Affinity Designer for iPad: how to use it right

Affinity Designer makes it possible to work on the iPad. Use the tool to create compelling vector graphics that are professional

Affinity Designer on iPad: an introduction

The Affinity Designer program is similar to Adobe Illustrator. It offers you the possibility to create vector graphics and draw pixel drawings at the same time. The two versions Affinity Designer 1 and 2 are slightly different and some of them have different tools.

• Start: Open the program, you will see the start screen. On the left side you will find a menu bar that allows you to manage your documents. Here you can create documents as well as open pictures and co. from your iPad databases, like the app “Photos”.

• Top: Open a document and you will see three menu bars. One is at the top. Here you can switch between pixel and vector persona, for example. Also available here, depending on the program version, are tools such as mirroring or copying. You will also find tools that allow you to save or export the document. Depending on which tool you have selected in the left menu, further settings will appear here.

• Links: In the left menu bar you will find all the main tools offered by the program. The most important tools here include, for example, the move tool, the node tool, the point transformation, a border tool and a corner tool.

• In addition, the settings, pencil, the vector brush, the transparency tool, the drawing pen, the knife, the fill tool, a measure tool, graphic text, vector crop and the color pipette are available here.

• Right: On the right side are the respective Studio panels. If you select a certain tool on the left side, you will get to the respective tools on the right side. Here you can, for example, change the color, select the brush, adjust the contours or change the line width. Here you can also find the layers as well as different blending modes, like “Multiply”.

• Commands: To work smoothly with Affinity Designer on iPad, the program has gestures. Tap the screen with two fingers, undo the action. Repeat it with three fingers. Hold two fingers on the screen and pull them apart, zoom into the image. Pull the fingers together, zoom out again.