Mesh Warp Tool Affinity Designer

Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

Nov 17, 2020

I mainly use Affinity Photo, but picked up Designer in one of the half price sales. I knew they had the same UI, but each had features that the other lacked. What I hadn't realised is just how easily the features from both products can be combined in one document.

For example, we know that Photo has a mesh warp capability that can be applied to text, but it doesn't allow you to fit text to a curve. Designer is the other way round. What I've belatedly realised is that you can start a document in Photo, and pop over to Designer, use its extra capabilities to add something, then return to Photo (or vice versa). There's a menu option under File to continue editing in the other product. What's more, features used in the other product remain editable when you return.

For example, in this screen shot, I'm in Photo with a document that has had some text fitted to a curve in Designer, but is still editable back in Photo. So, even though Photo doesn't let you fit text to a curve, it lets you use Designer to add it to your Photo document, and you can continue using the Designer capability to edit the object back in Photo:

The text fitted to a curve was added in Designer, but is still editable in Photo

Given how cheap Designer is in the regular sales, it seems like anyone who resists AP because it lacks a few features that are present in AD (and Photoshop), should realise that AD features can be very easily used in AP.

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IanYorke • Veteran Member • Posts: 4,737

Re: Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

Digital Nigel wrote:

I mainly use Affinity Photo, but picked up Designer in one of the half price sales. I knew they had the same UI, but each had features that the other lacked. What I hadn't realised is just how easily the features from both products can be combined in one document.

For example, we know that Photo has a mesh warp capability that can be applied to text, but it doesn't allow you to fit text to a curve. Designer is the other way round. What I've belatedly realised is that you can start a document in Photo, and pop over to Designer, use its extra capabilities to add something, then return to Photo (or vice versa). There's a menu option under File to continue editing in the other product. What's more, features used in the other product remain editable when you return.

For example, in this screen shot, I'm in Photo with a document that has had some text fitted to a curve in Designer, but is still editable back in Photo. So, even though Photo doesn't let you fit text to a curve, it lets you use Designer to add it to your Photo document, and you can continue using the Designer capability to edit the object back in Photo:

The text fitted to a curve was added in Designer, but is still editable in Photo

Given how cheap Designer is in the regular sales, it seems like anyone who resists AP because it lacks a few features that are present in AD (and Photoshop), should realise that AD features can be very easily used in AP.

Good information. With the apps so reasonably priced picking up Designer, or even publisher, which allows the UI to be changed with the press of a button (no saving/opening a file), is an attractive option. That's without the extended free updates they've given.

I am sure that many of us are the families/friends go to photo editing/design house

I wonder if Serif will be doing Black Friday deals?

Ian

davidedric • Veteran Member • Posts: 6,872

Re: Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

In reply to IanYorke • Nov 17, 2020

IanYorke wrote:

Digital Nigel wrote:

I mainly use Affinity Photo, but picked up Designer in one of the half price sales. I knew they had the same UI, but each had features that the other lacked. What I hadn't realised is just how easily the features from both products can be combined in one document.

For example, we know that Photo has a mesh warp capability that can be applied to text, but it doesn't allow you to fit text to a curve. Designer is the other way round. What I've belatedly realised is that you can start a document in Photo, and pop over to Designer, use its extra capabilities to add something, then return to Photo (or vice versa). There's a menu option under File to continue editing in the other product. What's more, features used in the other product remain editable when you return.

For example, in this screen shot, I'm in Photo with a document that has had some text fitted to a curve in Designer, but is still editable back in Photo. So, even though Photo doesn't let you fit text to a curve, it lets you use Designer to add it to your Photo document, and you can continue using the Designer capability to edit the object back in Photo:

The text fitted to a curve was added in Designer, but is still editable in Photo

Given how cheap Designer is in the regular sales, it seems like anyone who resists AP because it lacks a few features that are present in AD (and Photoshop), should realise that AD features can be very easily used in AP.

Good information. With the apps so reasonably priced picking up Designer, or even publisher, which allows the UI to be changed with the press of a button (no saving/opening a file), is an attractive option. That's without the extended free updates they've given.

I am sure that many of us are the families/friends go to photo editing/design house

I wonder if Serif will be doing Black Friday deals?

Ian

They'd have to be paying you to take it away

Incidentally, and a bit off topic, Publisher allows you to edit and export pdf documents. It's not very nice, but a darn sight cheaper than renting Acrobat!

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AndyGordon • Contributing Member • Posts: 645

Re: Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

I've got all 3 Affinity products, don't use designer as I haven't worked out what I would use it for but for the price when I got it why not, but do use Publisher as my printing tool of choice as I can lay out pages really easily and as has been said can swap between Photo and Publisher really easily

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irv00 • Senior Member • Posts: 1,796

Re: Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

davidedric wrote:

Incidentally, and a bit off topic, Publisher allows you to edit and export pdf documents. It's not very nice, but a darn sight cheaper than renting Acrobat!

For non-critical applications, Publisher is more than enough. For more serious stuff, you need InDesign or Quark Xpress.

It's not even related to Acrobat:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pdf+affinity+publisher+shadows+export+site:forum.affinity.serif.com&newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALeKk03I8ZgKfDXeEFsPdc9ngnOfRrUb7w:1605643821665&source=lnt&tbs=qdr:y&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-4YCtsYrtAhWkTt8KHTFOB-sQpwV6BAgLECM&biw=2560&bih=1298

irv00 • Senior Member • Posts: 1,796

Re: Using Affinity Photo and Designer together

AndyGordon wrote:

I've got all 3 Affinity products, don't use designer as I haven't worked out what I would use it for

Affinity Designer is Illustrator Light - if you do vector graphics, it covers 95% of what you might need - so it's truly excellent values for the overwhelming majority of people. And much easier to master than Illustrator.