With all of the customizations offered in Affinity Designer, there are so many ways to personalize your graphic designs. Creating your own fonts is a great way to do this. Instead of learning the process of doing so, however, an easy option is to convert your text to curves. This allows you to alter your text in any way you choose. So, how do you convert text to curves in Affinity Designer?

Continue reading to learn how to convert text to curves in Affinity Designer. Being able to edit individual letters within your text is ideal for maximum customization. Converting your text to curves allows you to move points on individual letters of text to stretch, expand, and curve your designs. See below for how to convert text to curves easily while also learning the different edit options available.

» MORE: How To Expand Text In Affinity Designer

1. Select Your Text

Before converting your text to curves, you must first have your text ready on Affinity Designer. If you do not, type the text in a text box on your page or on top of whatever design is already present. Select the text box by clicking in the area where the text is typed. This will highlight the text with a surrounding blue box marking coordinated dots around the perimeter.

Many people resize their text on Affinity Designer by dragging the dots that pop up when the text is selected. However, by converting your text to curves, you can do much more than expansion or reduction. When you convert text to curves, you have the potential to customize your text to the highest extent.

2. Right Click

Once you have ensured that the text you wish to convert to curves has been selected, right-click inside the text box. This will result in a dropdown that offers a wide variety of edits for the selected text. It is also worth mentioning that during this entire process, your Layers box should be open and readily available.

Be careful not to get confused with the many edit options that appear in the dropdown. You will find everything you need under to Convert to Curves tab, as you will learn more about below.

3. Convert To Curves

In the dropdown box, scroll towards the bottom and select Convert to Curves. Once you click Convert to Curves, your text will have been converted. However, nothing will seem to be changed. This is because you have to take other measures to make edits to your text that has been converted to curves.

When you convert text to curves, what essentially happens is that the text is no longer technically text. It converts to vector art which can be individually edited separately from other pieces of the same text. Therefore, while you can make external edits to the entire block of text, you can select individual letters to customize, as you will learn more about below.

4. Expand Layers Box

With your Layers box available on the screen, drag it towards your curved text so that it is easier to make quick edits and changes while you transform your text. As mentioned, the conversion will appear to have happened until you make further edits. For example, click the text button for edits in the Layers box. When you do this, it will separate into individual options for each character within the text.

So, you can edit individual letters within a word. Even if your text has more than one word, clicking the text button to edit will result in each letter having its own edit options. If you click one of the letters, the same dotted box that appears around the circumference of a typical, selected text box will surround the letter you have selected. Once you have done this, you can begin your edits.

5. Begin Edits

Choose the letter that you wish to edit. You can move it around however you would like to create a contrast between the other letters. This is a unique way to add your own flair to an otherwise simple block of text. You can also expand or reduce the size of individual letters to create more contrast.

Perhaps the biggest reason a graphic designer may convert their text to curves on Affinity Designer is to literally curve their text. Select the letter you wish to edit. On the left panel of Affinity Designer, find and click Nodes. This will surround the letter in several dots that can each be dragged, twisted, and expanded in different directions.

With this type of edit, you can create the most unique text possible. Converting your text to curves gives you the potential to brand your design, create new shapes out of letters, and personalize your work with your own style.

You can also select a letter, right-click, and go to geometry. This gives you even more edit options to customize your text.

» MORE: How to Cut a Path in Affinity Designer

Why Should You Convert Text To Curves?

As a graphic designer, you might be curious as to why you should convert your text to curves. Well, as mentioned, converting your text to curves turns it into vector art. Vector art offers many more options for customization than basic resizing and font-changing that you can do with the click of a button or two on Affinity Designer. 

While these functions are useful for basic edits, converting text to curves gives you the opportunity to dig much deeper into the vision for your design and create specific changes that help you meet your goals.

» MORE: How to Break Curves in Affinity Designer

Alternatives

Whether you use it exclusively for your graphic design endeavors or want to try out certain features for a change, check out Placeit as a graphic design alternative to Affinity Designer. With thousands of free logos, designs, templates, and mockups, you can get started with Placeit’s free, online software and have new, unique designs in no time.

Takeaway

Converting text into curves is as simple as many other features on Affinity Design. There are more simple ways to expand your text or move it around, but when you convert text to curves, you have several more edit options that can help you personalize your graphic design piece.

PNG, or Portable Network Graphic, is a file format used primarily for high-quality digital images, whether for print or web. Due to the file format’s lossless compression style, all the image metadata is preserved, making it a highly detailed, albeit large file. Affinity Designer is one of the most popular design software for editing images and graphics, like PNG.

Suppose you’re used to editing your designs in applications like Photoshop or Illustrator and are new to Affinity Designer. In that case, there is a bit of a learning curve to acquaint yourself with the interface. Functions might be similar to its competitors but may be titled differently and be found in a different menu. Keep reading to find out how to edit a PNG in Affinity Designer.

The Elements of Editing a PNG in Affinity Designer

There could be several different elements you would like to change when editing your PNG file, and each element will have its instructions for editing in Affinity Designer. Let’s look at this application’s basic elements of editing a PNG. Many of the changes you’ll make to PNG files will be under the Pixel Persona.

So, the first thing you’ll want to do is open your PNG file in Affinity Designer:

1. To open your image, navigate to File > Open
2. Select the PNG you would like to edit
3. Click on Open

Once you’re done editing your PNG file, use placeit.net to bring your design to life on a product mockup or hundreds of other templates for virtually any project.

Getting Your PNG Ready for Editing

Before you make any changes to a PNG file, always check the terms of use if the image is not your design. Even if you purchased the rights to use the image, those rights might not include the ability to make changes. Every designer has different terms of use.

When you look at the graphic after you’ve opened it in Affinity Designer, you will see in the Layer Panel all of the different layer elements say it is an image. To edit the graphic, the layers need to be in pixel format.

Before converting to pixel format, ensure the image is the size you want. Otherwise, resizing after the fact could result in a grainy image. The graininess happens because rasterizing a graphic locks in the image’s resolution.

To change the image/graphic into a pixel format, use the following instructions:

1. Select the image
2. Right-click on the image
3. From the drop-down menu, select Rasterize
4. Now click on the Pixel Persona icon in the navigation bar’s top right corner of the canvas. The icon looks like a group of squares.

If you plan on making changes to a large portion of the design, you can use one of two tools in the left toolbar, the Elliptical Marquee Tool or the Rectangle Marquee Tool. Both tools can be used by simply clicking a dragging to make your selection.

Change the Color of Your PNG

If you want to make a color change to a small portion of your PNG, use one of the selection tools to isolate the area you want to make the changes. For this change, you will use the Flood Fill Tool.

Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the left toolbar and click on the Flood Fill tool. The tool icon is a paint can being poured out.
2. In the right panel, click on the Color or Swatches tab and select the color you want to use as the fill.
3. Then you will hover your mouse over the image and click the areas to fill.
4. When you’re finished filling in, you can deselect the area by hitting CTRL + D or navigating to the Select menu at the top right of your screen and clicking on Deselect.

Add a Pattern to Your PNG

Now that you’ve learned how to change or add color to a portion of your graphic, let’s move on to adding a pattern.

If you would like to add a pattern to a specific area that is filled with a solid color, you can do so with the following instructions:

1. Select your graphic first
2. Navigate to the Select menu at the top right side of the screen
3. From the drop-down menu, click Select Sampled Color
4. If the tool selects more than the area you want for your pattern, decrease the tolerance until only the area you want is selected, then click Apply.
5. Now you will navigate to Designer Persona, which is the icon to the left of Pixel Persona.
6. Select the Fill Tool from the left toolbar. The icon looks like a rainbow wheel.
7. In your context toolbar, you will go under Type, and in the drop-down menu, select Bitmap.
8. A dialog box will appear and prompt you to select a pattern and click Open.
9. Adjust the placement by moving the center dot of the right angle adjustment bars.

When you’re done adjusting the pattern, you can deselect by hitting CTRL + D or navigating to the Select menu and clicking Deselect.

Edit Text in Your PNG

Often PNG images will have not only colors and patterns but text.

If you need to edit the text of your PNG image, follow these simple instructions:

1. Use the Rectangle Marquee Tool
2. Select the text you want to edit
3. Select the Flood Fill Tool in the toolbar
4. Select the color from the Color Wheel or your Swatches tab
5. Click the text to fill it with the new color

If you want to add text to your PNG image, you can use the Artistic Text Tool in the left toolbar. You can also use the Character Panel to edit the color, font, position, typography, etc. The Character Panel is in the Text Menu at the top right corner of your screen. Text > Show Character

Conclusion

Many of the edits you will make in your PNG file can be done through the selection tools, fill tools, and text tools. It takes time and energy to play around with the functions of Affinity Designer and see what works best for your design. The learning process can be quite enjoyable if you allow yourself to explore and make mistakes.

Have you ever been working on a photo only to find out that it prints pixelated and distorted due to low resolution? If you zoom in on the image in Affinity Photo, you can clearly see the pixelation happening. But what can you do about it?

No one likes to see a pixelated photo, and editing one can be even more frustrating. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to fix this. Keep reading for a quick guide on how to increase resolution in Affinity Photo.

Improving Resolution in Affinity Photo

In terms of photography and graphic design, the image resolution is described as pixels per inch (PPI) or dot per inch (DPI). This represents the quality and crispness of an image.

Resolution can be increased in Affinity Photo by resizing the document using Resampling methods and applying filters to increase sharpening. Resolution can also be altered upon exporting, so the master file can be kept at its original size.

If you have an image that is incredibly sharp, it is going to have a large number of pixels in each inch of the photo. Simply put, the more pixels per inch, the higher the resolution.

Therefore, if you would like to increase the resolution of an image, you would want to start by increasing the number of pixels in the document.

1. Using Resize Document

Resizing the image is one of the easiest ways to increase the resolution of a photo. This can be accessed from the Document menu at the top of the screen.

Once Resize Document is selected, a new window should appear with several options. To resize the document, set the Units to Pixels and change the Size to a larger number. The little padlock in between the two numbers should remain locked to keep the aspect ratio.

It is important to make sure that the Resample box is checked before you click the Resize button. This is what is going to allow Affinity Photo to create new pixels and increase the solution of your photo. If the box isn’t checked, you’ll notice that the DPI decreases as the image size increases. This is essentially lowering the resolution.

With the Resample box selected, you’ll be able to choose how Affinity creates and removes pixels with the dropdown option:

• Nearest Neighbor
• Bilinear
• Bicubic
• Lanczos 3 (separable)
• Lanczos 3 (non-separable)

Each one of these methods has its own strengths and uses. They are ordered by sharpness, therefore, if you are looking to really enhance the sharpness and increase the resolution of a photo, Lanczos 3 (non-separable) is going to give you the best result. However, for the majority of images, Bicubic is a safe bet.

2. Using Resize Pixel Art Document

Resize Pixel Art Document is another option for resizing that can be found in the Document menu. When selected, you will be presented with a window that has two options: size and method.

While the resizing options for this method are quite limited, it is a quick and effective way of increasing the resolution on images that don’t require much tweaking. Just click on the size and method you want, then click Resize.

3. Using the High Pass Filter in Affinity Photo

Pixels aren’t the only thing that impact resolution. An image can appear unsharp or blurry if the contrast is off.

The High Pass filter is a  great way to use color and contrast as a non-destructive method of sharpening. What this does is determines which elements of the photo are considered an “edge.” Then, when the High Pass filter is applied, the contrast of the edges are increased causing the image to appear sharper.

High Pass can be found under New Live Filter Layer in the Layer menu at the top of the screen.

4. Resizing While Exporting

One final option for increasing resolution is to change the size upon exporting. After clicking Export from the File menu, a window should appear. The menu options displayed here are similar to the ones found in the Resize Document window.

Before exporting, you are given the option to change the size of the document and pick the resampling method. Changing the size at the end of editing can be beneficial because edits are applied faster on a smaller document.

Final Thoughts

A pixelated or blurry photo can be extremely frustrating, especially when you have finally captured that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime shot. However, with a bit of tweaking and resizing in Affinity Photo, you can easily increase the resolution and salvage the image.

Watermark brushes come in handy for putting your name on critical pieces. You can craft a homemade letter, symbol, or name and paste it on works you don’t want stolen. It can be tricky to create a watermark yourself. Affinity Photo is excellent software. You might wonder – can you make a watermark in Affinity Photo?

If you’re interested in learning how to make a watermark using Affinity Photo, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about the necessary steps to form this brush and use it to put your name on pieces you don’t want to be stolen. You’ll master it in no time. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

1. Create A PNG

First, you need to make a PNG. This act allows you to form a letter with a set color that can go on top of other pieces. There are several critical steps in this process. It’s vital to have a PNG before you can move on to the next step.

Here is how you can make a PNG:

1. Create a new document: Create a new document. Set the page width and height to 1800px and the DPI to 300. Ensure transparent background is checked in the color section.
2. Use the text: Select the text tool. Pick a letter and font, then form two layers if you want a second letter. Pick a font for that letter and position it.
3. Add color: Now, it’s time to add color. Click the letter and find the color palette. Pick the color you want for the watermark.
4. Save: Export the image as PNG, then save it. You should also save it as an Affinity file in case you want to make more edits in the future.

You will have a PNG after these steps.

Once you have your PNG, you are ready to move on to the next step. You can transform this PNG into a watermark that will demonstrate that you are the owner of whatever it’s attached to in the software. Let’s dive further into the process.

2. Make An Image Brush

Now, it’s time to make an image brush. You don’t have to have the PNG open. Instead, open the item you want the watermark to cover. There are several steps to create the image brush and add it to your document.

1. Add an image brush: Click the brush settings and select a new brush. You can also click more in the top toolbar.
2. Change the settings: Click in the general settings on the brush panel. Get ready to make edits.
3. Adjust spacing: Change the spacing to 200%. Shift the size to 100px.

Once you have these done, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

These steps will solidify access to an image brush. Once you adjust the spacing, it’s time to shift to the next step in the process. It’s time to put your brush to use and lay claim to the project you worked so hard on. Let’s keep going.

3. Use the Brush

Now that you’ve edited and adjusted the brush, it’s time to work. Click the paintbrush tool on the side. You might need to click the tiny white arrow to open the other painting options on Affinity Photo.

Take advantage of the toolbar on the top. You can change the opacity, flow, hardness, and brush size. Mess around with these items for a moment until you land on a combination that works best for the project you want to watermark.

Hover the mouse over the page to preview what it is. You can make adjustments based on this prediction.

Place the image brush over the spot you want, and click. You will lay down a watermark to help lay claim to your project. Now, it belongs to you.

Repeat the Process If Needed

The best part about making a watermark using Affinity Photo is that it is easy. If you want to create an additional project, you can quickly design a new watermark without too much effort. It takes adjustments to create something new that will demonstrate your talent to the world.

If you save the Affinity Photo file at the beginning of the process, you can go back and edit your original work. You can shift the color or change the font style to better match you. Affinity Photo is an excellent platform for watermarks.

GIFs are a way to show the world how you feel with an exciting moving image. You might love them so much that you want to make one yourself. However, that task is easier said than done. There are platforms available to assist with the GIF-making process, and one of the best is Affinity Photo. You might wonder – how can you make a GIF in Affinity Photo?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to make a GIf in Affinity Photo with a few simple steps. We’ll go over everything you need to succeed as you take images and turn them into something fun you can send to a friend at the right time. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

Create A Design

First, it’s time to create a design in Affinity Photo. It’s critical to open a new file with dimensions of 2500 x 2000 px. Once you have this size, you’re ready to get into the details with your GIF.

Here’s what you need to do to create a design for a GIF:

1. Import: Add a background and make it large enough to work with in Affinity Photo. Ensure you resize it before the next step.
2. Add text: Add text and put it on top of the background. You can add text layer effects to make it stand out against the background.
3. Cover the design: Cover up the design with a white square. Ensure every part of the background and text is out of sight.

These will create an excellent background for your GIF.

Once you have your base design, it’s time to move on to the next step. Ensure you have everything in order before you shift to the next portion of the GIF-making process. One missing item can ruin everything.

Work With the First Image

Now that you have the basics for your first image, it’s time to layer with additional pictures. Let’s discuss how you can accomplish this task as you work to make your GIF come to life.

Here’s how you can make multiple images:

1. Shift to Pixel Persona: Ensure the top white layer is selected. Switch to Pixel Persona and then paintbrush.
2. Erase: Use Pixel Persona to erase the white rectangle on top. You only want to do a little. 
3. Import: Grab a paintbrush with a similar tip color to the image. Put the tip over the area and save the image.

These are the basics for the first portion of the GIF.

Now that you’ve erased and imported, it’s time to go all-in with the GIF-making process. Let’s work the images further to get closer to that moving image effect. It’s time to add other layers to the mix for the best GIF result.

Work Multiple Images

Now that you have the basics for your first image, it’s time to layer with additional images. Let’s talk about how you can accomplish this task as you work to make your GIF come to life.

Here’s how you can work with multiple images:

1. Erase again: Erase another part of the image. Flip the paintbrush to match up with this new area. Save the second image as an identifiable file, such as GIF 2.
2. Create more: Repeat the process again and again until the entire image appears and is saved on your device.
3. Edit if needed: You can add additional images and edit if needed to meet your goals for the GIF.

You should have everything in line after this point.

Now you have your images and the necessary removals completed. It’s time to layer the effects to make the GIF look as good as possible to observers. 

Add Text Effects

Text effects are a critical part of the GIF creation process. Now that you have the images edited and in order, it’s time to work with the words. Let’s discuss the text effect process with your GIF before we move to the final steps.

Here’s how you can add effects:

1. Click on the box: Hide the paintbrush layer and click on fx and then layers to get to the correct part of the text to change.
2. Pick settings: Select the settings for the text. You can make the words glow or any other effect you might enjoy in your GIF.

Once you have what you need, it’s time to finish the project and save it.

There are many ways to add text effects in Affinity Photo. If you can’t determine the correct settings by yourself. There are plenty of suggested edits online.

Make the GIF

It’s time to complete the process and make the GIF. This section is the most exciting part – you get to see the final product of all your hard work.

Here’s how you can make the GIF:

1. Go to a GIF Maker website: Head to Ezgif.com to start the final steps of the creation process.
2. Upload: Upload the files for your GIF into the system on the site. It might take a few minutes for everything to upload.
3. Make the GIF: Press the button that indicates the creation of a GIF.
4. Save: Save the final product to your device for use whenever you want.

Now you have a GIF you can use.

It’s exciting to see the transformation from a single image to GIF. With Affinity Photo, this process is easy.

Use the GIF

Now you have a GIF downloaded to your system, ready to use anywhere you want. You can send it to a friend by email, display your work on your screen, or text it to someone close. You can have lots of fun with this homemade GIF.

It’s okay if you mess up the first time. It might take a little work to perfect the art of forming a GIF through the Affinity Photo platform. Practice makes perfect, and in no time, you will have the ideal result.

Canva is an excellent application that makes it easy to design items for websites, social media pages, and sources of information. Many tools work well on this site, but some can be tricky to handle without assistance. One common area where people get stuck is with resizing the text box. How do you do it?

If you’re interested in learning more about resizing a text box, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about how to fix this error yourself. In no time, you will be an expert in resizing text boxes. It only takes a few steps to accomplish the task. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

Find the New Design Button

First, you need to find the new design button. It shouldn’t take long to locate this item once you log into the Canva app and open up the project you’re working on daily. There are only a few steps needed to find it.

They include the following:

1. Locate the top of the page
2. Press ‘create new design’
3. Alternatively, open a file that already exists

If you have a text you’ve been working on, open an old project. If you haven’t started the endeavor, begin a new project to practice adjusting the text. Pick the right choice and move on to the next step.

Create Text

Now that you have your new design, it’s time to create text for the box. Ensure you know what you want to say before you start the project. This knowledge will save time once you sit in front of your computer or phone for the creation process.

Ensure you have the correct word written before you move on to the next step. You want to write down everything first to ensure the readjustment is accurate. Once you have the words you want, it’s time to resize.

Tap the Box To Resize

Once you have your text, it’s time to start the process of resizing the text. Ensure your mouse is ready to click and then hover over the text you’ve created. Once you have the text clicked, you should see four white pills on the corner of the box. If you don’t see these, you might have another issue on your hands.

If the white pills don’t appear, you may need to restart your computer. Alternatively, you could quit Canva and go back to the site again after a few moments. Keep trying until you see the pills appear at the corners for readjustment.

Click the White Pill

It’s time to click the white pill in the corner of the boxes. These are what you will use to resize the text. Ensure you get a grip on the white dots and pull it to the desired length and width. It doesn’t take much effort to transform the text into a size that works for your project.

It won’t take much movement to stretch and change the text box. All it takes is a simple movement to adjust the text box and the words written inside. It’s not complicated to change a text box in Canva.

Adjust As Necessary

Once you have everything in place, it’s time to make final adjustments. Look at various texts and how they look in the current size to determine if you’re on the right track for your project. Resize the text box to fit your needs as you land on the final look for your Canva creation.

This action may be different if you have a colored background behind the words to help them stand out. Let’s talk about that readjustment process next.

Group Text If Needed

You may need to group text with other elements added to the mix. The most common addition is a block of color behind the text, used to make it stand out against the rest of the work. You need to group the words to this image if you want to resize them together. It only takes a few steps to complete this process.

Here is how you can group text and other elements:

1. Align: Match the edges of the text box with the colored background. Click and drag to ensure you’ve pushed to the edge.
2. Highlight: Once everything lines up, highlight the words and the color with a simple click.
3. Group: Ensure both items are highlighted. Then, press the ‘group’ button in the toolbar.

You can adjust the size as needed after this point. If you want to save time in the grouping process, you can use a keyboard shortcut. Group with Ctrl + G for Windows and Cmd + G for Mac. These keys will group the text and the color box.

It’s impossible to adjust the size with a colorful background if the text and color are not grouped. Luckily, it doesn’t take much effort to bring them together in the best way. Now, let’s take a look at how to place design.

Place Design

Now, it’s time to place the text box in your image. Whether you’re creating a story for Instagram or designing something for a t-shirt on placeit.net, it’s critical to put the text box in the right place. Once you have the right size text box, it’s time to move it around until you find the correct spot.

Here are a few ways you can use text in a design:

• As a title for an informational page
• As a way to communicate valuable information
• As an eye-catching slogan on the top of a page

There are many ways to incorporate text.

Because there are so many ways to incorporate text into a design, it’s critical to ensure the information is the correct size. Once you know how to adjust a text box in Canva, you can work to make the design exactly as you imagined it. It only takes a few steps to accomplish the task and create the design of your dreams in Canva.

Canva is a free online graphic design platform for various projects like presentations, posters, social media graphics, documents, etc. The interface is user-friendly and provides the option of creating or learning shortcuts to execute certain functions quicker. From online video tutorials to articles, there are resources to learn how to do anything in Canva.

Anchoring your text has a two-fold meaning. It could refer to permanently positioning the first line in a text box so all subsequent sentences will expand the text box in a specific direction. It could also mean using a word or phrase as a hyperlink to a web address instead of using the naked URL. Keep reading to find out how to some tips for anchoring a text box using Canva.

How to Anchor Your Text Within a Text Box in Canva

If you are attempting to add a block of text to your newsletter or presentation document and would like to control the flow of the text by anchoring your text to a fixed position, there are two ways you can accomplish this. First, note that there are three directions for anchoring your text within a text box: top of the box, middle, and bottom.

Anchor Text Using Menu and Functions

The first way of anchoring text within a text box is via menus and functions within Canva. Here is a step-by-step guide to anchoring text in any of the previously mentioned positions:

1. Open up your document or graphic in Canva
2. Open a text box by clicking on the Text option in the menu on the left side of the canvas.
3. Select your text type and font
4. Select the icon showing three lines with an arrow pointing up and down.
5. At the bottom of the opened menu are your text anchor options; select the one you desire.

If you opt to anchor your text to the top of the text box, it will expand downward as you type. The first sentence or top of the text box will stay in the same position.

If you opt to anchor your text to the middle of the text box, it will expand equally at the top and bottom as you type. The first sentence or middle of the text box will stay in the same position.

Lastly, if you opt to anchor your text to the bottom of the text box, it will expand upward as you type. The first sentence or the bottom of the text box will stay in the same position.

Anchor Text Using Shortcuts

The second way of anchoring text to a text box and perhaps the faster option is to use keyboard shortcuts. A keyboard shortcut is a sequence of keys you press simultaneously to execute a specific function in a program. Each application has its own set of keyboard shortcuts, and some applications allow you to create your own.

There are three keyboard shortcuts for each direction you can anchor the text within the text box. Each shortcut requires you to first create your text box within your project on Canva, which means selecting text type and font. Once you have your text box on your document, you can use these shortcuts.

1. Anchor your text to the top of the text box: CTRL + Shift + H
2. Anchor your text to the middle of the text box: CTRL + Shift + M
3. Anchor your text to the bottom of the text box: CTRL + Shift + B

The sequence shows you the order to hold down the keys until all three are pressed simultaneously.

How to Position Text Without an Anchor in Canva

Anchoring your text within the text box is handy for positioning it exactly where you want it in the document. If you are working on a project and are at the point in the design where you are ready to add text but forgot to anchor your text within the text box, don’t worry. There are other ways to reposition text within a document.

Once you’ve typed out your word or phrase, there are two simple steps to repositioning the text where you want it in the document.

1. Move your curse near the text box until you see an icon with two crisscrossing arrows: one straight up and down and the other left to right.
2. When you see this icon, click on your mouse, and your text will move wherever you move your mouse.

Once you find the right positioning for your text, you can release the button on your mouse and tap outside of the text box. Now your text will remain in the fixed position.

What Do You Do if Canva Won’t Let You Move Your Text?

Repositioning your text is a simple two-step procedure. If you cannot move your text box, something else could be at play preventing you from doing so. If the project you’re working on has been sent to you by another party, first check that you have been given editing access. You may need to reach out to the document’s author to obtain authority.

If you cannot move the text box or the drag icon described previously does not appear anywhere around your text box, it may be that your text box has been locked.

1. Once you’ve clicked on the text box, look for a padlock icon on the upper right-hand corner of the Canva editor
2. Click the unlock button.

Now you should be able to move your text box around freely. If you’re still experiencing the same problem, check that your text box hasn’t been grouped with other elements in your Canva project. Once you group a text box with another element, like a picture, you will not be able to move your text box separately until you’ve un-grouped the elements.

Conclusion

Now you know two easy ways to anchor your text, how to reposition your text if you forgot to anchor it, and some troubleshooting steps if you’re unable to move your text box.

Serif has a host of Affinity products engineered to meet every single one of your design needs. Affinity Designer is a vector graphics editor compatible with macOS, iPad, and Microsoft Windows. With so many design applications on the market and industry staples like Photoshop and Illustrator, it could be challenging to learn a new application with different functions.

Often in applications, there are multiple ways to execute a single function. Blending colors can take on a few different modes and depends on the desired effect when blending two or more colors. Keep reading to find out how to blend colors in Affinity Designer.

How to Blend Colors Using Blend Modes in Affinity Designer

There are a few ways you can blend colors in Affinity Designer. One of the primary ways is to use blend modes with your paint brush tool or vector brush tool. The blend mode you choose will depend on the effect you desire. The paintbrush tool can be found in pixel persona and works alongside all the vector tools.

Here’s how to use it:

1. At the top left-hand corner, select the icon for Pixel Persona
2. Navigate to the Tools panel to the left of the Affinity Designer canvas and select the Paint Brush Tool.
3. Navigate to your Brushes Studio in the panel on the right-hand side of the Affinity Designer canvas and select the brush type from the list.
4. Once you’ve selected the brush from Brushes Studio, select a color from the Color studio.
5. At the top of the Affinity Designer canvas are the settings for the brush: width, opacity, flow, hardness, and so on. Click on the drop-down menu for Blend Mode and select your desired mode.

The vector brush tool is used similarly but is found in Designer Persona. You can continue to follow the same steps to locate and use the brush. Note that the settings are slightly different in the top toolbar but still contain Blend Modes.

A blend mode changes how the applied pixel or color interacts with the existing pixel or color. Let’s look at a few of the 33 blend modes you can select from on Affinity Designer and how they function. Once you’re done with your project in the application, you can take it over to placeit.net to mock up merchandise or marketing materials.

Multiply/Screen/Overlay

The screen mode is the opposite of multiply, where the result of the blend is a combination of the top and bottom color, always resulting in a lighter color value.

The multiply mode has the opposite effect of screen mode in that the combination of the top and bottom color always results in a darker color value.

Overlay mode is a combination of screen and multiply. Depending on the bottom color, it can multiply or screen the colors. The bottom color preserves highlights and shadows, while the top color reflects the darkness or lightness of the base color.

Color Dodge/Color Burn

Color dodge lights the bottom color relative to the value of the top color. If the top color is black, there is no change to the bottom color.

Color burn darkens the bottom color relative to the value of the top color. If the top color is white, there is no change to the bottom color.

Saturation/Hue/Luminosity/Color

All of these modes are a variation of one another. Saturation combines the bottom color’s luminance and hue with the top color’s saturation. Areas with no saturation will be left unchanged. Hue combines the bottom color’s luminance and saturation with the top color’s hue.

Luminosity combines the hue and saturation of the bottom color with the luminance of the top color— creating an inverse effect. Color mode combines the bottom color’s luminance with the top color’s saturation and hue.

Darken/Lighten

Darken selects the resulting color based on whichever is darker—the top or bottom color. Anything lighter than the top color is replaced, but areas darker than the top color are left unchanged.

Lighten selects the resulting color based on whichever is lighter— the top or bottom color. Anything darker than the top color is replaced, but areas lighter than the top color are left unchanged.

Hard Light/Soft Light

Hard light functions depending on the top color; it multiplies or screens the color values— like shining a harsh light on the image.

Soft light functions depending on the top color; it may darken or lighten the color values— like shining a diffused light on the image.

Difference/Exclusion

Difference mode depends on which has the greater value in brightness, the top or bottom color, and subtracts one from the other. White inverts the values of the bottom color, while black produces no change.

The only distinction between Exclusion and Difference is lower contrast. White creates an inversion of bottom color values, while black produces no change.

How to Blend Colors With Retouch Tools in Affinity Designer

If using blend modes with your paint brush tool or vector brush tool isn’t what you’re looking for when trying to blend two colors on your canvas, there are other tools you can use to blend. One tool you might be familiar with if you have used other design applications like Photoshop is the smudge tool.

The smudge tool allows you to blend brush strokes and images seamlessly. Here’s how to use it:

1. At the top left-hand corner, select the icon for Pixel Persona
2. In the tools panel on the left-hand side of the Affinity Designer canvas and select the smudge tool
3. Be sure the layer with the colors you want to blend is selected
4. Adjust width, flow, and strength to the desired setting
5. Focus the tool on the area you want to blend, and use your mouse or stylus to start smudging until you get your desired blend.

An honorable mention would be the Blur Brush Tool, also found under the Retouch tools. Each tool requires practice and proper technique to execute the desired effect.

Conclusion

Now you have a few tools under your belt for blending colors in Affinity Designer. All that’s left is to play around with the blend modes and tools to see which achieves the desired effect for your perfect blend.

In graphic design, breaking a curve is like opening Pandora’s box. The Break Curve tool in Affinity Designer allows you to alter any basic or freely drawn shape, making the possibilities for unique shape designs virtually endless. Learning how to break curves is you putting a key into the lock and waiting to see what emerges when you lift the lid.

Breaking a curve in Affinity Designer is a fairly simple process and one that can elevate your graphic designs in just a few clicks. Read on to find out how to put curve-breaking to work for you.

Breaking the Curve Finetunes a Shape

The term “breaking a curve” is a bit of a misnomer. You might think this tool only allows you to work with circles or arcs, but that is not the case at all. You can break a curve in any shape, from the standard ones already in the toolbar to random shapes you draw yourself with the pen tool.

With the Break Curve option, you can finetune any of a shape’s segments, tweak the angle of two connecting lines, or redirect a line to intersect at another spot. The choice is yours. Your discerning, artistic eye can decide exactly how to adjust a shape to your satisfaction.

1. Draw a Shape

Let’s say you’re in Affinity Designer ready to work on a new document. There are two ways to create a shape on the blank workspace.

1. Choose one of the pre-made shapes from the toolbar on the left side of your screen. All the basic ones are there: square, circle, rectangle, and diamond. Plus clicking on the white arrow opens up a longer list of shape options. 
2. Use the Pen tool to freehand draw a shape with any number of sides and line segments. The last line you draw should connect with the beginning line so that you have a closed shape.

 Notice that there is a clear circle where each line segment connects with another one. You’re now ready to practice breaking curves in this new shape.

2. Manipulate the Line Segments

Each of the line segments in the shape can be manipulated in a different direction or be made to intersect with a different part of the shape. To do this, select the Node tool from the same toolbar you just used. The Node tool icon looks like an arrow without a tail. Your cursor will change to look like this tailless arrow.

Start by clicking on one of the nodes, or open circles. The node turns blue which indicates that you can manipulate it. Move the line and adjust its position in the shape’s outline.

Tip: For even more detailed adjustments, you can add more nodes simply by clicking along the path of line segments as many times and wherever you wish.

Adding nodes offers you many more places to manipulate the object’s shape. Click on any created node to move that line around.

3. Break the Curve

Now it’s time to unlock Pandora’s box. You must release the connection between two points so that you can break the curve.

1. Select the node where you want to separate two segments.
2. Click on the Break Curve tool on the toolbar at the top of workspace. It looks like an arc with a line through it.
3. Grab the selected node with your activated Break Curve tool and manipulate that path segment as desired. Notice that the other path segment stays in place.

That gives you control over one single node and path segment. But what if you want to work with the entire shape and tweak it in lots of places? There’s an easier way to do this than selecting individual nodes.

Break the Curve Throughout the Entire Shape

If you have placed multiple nodes along the line path of your shape, with a couple of mouse clicks, you can select all of them at once. This allows you to manipulate each node and gives you uber control over how the shape looks.

1. Select the Node tool icon on the left toolbar.
2. Click and hold down the mouse button as you drag the cursor across the entire shape. You’ll see a blue box appear as you drag.
3. Release the mouse button and every node will now be clear.
4. Select the Break Curve tool from the top toolbar to activate every node and make each one available to be manipulated.

Final Thoughts

With just a few clicks of the mouse, the Break Curve tool in Affinity Designer lets you take a shape and tweak it anywhere along its outline to create a unique, new graphic that fits into your ultimate design.

There are countless ways to customize your layouts on Affinity Photo. When duplicating images or trying new visuals on your design, you might consider flipping layers. Flipping layers allows you to view your design from a different perspective and observe how new changes work. How do you flip a layer in Affinity Photo?

Read on to learn how to flip a layer in Affinity Photo. There are 7 simple steps and considerations when flipping a layer in Affinity Photo. Though the process is easy, you want to ensure that it is done correctly to meet the potential of your design.

1. Select A Layer To Flip

First of all, decide which layer you want to flip. If you only want to flip one layer out of the many inserted into your design, you have to make sure to select that specific layer. Otherwise, you may flip the wrong layer or every layer in the design. As you will learn later, however, there are easy ways to flip groups of layers.

Select the layer you wish to flip so it is outlined and can be edited individually. Keep in mind that flipping is different from mirroring, and when the layer is flipped – whether vertically or horizontally – it will remain within the exact coordinates of your design.

2. Transform Panel

The Transform Panel is where you will want to go to alter the placement of your selected layer. If the Transform Panel is not already showing at the bottom right of Affinity Photo, select the View tab at the top of Affinity Photo and click Studio in the dropdown menu. Then, locate and click Transform.

When you move a layer around, you will notice that the coordinate numbers in the Transform Panel change. If you have set coordinates in mind for your design, you can manually enter the coordinates into their respective boxes. This ensures that your layer will remain in the right place, even when you flip it. It is easier to place your layer before flipping so you do not have to worry about it afterward.

3. Locate The Arrange Menu

When you have selected the layer you wish to flip and it appears highlighted in the menu on the right side, locate the Arrange Menu on the left of the edit bar on the top of Affinity Photo’s page. Click the Arrange Menu tab. This will drop down to a variety of arrangement edit options.

Using the Arrange Menu to flip your layers in Affinity Photo is certainly the easiest way to flip layers, but using the Gradient Tool helps as well. As will be discussed shortly, the Gradient Tool ensures that your layers remain in the coordinates that you wish them to be in.

4. Select Flip Option

When you get the dropdown from clicking the Arrange Menu tab, you will see quite a few layer editing options. The flip options should be towards the bottom of the dropdown menu. You should see the options “Flip Horizontal,” “Flip Vertical,” “Rotate 90 degrees Clockwise,” and “Rotate 90 degrees Anticlockwise.”

Depending on your preferences, you will likely select to flip your layer horizontally or vertically. As mentioned, the flip function flips the layer in its place. Thus, a horizontal flip flips around the horizontal center and a vertical flip flips around the vertical center. Rotating a layer 90 degrees is essentially the same function as flipping in that it does so on a set center.

5. Flipping Multiple Layers

If you want to flip more than one layer – or even every layer in your design – the process works the same. Instead of selecting one layer, select all of the layers that you want to flip and repeat the steps above. Flipping multiple layers allows you to view larger perspective changes in your design to see what fits best to the viewer.

6. Gradient Tool

Affinity Photo’s Gradient Tool is a perhaps undervalued tool for some graphic designers. When the Gradient Tool is activated, it allows you to measure how different hues work on your page. You can then position different layers where they fit best. This is useful when flipping an image because it aids you in finding the perfect location for it on the page before and after flipping it.

Using the Gradient Tool, you can compare your flipped layer to the original layer to see how the hues of the layer match up against the rest of the layers in your design.

7. Flipping Vs. Mirroring

It is important to distinguish between flipping a layer and mirroring a layer. Both are useful for graphic design, but they are not the same. Flipping a layer involves flipping it on a horizontal or vertical center while mirroring a layer flips it on a horizontal or vertical axis. Thus, a mirrored layer will not flip within the same coordinates as a flipped layer.

Placeit For Photo Editing

When finding graphic design styles that work for you, it can be tough to convince yourself to pay the cost of intricate software. Placeit offers a variety of designs, mockups, layouts, logos, and more for free. Whether you are new to graphic design or simply want to try out new software, Placeit’s free, online option is worth checking out.

Takeaway

Flipping layers in Affinity Photo is essential for gaining a different view of your designs. You will be better able to compare different layouts of certain layers to see how they fit best into your design. Like many other functions in Affinity Photo, flipping layers is simple. You just have to make sure you follow the steps carefully for the best outcome.