If you’re a content creator and you already own Adobe Illustrator, you can import your vector artwork directly into Affinity Designer. But what if you want to use certain brushes from Adobe Illustrator?
When using Affinity Designer, you have the ability to bring in and use Illustrator brushes to complete your designs. This gives you complete access to all the tools you will need during your project.
If you’re a fan of Adobe Illustrator, you’ve probably heard of the “brush tool”. It’s one of the most essential tools when it comes to creating vector illustrations. In this article, we’ll be exploring how you can use Illustrator brushes in Affinity Designer.
How to Use Illustrator Brushes in Affinity Designer
If you are looking to use Illustrator brushes in Affinity Designer, you are lucky to have a couple of ways to do this:
- The Brushes Panel
- The Illustrator Panel
The first way is by using the “brushes” panel. This way, you can use the same brush tools you know and love in Adobe Illustrator. But the downside is, you can only use them on single layers.
The second way is by using the “Illustrator” panel. This way, you can use the brushes on different layers and use them in a variety of ways.
The “Brushes” Panel
Sometimes, you just need to quickly add some color to a solid color illustration. You can do this in Affinity Designer by importing an Illustrator file and then going to the “Brushes” panel and adjusting the brush size, color, and pattern to your liking. You can add multiple layers with the “brushes” panel and adjust the brush properties as needed.
The “Illustrator” Panel
When you don’t have access to the “brushes” panel, you can use the “Illustrator” panel to add some color and pattern to your vector illustrations. This way, you can create amazing illustrations without having to go through the process of creating multiple files, adding layers, and adjusting the layers’ properties.
This is great when you want to save some time in the creative process.
Using the Illustrator Panel
From the main “Brushes” panel, go to the “Wrapper” section. From there, you can create complex patterns and textures with a variety of Wrap-Around options (Square, Rectangular, Elliptical, and Circular). Once you’ve created the pattern you’d like to use, you can adjust its color to match your illustration.
What Brushes are Compatible with Affinity Designer?
Sometimes, compatibility becomes an issue when using tools from different applications. With Affinity Designer, there are no limitations. You can use any brush you want with Affinity Designer.
Just make sure to save the file in the correct format (AI, EPS, PDF). This way, you’ll be able to open it with Adobe Illustrator or other vector editing software.
Can You Import Brushes into Affinity Designer?
In general, you can’t import brushes into Affinity Designer. You can, however, import bitmap images or vector images that have been converted to bitmaps.
What’s the Best Way to Create a Brush in Affinity Designer?
There are several ways to create brushes:
- Use the “Pen” tool and draw whatever you want. This is great for creating a custom brush with a complex structure.
- Use the “Pencil” tool and draw whatever you want. This is great for creating a custom brush with an organic feel.
- Use any other drawing tool (i.e., Rectangle Tool or Rounded Rectangle Tool). This is great when you want to use a simple shape as your brush and then adjust it afterwards using the “Brush panel”. If you decide to use this method, make sure to select “Vector Shape” in the Tool Options Panel.
- Use any of the other Affinity Designer tools (i.e., Gradient Tool, Paint Bucket Tool, etc.) to create a brush. This is great when you want to use a simple shape as your brush and then adjust it afterwards using the “Brush panel”. If you decide to use this method, make sure to select “Bitmap” in the Tool Options Panel.
- Use any bitmap image as your brush in Affinity Designer. Just make sure that the bitmap has a transparent background.
- Use any vector image as your brush in Affinity Designer (vector with a transparent background). Just make sure that the vector image has no stroke or fill applied (i.e., use only strokes or fills with 0 Opacity).
- Use any rasterized vector or bitmap image as your brush in Affinity Designer (rasterized vector or bitmap with a transparent background). Just make
Does Affinity Designer Support Illustrator Files?
Affinity Designer is compatible with Adobe Illustrator files. However, you will encounter a few issues when you try to import an Illustrator file into the software.
When you try to open an Illustrator file in Affinity Designer, you will be offered the following error: “Illustrator file contains items that are not supported in Affinity Designer.”
If you want to open an Illustrator file in Affinity Designer, try changing its name and file extension. Making it a PDF can make importing easier. You can also try to open the file in Illustrator itself. However, this approach will not work if your computer is running on a slow or low-bandwidth connection.
Affinity Designer is a vector graphics editor, just like Adobe Illustrator. Thus, you can achieve similar results by using the tools of Affinity Designer instead of Illustrator.
Affinity Designer has a few features that are not available in Illustrator. If you want to use these features, your best option is to create the desired design in Illustrator and then import it into Affinity Designer for editing and final touches.
Conclusion
We’ve discussed how you can use Illustrator brushes in Affinity Designer. You may have probably heard of these tools before, but you might not have used them often enough to know how useful they could be in your workflow. Of course if you need a specific brush now, apps like Placeit.net will help you get your design project completed!
If you’re a new user of Affinity Designer, or if you’ve been working with it a bit but haven’t quite got the hang of it, these tips might help. In Affinity Designer, you can adjust the brush size, type, color, and even pattern. You also have multiple layers to work with, which can be a lifesaver when you’re doing complicated projects.
So, there you have it: How to use Illustrator brushes in Affinity Designer. Now, go create some beautiful vector art!