doeboy

That sucks lol. Thanks.

whats the best way to enhance freckles?

whats the best way to enhance freckles?

It would really be nice to see a limit put on the "physical dimension" of uploaded images to the forum. 
 
 

... or at least resize them to max screen when viewing. :)
 
+1

It would really be nice to see a limit put on the "physical dimension" of uploaded images to the forum. 
 
 

OK taking my first rough try in AP and polishing it up to a finished painting, mostly with Daub brushes. Not tackled the ship yet which will probably get extensive changes. AP more than up to the task though.

thank you and thanks for the link

just signed up. Thank you! 

Hello guys!
 
Just wanted to let you know that today I've released a FREE eBook for Affinity Designer: Creating a Stylish Jungle Scene
 
For $0.00 you'll get:
22 Pages PDF eBook FREE Assets Library  Color Palette Original .afdesign file  Click on the image to subscribe and get your download link. If you don't want to receive further emails from Frankentoon, just un-subscribe after downloading the eBook, no hard feelings :)
 
Enjoy!
 

Hi Admins, it is very hard to see topics for APhoto and ADesinger.
I think it would make sense to separate the areas Photo and Designer in the forum - or at least a selection point with new text to Photo or Designer. Some users already do this well with [APh].
Flag Forum Text to Photo or Designer
One reads and reads, then it is the other area. Annoying. Help would be very good here. Greets und thanks Dieter  

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, England. Two enormous carved lions, one sleeping, and one that looks as if you've just woken him up. I used Mesh Warp in AF to make all the different mouth shapes for speech and blinking eyes. The speech was poked and prodded in Audacity and GoldWave (it's a little creaky and a little sibilant -- but hey, who know what lion speech really sounds like?) I used Anime Studio (horrible software, but all I've got) to sync the mouth to the speech. 
 
Here's a small copy of the original:
 
And here's the finished product: https://youtu.be/8N4AjXh_GHY

I would like to use Affinity Designer and Photo as my main tools for illustration I the future. I have already unsubscribed from Adobe CC and left the excellent Photoshop and Illustrator. Still there are some things that I like to see in Affinity Photo and Designer (Pixel Persona) to make them suite all my needs. I list them here:
 
Protect Alpha on each separate layer. Just like masking separate layers. Protect alpha is quicker, but both methods are good in their own way. The “global” protect alpha is a bit odd. Never seen that before. Separate layers protect alpha, please!
Free Rotate Canvas, not just 15o,15o, 15o….Photoshop got Free rotate canvas, Clip Studio got it, Painter got it, ArtRage got it…. so why not AffD and AffP?
Line Smoothing. Just like in Clip Studio or Lazy Nezumi … makes line drawing very much more easy when u use bitmap lines.
Pattern Creation tool for seamless patterns. I know you can make artboards to create them … it is a bit clumsy and takes some effort. I guess it is good for vector stuff, not so much for bitmaps, I think. In Corel Painter, it is very easy to make a seamless pattern or paper texture. It would be nice to see a tool like the one in Painter inside AffD and AffP in Pixel Persona.
Pattern Fill / Texture fill. Not only colour or gradient fill but also, just like in Clip Studio, ArtRage, Painter and Photoshop, where you also can make scalable texture and pattern fills.
Blue Sketch. Well, on importing a layer as reference or a graphite sketch it would be very convenient to make a Blue Sketch using just one click, just like in Clip Studio. I made a script for that, but an icon in the layer’s panel makes it quick and easy.
This is all I come up with for the moment.
I wish all fellow photographers and illustrators out there a fortunate 2017! The same for all the programmers and the rest in the Affinity / Serif team. You really have made some great software!
Love from Henry
On the WestCoast of Sweden
 

I just slapped up a web page for all of my free resources for Affinity products. You can find it at:
 
https://dscape-llc.com/affinity
 
Of note at the moment, it includes updates to Dream Gradients and Dream Holiday Styles that I haven't posted here. Enjoy!

Been playing a bit with Affinity Photo and started messing with sky replacement or enhancement. This is a set of gradients created (mostly) from photographs to mimic interesting skies. Enjoy!

Find this and more at https://dscape-llc.com/affinity
 

Affinity Designer is definitely my program now, so I will be listing any tips and tricks newcomers might be interested in. This is mostly for people just beginning, but even advanced members might learn a thing or two. It's amazing such a program exists. Here are 42 lessons.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Pinned:
 
Understanding what is Compatible:
Just because a program like Designer is compatible to many common file types does not mean everything in the documents is supported. You can open and export several of those files types, but consider certain features that are exclusive to certain programs. For example, Designer does not support Photoshop's "smart objects" but it does still support PSD file types. The file type is what is compatible, not everything in the file since tools behave differently for each program.
 
Adobe Illustrator Compatibility:
You can easily open Illustrator files in Designer, but you cannot open Designer files in Illustrator unless you change it to a file type that Illustrator recognizes. Through Designer, export it to a file type such as a PDF, and the vector quality will mostly stay the same. Be aware that any pixel editing, advanced gradients, or glows may appear pixelated.
Tip: When opening an Illustrator file in Designer, anything bleeding off the canvas will get cut off or become lost. Arrange the objects so nothing is getting cut off before opening the files in Designer. Understanding and Accessing Color Modes:
Different color modes are useful for different tasks. RGB is good for digital artwork and common printing tasks. CMYK is good for 4-colour rotary press printers. To access the different color modes, go into Document Setup in the File menu or from the Context Toolbar when the Move Tool is selected. The go into the Color tab, and then the Color Format dropdown menu.
 
Tip: To access the same color properties on your PNG image export as your file, click "More" on the Export dialogue, and under ICC Profile, select the very last option, sRGB. (Adobe is the only suite that converts RGB to sRGB automatically.) _________________________________________________________________________________
 
Other Lessons:
 
Change the Canvas Size Manually:
Create a box with the Artboard Tool and find the size you like. Once you are happy, press delete to remove that artboard but keep the new size. (This applies differently for creating multiple artboards for multiple exports.)

Creating Nested Layers:
A nested layer is a set of curves inside a route layer. The route layer can be opened and closed revealing or hiding the curves. By default, each curve is on its own layer. Create a new Vector Layer, and drag all of the curves in. (Make sure you drag them into a layer and not a curve accidentally.) Whether you are creating layers, groups, or clips, objects can be dragged in and out through the Layers studio.

Creating Clipped Objects:
If you drag curves in another curve through the Layers studio, then you clip those objects inside one. In other words, it is like creating a window. Anything that bleeds off the clipped object's space will be hiding. (The last button on the last set in the top right can also clip objects. Copied or cut objects will always be pasted in the position they were at previously. With the last button selected, they will be pasted inside the selected object in that exact position. This is good for shading.) To unclip the objects, drag them out of the clipped layer, or cut and paste with the last button on the top right unselected.
Tip: When scaling, any clipped objects must be updated manually. Cropping or Masking Objects:
The Crop Tool works differently from other applications. It crops the selected object(s) instead of the canvas. Additionally, you can drag objects to the right of a layer's thumbnail in the Layers studio to crop them in that layer's object. (This is good for creating the illusion of an unclosed path for drawings such as hair, and it is good for creating comic cells.) To remove your mask, click on the mask's "thumbnail" and delete it.

Selecting Individual Objects in Groups and Clips:
Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click (once). After that, you can hold Shift to select multiple objects in that group or clip.

Boolean Operations:
When two or more objects are intersecting, you can merge, subtract, divide, and perform other geometric operations. The second set from the top right are your boolean tools. With your objects selected, click on one to perform an operation.

Compound Booleans:
In addition to making regular geometric shapes (Illustrator's Pathfinder), you can also make compound shapes allowing the multiple shapes to be repositioned. Whether you are adding or subtracting multiple shapes, hold Alt before clicking one of the boolean buttons. You can expand your layer to select objects separately.

Power Duplicate:
Rather than copying and pasting all the time, hold Alt while selecting an object, and drag. After that, you can scale, stretch, or rotate the duplicate. Press Ctrl/Cmd J to make another duplicate in the relevance of the previous two. Keep pressing it, and keep making more duplicates.

Bitmap Pattern Fills:
With the Fill Tool (gradient), you can use a Bitmap type to insert an image as a fill. That image will be tiled, and it can be stretched, rotated, and scaled. (Click the lock icon to maintain its aspect ration.)

Making Corners Easier:
With the corner tool selected, you can select multiple corner points of a shape at once by holding Shift, and then you can change those corners round. There are also corner types you can choose from (straight, concave, cutout.)

Create a Fade Effect:
Move the Transparency Tool across a selected object(s) to create a faded transition between a solid and empty space. You can add nodes on the transparency map and slide them to adjust the level of fade.

Type on Path:
With the Artist Text Tool selected, hold your cursor near a line or shape until the cursor changes, and then click. You can start typing on that object.

Edit Smart Shapes:
There are lots of manipulation options for the smart shape presets, but if you want to edit them as you would with any other object, then you must click the option that says "Convert to Curves" under the Shape Tool's context toolbar. (Sometimes it hides in a drop down menu at the end of the list.) Once this is done, you cannot convert them back to smart shapes.

Convert Strokes to Fills:
When you are happy with the size of your stroke, select Layer > Expand Stroke. Once this is done, you cannot convert them back to strokes.

Breaking and Closing Lines:
This is important since vectors consist of closed shapes. This means to break a closed shape into an open shape, or to close it back up. With the Node Tool or Pen Tool selected, the first two buttons in the "Action" set can do this. If you want to break a path, you must first select the node where you want the break, or first create the node by double clicking on a spot on your line with the Node Tool.

Joining Lines:
This means to have two "different" open paths connect. Select the two lines and click on the fourth button in the "Action" set. (Whichever end points of the two lines are closer to each other is where the connection will occur.)

Edit Throughout All Affinity Applications:
Click File > Edit in (other app) to edit your drawing in another Affinity Application. All are compatible with each other. If you bring the file back into Designer, you will still have the vector quality. Just be careful with the operation you perform. Mesh warps and perspective tools in Affinity Photo will rasterize your artwork.

Creating Color Palettes:
In the Swatches studio, click on the flyout menu in the far right, and click on one of the Add Palette options. After that is done, you can add swatches to your palette with the palette icon underneath your recent swatches. To remove a swatch, right click on one and select "Remove Fill." To remove a palette, click on the flyout menu again and select "Delete Palette."

Add Noise:
When an object is selected, click on the circle icon in the Colours studio next to "Opacity" to change the slider into "Noise." Slide the nob up and down (right and left really).

Change Weight Variation:
With a line or object selected, click on the Pressure box in the Stroke studio to bring up the line's profile. You can add and remove nodes. Hold Alt to change the ends individually (not necessary for closed shapes).

Pixel Editing on Vectors:
Create a new Pixel layer, and drag it inside the vector object you want to edit (the same as clipping). You can now use pixel brushes right inside your vector objects.

Create Pixel Masks on Vectors:
With the object or set of objects selected, click on the Mask icon in the Layers studio. This will allow you to use the pixel Eraser Tool and selection tools on the masked vector objects. But since they are only masks, the Eraser tool does not actually break apart the paths. If you want to get your vector object back without any of the pixel editing, then click on the mask's "thumbnail," and delete it.

Only Edit the Selected Layer:
Toggle the first button in the Layers studio off to work with only the layer you have selected.

Scale Vectors on Resizing:
Toggle on the box "Scale with object" in the Stroke studio while and object(s) is selected.
 
Convert Line to Brush or Brush to Line:
The Stroke Styles in the Stroke studio are actually styles made by the Pencil or Pen Tool and Brush Tool. To convert a pencil line to a brush stroke, click on the Textured Line Style. To convert a brush stroke to a pencil line, click on the Solid or Dashed Line style.

Advanced Text Formatting:
To accomplish formats like leading, tracking, and kerning (line spacing, word spacing, and character spacing), find your option in the Character or Paragraph menus in the context toolbar of either of the two text tools.

Add Text in a Shape:
Aside from the regular square shaped text boxes from the Frame Text Tool, you can change objects into text boxes. Select an object, and select Layer > Covert to Text Frame.

Export Multiple Objects as Multiple Files:
In the Export persona, use the Slice Tool to carve a box around objects you want exported as themselves. Your slices will be listed in the Slices studio.

Change the Opacity of Stroke and Fill Separately:
Select the fill or stroke indicator in either the Colour studio or Swatches studio, and adjust the opacity in the Colour studio. The Opacity slider in the Layers studio, on the other hand, changes the opacity of the entire object (not layer, or just stroke or fill).

Show Objects Bleeding off the Canvas:
Select View > View Mode > Clip to Canvas
 
Only Show the Selected Layer (Temporally):
If Alt is held, clicking on a layer will show just that layer until deselected or edited.
 
Create Pixel Selection on a Layer:
Hold Control or Command and select the layer's thumbnail.
 
Edit Nodes without Selecting the Node Tool:
With the Pen, Pencil, or Brush Tool selected, hold Control or Command to bring up the Node Tool only while the mouse click is held.
 
Work with Small Pixels Easily:
When working in large zoomed in and tight areas, the space of moving or editing objects may not be positioned properly. Hold Alt to position them more appropriately, but do not hold Alt before moving. That will create a duplicate.
 
Set Key Commands for Rotating the Canvas:
In the preferences and under "Keyboard Shortcuts," locate the View option in the second dropdown menu. Then scroll down the list until you see "Rotate Left" and "Rotate Right." Add in a key command in the box to the right of those two actions.
 
Create a Raster Brush:
Create any design, and then in the Export persona, use the Slice Tool to create a slice box around the design. Then in the Slices studio, locate that new slice and click the last icon to export it. Now in the Pixel persona, go into the Brushes studio, and open the hamburger menu and select "New Intensity Brush."
 
Create a Vector Brush:
Set the canvas to a complete square so each side is the same size, and close it down close to the design's edges. (The left and right sides must overlap the design.) Make sure the furthest left part of the design matches the furthest right part of the design on the vertical axis. The background must be black, and the design must be white. Export your design as an image file (preferably PNG). In the Brushes studio, click open the hamburger menu, and select "New Textured Intensity Brush." Now double click that new brush, and in the new window, the bottom picture shows a preview. Move the red indicators to touch the brush's edges. And select "Repeat" if you want to repeat that brush stroke.
 
Turn Black and White Photo into a Colored Photo:
This is not really a vector designing feature, but it can still be done. Use the Selection Brush Tool on an area of a black and white photo. Then in the menu of the adjustments icon from the Layers studio, select "Recolor," and then find the right color for that selection. Repeat the same thing with the other areas on the photo. (Since each color is on an adjustment, you can go back any time and change the color.)
 
**Create Palette from Document:
This will create swatches of the colors in a document. In the Swatches studio, click on the hamburger menu and scroll down to 'Create Palette from Document.' Then you choose whether you want that palette to show throughout all of your Designer files, that one document, or your system.
 
Edit: Dec 2017
I forgot all about this topic. I made another with a very similar title on videos.

Now that I have redone all of my styles to use editable gradients, I decided why not provide just the gradients used as a palette? So here you go. Hope you enjoy it.
Find this and more at https://dscape-llc.com/affinity

 

So, I fell in love with Affinity after about an hour of playing with it. I bought it and started bringing my favorite assets over from Photoshop and Illustrator, including some styles I have been using for years on my web projects. I thought perhaps others could use them too, so here they are with a bonus set of sticker styles.
 
Enjoy if they're of interest to you. 
 
UPDATE: New version 2.0! This time the gradients and strokes are tool editable. No more trips to the Effects Panel. This gives better and easier control of the styles.
 
BONUS: By request, 4 atmosphere styles. Included is the AD file with all styles applied for you to play with. Will likely only open in the latest beta. Sorry.
 
BONUS: Dream Metals styles! Aluminum, Gold, and Copper.


 
Find these and more at https://dscape-llc.com/affinity
 
 
 
 
 

Hello there!
 
I wanted to share with you all, nice people, our latest FREE FrankenPack. Scifi Starter Pack: 38 tools for Concept Art creation in Affinity Designer! This pack will help you to speed up your creative process by giving you the right tools to brainstorm quick ideas for creatures, characters, weapons and everything you can imagine in just minutes!
 
Here's a demo video of this pack in action.  :)

You can download this holiday gift HERE

Hey there!
 
Here's a quick tutorial/demo on how to mix vector shapes and bitmap textures in Affinity Designer. Here I'm showing a simple but pretty useful technique I'm applying to almost all my vector artwork nowadays. 
 
FREE SAMPLE PACK!
I'm also giving away a small sample of my recent brush pack for Affinity Designer called Texturizer Pro. With this sample pack you can have enough to play around and get an idea of what the full set is about. 
 
Click on the image below to download this FREE sample pack and watch the video tutorial!
 

 
Hope you guys enjoy and find this useful!

My Hero ...
Just for one day FOREVER :)
Mr. pale skin & bright eyes, thank you so much for the soundtrack of my youth.
 
http://b-bertuleit.de/pale-skin-bright-eyes/
 
http://b-bertuleit.de/colorful-duke/
 
http://b-bertuleit.de/different-eyes/
 
 

Hi all  :) ,
 
So far Affinity Photo is impressive and quite useful for an 3D Artist.
 
I decided to try my luck in making a heightmap/normalmap creation solution for it.
It obviously needs some more work but it already gives passable enough results at least in
the simple setup with Brush input vector support  

 
the more advanced setup:
Shapes, Texts and Brush input are currently supported,
inward/outward is available.
there are two ways of adding shapes available; 
one which is piling them over each other and the other is mixing their height.
You can therefore erase parts of brush work and shapes/Texts -vector data at the same time. 

 
Heightmaps are already useful but the Normalmaps in the more advanced Setup have a strong discoloration.
 
next big steps are corrections and refining the output and creating macros for accelerating the workflow.
 
greetings
myclay

A vector graphic in construction.
Vector artwork, created with Affinity Designer, a sample :)
 
http://b-bertuleit.de/eine-vektorgrafik-im-aufbau/

Thanks for the suggestion. I've updated my set with a couple more brushes.
You can download them at the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m1phbb5t8se2kl5/Painter%27s%20Brushset-large.afbrushes?dl=0
 
 
Here is a preview
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wa3jgkzawdzalj8/preview.jpg?dl=0