Professional Image Editing Made Easy with Affinity Photo E-Book

Jeremy Hazel

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 505

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

In this book, you’ll explore the Affinity Photo program through practice-based learning as you make popular photo edits, learning the tools and techniques in conjunction with the workflow concept. Instead of comprehensive description of the tools, you’ll learn through practical application and understand why they work, not just how they work. This is neither a technical manual nor a workbook but a project-based hybrid approach that provides a deeper understanding of how to use each tool to achieve your goal.
Starting with the fundamentals of navigating the interface, understanding layers, and making your first edit, this Affinity Photo book gradually increases the complexity of projects. You’ll go from single-layer edits, composites, and RAW development to putting together a complex composition using the tools that you've learned along the way. Additionally, you’ll learn the best practices used by expert photo editors for a flawless finish.
By the end of this book, you’ll have a good body of work, be able to evaluate the edits you want to make, and achieve desired results with Affinity Photo.

Leseprobe

Professional Image Editing Made Easy with Affinity Photo

Apply Affinity Photo fundamentals to your workflows to edit, enhance, and create great images

Jeremy Hazel

BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI

Professional Image Editing Made Easy with Affinity Photo

Copyright © 2023 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Group Product Manager: Rohit Rajkumar

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First published: June 2023

Production reference: 1040523

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

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B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-80056-078-9

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I would like to dedicate this book to my amazing wife, whose patience, support, and encouragement have made my entire career possible. For all the nights, weekends, and holidays spent with me locked away behind a keyboard and camera, it would not have been possible without you.

– Jeremy Hazel

Contributors

About the author

Jeremy Hazel started 7th Season Society in 2017 and has over 150,000 students in various programs, such as Designer, Photo, and Procreate. He teaches on many popular platforms, including Udemy, Skillshare, and his own platform, where he is in the top-ranked courses with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.

In addition to teaching, Jeremy is a T-shirt designer and printer and also works as a brand consultant for creative-based businesses. Jeremy has partnered with the absolute best of the best in the field to bring his courses and education style to the masses, including Video School Online and Lindsay Marsh Design, and recently, his YouTube channel has been featured in Affinity Spotlight.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Phil Ebiner; without the chance you gave me, none of this would have happened. Thanks for taking a chance on a newbie.

About the reviewer

Michael Burton is an experienced illustrator and graphic designer who evolved into multimedia. Since 2000, he’s worked in branding and decorated apparel; he uses Photoshop and alternative software for digital imaging, screen-printing, drawing, and painting. He has designed for hundreds of schools and local businesses, including Chicago public schools, and the Illinois High School Association. Colleges and pro league clients include the WNBA player Candace Parker, and Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears. In addition, he works in vector art and loves creative writing, music, video editing, and the spoken word for graphic storytelling. He has been featured with a 4x Grammy artist and is the author of the creative memoir, Let Me Paint a Picture. He has earned two associate’s degrees and a BA in graphic design and media arts at SNHU.

Table of Contents

Prefacexvii

Part 1: Foundational and Navigation Basics for Affinity Photo

1

Fundamentals of Vector versus Raster Art and Basics of the Interface3

Technical requirements4

Differentiating between raster (pixel) and vector-based images4

Why you would use one over the other, and how to choose the correct type of art6

Understanding DPI and why it matters8

Understanding the role image size plays in image quality9

Understanding color profile and how it factors into your image9

RGB10

CMYK10

The six areas of the Affinity Photo Interface11

Summary17

2

Opening Your First Document19

Bringing in an existing photo into Affinity Photo for editing19

Creating a new document for a project22

Placing an image into an existing project25

Resizing the document you just created27

When you want to change the document size28

When you want to change the canvas size29

Creating presets and templates for use in other projects30

Creating presets31

Creating templates32

Professional tips, tricks, and important points33

Summary33

3

Layer Fundamentals – The Heart of Affinity Photo35

Technical requirements35

Understanding layers35

What is rasterizing a layer?38

Working with layers – the demographics39

What are adjustment layers?47

What are live filter layers49

What are text layers?50

Layers – practical editing practice51

Professional tips, tricks, and important points56

Summary57

4

The Basics of Masking in Affinity Photo59

Technical requirements59

Basics of masking and making your first mask60

Masking principles60

Making a simple mask on a Pixel layer60

Masking Adjustment layers or Live Filter layers64

When to use this technique66

Making a gradient mask68

Where is the gradient tool, and how do we read it68

Utilizing a clipping mask – vector72

Shape-based clipping masks72

Curve-based clipping masks74

Practical masking application79

The edit breakdown79

Operational steps81

Professional tips from this edit83

Professional tips, tricks, and important points83

Summary84

5

Selection and How to Achieve It in Affinity Photo85

Technical requirements85

Principles of selection86

What is Affinity Photo doing when it selects?86

How to think of a selection – the three statements87

When do you use selection?89

What does a selection actually look like?90

Types of selection90

Tool-based selection91

Attribute-based selection93

Creating, adding to, and subtracting from a selection94

Universal steps in creating a selection94

Tool-based selection – using Selection Brush94

Attribute-based selection – tonal selection100

Saving a selection as a mask or channel101

What are a channel and a spare channel?101

Creating a spare channel103

When to use this technique105

Tricks for refining a tricky selection105

Example #1 – adding adjustment layers to increase differences and make better-defined edges105

Example #2 – adjusting a selection using the menu (Grow / Shrink...)106

Professional tips, tricks, and important points108

Summary109

Part 2: Fundamental Concepts Used to Create a Simple Edit

6

Cropping and Composition113

Technical requirements113

Cropping fundamentals114

What is cropping?114

The mental model for cropping a photo115

Using presets for cropping122

Reading the presets122

Creating your own presets123

Releasing or resizing a crop125

Using cropping tools to adjust photos127

Overlays128

The straightening tool131

The basics of composition132

Professional tips, tricks, and important points134

Summary134

7

Basics of Workflows and Balancing Dark and Light137

Technical requirements137

What is a workflow?138

Cropping the image to get the focal points right!138

Setting the levels (using curves, levels, or Exposure Adjustment layers) for the entire image138

Applying a sharpen and blur adjustment layer to the image and masking out the areas that you do not want it to apply to139

Apply the color grading you want to your image139

Balance and finishing139

Intermediate concepts in composition – the three pillars of atmospheric perspective139

Pillar 1 – objects in the foreground are brighter139

Pillar 2 – objects in the foreground are more heavily saturated140

Pillar 3 – objects in the foreground have more details140

Applying the pillars140

A practical edit walkthrough for the workflow141

Tools to set exposure (levels of light and dark)142

Exposure Adjustment143

Levels Adjustment144

Curves146

Histogram – an aid in setting exposure149

Professional tips, tricks, and important points152

Summary152

8

Blend Mode Fundamentals153

Technical requirements154

Blend modes and their uses154

The role of colors in blend modes158

Using blend modes in practical editing160

Blend modes and the application of textures161

Blend modes for the addition of elements in compositing162

Using blend modes and opacity together167

Blend modes in Adjustment and Live Filter layers168

Practical example168

Blend modes versus blend ranges170

Where do blend ranges show up?170

How to read the blend ranges171

Practical application of blend ranges173

Professional tips, tricks, and important points174

Tips to make your work more dynamic175

Summary175

9

Basics of Stock Brushes in Affinity Photo177

Technical requirements178

Introduction to the brush studio panel178

Reading the Brushes panel178

Brush management (installing, deleting, and so on)180

Importing and exporting180

Exploring the individual parts of a brush183

The General tab184

The Dynamics tab185

Making your first brush188

Setting up the category189

Setting up your test space189

Building the brush189

Trialing and duplicating the brush191

Adjusting brush settings using the context toolbar193

Reading the context toolbar for brushes193

Applying the basics of brushes in an edit195

Steps in the edit197

Professional tips, tricks, and important points197

Summary198

10

Working with Color in Affinity Photo199

Technical requirements199

Working with the Color panel and the Swatches panel200

Color studio panel200

The Swatches panel203

The three most used color spaces in photo editing209

The three color spaces210

Setting the color profile in the options menu211

Tools and adjustments used in color212

The fill bucket tool213

The gradient tool215

Practical editing using color grading218

Editing sequence219

Professional tips, tricks, and important points222

Summary222

Part 3 : The Practical Applications of Affinity Photo

11

Compositing in Affinity Photo225

Technical requirements225

Fundamentals of compositing226

What is a composite?226

The basics of perspective for compositing multiple images227

Finding images231

Shooting images for your library232

Basic compositing workflow233

The composition workflow233

Filter and layers used in compositing239

The Liquify filter239

The HSL Saturation Adjustment layer242

Practical composition edit244

Professional tips, tricks, and important points253

Summary253

12

Photo Restoration and Portrait Retouching in Affinity Photo255

Technical requirements256

Exploring three common tools for photo retouching and restoration256

Clone stamp tool256

Inpainting brush259

The Blemish Removal tool261

Understanding the photo restoration workflow and its practical application262

Practical application263

What is frequency separation?268

Why would you use frequency separation?269

How to use frequency separation270

Portrait retouching workflow and practical application272

Practical application272

Professional tips, tricks, and important points275

Summary275

13

Advanced Color Concepts and Grading277

Technical requirements277

The basics of color modes278

What is a color mode?278

So, what does 8-bit mean?279

The difference between 16- and 8-bit color modes279

What do I use most of the time and what is the best practice?280

Setting and modifying your color mode in Affinity Photo280

Adjustments and tools used in color grading281

Hue, saturation, and lightness adjustment282

Selective color adjustment layer283

Spilt Toning Adjustment layer284

Channel mixer adjustment284

Gradient maps285

Color balance286

Using curves to color grade287

LUTs288

Color grading practical applications291

Color grading practical edit 1 – teal and orange film look291

Color grading practical edit 2 – dynamic urban293

Color grading practical edit 3 – teal and pink neon295

Professional tips, tricks, and important points296

Summary297

14

Destructive Filters and Tools in Affinity Photo299

Technical requirements300

Common destructive tools used in editing300

The Blur and Sharpen brushes300

The Dodge and Burn brushes302

The Sponge brush304

The Mesh Warp tool305

Destructive filters used in editing307

Motion Blur307

Depth of Field Blur308

Ripple310

Practical destructive edit312

Professional tips, tricks, and important points314

Summary315

15

Creative Effects and Specialty Brushes in Affinity Photo317

Technical requirements318

Advanced brush concepts318

Different types of brushes318

Breaking down the intensity brushes319

Breaking down image brushes322

Working with layer effects326

Applying layer effects to images326

The practical application of layer effects328

Saving layer effects as styles329

Applying styles to new layers330

Specialty brush creation330

Creating a smoke/flame brush330

Creating fog brushes334

Creating particle brushes336

Creating atmospheric layers – the rain overlay339

Setting up the effect339

Professional tips, tricks, and important points341

Summary341

Part 4: Finishing Your Edit and Building Your Own Artistic Palette

16

Working with Text and Shapes in Affinity Photo347

Technical requirements348

Basics of text in Affinity Photo348

The Artistic Text Tool option348

The Frame Text Tool option355

Shapes in Affinity Photo358

Practical application of shapes – making a YouTube thumbnail361

Setting up the project361

Populating the project362

Finishing the image363

Making a personal gallery364

Setting up the gallery365

Adding the frames366

Adding lighting368

Professional tips, tricks, and important points370

Summary372

17

Editing in Other Personas in Affinity Photo373

Technical requirements 373

The Develop persona374

What is a RAW image and why shoot in it?374

Editing in the Develop persona375

The Liquify persona384

The Tone Mapping persona385

What does the Tone Mapping persona do?385

Working with the Tone Mapping persona385

The tools387

The studio panels388

Applying Tone Mapping394

Professional tips, tricks, and important points398

Summary398

18

Exporting and Artist Efficiency Tips399

Technical requirements399

Fundamentals of exporting400

Exporting in Affinity Photo400

Reading the export window401

Exporting formats403

The Export persona405

Exploring the interface406

Creating a slice from the flat image406

Creating a slice from a single layer410

Saving a custom preset411

Artist efficiency techniques412

The Assets panel412

Working with macros and the Library panel415

Professional tips, tricks, and important points421

Summary422

Index423

Other Books You May Enjoy436

Preface

This book is a bottom-up practice-based exploration of the Affinity Photo program, in which you will learn about the tools while making popular edits to your photos. This book teaches the techniques and fundamentals in coordination with the workflow concept. There is no long, drawn-out explanation of the tools, but we will learn about the tools and techniques through their application and also explore why it works, not just howit works.

So, this is not a technical manual, nor is it a workbook; it is a hybrid of project-based education that leads to the application of the tools and a deeper understanding of how to wield the elements to achieve a result

By the end of this book, you will have a good body of work and be able to evaluate edits you would like to make and feel confident in putting the pieces together to achieve whatever you want to do.

Who this book is for

This book is for beginners to any form of photo editing and those who were utilizing Photoshop and making a switch from Adobe. Also, small business owners who may utilize stock photos and want to do some brand-specific editing but don’t have a ton of experience doing photo-based edits. It is perfect for beginner editors, photographers, and people looking to get into product photography and advertising.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Fundamentals of Vector versus Raster Art and Basics of the Interface

In this chapter, we will explore the differences between vector and raster art and the structure of the Affinity interface.

Chapter 2, Opening Your First Document

This chapter teaches you the fundamentals of documents and how to get started as soon as you open the program.

Chapter 3, Layer Fundamentals – The Heart of Affinity Photo

This chapter is an exploration of the layer structure available in Affinity Photo.

Chapter 4, The Basics of Masking in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, you will learn the fundamentals of masking, including what a mask layer is, and how we apply it in Affinity Photo.

Chapter 5, Selection and How to Achieve It in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, you will learn the fundamentals of selection and the various tools you can use to achieve it.

Chapter 6, Cropping and Composition

In this chapter, you will learn about cropping and composition in Affinity Photo.

Chapter 7, Basics of Workflows and Balancing Dark and Light

In this chapter, you will discover the most common methods to balance the brightness in your edit.

Chapter 8, Blend Mode Fundamentals

In this chapter, you will discover the basics of blend modes and how to use them in your layers and edits.

Chapter 9, Basics of Stock Brushes in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will explore the fundamental use of brushes in Affinity Photo.

Chapter 10, Working with Color in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, you will explore the basics of color and how Affinity represents it in the interface.

Chapter 11, Compositing in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will perform a full, multi-image composition in Affinity Photo.

Chapter 12, Photo Restoration and Portrait Retouching in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will learn how to restore and retouch your photos using Affinity Photo tools.

Chapter 13, Advanced Color Concepts and Grading

In this chapter, we will learn how to color grade like a pro using a variety of tools.

Chapter 14, Destructive Filters and Tools in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will identify the methods available for destructive editing in Affinity.

Chapter 15, Creative Effects and Specialty Brushes in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will build our own creative assets using the Affinity Photo program.

Chapter 16, Working with Text and Shapes in Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will learn how to work with text and shapes to create a YouTube thumbnail image.

Chapter 17, Editing in Other Personas in Affinity

In this chapter, we will explore the other areas of Affinity used by professional artists.

Chapter 18, Exporting and Artist Efficiency Tips

Take your efficiency up a level with these efficiency tips to get you working quicker.

To get the most out of this book

Basic knowledge of computers is all that is required. It is expected that you have the program installed and you can open the program….other than that, I will handle the rest.

Download the example project files

It is recommended that you download the project files prior to reading each chapter, as there are projects for most (not all) of the chapters: https://packt.link/np0Nj

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/Flykq

CiA videos

I have also included Code in Action (CiA) videos for some chapters. You can access them at https://packt.link/Sie8u.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “To illustrate this, I have also included a downloadable file (see the Clipping mask practice file).”

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Attribute-based selection options are found in the Select menu at the top of the program.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

Get in touch

Feedback from our readers is always welcome.

General feedback: If you have questions about any aspect of this book, email us at [email protected] and mention the book title in the subject of your message.

Errata: Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you have found a mistake in this book, we would be grateful if you would report this to us. Please visit www.packtpub.com/support/errata and fill in the form.

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Part 1: Foundational and Navigation Basics for Affinity Photo

This first part will take you through universal topics in the areas of photo editing and digital art in general. You will find that these core techniques will serve you throughout your entire career, and while some of the chapters may seem rather mechanical, developing the muscle memory around what the program does and how to edit will be fundamental as the work gets more and more artistic later. Remembering mechanical drills early on helps you to create what is in your head later.

This part comprises the following chapters:

Chapter 1, Fundamentals of Vector versus Raster Art and Basics of the InterfaceChapter 2, Opening Your First DocumentChapter 3, Layer Fundamentals – The Heart of Affinity PhotoChapter 4, The Basics of Masking in Affinity PhotoChapter 5, Selection and How to Achieve It in Affinity Photo

1

Fundamentals of Vector versus Raster Art and Basics of the Interface

This chapter combines the basics you need to navigate the digital art space and the details of the Affinity Photo program. It is combined in terms of topics because one cannot be separated from the other in terms of functionality.

In the first part of this chapter, we will get the nomenclature right, and by the end, you will understand how photo editing in a raster (or pixel-based) program is different from a vector-based program (such as Affinity Designer). We will cover the basic terms and how to set the size and resolution of your image up for success. This is critical in the first steps because, without the right parameters, the edits you make will never print sharply, nor look the way you want them to.

Once we get through the introductory materials, we will then dive into the interface and tour the major sections. Knowing how to navigate any software is a prerequisite for success, and so we want you to know where to find things as we get deeper and deeper into the content.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

Differentiating between raster (pixel) and vector-based imagesWhy you would use one over the other, and how to choose the correct type of artUnderstanding DPI and why it mattersUnderstanding the role image size plays in image qualityUnderstanding color profile and how it factors into your image

Technical requirements

The technical requirements for Affinity Photo are not as significant as they are for other programs. As taken from their website, the technical requirements for the machine are shown here. I have included the requirements for the desktop versions, as this is the focus of this particular manual:

Windows-based PC (64-bit) with a mouse or equivalent input deviceHardware GPU accelerationDirectX 10-compatible graphics cards and above8 GB RAM recommended1 GB of available hard drive space; more during installation1280x768 display size or largerWindows® 11Windows® 10 May 2020 Update (2004, 20H1, build 19041) or later

These are the requirements for Mac:

Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac miniMac with Apple silicon (M1/M2) chip or Intel processor8 GB RAM recommendedUp to 2.8 GB of available hard drive space; more during installation1280x768 display size or largermacOS Ventura 13macOS Monterey 12macOS Big Sur 11macOS Catalina 10.15

Differentiating between raster (pixel) and vector-based images

There are two different types of formats that exist in Affinity Photo – raster and vector elements – and it is important to understand both. Objects such as a digital photo are raster-based (composed of pixels), and objects that are drawn with the Pen tool are vector-based (formed from mathematical functions).

Raster style (commonly called pixel-based art) is based on the pixel, which is the building block of all digital art. A pixel can be thought of as the unit from which all art is produced:

Figure 1.1 – The pixel as the building block of digital art

Pixel images typically have two forms of information: size and color. When pixels are placed into position next to one another, they begin to form pictures, and subtle variation in the colors forms the detail. This is how your monitors, television sets, and other electronic devices work. The images you see on a monitor are simply created by pixels displaying their information in a way that allows us to see shapes, shades, and text. In Figure 1.2, the smooth red sphere is actually just a collection of pixels, and when we magnify it, we can see the different pixels that form the picture:

Figure 1.2 – The effect of magnification on pixelation

On the other side of digital art, there is vector-based art, and as the name implies, vector-based art is based on mathematical vectors. It is still drawn in pixels, but the mathematical equation done by the program is the primary driver of what is displayed on the screen (see Figure 1.3):

Figure 1.3 – Vector art composed of nodes

Why you would use one over the other, and how to choose the correct type of art

The simple answer of what format to choose comes down to one important factor: scalability. Scalability is the ability to go through various sizes without losing detail and is the most important factor in choosing what style of art to go with for a project. Other factors may also exist, such as the following:

TimeframeType of clientPurpose of the artBudget

Pixel-based art does not scale well. In professional design shops, typically, logos are printed on something as small as a business card and can be as large as a vehicle graphic. For this reason, a majority of corporate logo-type art is created in a vector format.

On the other side of the coin, pixel art is based on a collection of pixels within a defined area, and when expanded to extreme values far from their original size, the pixels are spread (sort of like stretching a molecule), and then the program has to try to interpret what is in the spaces created. This interpretation leads to fuzzy borders and poor-quality images. The same is true when compressing an image: if the image was originally made on an A4 sheet of paper, there are a certain number of pixels in it, and if you compress it downward, the result is the same number of pixels fighting for visibility, leading to a poorly detailed image.

The following figures show an example of an image constructed to be printed at 16x20”, which was then shrunk down to be added to this book (so a 80% reduction in size). Notice the limited quality:

Figure 1.4 – Original image at original size

Figure 1.5 – The effect of compression on detail

This is the primary difference between pixel-based (raster) art and vector art; vector art does not have any scalability issues because, as you grow and shrink, the mathematical formula automatically changes the lines and makes adjustments, leading to no loss of detail.

As we will learn in this book, Affinity Photo has tools that work in both pixel and vector-based art, and we will learn how to wield these tools to create our images as we go along, but right from the outset of this journey, I wanted to give you a rule to guide you from here until forever when it comes to working in digital art:

Work in a size close to your intended output; image quality suffers as scaling occurs, so always be thinking ahead to the final application of your art.

Understanding DPI and why it matters

As previously mentioned, pixels form the images, and how many there are in an area creates the detail or the resolution. So, the typical way this is communicated in both the print and electronic art world is in dots per inch (DPI). This represents how many pixels are present in an area of one square inch, and quite simply, the more dots per inch, the higher the amount of detail.

Typically, if you are making a piece of art for a digital screen, the general DPI is 72, as most monitors cannot go past that. However, if you are doing print work, the minimum DPI is 300, as anything less will show fewer and fewer details.

Setting the DPI affects the file size because, obviously, the more information (in this case, DPI), the larger the file is going to be. In the following figure, simply changing the DPI of the file from 72 to 300 increased the size of the file substantially:

Figure 1.6 – The effect of DPI on file size

Understanding the role image size plays in image quality

In addition to being the building blocks of images, pixels are also a unit of measure for size. In digital screens, screen resolution is typically given in the unit of pixels in an area. As an example, a typical monitor has a size (in this example, given in inches) of 24 wide by 14 high and boasts 1080p.

Now, what is 1080p? This is the resolution. The “p” in 1080p refers to pixels, and it is saying that this monitor is 1080 pixels tall. Simply put, the more p, the higher the resolution because there are more pixels, and more detail is possible on the monitor. And as a result, the more pixels, the higher the resolution, and the sharper your image is going to look.

Now, don’t get crazy on your DPI; the human eye can only see and comprehend a certain amount of detail, so booting the DPI up to an insane value will not make your images look any better, so remember: moderation in all things.

Understanding color profile and how it factors into your image

The last topic we need to cover to get you up and running is the topic of the color profile. Believe it or not, there is no absolute version of “red.” If you doubt this, stop by your local paint counter and look at the vast number of swatches available to cover a wall. For this introduction, I will share with you the two most common color profiles, and then tell you how they are different. Aside from that, we will not talk much more about them until later chapters, because I want to keep it simple.

The two most common color profiles are as follows:

RGBCMYK

Notice the differences in the exact same image in the following comparison; it is the same image, only with different color profiles:

Figure 1.7 – The most commonly used color profiles in digital art

Let’s define them a bit more specifically.

RGB

RGB stands for red, green, and blue. This color profile is used for artwork for digital use, as this is how your monitor displays colors. However, today, most printers have programs that will convert any color to an RGB color, so it is quickly becoming the standard across the board. All the colors that you see are composed of these three colors in various combinations (we will deal with these combinations in Chapter 10) but for the purpose of this introduction, all you need to know is that it is the one we will be working with most frequently.

CMYK

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and these are the colors of the printer cartridges in your home printer. All the various colors you see are made by varying combinations of these four colors.

For the beginner, we will be dealing with only one color space, which is the traditional RGB8 color space. (We will discuss variants in the more advanced sections, but for now, just stick to the normal RGB8 color space for this conversation.)

The interface is your control panel for all the wonderful things you can accomplish in Affinity, so your understanding of the interface will be crucial to your success. To make you as familiar as possible as quickly as possible, I have broken it down into multiple sections and given a short explanation of how to get back to the default in the event you make a mistake with the interface…because as a beginner, you will.

Let’s start by opening the program and clicking on File | New. It does not matter what size document you create, just click on Create so you can explore the interface along with us. In the next section, we will look at main areas of the Affinity Photo interface.

The six areas of the Affinity Photo Interface

When you open the program for the first time, you will be greeted with this default interface (or some version of it – slight modifications may exist based on developer changes, but it has never significantly changed in all the years I have been using it). For simplicity’s sake, we are going to divide the interface into six areas so you can navigate to the areas I discuss during the explanations later.

Figure 1.8 – Major sections of the Affinity interface

Let’s go over these areas one by one:

The menu bar (1)

The menu bar is in the upper-left corner at the very top of the window. This is where most of the basic functionality is stored; things like Open, Place, Save, and Export are all on the File tab.

The studio area (2)

On the right side, there is a set of panels called Studio panels. These are groups of commands dedicated to certain things, such as Color, Layers, and Channels. The panels form the studio and can be hidden or retrieved (it is not uncommon to click a panel out of the interface…but do not worry, I will show you how to get it back). There can be a left and right studio in the default layout (in this figure, we only have the right studio shown).

The toolbar (3)

Above the canvas space, there is a section referred to as the toolbar. These are common tools such as Flip, Rotate, Quick mask, and so on.

The tools (4)

Separate from the toolbar is the tools area, which is along the left-hand side of the studio by default, and it contains the actual tools we will use to edit. Tools such as brushes, gradients, and selection tools are all in this area.

The context toolbar (5)

Right above the viewport (under the tools menu) is the context toolbar, and I want you to think of this as the options you have for each tool.

The context toolbar will change with the tool.

The personas (6)

Affinity Photo has a tremendous amount of versatility and multiple personas to perform different tasks. For the majority of the book (all chapters except 17, 18, and 20), we will be in the Photo persona, but there are chapters on each of the other personas.

Customizing your Studio panels

Panels are movable and can be rearranged by clicking and dragging them up and down, as well as brought out closer to the workspace where you are editing. We will be working with this in various projects as we begin actually editing.

You can customize what panels are shown by clicking on Window | Studio, and then checking the panels you want to have showing based on your workflow:

Figure 1.9 – Customizing Studio panels

Customizing your toolbar

This toolbar can be customized by going to the View menu and clicking on Customize Toolbar…:

Figure 1.10 – Customizing the toolbar

To add a tool to the toolbar, simply drag the tool into the open space (noted by the dotted lines in the toolbar), and do the opposite to remove them:

Figure 1.11 – Dragging images into the toolbar

Customizing your tool menu

You can customize the tools by clicking on View | Customize Tools…:

Figure 1.12 – Customizing the tools

To add a tool, simply drag it over to the tools area and it will be added; reverse the operation to remove tools that you do not want:

Figure 1.13 – Adding tools to the tools section

Saving your workspace

As you develop as an editor, it is not uncommon that you will develop different workspaces, or layouts, where you keep your tools in certain areas, and you will favor certain tools. Affinity allows you to save workspaces for just this purpose.

To save a workspace, go to Window | Studio | Add Preset…:

Figure 1.14 – Adding studio presets

You can manage presets as well if you decide to change (add or remove) them later.

Summary

In this chapter, we have covered the fundamentals of all digital art programs, so if you are new to the digital art space, you have an idea of how one little dot, one little pixel, can change the entire digital landscape. Also, you learned some of the terms we will be dealing with in the later sections of the book, such as vector and raster-based images. You can at least now navigate the major sections of the interface (don’t worry, there is a lot more to come, we do not expect you to be an expert in the program’s deep functionality at this point).

In the next chapter, we will open up our first document and cover some more fundamental terms to make sure your art comes out the way you want it to. We will be talking about the difference between canvas and document size, as well as some professional workflow shortcuts such as the creation of presets and templates.

2

Opening Your First Document

In this section, we will cover the creation of your first document in Affinity Photo, bringing in the terms we learned about in the previous chapter. We will begin by exploring the differences between opening an existing photo, creating a new document, and placing an image in a new project. Then, we will learn about the fundamental differences between terms such as “document size” and “canvas size” and how to create a preset. Decisions made at this early stage relating to the document are 100% correctable; however, setting yourself up for success right from the jump is always preferred to correcting something later in the process

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

Bringing in an existing photo into Affinity Photo for editingCreating a new document for a projectPlacing an image into an existing projectResizing the document you just createdCreating presets and templates for use in other projectsProfessional tips, tricks, and important points

Bringing in an existing photo into Affinity Photo for editing

If you want to bring an existing photo into Affinity Photo to edit it, all you have to do is carry out the following steps:

Open the Affinity Photo program.Close the splash screen (see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1 – Closing the splash page

Go to the File tab in the menu bar.Click on the Open… command.Search for the image or file you want to open and click Open:

Figure 2.2 – Opening a document

From here, you are free to edit the image.

Creating a new document for a project

When you want to create a document for a project and know the size, such as a banner for a website (1,920x1,080 px), or maybe you want to make a 16x20” canvas print, then you need to make the project document the size of your project. To do that, click on New either on the splash screen or in the file menu in the upper left-hand corner (see Figure 2.3 and Figure 2.4 for examples of where they are in the current version of Affinity Photo):

Figure 2.3 – Creating a new document from the splash page

Figure 2.4 – Making a new document from the file menu

To read the new document screen, we have attached a keyed photo of the important portions of the screen so that you can follow along (see Figure 2.5):

Figure 2.5 – Settings for new documents

Let’s look at the points in detail:

1: This is where you set the desired unit of measure, size, and the desired DPI (recall these terms from Chapter 1) based on your project. Remember if you are printing, the DPI should be a minimum of 300, and for digital work, it should be 72. The best practice I follow is setting it to 300 DPI initially and then saving a 72-DPI copy: this way, I can always start out with the higher DPI.2: In this section, you will set the desired color profile for the project (recall the term from Chapter 1) ). Here, and for most things, you will work in RGB8; however, if you are printing the image, make sure you consult your printer’s needs in terms of the color profile. Some printers will ask you to convert it into CMYK, so make sure if you desire to print the image that you know your printer’s color requirements.3: In the event that you are creating a document for printing and margins are required, you can set them here. Again, this is not essential for digital work, but most printers do not go all the way to the edge, so a certain margin is common.

In this example, we are going to create a 16x20” piece of art for print at 300 DPI with an RGB8 color profile and without margins (see Figure 2.6):

Figure 2.6 – Example of setting the document for a project

Next, we’ll look at how we can place an image into an existing project.

Placing an image into an existing project

Let’s look at the steps to do just that:

Open a New document as shown in the previous section with the settings you want it to have.Go to the File menu in the upper left-hand corner and click on Place….

Figure 2.7 – Placing an image in an existing document

Locate the file you want to place.Click and drag the file to the size you want in the image:

Figure 2.8 – The icon for placing the image

Now that we have planned the image, let’s resize it next.

Resizing the document you just created

Now that you have an image, either bringing in or creating and placing it, you are eventually going to want to resize it, and so we have to explore the basic terms and how exactly we do this. We are going to cover the difference between the document and the canvas, and how to adjust the parameters of the image during editing.

The options for resizing the project are under the Document option in the menu (see Figure 2.9):

Figure 2.9 – Resizing the document using the Document menu

The document is the actual image you are working with, but much like you can place a document on a Matte, the Matte can be thought of as the canvas. So, if you want to adjust the size of the image without changing the size of the canvas, select Resize document….

When you want to change the document size

When you go to change the document size, this window pops up (see Figure 2.10):

Figure 2.10 – Options for resizing including “aspect ratio lock”

This allows you to adjust the size of the document, change the DPI, and so on. The most important thing to keep in mind in this window is the aspect ratio lock. This lock keeps the width and height consistent; if you want to change this ratio, click on the lock to unlock it, and feel free to adjust it.

When you want to change the canvas size

If you want to change the canvas size, this window comes up (see Figure 2.11):

Figure 2.11 – Anchor points

In this window, the important features include the aspect ratio lock, but there is a diagram showing nine positions; this is where you want to center the document on the new canvas. Clicking on the squares places the document in these positions.

As an example in this illustration, I have chosen to put the image in the lower right-hand corner of the image to show you where the program placed the image during resizing. I changed the size of the canvas to 1599.9mm x 2262 mm as well to show you the effect. Notice that because the canvas is larger than the document and I specified the lower-right corner, this is the new placement.

This is why it is important to know whether you want to change the dimensions of the document or change the dimensions of the canvas, as they are drastically different items.

Creating presets and templates for use in other projects

Creating the same document over and over can be tedious, so it is better to make presets or templates. Affinity comes loaded with various presets and templates for common print and digital jobs; these come up when you open a new document (see Figure 2.12):

Figure 2.12 – Creating presets in Affinity Photo

Creating presets

Now if you have a job you are working on or a certain image size you like to use, you can save your own presets; this will save things such as the size, the DPI, the color profile, and so on.

In my work as a canvas printer and T-shirt maker, a common size for me is 16x20” and I know my printer has the capability to take my RGB color profile and convert it into its software, so I will make a preset to make sure I do not have to redo this every time.

To save your own presets, use the following steps:

Create a document but before you hit create, click on the + sign (see the lower left arrow in Figure 2.13). This will add the preset to your presets category.Right-click on the preset and then rename it to whatever you like (see the middle item in Figure 2.13):

Figure 2.13 – Saving presets

Creating templates

Templates are a special type of preset and a template includes elements that you have already added. Think of templates as partially finished projects that you use as a starting point for new projects.

Templates are on the same new screen as presets; however, they are arranged into folders, and when you think about it, projects have to exist in folders, right? So, selecting a template is the same process as selecting a preset. Meanwhile, creating templates is a bit more complicated.

An example of when to use templates could be YouTube thumbnails. For what I do as a creator, I frequently have to make YouTube thumbnails, and I am not interested in recreating them each time just to change text and images. Therefore, I would create a template.

To create a template, use the following steps:

First, set up the folder where you want to save your templates. Once it is set, you do not want to move it, so make sure it is somewhere consistent.Create the document just like you would any other time and edit it to a spot where you want the template to take over.Go to File | Save as template, and place it in that folder from step 1.Open a new document and where it says Templates, add the folder you created (see Figure 2.14).Affinity will pull up the documents in that folder in the template window:

Figure 2.14 – Saving templates in Affinity Photo

Professional tips, tricks, and important points

Here are some points that are good to keep in mind:

Work as close to the document size you are trying to produce as you possibly can, as excessive resizing or stretching can ruin the image.Create templates for common projects and working sizes to save yourself time. Many people create popular templates for meme generation or branded layouts (such as YouTube thumbnails).

Summary

To conclude this chapter, we have the fundamentals of setting up a document down, and this is important to understand because having to resize a document post-editing can be a tremendous headache as we start building masking layers and modifying effects.

Now that we have the basics of the document down, it is time to create your first image; in the next chapter, we will look at the concept of layers. Sticking with the concept of building from the ground up, pixels create layers, which are then stacked to form images. So, to understand editing, you must first understand the layer structure by opening your first image and starting to edit it – see you in the next chapter!

3

Layer Fundamentals – The Heart of Affinity Photo

In this chapter, we will tackle the single largest fundamental concept of any photo editing program…the concept of layers. Layers come in a variety of types, so we will first discuss what layers are and how we can add them, delete them, and change them. After that, we will look at various types of layers, including adjustment layers, a concept called live filter layers, and lastly, we will touch on text style layers.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

Understanding layersWhat are adjustment layers?Live filter layersText layersLayers – practical editing practiceProfessional tips, tricks, and important points

Technical requirements

You will need the Chapter 03 project to follow along with me, the link to which can be found in the Preface.

Understanding layers

All digital art programs are based on a concept called layers, and all digital art comes from a unique combination of layers. Think of layers like sheets of paper, so these sheets are stacked on top of one another to form the image.

Layers are handled in Affinity Photo in the Layers studio tab (see Figure 3.1). Remember, if you do not have this panel, you can turn it on by going to Window | Studio and then checking the box next to the Layers panel. This will most likely place it on the right-hand side of the screen (as shown in Figure 3.1). I am going to click and drag my Layers panel out of the studio and place it in the workspace for ease of viewing during this book (if you want to follow along, just click and drag it out into the workspace):

Figure 3.1 – Studio overview

Let’s begin by opening a new document. I am going to open up our first downloadable image (refer to Figure 3.1). I am going to go to File | Open and find the location where I saved it, and this will open the image in the workspace, as shown in Figure 3.2:

Figure 3.2 – Workspace containing the layer

Notice there is now a layer in the Layers panel – in this case, it is titled Background and is referred to as a Pixel layer. This is an important designation, as there are different types of layers. Let’s define a few of them now for simplicity:

Pixel layers – When Affinity identifies a layer as a pixel layer, it means that the program understands that what it is looking at is a collection of pixels that can be adjusted and manipulated for editing photos, drawing, painting, and so on. This means it can be selected and adjusted. For most photo editing, you will be working with a pixel layer.Image layers – Sometimes when you download from sites, Affinity Photo will not recognize the image as a pixel layer, but instead, will use the word Image. You will not be able to draw or use any tools or effects on the image layer until it is rasterized as a raster layer. The word Image shows up on the side of the thumbnail (see Figure 3.3) for the difference in here.

Image layers are not recognized by Affinity as being composed of pixels, so if you try and select parts of the layer, nothing happens.

Figure 3.3 – Shows an Image layer

In Figure 3.3, I added an image of a dog into the mix; notice the differences in how they are labeled. This Image layer cannot be selected and needs to be what we call rasterized.

What is rasterizing a layer?

In order to make image layers selectable, as a best practice, we do what is called rasterizing the layer. The act of rasterizing the layer turns an image into a pixel layer. To rasterize an image, hover the cursor over the layer in the panel and right-click. Select Rasterize and you will notice that the type of image now says Pixel. Now, it is selectable and ready to work with (see Figure 3.4):

Figure 3.4 – Shows the rasterized designation

Working with layers – the demographics

Layers are fundamentals of all digital art programs, and whether you go into vector art, Photoshop, 3D art, and so on…layers are the method these programs use to tell where things are in the world. Think of layers like locations on a road map; it is up to you as the editor to plan the trip and get from A to B, but unless we know where the city is that we are visiting, we have no idea how to plan the trip, how long it will take, or whether we are moving in the right direction.

Layers provide these guideposts by telling Affinity the dog layer is on top of the swimming pool layer, but underneath the layer that contains the child. In short, layers form the relative location of things.

Layers have order

As mentioned earlier, layers are like sheets of paper, and as such, if you stack one piece of paper on top of another, you cannot see the piece of paper that is underneath. The same is true with layers. The Layers panel shows the order of layers with the lowest layer at the bottom of the stack. To illustrate this, follow these steps:

Go to the File menu and click on Place…. We are going to place an image into this project from somewhere on your computer.Go to the downloadable files for this book and locate Image 3-2.Click on Open:

Figure 3.5 – How to open a layer

Now, the icon will change to an arrow with a little circle (see Figure 3.6); click and drag the image until you get to the size you want (don’t worry, you can always resize it later):

Figure 3.6 – Image 3-2 has been added

If you mess up with the layer selected, just hit the Delete key on your keyboard and try again. Notice the order of the layers; in this case, Image 3-2 is on top of Image 3-1 (which is the Background layer). See Figure 3.7.

Also, notice the image was loaded as an image file, so feel free to rasterize it as mentioned in the previous section.

Reordering layers

Now that we know there is a hierarchy of layers, we will need to be able to reorder them as we edit.

To do this, simply left-click on the layer to select it (the layer will turn blue in color), and with the button clicked, drag it where you want it in the stack (see Figure 3.8). Notice that, in this example, we can no longer see Image 3-2; why is that? It is because the Background layer is on the top of the stack, so you cannot see the layer underneath it.

Figure 3.7 – Image 3-2 on top of Image 3-1

Figure 3.8 – Repositioned background

I am going to drag Background back to its original position at this point for the rest of the chapter.

Pro tip

99% of the time, the reason you have problems in your composition is your layer structure is wrong; it is always the simple things that cause you issues.

Deleting layers

Sometimes, you don’t need a layer any longer and you want to remove it from the project. There are two ways to do this.

The first way is to right-click on the layer (notice it turns blue) and then choose Delete (see Figure 3.9 for the visual):

Figure 3.9 – Delete option for layers

The second way is to click and drag the layer to the trash can in the lower-right corner of the Layers studio panel (See Figure 3.10):

Figure 3.10 – Clicking and dragging to the trash can

Renaming layers

To rename a layer, simply double-left-click on the layer name and then type in with your cursor; this will change the layer name.

Pro tip

Good naming of layers leads to good organization of projects, and when you are 54 layers deep in an edit, you will wish you had named the layers so you know where you need to adjust.

Making layers visible and locking them

Another critical aspect of layer management is hiding and locking layers. Sometimes, we want to hide a layer, as it may be in position but we need to see the object underneath, and sometimes we may have gotten a layer just perfect and we want to make sure we do not accidentally click it and throw it out of order and make unforeseen changes.

To hide a layer, simply click on the eye icon in the Layers panel (showing in Figure 3.11 as item 1), and to lock a layer, simply click on the lock icon in the Layers panel (showing in Figure 3.11 as item 2):

Figure 3.11 – Highlights hiding and locking layers

Adjusting blend modes and opacity for layers

While there is an entire other chapter dedicated to blend modes in this discussion on layers, I just want to show you how to adjust them, as well as the opacity of the layer, let’s take a moment to define the opacity and blend modes.

Opacity is how transparent or solid a layer appears; 100% means it is solid, whereas 50% means that the layer is somewhat see-through. A value of zero opacity means the layer is invisible (see Figure 3.12, item 1)

Blend modes tell the layer how to interact with the layer underneath it, and they can be used to create some amazing effects, which you will use in the projects in this book. While it is outside the scope of this section to discuss the intricacies of blend modes, in the Layers panel, this is where you adjust them (see Figure 3.12, item 2):

Figure 3.12 – Shows the location of blend modes and Opacity

Grouping layers