option from the Fill Mode sub- menu.
SEE ALSO:
Edit vector lines and shapes Draw and edit geometric shapes
D R A W L I N E S A N D S H A P E S
Vector lines, curves and shapes are easily created using either the Pen Tool or the Pencil Tool. The Pen Tool has several modes that change the way the path is drawn.
T o d r a w p r e c i s e c u r v e s w i t h t h e P e n t o o l : 1. Select the Pen Tool.
2. On the context toolbar, tap one of the modes:
-
Pen Mode—drag on the page to create repeated nodes; repositioning the displayed control handles at each node defines the shape of the next segment as you lay down nodes.-
Smart Mode—tap repeatedly on the page to lay down each node; a best fitting curve is created without need for control handle adjustment.-
Polygon Mode—tap repeatedly on the page to lay down each node; a line is created with sharp nodes made up of straight segments.-
Line Mode—drag on the page to create a simple single-segment straight line.3. To terminate the curve without closing it, tap the Deselect icon at the bottom left of the workspace.
If you terminate a curve and then begin using the Pen Tool once more, the nodes on the previous curve will temporarily display smaller to show there is no
connection between the previous curve and the new curve you are about to draw.
T o c o n t i n u e a n e x i s t i n g c u r v e :
T o d r a w f r e e h a n d l i n e s w i t h t h e P e n c i l t o o l : 1. Drag on the page in the direction that you want the path to follow.
2. (Optional) On the context toolbar, do one (or more) of the following:
-
Enable Sculpt to reform or continue a previous pencil stroke.-
(Optional) Enable a Stabiliser to smooth the stroke using different smoothing behaviours,-
(Optional) Enable a Controller to have the stroke respond automatically to Apple Pencil's Pressure input or speed of finger movement (Velocity), or manually to the Stroke Studio's Pressure profile chart (None).T o c l o s e c u r v e s t o c r e a t e a c u s t o m s h a p e :
Do one of the following:
• With the curve selected with the Pen or Node Tool, tap Close on the context toolbar.
• When creating the curve with the Pen Tool, tap on the starting node to join it to the final node and create the shape.
T o s i m u l a t e p r e s s u r e - s e n s i t i v e p e n o r p e n c i l s t r o k e s :
• On the Stroke Studio‘s pressure profile chart, select an end node on the profile's line and drag it vertically to a new position; nodes can be added by tapping on the line and then positioned freely to form a curve.
• Repeat for other nodes as needed.
Example pressure profiles, all superimposed with expected stroke.
G e s t u r e ( s )
• A single-finger hold converts a node to a cusp (sharp corner).
• While drawing, a two-finger hold constrains control handles to 45 degree intervals. While editing, a two-finger hold lets you reposition nodes (control handles are locked).
Modifier keys
From the Home screen‘s Preferences (Interface tab), On-screen modifier keys are enabled to extend the tool's functionality. From the tool's context toolbar:
•Constrain—constrains the selection creation, either to an aspect ratio (eg square marquee) or to straight lines (polygon).
•Node Tool—when pressed, this allows you to position or scale selected nodes precisely while you draw.
•Ignore snapping—when pressed, prevents snapping to other objects and nodes.
SEE ALSO:
Draw and edit shapes
Edit vector line and shapes Pen Tool
Pencil Tool Node Tool
Pressure sensitivity Stroke Studio
E D I T L I N E S A N D S H A P E S
Vector lines, curves and shapes are easily edited using the Node Tool.
T o e d i t l i n e s , c u r v e s a n d s h a p e s :
• From the Vector Persona, select the Node Tool.
• Tap to select the line, curve or shape.
• Do one of the following to change the curvature of segments:
-
Tap a node (a) and drag to reposition.-
Drag a control handle (b) to accentuate or lessen curvature.-
Tap anywhere on a line segment (c) and drag.The Node Tool can be used in conjunction with the Transform Studio to position or scale selected nodes precisely.
T o c o n v e r t n o d e s t o a d i f f e r e n t t y p e :
Select the node(s) you want to change and select one of the node types on the context toolbar; choose from Sharp, Smooth or Smart.
T o a d d n o d e s :
• With the curve selected, tap at the point where you want the node to be added.
T o d e l e t e a s e l e c t e d n o d e :
• From the context toolbar, tap Delete.
• Select the curve and then Close on the context toolbar.
• Drag the end node and drop on top of the start node when the pointer changes.
T o b r e a k ( s p l i t ) c u r v e s :
• Select the node at the point at which you want the curve to break and then tap Break on the context toolbar
T o s m o o t h c u r v e s :
• Select Smooth on the context toolbar. This modifies a line or shape, by adding and removing nodes automatically around inflection points
T o j o i n s e p a r a t e c u r v e s :
• With the Node Tool enabled, hold down a secondary finger and tap two separate curves.
• Tap Join on the context toolbar. A straight line segment connects between the two curves.
T o r e v e r s e c u r v e s :
• Select Reverse on the context toolbar. The start node becomes active, ready for further drawing from the opposite end of the curve.
T o c l o s e c u r v e s :
Do one of the following:
• Select the curve and then Close on the context toolbar.
• Drag the end node and drop on top of the start node when the pointer changes.
T o b r e a k ( s p l i t ) c u r v e s :
• Select the node at the point at which you want the curve to break and then Break on the context toolbar
T o s m o o t h c u r v e s :
T o j o i n s e p a r a t e c u r v e s :
• With the Node Tool enabled, hold down a secondary finger and tap two separate curves.
• Tap Join on the context toolbar. A straight line segment connects between the two curves.
T o R e v e r s e c u r v e s :
Select Reverse on the context toolbar. The start node becomes active, ready for further drawing from the opposite end of the curve.
SEE ALSO:
Draw lines and shapes Draw and edit shapes Node Tool
A B O U T G E O M E T R I C S H A P E S
Most geometric shapes such as squares, circles and polygons are difficult to draw accurately freehand. We‘ve provided a selection of useful shapes to help you solve this problem. The shapes are fully geometrically correct, customisable, and can even be converted to curves for additional editing.
Once created, the shapes are easy to modify by changing the properties on the context toolbar or by dragging the special red handles.
A v a i l a b l e s h a p e s :
Rectangle Tool Ellipse Tool
Square Star Tool Triangle Tool Tear Tool
Trapezoid Tool Cog Tool
Cloud Tool Diamond Tool Crescent Tool Arrow Tool Star Tool Heart Tool Pie Tool
Callout Ellipse Tool Callout Rectangle Tool Doughnut Tool
Polygon Tool
SEE ALSO:
Draw and edit shapes
Converting objects to curves
D R A W A N D E D I T S H A P E S
Geometric and other special shapes that would be otherwise hard to draw can be easily created using one of the corresponding shape tools. Once drawn, both the shape and its stroke can be made into curves for more freeform design.
T o d r a w a n e w s h a p e :
1. With the Vector Persona enabled, Choose one of the shape tools, e.g., Rectangle Tool.
2. Drag on the page to create the shape. If needed, constrain the shape's proportions to a square by pressing a secondary finger (or thumb) on the screen as you drag. The same applies for ellipse and circle shapes.
3. Modify options as required, either by changing the values on the context toolbar or by dragging the red handle(s) (if available).
When you pass your finger over a handle, a straight red guideline will appear to suggest the direction of drag needed to modify your shape.
T o r e s e t a s h a p e h a n d l e t o i t s i n i t i a l p o s i t i o n :
• Double-tap the red handle that has been previously moved. Any other repositioned handles on the shape will not be affected.
T o e d i t a n e x i s t i n g s h a p e :
1. Select the shape, either by tapping the shape or by double-tapping the layer entry in the Layers Studio.
2. Edit the shape as required by either by directly dragging the red handle(s), or by changing the values on the context toolbar.
T o c o n v e r t a s h a p e t o c u r v e s :
• Select the shape using its associated shape tool.
• Tap To Curves on the context toolbar.
The shape is now made from curves. Segments and nodes can be modified with the Node Tool.
Modifiers
As you create shapes, the following modifiers can be used while the shape is being drawn:
•Hold down a secondary finger (or thumb) to constrain the shape's proportions at the time of creation.
SEE ALSO:
About geometric shapes
C O R N E R I N G S H A P E S
Cornering lets you selectively round sharp corners on shapes.
Ideal for rounding corners on geometric shapes or on closed shapes drawn with the Pen tool, the tool let you selectively apply cornering as and when you need it. A pre- requisite is that the corner must be a sharp corner, so geometric shapes such as polygons, stars, and
triangles are great candidates for corner rounding.
Using an on-screen red "shaping" ring you can control the size of the corner by dragging; the corner will shape itself around the ring‘s circumference for precise and perfect results. You‘ll see the ring only as you drag from a sharp corner node.
T o c r e a t e a r o u n d e d c o r n e r : 1. From the toolset, select the Corner Tool.
2. (Optional) Adjust the context toolbar settings.
3. Select and drag the sharp corner node to be rounded and drag inwards or outwards. A ring is shown around which the corner will be automatically rounded. The more you drag, increasing the radius, the more pronounced the corner.
You can apply rounded corners simultaneously to multiple nodes that have been selected previously.
Applying a rounded corner to a shape created with any of Affinity‘s Shape tools will convert that shape to curves. From that point, you won't be able to make use of the Shape tool's inherent ‘morphing‘ behaviour,
T o e d i t a r o u n d e d c o r n e r : 1. Select the shape.
2. Tap on the sharp corner node. (Although the corner is already rounded, the original shape's outline is retained.)
3. Drag the centre of the ring to resize the corner as needed.
SEE ALSO:
Corner Tool
E X P A N D S T R O K E
The Expand Stroke operation allows you to convert any pencil, pen or brush stroke to curves. You can also separate an object's stroke outline from its interior fill.
Before After
The expand stroke feature has a range of uses. It can be used to:
• Modify the shape of strokes by adjusting its curves and nodes.
• Separate a shape into its two components: its stroke and fill (without stroke outline)
• Flatten strokes prior to SVG export in web development.
Once a stroke has been been subjected to expand stroke, it loses its edit-ability using the original tool.
T o e x p a n d a s t r o k e :
• From the Edit Menu, select Expand Stroke.
Segments and nodes can be modified by using the Node Tools. A shape's stroke can be separated from its fill by dragging.
SEE ALSO:
Vector Brush Tool Edit lines and shapes
Converting objects to curves
C O L O U R
A B O U T C O L O U R
Affinity Designer can use different colour models to represent different ways of describing colour. A model (RGB, CMYK, LAB, or Grey) can be selected as you create your new
document.
Colour definitions are described comprehensively on the internet, so in this chapter we'll just focus on how to set a colour model, the model's colour space, and how a colour profile represents that colour space.
In terms of selecting colour as you design, Affinity Designer offers the Colour Studio, which shows the HSL colour wheel by default but offers RGB, CMYK, HSL or LAB sliders instead.
Within the Studio, a Swatches section offers easy access to preset swatches for single-tap application.
If you're happy to leave colour management until output is required, you can create new documents with the suggested default colour format RGB/8 with sRGB |EC61966—2.1 colour profile. However, for professional printing it's recommended to ensure a CMYK colour profile is adopted on document creation.
SEE ALSO:
Colour models
About colour spaces Colour management Selecting colours Colour Studio
C O L O U R M O D E L S
A screen uses varying amounts of light to create the colours that you see. In the physical world, inks are used to create the colour on the page. Colour is stored by turning colours into numbers. A colour model is used to describe the numerical system used.
As not all devices have the same ability to display colour, a colour space is used to define the gamut (available range) of colour, By working within a colour space suitable for the intended output device, you can be confident that your colours will be able to be displayed as
intended.
In Affinity Designer, you can use an RGB workflow as default or take advantage of an end- to-end CMYK or Lab colour-managed workflow as you create a new document instead,
A b o u t c o l o u r m o d e l s
Different colour mode|s represent colour as numbers in different ways, When working in Affinity Designer, you can choose one of four colour models.
R G B m o d e l :
The RGB model is an additive colour model. The primary colours of light, Red, Green and Blue, are combined in various degrees to make other colours in the attached spectrum.
C M Y K m o d e l :
The CMYK model is a subtractive model, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are combined to make each colour. A fourth ink, Black, is also used for extra control and can be used either on its own for a true black, or combined with the other inks for a rich black.
A representation of the CMYK colour model When the three colours are combined they make black. Black is also added as a separate colour for extra tonal control.
The way that the colour model is implemented is defined by the colour space that is chosen; this is possible by selecting a colour profile.
L a b :
Lab colour represents the theoretical range of human vision using three channels: Lightness (L), and two colour channels of opposing values of ‘red - green' (a) and ‘yellow - blue‘ (b). It can be very useful when used creatively, especially as Lightness can be adjusted without any change to hue or saturation.
A representation of the Lab colour opposition model. Lightness (L) is controlled separately to the two colour channels (a, b).
