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Graphic design programs like Affinity Photo are great for getting creative and making unique and custom designs. They offer tools to warp and distort images and text so that you can perfect even the smallest of details. But how is it done?
Affinity Photo has a number of different tools and methods for warping images in various ways. The most popular ways to distort an image include:
- Use the Mesh Warp Tool
- Apply the Perspective Tool
- Distort images in the Liquify Persona
- Apply distortion filters
Whether you’re trying to wrap a label around an image of a product or create a distorted perspective for an abstract design Affinity Photo can get it done. In this quick guide, you’ll find a few ways in which you can warp images in Affinity Photo.
Warping Images with Affinity Photo
Warping an image can be as simple as pulling out different areas of the photo to create a spherical effect or as complicated as designing a complete interior scene with a blend of photos. Luckily, Affinity Photo provides a variety of different tools to help users achieve different distortion effects.
Below are a few of the most popular ways to warp images.
1. Using the Mesh Warp Tool
The Mesh Warp tool distorts an image with the use of a customizable mesh grid. This is best for manipulating shapes in the entirety or a specified portion of an image.
For example, let’s say you have a photo of a tree and you would like to expand the branches without affecting the rest of the tree. This is could be done with the Mesh Warp tool.
To use this tool, select the layer you would like to edit, then click the Mesh Warp tool in the toolbar. Your image will be outlined with the moveable handles at the corners. These can be moved to distort the photo.
To add more warpable sections, simply double-click on that area in the photo to add another node. Then move that node around to warp that section.
An example of using the Mesh Warp too can be found here.
2. Using the Perspective Tool
To warp an image by skewing perspective, you would use the Perspective tool. This tool allows you to change the perspective of a photo by adjusting different planes and nodes with the use of a grid.
A good example of this is adding a photo to a frame or t-shirt when making a mockup. Though this can easily be done in programs like Placeit, using the Perspective tool gives you a bit more control.
To do this, click on the layer you would like to warp, then click the Perspective tool in the toolbar. This will place a grid across the entirety of the layer.
Moving different areas of the grid will warp the photo depending on the placement. For example, if you wanted an image to appear to be on the left face of a box, you would move the corners of the grid so that the edges lined up with those of the box.
When your edits are where you want them, hit apply to save the effect.
3. Distort Images with the Liquify Persona
Affinity photo is divided into five different sections or Personas. Each one of these provides different interfaces and ways of working within Affinity Photo and
If you would like to warp an image, the Liquify Persona is the best section to work in. This can be accessed from the second button on the upper lefthand side of the screen just below the File menu.
Once in the Liquify Persona, you’ll see a set of different tools on the lefthand toolbar. Each of these will provide different ways to warp and distort your image.
4. Warping Images with Distortion Filters
Affinity Photo also has a variety of filters that can be applied to photos to create a distortion effect. These include:
- Shear Filter
- Ripple Filter
- Twirl Filter
- Pinch/Punch Filter
- Mirror Filter
Distortion filters can be applied by selecting the layer you want to work in, then select the filter you would like to apply from the Filters menu at the top of the screen.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this guide helped you learn how to warp images in Affinity Photo. Warping is a great way to edit an image so that you can get your desired result. However, there are various ways to distort and warp, so it’s important to make sure you are using the correct tool to get the job done.
