Affinity Photo for Beginners

Learn how to get started with Affinity Photo in this beginner-friendly course! We’ll cover all the essential tools you need to know to create different photo and text effects. 

Jump straight to the Affinity Photo skill you want to learn:

What You’ll Learn

  • What are Personas in Affinity Photo?
  • What are adjustment and live filter layers in Affinity Photo?
  • What are live filter layers in Affinity Photo?
  • How to remove a background in Affinity Photo
  • How to create a text effect in Affinity Photo

About Your Instructor

1. Introduction 

Quick Tip! How to Create a T-Shirt Mockup

Quick Tip! How to Use LUTs

Quick Tip! How to Create a Halftone Effect

2.4 How to Create a Hand-Drawn Pencil Effect in Affinity Photo

Watch video lesson (3 mins)

With the basics of layers covered, we can use everything we’ve learned to create a hand-drawn pencil effect.

We’ll be using a mixture of: 

  • Layer Modes
  • Live Layers 
  • Adjustment Layers

This will make this effect almost completely non-destructive! 

How to Create a Hand-Drawn Pencil EffectHow to Create a Hand-Drawn Pencil EffectHow to Create a Hand-Drawn Pencil Effect

Quick Tip! How to Create a Painted Filter Effect  

3. How to Use Brushes in Affinity Photo

3.1 How to Install Brushes in Affinity Photo

Watch video lesson (2 mins)

We’ve barely used our brushes, but they’re one of Affinity Photo’s best features. There’s no better place to start than by installing custom brushes.  

Did you know that a lot of premade Photoshop bushes are compatible with Affinity Photo? If it’s a stamp-style brush, it will work in both programs! 

Quick Tip!  How to Change Hair Color

4. How to Combine Images in Affinity Photo

4.1 How to Remove Backgrounds 

Watch video lesson (3 mins)

Removing backgrounds is something all photo editors have to do at some point. We’ll be using the Selection Brush tool combined with layer masks to quickly remove a subject from their background. 

How to Remove Backgrounds How to Remove Backgrounds How to Remove Backgrounds 

4.2 How to Refine Masks & Extract Hair in Affinity Photo

Watch video lesson (2 mins)

The initial selection and mask are almost never perfect. This is where the Refine settings come in. We’ll use them to:

  • smooth edges
  • select and refine hair 
  • perfect our layer mask

We’ll also discuss when you may or may not want to use certain settings.

How to Refine Masks & Extract HairHow to Refine Masks & Extract HairHow to Refine Masks & Extract Hair

4.3 How to Extract Shadows in Affinity Photo

Watch video lesson (2 mins)

But what about shadows? There’s a neat trick we can use for images on studio backdrops using Layer Modes Adjustments and Layer Masks. This technique will let us use the original background of a photo for an accurate shadow.

Always try to use the original shadows in a photo. When extracting or creating shadows, the Multiply layer mode is going to be the best tool for the job. 

Extracting Shadows Extracting Shadows Extracting Shadows 

Quick Tip! How to Create a Glow Effect 

5. How to Create Text & Edit Type in Affinity Photo

5.1 How to Use Custom Fonts in Affinity Photo

Watch video lesson (1 min)

Custom fonts are a must for any designer or artist. In order to create a holographic text effect, we’ll first need to download and install the Devant Horgen font.  

6. Conclusion 

Watch video lesson (1 min)

When it comes to Affinity Photo, it’s all about slowly learning how to mix and match tools to create what you want to make. In this final video, I tell you why I chose the basics that I did, explain why I might have left out certain tools, and tell you where you might want to go from here.

Affinity Photo for BeginnersAffinity Photo for BeginnersAffinity Photo for Beginners

Want even more assets to follow along with? Get unlimited downloads of photos, fonts, and add-ons on Envato Elements! Choose from thousands of Affinity Photo assets, with no daily download limits.

Learn More About Affinity Photo

Still want to learn more about Affinity Photo? Here are a few videos you’ll love:

Or if you prefer written tutorials, try our huge library of free Affinity tutorials. Here are a few to get started with: