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Note: The way we pronounce "Xor" is "Core" like coring out an apple. The X being the Greek letter chi, which is pronounced "kai" - or so we think : Result: Creates a transparent area where the two objects overlapped each other. The core was taken out and the two shapes without this middle area remain. Result: This Boolean Tool cuts and divides the original two objects into three separate objects see the Layers Panel in two images below. The division occurs where the Stroke outlines were.
There won't appear to be any change to the object in the document when this tool is first done. But, each of the three objects you can see in the Layers Panel are now their own individual shapes in the document. All you have to do is move each one away from the other. We'e finished working with the Boolean Tools. Now, it's your turn to go back and create two new shapes and after you select both of them, go through the different Boolean Tools and watch their shapes change.
Do this 10 times and it'll start to sink in how you can possibly use these tools for future design ideas. This completes our lesson on the Boolean tools. In our opinion, this is the most important tool you should become familiar with.
Shortcut: Press P to select this tool. We think it's very important that you know these Modes, so we'll show you what each does. The Node Tool, which can be thought of as a sibling tool to the Pen Tool, works much the same way. Simplistically, you can get a sense of what each Mode does by looking at its thumbnail.
We'll explain and show you how to use each below. As you are going through this lesson, please take some time and create your own lines to get a feel of how these lines work on your screen. Note: The Pen Tool is the icon with the yellow square around it in the below image. Let's discuss these modes The first Mode is the Pen Mode.
In the below image, we made a simple flowing line using the Pen Mode see yellow rectangle. We're done now explaining what the first Pen Mode is. But, before we move on to the next Mode, we think it's important for you to know the different parts of the Pen line.
As we continue in this book, we may say something like - "when you move the directional handle you can increase the curve of the path segment". This language is confusing to new users. So, we how we can explain visually what we mean by the below graphic we created for you. Remember that 'path' and 'line' are the same. The second Mode is the Smart Pen Mode see the yellow rectangle in the below image This Mode creates curved lines between anchor points.
So, when you click out three points in the shape of a triangle, you won't get three straight lines, but three curved lines see the below image.
Practice: Take your time and create five new shapes. Learn to see how the shapes look and feel as you create them. Notice how one of the nodes is red and not blue. Can you think of why this is so? This means it's the ending node you clicked on to close your shape. Check out this shape below. Notice that we didn't close our shape and notice where the red node is located.
If the image is a bit unclear, the red node is the left-most node. That's all we are going to talk about with this node. Let's now look at the third Pen Mode option. The third Mode is the Polygon Pen Mode. This is the mode you want to use when you want to only make precisely straight lines see the below image. Which kind of graphics would that person be most interested? Note: Affinity Designer makes making perfectly straight lines simple.
Just hold-down the Shift key when making a straight line and the line will be perfect. It is a very handy trick. That's all we have on the Polygon Pen Mode. The fourth Mode is the Line Mode. It is used for making single line segments. When using this Mode, you cannot add a curve to the path segment.
It just creates a line. There are no nodes in between the starting and ending nodes. Practice: Create five lines using this mode. Try to make them horizontal and vertical. Use the Shift key when creating two of these lines and experience the difference between using and not using the Shift key. That's it with the four Pen Modes. In the below image, we have all four types of lines in one document.
No, we did not intend to a cool face with them : Remember that when you create these different lines, each line will make up its own layer in the Layers Panel. This is perfect because it makes it very easy to make changes to each individual line. If one is above the other, then you can change their positions in the Layers Panel and then change how they look on your document. This ends this lesson on the Pen Tool.
Basics How to Save, Share, and Export The last basic skill new users want to know how to do is how to save their work on either their computer, share via emails, or exported using one of the many file formats Affinity Designer offers. Since there are three ways of doing these options, we've divided this lesson into three parts. For this lesson, we're going to create two objects on a document that will consist of a yellow rectangle, a blue triangle on a transparent background.
If you remember how to create these without reading the below instructions, please do so now. Go to the Color Wheel and set its color as yellow. Go back to the Color Wheel and set its color to blue.
This is what you should have in your document. Now that we have a document that is about the same on my screen as it is on yours, let's learn the different ways we can save, share, and export.
All of the options we need are in the Menu bar - File This will save our file in any folder we choose and in the official. We named our document File 1a. Notice the file type after our named document. This simply means that you can reopen this file in Affinity Designer and start where you left off. Note: If on the other hand the file format was. Its file size will be significantly smaller than the. We use a separate external drive for all of our Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer files, which are in the af.
This will open up its pop-out window where we have to choose into which file format we'll export our document as see the 11 colorful thumbnails at the top of the below image.
Click on every file format icon at the top of the below screenshot and notice how the options change per file format clicked upon. We'll go over these options now Since the JPEG file format is the most often used export format, we'll use the above image as a reference. Here's a list of the options with a brief explanation of what each does: Size see white line : This is the size of the file per its dimensions. You can increase or decrease these amounts and the Estimated File Size see yellow line will increase or decrease in size.
Preset see blue line : These are the quality presets you can use if you want to. There is a pop-out window where you can choose which quality level you want. Quality see red line : This is a slider where you can set any level of quality export you want. Pay special attention to the Estimated File Size see yellow line as you adjust this slider.
Remember, your file sizes may not be the same as ours because our shapes probably aren't perfectly matched. Area see pink line : This pop-out window allows you to choose which part or whole of the document you want to export. You can choose to export the Whole Document and its file size will be according to the above screenshot But, if you chose Selection Only, the file size will be This is because you will only be exporting the selected blue triangle.
Practice: Go to the Layers Panel and click on the bottom layer so it's active see below image. Now click on the pop-out window for Area and choose Selection Only. Notice how the file size is not the same as the blue triangle. The file size is only Note: We think it's cool Affinity Designer gives us the option to export a document as a whole or as individual layers.
This might allow a team of graphic designers to work on different parts of a design cooperatively. For example, one person could do the detailed artwork while another works on the text. Finally, when you are done adjusting the file to be exported, press the Export button see three images above to export your file.
When you press Export, this window will appear. Here you can rename your file like we did for the Save As Press Save to complete the export. Click on all of the buttons and drop-down windows to get a sense of your options.
Play around with everything at least twice to start to get a feel for what you're doing. Send us an email if you ever have any questions and we'll help you as fast as we can.
We are almost always online to help. We use this option all the time. We try to work as transparently with our clients as we can, so when one asks us for a progress report on a graphic design job, we'll send them what we have using this simple Share option Affinity Designer gives us to use.
When you choose to Share by Mail, immediately a new Email template will pop out where all we have to do if type in the receivers Email address, add something to the Subject line, add an appropriate text and press Send. Away it goes to our client. We also use the Mail function to email our current work to ourselves.
That way our documents can be stored on our email server in case our physical devices are damaged, stolen, or stop working. In fact, we send ourselves our documents just about as often as we save them. Murphy's Law is all too real sometimes. This ends the first 10 basic skills new users want to know how to do.
Thank you again for purchasing our book. We hope it really helps you. The next section of the book starts with a helpful lesson on how to properly use colors. We added this section to this book because this information is not easily found on the internet in as a consolidated manner as we've created for you. We hope we've written it in an interesting and informative manner. If you're already a pro, then maybe you can skip forward to the first step-by-step lesson after this unit.
But, if you're not a pro, and a beginner and don't know what color theory is all about, then this lesson was written for you. When we started four years ago, we had never been introduced to color theory. Maybe it's the reason I wear mostly black and solid colors :. So, what is color theory and why is it important? Color theory is a method of using single or multiple colors in specific schemes to achieve a specific feeling or emotion.
But there has been a huge amount of research done concerning the power of colors, that 'theory' may not be the right word anymore. Maybe you remember in primary school your art teacher introducing you to the color wheel. It was divided by colors around a wheel with three Primary colors Red, Blue, Yellow and other colors in between these.
This color wheel is what artists and graphic designers use to create awesome color combinations for such things like branding products, company logos like Nike and marketing materials. In Designer, we use different primary colors than Red, Blue and Yellow because we are creating software-based products for digital screens or for print media.
These colors are the primary colors for their respective color wheels. When we open new document, we have to choose a Web or Print template. When we start working on our document, we can see the color wheel in the Colors Studio. This color wheel is called an HSL color wheel. It's called this, not because it's a completely new color wheel, but because it properly shows the correct RGB or CMYK primary colors or Hues on its outside ring and has an adjustable inner triangle where we can change the Hue's saturation and lightness values.
We'll explain how to use the HSL color wheel in the next few paragraphs. As we were thinking about creating this book, this chapter on color theory was the most important part we wanted to teach. We divided this lesson into two parts. The first part will teach you the basics of Color Theory and the second will teach you some technical parts of each color format that we think you need to know so you can be a more educated designer.
If you ever get bored, you can simply turn the page : Part I - Color Theory In this lesson, we'll teach you the basics of Color Theory as well as how to use the different Color Formats and their differing modes of color.
Basically, Color Theory is how to use colors properly. We think it has four parts: I. HSL Each color is made up of three parts: 1. Saturation: The degree of vibrancy of a Hue also called Tone. Lightness: How light or dark a Hue is Affinity calls this Luminosity.
Saturation is made up of Tone middle line. Please take a look at the graphic below that we created for you. We suggest you try your best to become completely familiar with this image and how the HSL color wheel works. As we said in the introduction, the color format is CMYK. So, the colors or more formally 'Hues' you see on the outside ring are made up of the three primaries: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. The colors next to these are secondary and tertiary colors. So, let's now look at this color wheel.
The secondary color Red is selected. We know this because the white-circled node on the outside ring is where Red is located 1. Now, we have the option of making the Red color less saturated 2 , darker 4 , or brighter 3, 5. We've listed these numbers also like this: 1. Hues - the outside ring. Saturation Tone - move inner node towards left side desaturates a Hue. Lightness - move inner node up or down lightens or darkens a Hue. Shade - move inner node towards black darkens a Hue.
Tint - move inner node towards white lightens a Hue. Hue vs. Color A Hue is a color in its purest form. Look at this screenshot of the Color Sliders for Cyan. A Color is a variance of a Hue. Look at this screenshot of a darker shade of Cyan. It is not Cyan, but a color close to Cyan. Notice its different color values see yellow rectangle. Note: Practically speaking, everyone uses Color and not so much Hue. Knowing the difference is important, but not necessary to be a pro graphic designer.
The difference between these two is determined by the end-use of the creative process. This can be a confusing answer for beginners. To answer this is to think about what happens when the colors are combined together.
RGB is considered an additive color process because it uses light as color and as you add more colors together, they get brighter and eventually combine to make white. This combination of light makes it possible to create approximately These different possible colors are called its 'gamut'.
We'll explain more about this in the next section. CMYK is considered a subtractive color process because it uses a physical material pigment or ink to create color.
When you add one pigment to another light is absorbed thus making the combined colors darker instead of brighter. Its gamut is about half the range as RGB.
The smaller gamut therefore produces less vibrant colors. Note: Notice how the RGB colors start on a black background. This is to mimic a computer's screen. The CMYK colors start on a white background, to mimic paper.
Question: Do you know why the last letter for this color format is K and not B for Black? When all three primary colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow are combined, they don't produce pure black, but an almost black or Key. Therefore, a separate black color is needed to complete this gamut.
Think of the cartridges in a color printer: It uses four color cartridges for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black sometimes two black cartridges. Let's now talk about the CMYK color wheel with its specific parts and how to arrange these parts and colors into useful color combinations.
The CMYK color wheel has three main parts: 1. There are three color groups: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary 2. Colors can be warm or cool. Primary colors are Hues or "pure" colors. Secondary colors are made from mixing two primary colors. These are Indigo, Green, Red.
Tertiary colors are made from mixing one primary and one secondary color. K or black is added to help the darkest combined colors go to black.
The combination of all the colors does not create black. So, black is a needed addition to finish this color space's gamut of colors. Note: The traditional color wheel we all learned in primary school has Red, Blue, and Yellow as its primary colors. These wheels use different primary colors because they are specific to the type of media their colors will be seen on. If you accidently use a RGB color wheel for a print media document, the colors when you go to print them will not look as you see them on your screen and your client will not be a happy camper.
Color Schemes Knowing how to group colors to create aesthetically pleasing combinations is a skill you need to know how to utilize in order to be able to do your best work in Designer.
Some designers use the term 'Color Harmony' when talking about combining different colors in their works. This idea of harmony makes sense when you see colors that don't belong together in a pattern. It really is quite poor taste of colors. In this lesson, we'll cover the six most-used color schemes using the CMYK color wheel as a guide. There are more, but these six are the ones we've seen used the most often.
The six color schemes are: 1. Monochromatic 2. Analogous Complimentary Triadic Double Complementary Tetradic Achromatic Note: Please do your own online study of the different color schemes and all of their meanings and usages. The more you study this subject matter the faster you'll be able to master using these color schemes. There are more than these six we've covered. Monochromatic color schemes are made up of a single Hue with varying tints, tones, or shades.
This image here shows you the options you could use if you chose blue as the base color. This color scheme is easy on the eyes and is popular among minimalists.
Analogous color schemes are made up of three colors that are next to each other on a color wheel. This image below shows you one such combination of hues. This color scheme is often found in nature and is pleasing to the eyes.
It creates a serene and comfortable mood. We suggest you either use warm or cool analogous colors and not a combination of both.
For example, look at these three colors that you might see in a nice sunset. Complimentary color schemes are colors that opposite each other on the color wheel. This combination creates a high level of contrast. Our favorite complimentary colors are Blue-Orange and Cyan-Magenta.
We don't usually use them at full saturation or full vibrancy because they would look too intense. Because the pairing includes one warm and one cool color, the effect and be significant and provides a rich and eye-catching contrast.
Triadic color schemes are three colors evenly spaced around a color wheel. This scheme provides a high contrast look without being too strong like complimentary colors might be. Double Complementary color schemes are four colors made up of two sets of two complimentary colors. It allows you to create as much or as little contrast as you want. We recommend you chose two base colors and use its complimentary color as accent colors. This scheme provides more variety than a complimentary color scheme by adding an additional pair of warm and cool colors.
Achromatic color schemes lack color and instead use white, blacks, and greys. The company Apple uses achromatic color schemes in their packaging. This color scheme is considered sophisticated and clean. This is the classic rule for creating balance. We recommend you give it a try when you create different works of art.
This rule is one professional designers pay special attention to. Color Meaning Color has meaning and evokes emotional responses. This is a established truth and needs to be understood.
Here is a simple list of some of the different color and their meanings. Again, do yourself a favor and do your own internet search on this topic and you'll see the research is vast and comprehensive. Red: Passion, energy, danger, heat, anger, excitement, aggressive Green: Nature, calmness, peace, health, renewal, harmony Blue: Calm, relaxation, spirituality, trust, tranquil, soothing Cyan:Calmness, empathy, clarity, communication, compassion, stability Magenta: Free-spirit, kindness, warmth, welcoming, supportive Yellow:Energetic, vibrant, happy, warm, optimism Black:Death, power, mysterious, sophistication, formality, elegance Note: Take some time and think about some of your favorite brands and find out why they chose the colors they're using as their logos and advertising materials.
Become a pro at using colors to maximize your effectiveness as a graphic designer. These values are represented by a numbered sequence. This lesson will show you these values and why they are what they are. We hope this knowledge will help you be a better and more informed designer.
Please do yourself a favor and go over this lesson multiple times. We asked a friend of ours who doesn't know anything about color, and she was a bit confused at first.
She said she didn't understand how a number could represent a color. So, let's take the first image below as an example. You can see this in the middle top right-hand corner of the image. Because it's CMYK, each letter on the left side of the image corresponds to one of the letters. C is Cyan. M is Magenta. Y is Yellow. K is black. Each color, for example C or Cyan , is represented by a number from 0 to We understand this is confusing for new users, but we promise that as you begin to understand what's going on inside each Color Format's pop-out windows, you'll see the logic of it.
Please contact us by email if you have any questions. We promise to answer you as fast as we can. Now that we've explained why this lesson may be confusing, let's close our eyes and jump on in The Color Formats we'll cover in this lesson are: 1.
CMYK uses a code that looks like this: , 0, 0, 0. Each number is a percentage see the below image for a reference. Simple, right? Notice how the in the C value box see yellow rectangle makes the Fill circle see the yellow arrow Cyan.
Any adjustment of the value boxes will affect the Fill color. RGB uses a code that looks like this , 0, 0. This code represents Red. The value range is between These numbers are not percentages - just numbers. The range of numbers from 0 to is based on a mathematical equation we'll explain in a moment. Each pixel has three colors red, green, blue. Each color has a color depth of 8 bits. Because RGB is the color format for all digital screens, let's start with a pixel and what it represents.
This image below is what a pixel on your screen might look like. Every pixel is made up of three possible colors. Each Channel is made up of 8 bits of color depth. Three Channels together is called a Pixel. Each Pixel is made up of 24 bits 3 Channels x 8 bits of color depth. Each bit is made up of one 0 and one 1 Binary code used in computers : This allows for 28 or color combinations per channel. Each pixel has a specific RGB value ranging between zero is counted as a number.
This is the same as if you count the 0 zero as a number. Did you understand all that? If not, please re-read it again and again until you do. If you can grasp this, then you're way ahead of where we were when we started. Now, let's play around with these numbers Examples: a. Because if you add red and green light together, you get yellow.
Now that we've discussed the RGB color format and you have a rough understanding of how it works with its value system, let's now discuss its twin color format of RGB Hex. RGB Hex is the color format most professional graphic designers use and is why we created this entire chapter. If you know how to use the RGB Hex code after reading this chapter, we know we've done our job. Experimenting with colors as we create new designs is a fun and rewarding experience.
Why is this so special? Because it allows designers to use the exact color their clients want them to use because the Hex code in one country is the same in another.
This color is represented as a 6-digit code that looks like this: FF00FF. FF00FF is the code for Magenta. Ready to jump in? The Hex code is based on the RGB values between per each color. Each color or Channel is represented by two numbers, two letters or a combination of a number and a letter. These are two zeros, not letters. The doesn't mean anything. It's just there to show you're using a RGB Hex code. There's a mathematical formula to figure out this code, which we'll show you next.
Ready to learn something new? First, let's look at the Legend and apply this knowledge to the equations below Legend: are their number values. But, we think it's better to know how to do the math regardless of how easy it is to find already-made Hex code colors.
We hope you feel the same. All we do is the opposite from above The Legend is the same, but the math is the opposite. This is the color's value. If you think you understand how these calculations work, then we are very happy for you because we think this knowledge will make you a much better designer than if you didn't know these things. We'll work with these codes as we continue in this book so that you'll gain more practical experience with them.
The last color format we need to discuss is Pantone. Pantone colors are a set of standardized colors that allow designers, manufacturers, and printers to consistently use a specific color repeatedly with no chance of variance the world over i.
It is similar to RGB Hex, but more precise as there are no blending of colors. You can find the different Pantone's in the Swatches Panel by clicking on the Swatches tab and then clicking on the pop-out window see yellow rectangle for the different Pantone options. Note: Pantones are a patented process, so educate yourself before you use them too widely.
While it is free to use these colors in Designer, if you use them professionally, we highly recommend you contact their corporate headquarters first. But we encourage you to expand your knowledge on these color formats. Not to sound cheesy, but knowledge truly is power. This ends this extra lesson on the Color Theory, Modes, and Codes.
The resource we use the most is DaFont. Having a huge repertoire of great Fonts ready-to-use in the Designer program is a very beneficial thing. We think for new users, this is the most important thing to learn when first starting out.
Ready to add a new Font to Designer? Click on Download on the next screen. Note: dafont. Be sure to check out aassets Illustrator logo templates and infographic templates collections for more inspiration. Point desigenr camera at anything, or import an image to create a rich, colorful vector. Adobe capture turns your images, photos, and the affinity designer web design assets free download captures into a beautiful color palette, pattern, xffinity or fonts, etc. Imagine looking through your camera to see patterns, vectors, and even fonts.
The power to transform the world around you into creative assets to build your projects is in the palm of your hands today. Enjoy a camera scanner to create graphic design elements and cater to Mood Board needs. Vectorize assdts the Go Love poster? Create vectors instantly with Shapes. Point and shoot at your drawing or upload a photo and watch it magically transform into clean, crisp lines.
Such created assets can be used in posters. Voice or Audio to text Record your voice to see it transform in text. Replace and add text in your speech directly by editing the transcript.
This new audio recording feature is easy to use and affinity designer web design assets free download enhance your audio creation. Import audio files to different Adobe apps or download them to your device deb WAV files. Identify Typography Find your perfect font using Adobe Capture.
Take a adobe audition cc free download of the type you like in a magazine, on a label, a sign, anywhere! Create Color Themes and Gradients Designers, rejoice! Looking for customized color palettes? Find an inspiring gradient? Find color by number or hex? Free your camera at the scene that has the colors you want and capture them to use in your artwork.
Build Beautiful Digital Brushes Love painting? Take a photo or use an image to create digital brushes that match your creative vision. Use your brushes in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fresco for rich painterly effects. Such created assets can be used in painting. Craft Intricate Patterns Love wallpaper? Capture inspiring images and generate patterns with Capture preset geometrics. Easily create beautiful, colorful patterns that fit with your creative projects by using your vector shapes with our precision pattern builder.
Such created assets can be used in wallpaper. Modify your materials for even more texture or blend the edges for seamless repeat tiling on your 3D objects. Vree Light and Color Love photography? Collect light and hue to turn into assete color grading profiles for your images and videos with Looks. Record the magic of sunset and transfer that feel to use in your photos and video projects. Such affinjty assets can be used in photography.
Instantly access your digital elements from your Creative Cloud account in all compatible applications. If you enjoy using Adobe Capture, please share a nice review. It fownload helps! Happy to recommend it! Regardless of whether you export dosnload from adobe capture as an svg or bitmap it produces blurry images. I was having fun with the app until I saw the end result via export. It would also be great to have the ability to import extra shapes once a pattern has been created but apparently if you accidentally weeb to add a shape then you have to discard the whole pattern project ddsign start again?
Image trace used to be a lot better. Hit and miss. If the resolution was sorted then this would be a good app. Dear user, I sincerely apologise for the game maker 3d for pc you are facing with our app. We have raised the concern to our development team.
This is what the Star shape looks like now. Interesting look, isn't it? This last edit to our Star shape ends this lesson on using the Shape Tools. Self-Test: Look at this blue object below and write down the steps you think we took to create it. Try not to look at the answers below the image : 1. Hold-down Shift to create a perfect triangle shape. Move the single red node to the left to match this image.
Move the Color Wheel to match the color of the triangle. If you can do this exercise and understand why, then you're ready to move on to the next lesson. Basics 4: How to Navigate Inside the Document The fourth skill new users need to master is how to navigate inside a document. This is short lesson, but essential to helping you move around inside Designer's screen with ease. So far, we've done enough work that you should start becoming somewhat comfortable with this program.
Knowing how to move the document around and how to select individual, or multiple objects is an important skill. There are several ways to navigate inside a document and we'll show you these now. Use the document with the shapes from the previous lesson as you practice these different movements. Move the document around the canvas: Click on the Move Tool looks like a hand to move the document, or hold-down the Space bar and when the cursor turns to the same icon as the Move Tool, move the document where you want it.
Go to the Menu bar - View and you'll see the different ways of zooming in and out of the document. The options in the yellow square see the below image can be much more easily done by holding-down the Shift key as you rotate your shape to the right or to the left.
The other options on the right side of the below screenshot should be committed to memory. But all you need to know, really, are the first three options from the list above this paragraph.
When we work, we have our trackpad located to the left of the keyboard and the mouse to the right. It's the perfect setup for us. This lesson, while basic, is important to know. Basics 5: How to Use Colors in Designer Using colors in Designer is probably the most important skill you'll need to know how to do well.
Thankfully, the creators of Affinity Designer made using colors simple and intuitive. As we have already seen, when you create a shape, you can go to the Color Panel and give it a new color by clicking on the outer circle of the Color Wheel. In this lesson, we'll teach you the basics of adding color as well as a brief introduction to more advanced methods of using colors. Extra: We created a special lesson titled Color Theory, Modes, and Codes to help you more fully understand colors and how to properly use them.
The Fill is the inside color, and the Stroke is the outside border which you have to activate to see. Let's start this lesson by creating a New Document and adding four shapes to it. This will be a refresher lesson to the one we did before.
The purpose is to get you proficient in using the awesome program. We'll assume you already know how to do some of the instructions without having to be told how. Consider it progressive learning. Make its color red. Remember to hold-down the Shift key so the circle is symmetrical. Go to the Color Wheel and click on a blue. Hold-down Shift if you want to. Go to the Color Wheel and click on a green. Go to the Color Wheel and click on a yellow. This is what your document should look like now.
Don't worry if your colors are exactly the same as ours. So far, we've only changed the color of each shape's Fill. Now, we'll work on each shape's Stroke. Since the yellow Star shape is already selected and its layer is highlighted in blue, we'll start with it. Go to the Color Studio and click on the Stroke Panel see the yellow rectangle in the below image. Does this sound familiar? Adjust the Width slider so its value is 5 pt. This is what the Star shape should look like now. Now that we've increased the Width of the Star's stroke, let's change its color.
Click on the Color Panel see the yellow rectangle in the below image so the Color Wheel is again visible. Click on the Stroke doughnut see the white semi-square. This will cause it to be in the front position; in front of the yellow Fill circle.
Note: You can only change the color of the Fill or Stroke if its corresponding circle is in the front position. Now that the Stroke doughnut is in front of the solid yellow Fill circle, we can click on the Color Wheel and change the Stroke's color.
Check out this image below to see what we did. Notice how the color on the Color Wheel is the same as the Stroke circle and the same as the Stroke surrounding our Star shape in the document.
Note: If you want to use the exact same color as we are using, move the outside color node on the Color Wheel so the H: or Hue value is Click on the no color circle see the white square in the above image to see what happens. Remember this action will only affect the Stroke because its hollow circle is in front of the solid yellow Fill circle.
So you can get some more practice using colors, let's use another coloring menu instead of the Color Wheel. Click on the Color Studio's menu icon see the yellow square in the below image and a pop-out window will appear with a few choices: Wheel Sliders Boxes Tint. Click on Sliders.
We moved the top slider all the way to the right and the lower two sliders all the way to the left. The resulting color is Red. Note: In the middle of this book, we created a lesson where we'll teach you why , 0, 0 is Red. But for now, it's not important to know. But we hope we've piqued your interest. By the time you've finished this book, we promise you'll know exactly why is a full red and many other technical parts of colors.
Now you have the basics to know how to change colors of your shapes. Please don't delete your work, because we'll continue using these shapes in our next lesson.
Every shape we create has its own layer. In this lesson, we'll learn how to use the Layers Panel and how to work with individual and grouped layers. Go to the Layers Panel and notice how each one of the shapes we made has become its own layer. If you uncheck a layer, its shape will disappear. Layers stack on top of one another. So, depending on where they are in the Layers Panel they'll appear differently inside the document. For example, the Star shape is at the top of the Layers Panel and its shape is also on top of the other shapes in the document.
To see what we mean Now, if we wanted to reposition the Star shape below the other three shapes, we'd need to go to the Layers Panel and move the top Star layer to the bottom of the Layers Stack. When you do this action in the Layers Panel, watch how the yellow star shape in the document is now underneath the other shapes. We're almost done. But, before we finish, we want to show you one more way you can move layers and make a totally new effect.
It's a bit advanced, but it is a technique we use very often. So, why not learn it now, right? Before we start something new, let's re-arrange our document: Click on the Star shape and reposition it below the blue circle and to the right of the green rounded rectangle shape. Go back to the Layers Panel and click on the blue Ellipse layer so it's highlighted in blue.
Now, what we are going to do is kinda tricky for absolutely new users, but we'll take the stress out of it. What we're going to do is create what is known as a Child layer. A child layer is a layer that only affects the layer it's attached to.
Note: For you Adobe Photoshop users, a child layer is what you're used to calling a clipping mask. We create child layers by moving a layer below-and-to-the-right of another layer. Normal layer movement and placement is moving a layer above or below another layer. Ready to try it? Make sure the left side of the Ellipse layer is in the position you see in the below image. If the left side of the layer was all the way to the left, this movement wouldn't create a child layer, but a normal layer.
This is what the Layers Panel looks like after you've moved the Ellipse layer. Notice the new position of the blue Ellipse layer. Notice also the circled triangle see the yellow square in the below image. This circled triangle is the icon for grouped layers. When the circled triangle is facing downward seen here , then it is revealing its grouped contents.
If the circled triangle is facing to the right see the yellow square in the below image , then the grouped contents will not be visible see this image and notice how the blue Ellipse layer is not seen. Now that you know how to move a layer and make it a child layer of another, let's see its effect in the document. Because the blue Ellipse layer is still highlighted in blue even if we can't see it unless we click on the red Rectangle layer's group icon , we can still see its silhouette in the document see the circle lines on the right side of the below document.
It becomes visible because child layers only affect the layers they are attached to. Note: We know firsthand that for new users the mechanics of child layers can be a difficult concept to understand, but we promise you that by the end of this book you'll be a pro.
You now know what you need to know about how to move layers around in the Layers Panel and how each shape on the document is affected depending on its layers' position. We'll start with a blank document and work on this lesson from scratch. After this lesson, there will be a bonus lesson that will help you to better understand the Text Tool and how child layers work. When we started using Designer, we didn't have anyone tell us what child layers were, nor how they worked.
Because of this experience, we want to make sure we teach what they are at the start of your learning process. We think they're that valuable to know. For this lesson, we'll teach you the basics of using the Text Tool and some extras to enhance your learning. Pay attention to the change of the new document's height when you read the intro below. Ready to start? Transparent Background checked.
You should now have a document in front of you that is twice as wide as it is high. When we click on the Artistic Text Tool, new options will appear on the Contextual Toolbar where we can do a variety of changes to our initial text.
Change its color Change its alignment to the page Left, Center, Right Change its justified position Left, Center, Right, All Change its location on the page using the Alignments icons Now that you know the different options we have when using the Text Tool, let's see them in action so you'll have some hands-on experience.
Click on the Artistic Text Tool so it's active. From here on out, we'll just call it the Text Tool to keep its name shorter. Try to keep it about one-quarter the height of the document. Type Designer see two images below for reference. This means the text object in the document is actively selected and we can now make edits to it by using the options in the Contextual Toolbar. Note: Another way to know if an object is actively selected is to see if it is surrounded by blue nodes - as is the case of our word.
Go to the Contextual Toolbar and let's make some changes to our text. On the far left-side is the Font drop-down list. Click on the Font name in our case it's Arial and immediately a dropdown window will appear with a lot of choices for different Fonts.
Don't worry if we have more than you. Adding new fonts to Designer is a simple process. Here is what a small portion of our available fonts look like.
If you know the name of a favorite font of yours, you can find it by typing its name where "Arial" is. Our favorite font is Impact. Let's have you find it and use it, too. Note: If you don't have the Impact font, please use Arial Black instead.
We'll teach you how you can upload new fonts to Designer in our first lesson after the Basics. Double-click on Arial so its word is highlighted in blue. Type "im" and Designer will find the font that starts with those two letters. Click on the Impact font in the drop-down window and our word on the document will change to Impact. Note: We love it when our workflow is as fast as possible. So, where we could write out the whole word "Impact," there's no real need for it.
Impact is already a bold text, so the next option in the Contextual where we could change our text's characteristics see white rectangle above isn't an option for us.
The next option for us to alter our text is the font size see green rectangle above. So, let's make our text larger and make it fit the document as we want it to. This is starting position of our text in our document: For the next two actions, look at the red squares and red arrows: Click on the middle-bottom blue node and drag the text downwards towards the bottom of the document.
Click on the middle-right node and drag the text to the right towards the right border. This is the new position and size of our text in our document: Now that we have our word in its correct font, size, and position, let's continue moving across the Contextual Toolbar's options. The next option for us is to change our text's color. We can do this two ways. We could use the Color Box on the Contextual Toolbar see yellow rectangle around a solid black rectangle or we can go to the Color Wheel and click on any of the colors.
Let's use the option on the Contextual Toolbar because once we click on the black rectangle a pop-out window will appear with another Color Wheel we'll use to change our font's color. It seems redundant to have two Color Wheels on the same screen, but it is what it is. Go to the Contextual Toolbar and click on the text's Color Box. Choose a nice blue color on the outside ring of the Color Wheel. The arrows represent the three parts that are the same color Color box, Color Wheel, Text.
We placed a yellow rectangle over the HSL values in case you wanted to use the same color as we've chosen. You'll have to move the outside Color Wheel to so the H: value is If you are unable to move the Color Wheel to our specific HSL values, you can also go to the Colors Panel and click on its menu icon see yellow rectangle in the image below and then click on Sliders.
Then, you can type , , 50 in the HSL value boxes see yellow rectangle. This is how you can perfectly match our color to yours. Going back to our document with our blue-colored word Designer. The next option we listed was the alignment of our text and its justification.
Unfortunately, for these options to have an effect on our text, we'd need more than just one word. The next edit we can do on the Contextual Toolbar is the Convert to Curves see white rectangle. Just to let you know, this is not a beginner-friendly edit. After the Convert to Curves option are the Text position icons see yellow rectangle.
We want you to spend a few minutes and click on each one of these icons and watch how the text responds. When you are done, bring the text back to its starting position in the center of the document. We are almost done, but we have one more edit to make to our word.
We don't want to leave the word alone on a transparent background. So, let's create a black background for it. Click on the Rectangle Tool so it's activated. You know a tool is active when it has a dark field around it like you can see in this screenshot.
When doing this often-used action, try to keep the rectangle shape as close to the border of the document as possible. Use the blue nodes to reposition the new rectangle shape so it fits as precisely as possible. Go to the Color Wheel and move the inner node straight up see the yellow arrow in the below image for this action so the background color will change to black.
This is our final image: Finished. We think having a good understanding of child layers is so important, we thought we'd throw in this free lesson for you. Since repetition is the best teacher, let's keep learning. In this lesson, we're going to take four steps to create a cool word art effect.
We'll type "Beach Lifestyle" on our document and re-center it. We'll create a blue background layer and move it to the bottom of the Layers Stack.
We'll place a photo of a beach scene below-and-to-the-right a child layer of the text layer. The beach image will be inside the text layer because this is what a child layer does - it affects only the layer it's attached to. Ready to start learning? Go to the Color Wheel and click on a nice blue color. Select the Artistic Text Tool. Go to the Contextual Toolbar and type impact in the Font selection box see yellow rectangle.
If you don't have the impact font, choose another that has thick characters. Press Caps lock on your keyboard. Type Beach on one level and type Lifestyle on the next. Try to get your document to look like ours.
The entire document is not shown, just the text. Go to the Layers Panel and click on the bottom Rectangle layer so it's highlighted in blue. We now want to lock this background layer, so it won't move around while we do our other edits. When you want to lock a layer, there's four ways to do it. Go to the Menu bar - Layer - Lock 2. Click on the lock icon in the Layers Panel area see the yellow rectangle below.
Right-click and select Lock. Lock the Rectangle layer however you want. After you've locked a layer, there will be a lock icon on its layer. Go to the Contextual Toolbar and click on the Center Align button see the yellow rectangle in the below image. Now that the text is centered, let's adjust the spacing of the letters to "BEACH" so that the word extends a bit more either way in comparison to the underlying word. Click on the Character Panel see the white rectangle in the below image to open the Positioning and Transform panel.
Note: You may have to click on the Positioning and Transform group icon see the green rectangle in the below image to open the drop-down menu where we typed If so, then just click on its group icon and you'll see what we have. Double-click on the Text Tracking value box see the yellow rectangle in the below image and type Feel free to use its slider, if you prefer.
We now need to resize the text, so it extends as far to the bottom corners as possible. To do this, we'll use the Shift key and the bottom right blue node and then the top left blue node. This is what your document should look like now: Note: If we had only used the blue nodes and not the Shift key, we wouldn't be able to extend the text to the very edges of the document. Now, we need to open the image with the beach image.
Here is the current hyperlink to the image we'll be using. If you have problems opening up this hyperlink, email us and we'll send you the Designer Images folder over email. It should be right in front of you after you open it from its original location. When you do this, the beach image as well as its corresponding layer will be above the other two layers. The image will be small because our document is larger pixels x pixels than the image. When you do this, you'll see that it's not possible without extending beyond the border of the document.
This is ok to do, but now you know that if you hold-down the Shift key while extending the blue nodes that it's easier to cover the entire document. Note: Maybe the second choice is better in this instance because it will give us more leeway if we want to reposition the beach image when it is behind the text.
Go to the Layers Panel and make sure there are three layers: 1. Top: Beach image 2. Middle: Text 3. Bottom: Rectangle Now, let's make a child layer.
Click on the top layer so it's highlighted in blue and then drag it belowand-to-the-right of the middle layer. Review: Before we continue, let's review what we've learnt about child layers. These layers, when repositioned in the Layers Stack only affect the layer they're attached to, and not layers below them. After we did the action above, we can now see the bottom blue Rectangle layer. The beach image has affected the text so instead of a black fill, we see the beach image.
This is what our Layers Panel should look like now: Review: What do the icons that we surrounded with the yellow and white squares mean? Done: This is our almost-final image.
It is also called Word Art. Before we go, there is one final edit we can do to this image. If you'd like to reposition the beach image in the text, do this: Click on the child layer so it's highlighted in blue maybe already is.
Click on the bottom right-hand blue node and extend the beach image beyond the document see the below image. Click on the middle of the beach image and drag it around to your perfect spot. We think it looks best when the ocean's horizon in parallel with the lower portion of the A. This is now the new final image. This ends this lesson on how to use child layers. It allows us to make unique shapes very quickly. Here is an image of the five Boolean Tools with their names typed out for you. In order to use the Boolean Tools, we need to have at least two objects selected at the same time.
We'll keep this lesson as simple as we can and only use two objects. We'll create one pink circle and then duplicate it. These will be our two shapes.
Instead of trying to explain how to use these tools, let's just jump in If so, then let's Click on the pink color on the Color wheel to change its color. We can do this because we know the first circle is active. Meaning: It has blue nodes surrounding it and it's layer in the Layers Panel is highlighted in blue. Select the Move Tool to move the duplicated circle from above the first circle and place it to the right of the other circle shape see the image below for what we want you to do.
This is what you should have on your screen now. Notice how the blue nodes surround both circles. This is what the Layers Panel should look like when both shapes are selected. We'll call this our starting Layers Panel position. So, every time before we click on a new Boolean Tool, we need to make sure we always start where both of our original circles are selected like the above two images. Let's start clicking on some Boolean Tools, shall we?
We'll show you what to click and what the new shape looks like. There really isn't much to discuss other than to see what happens and to think to yourself and remember what happens to our two selected objects when you click on a Boolean Tool. Note: We'll use these Boolean tools when we create a flat character with shading later on in this book. Click on the Add Boolean Tool. Result: The two shapes are now one. This is how it appears in the Layers Panel.
You should be back at the starting position now with both circles selected: Click on the Subtract second Boolean Tool. Result: Subtract removes the circle positioned on top of the other layer and leaves behind a subtracted portion of one of the objects. Notice how the left-side circle is completely gone. Result: Only the area where the two shapes intersected remains. Pay attention again at how the original two circles are completely removed and only the leftover portion remains.
Note: We'll be using this Boolean Tool in to create a beautiful flower design later on in this book. Note: The way we pronounce "Xor" is "Core" like coring out an apple. The X being the Greek letter chi, which is pronounced "kai" - or so we think : Result: Creates a transparent area where the two objects overlapped each other. The core was taken out and the two shapes without this middle area remain.
Result: This Boolean Tool cuts and divides the original two objects into three separate objects see the Layers Panel in two images below. The division occurs where the Stroke outlines were.
There won't appear to be any change to the object in the document when this tool is first done. But, each of the three objects you can see in the Layers Panel are now their own individual shapes in the document. All you have to do is move each one away from the other. We'e finished working with the Boolean Tools. Now, it's your turn to go back and create two new shapes and after you select both of them, go through the different Boolean Tools and watch their shapes change.
Do this 10 times and it'll start to sink in how you can possibly use these tools for future design ideas. This completes our lesson on the Boolean tools. In our opinion, this is the most important tool you should become familiar with. Shortcut: Press P to select this tool.
We think it's very important that you know these Modes, so we'll show you what each does. The Node Tool, which can be thought of as a sibling tool to the Pen Tool, works much the same way. Simplistically, you can get a sense of what each Mode does by looking at its thumbnail.
We'll explain and show you how to use each below. As you are going through this lesson, please take some time and create your own lines to get a feel of how these lines work on your screen. Note: The Pen Tool is the icon with the yellow square around it in the below image.
Let's discuss these modes The first Mode is the Pen Mode. In the below image, we made a simple flowing line using the Pen Mode see yellow rectangle. We're done now explaining what the first Pen Mode is. But, before we move on to the next Mode, we think it's important for you to know the different parts of the Pen line. As we continue in this book, we may say something like - "when you move the directional handle you can increase the curve of the path segment".
This language is confusing to new users. So, we how we can explain visually what we mean by the below graphic we created for you. Remember that 'path' and 'line' are the same. The second Mode is the Smart Pen Mode see the yellow rectangle in the below image This Mode creates curved lines between anchor points.
So, when you click out three points in the shape of a triangle, you won't get three straight lines, but three curved lines see the below image. Practice: Take your time and create five new shapes. Learn to see how the shapes look and feel as you create them. Notice how one of the nodes is red and not blue. Can you think of why this is so? This means it's the ending node you clicked on to close your shape. Check out this shape below. Notice that we didn't close our shape and notice where the red node is located.
If the image is a bit unclear, the red node is the left-most node. That's all we are going to talk about with this node. Let's now look at the third Pen Mode option. The third Mode is the Polygon Pen Mode. This is the mode you want to use when you want to only make precisely straight lines see the below image.
Which kind of graphics would that person be most interested? Note: Affinity Designer makes making perfectly straight lines simple.
Just hold-down the Shift key when making a straight line and the line will be perfect. It is a very handy trick. That's all we have on the Polygon Pen Mode. The fourth Mode is the Line Mode. It is used for making single line segments. When using this Mode, you cannot add a curve to the path segment. It just creates a line. There are no nodes in between the starting and ending nodes. Practice: Create five lines using this mode. Try to make them horizontal and vertical.
Use the Shift key when creating two of these lines and experience the difference between using and not using the Shift key. That's it with the four Pen Modes. In the below image, we have all four types of lines in one document. No, we did not intend to a cool face with them : Remember that when you create these different lines, each line will make up its own layer in the Layers Panel.
This is perfect because it makes it very easy to make changes to each individual line. If one is above the other, then you can change their positions in the Layers Panel and then change how they look on your document.
This ends this lesson on the Pen Tool. Basics How to Save, Share, and Export The last basic skill new users want to know how to do is how to save their work on either their computer, share via emails, or exported using one of the many file formats Affinity Designer offers.
Since there are three ways of doing these options, we've divided this lesson into three parts.
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