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Getting started with Affinity Photo

by James Ritson

Affinity’s longest-standing product expert, James Ritson knows Affinity Photo inside and out. In this video, he guides you through the award-winning image editor’s basic functions and key features, equipping you with all the need-to-know information to get started – particularly useful if you’re transitioning from another photo editing tool.

Opening Images

Learn how to open images in Affinity Photo using either the traditional File → Open method or drag and drop. James also demonstrates how to open multiple images as separate documents before walking you through Affinity Photo’s intuitive, non-destructive RAW development process.

Creating New Documents

Follow along with James as he shows you how to create a new document in Affinity Photo and the different customisable options available to you, including units and dimensions, DPI and resolution as well as color profiles and formats. Take note of the convenient ‘New from Clipboard’ feature too, which automatically creates a new document based on the image data copied to your clipboard.

Transforming Layers

Dive into layer transformations and learn how to move, scale, rotate and shear layers. For more advanced transformations, James showcases live filters like perspective, liquify and mesh warp, which are all non-destructive.

Non-Destructive Editing

Affinity Photo’s non-destructive editing features are extremely popular with users. James shows you how to utilise these, focusing on adjustment layers (such as brightness, contrast, and curves) and live filters, as mentioned above.

Masking and Clipping Layers

Masking and clipping work a bit differently in Affinity Photo than in other software. James talks through the differences and demonstrates how to easily mask and clip layers in the software.

Brush Tool Tips

Learn how to streamline your workflow, especially when working with fine details, with James’ valuable Brush Tool tips. He demonstrates how to quickly adjust brush size and hardness using keyboard shortcuts.

Advanced Features and Workflow Enhancements

Finish your introduction to Affinity Photo with an overview of some more advanced features. In this final section, James demonstrates how to change a document’s bit depth and color profile. He also shows you how to access additional panels from the Window menu (including tools like Scopes, common in video editing software) and Macros for automating repetitive tasks.

Wondering what to do next?

Check out Affinity Photo’s in-app welcome screen for other lessons and samples to experiment with.

Don’t have Affinity Photo?

Try the entire Affinity suite free for 6 months – no credit card required to sign up.


About James Ritson:

Affinity educator and product expert team leader, James is known as the voice of Affinity Photo by many for his popular tutorial videos, which he has been producing for more than ten years.

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