Affinity Writer for Rookies (Touchdown Web page)

Let’s start with Panels in Affinity Writer.

Panels are a necessary a part of working in Affinity Writer. Consider them as key areas the place you may view and manipulate content material in your work. For instance, we will flip to the Pages panel to view, add, and delete pages in our doc. There are all kinds of panels in Affinity Writer, every with completely different functions.

affinity publisher panels — This screenshot reveals a listing of Affinity Writer panels and that are lively proper now.

Cannot discover a panel in Affinity Writer? Go to the Window menu. Should you see a checkmark by the identify of the panel, it is open.

On this lesson, we’ll check out opening up panels and dealing with them as one of many important Affinity Writer fundamentals.

Should you’re nonetheless having bother discovering a panel that Affinity Writer lists as already opened, it could be docked with one other open panel. Ensure that to tab between them to see what could be docked collectively.

Go to Studio > Reset Studio to reset your work space. This will likely make it simpler to observe alongside as it is going to reset the position of your panels. You possibly can, nonetheless, customise them any means you like.

1.3 The best way to Use the Assist Function in Affinity Writer

Should you ever end up misplaced in Affinity Writer, the Assist function is usually a enormous assist! On the prime of the software program, merely go to the Assist menu. Then, you may click on and kind in your search time period. Affinity Writer will help.

On this instance, “Pages” has been typed in as a search time period. It then highlights not solely subjects, but in addition menu objects that it’s going to direct you to, that can assist you discover the place and how one can do issues. It is very useful! Tune into this lesson to see this in motion.

1.4 The best way to Use the Affinity Writer Command Bar

The Command Bar is one other important a part of working in Writer. You could find it proper on the prime of the display screen, as highlighted within the screenshot beneath. There’s lots to see right here, however don’t be concerned about memorizing all the things proper off the bat. On this lesson, we’ll stroll by the content material you’ll find right here and whenever you may use it.

affinity publisher command bar — The Command Bar will be discovered on the prime of the software program, in Affinity Writer.

Should you’re ever uncertain about an choice within the Command Bar, simply mouse over it. Depart your cursor on the merchandise, and the identify of the software or choice will pop as much as assist inform you of what it’s. These hints will be very useful for learners!

1.5 The best way to Use the Affinity Writer Context Bar

On this subsequent lesson, we’ll check out the Context Bar. Consider this as a secondary record of choices. The Context Bar relies on the software or content material you’ve got lively on the time. So, for instance, after drawing a rectangle, the Context Bar reveals us choices relative to our content material when it is lively and highlighted.

affinity publisher context bar — The Context Bar provides us choices which can be relative to the content material we’re working with.

2. The best way to Set Up an Affinity Writer Doc

2.1 The best way to Create a New Doc in Affinity Writer

Now, let’s create a brand new doc collectively. On this lesson, we’ll stroll by the doc settings you may have to create a tri-fold brochure together with this course.

Ensure that to look below Press Prepared for the doc preset we’ll use on this design. We will select A4 dimension. We’ll take a look at another choices right here, just like the margins, too. Able to get designing? Then let’s dig in.

affinity publisher new document — Create a brand new doc in Affinity Writer by going to File > New.

2.2 Working With Your New Affinity Writer Doc

Subsequent, let’s check out our new Affinity Writer doc collectively. We will create all types of issues on this house, however we’ll begin with only a fundamental intro to our canvas. You may additionally need to be sure you have all your property and fonts able to go.

This can be a nice time to recollect to avoid wasting your work! You are able to do so by going to File > Save on the prime of the software program.

3. The best way to Use Grasp Pages in Affinity Writer

3.1 What Are Grasp Pages in Affinity Writer?

On this subsequent lesson, we’ll check out Grasp Pages. So what are Grasp Pages? Consider them like a grasp information that your different pages can observe. For instance, for those who needed each web page to have a web page quantity in the identical place, you can outline that on a Grasp Web page reasonably than doing it on each web page individually. Useful, proper?

affinity publisher master pages — You could find your Grasp Pages on the prime of the Pages panel.

3.2 The best way to Use Columns in Affinity Writer

Nonetheless, we will use our Grasp Pages to create some Column Guides. Since we’re making a tri-fold brochure, it will likely be useful to have visible guides to indicate us the place every part is. Fortunately, Affinity Writer makes this straightforward. Able to see how one can do it collectively?

Not seeing your Column Guides? Make it possible for below View you’ve got Present Column Guides checked. In any other case, they will not be seen in your workspace.

3.3 The best way to Use Rulers and Guides in Affinity Writer

On this subsequent lesson, we’ll additionally use Rulers and Guides to assist additional set up some pointers in our work. Not solely is that this useful, but it surely’s additionally easy to make use of. This takes all the guesswork out of lining up content material to match folds, having constant margins, and different visible associations.

affinity publisher rulers and guides — Right here is an instance of our work space with Column Guides and Rulers utilized

4. The best way to Create Wireframes in Affinity Writer

4.1 The best way to Create an Preliminary Structure in Affinity Writer

Subsequent, let’s begin speaking about our structure design. That is the enjoyable half, proper? We’ll begin with Web page 1, and take a look at which panels in our tri-fold are which a part of our design (we’ll want to think about how our work will look and performance when folded). Observe together with this lesson, or use it as a tenet to experiment with your personal tackle this design.

Remember to avoid wasting your work! Bear in mind, this may be finished by going to File > Save at any half within the course of.

4.2 Laying Out Design Components in Affinity Writer

Now, let’s experiment with among the instruments in Affinity Writer. On this lesson, we’ll check out three completely different instruments as we start laying out our design:

The Inventive Textual content Instrument—this is a wonderful software for putting key copy, like headlines or titles. We will simply click on and drag to scale our textual content, after which insert it.

The Image Body Rectangle—this enables us to put down a placeholder rectangle, the place we will insert a picture later. That is nice for creating wireframes and getting a really feel for the place you may like content material to go.

The Body Textual content Instrument—whenever you’re setting physique copy, reasonably than a single headline, this software will be the proper selection. Create a bigger field on your copy after which simply insert some placeholder copy.

Here is an instance of every software in motion beneath! Tune into this lesson to work alongside and see them in use.

4.3 The best way to Use Affinity Writer Textual content Types

Watch Video Lesson (10 minutes) ↗

Textual content kinds make styling our textual content simpler than ever. On this lesson, we’ll check out the Textual content Types panel and among the introductory issues we will do with it. For some introductory context, think about having one header type for each header in your whole doc. That is means simpler than styling every header manually! Able to find out how? Then tune into this lesson.

4.4 Persevering with Our Structure and Extra Use Instances

We have coated a bunch of actually enjoyable and easy-to-use ideas thus far on this course. Tune in and we’ll proceed to apply them collectively, on this lesson, with sensible examples. We’ll use these strategies to additional construct out our tri-fold brochure, step-by-step.

affinity publisher text layout design — We will use the completely different Textual content Instruments and Rectangular Frames to construct out the fundamentals of our structure design.

5. The best way to Use Photos in Affinity Writer

5.1 The best way to Insert Photos in Affinity Writer

Now that we have constructed a wireframe to work with, it is time to begin working with pictures. We’ll discover ways to insert pictures in Affinity Writer on this lesson of the course. There are a number of methods to do it too, together with:

The Picture Place Instrument—a useful software you’ll find proper within the Instruments panel.

File> Place—positioned on the prime of the software program, that is one other means you may choose a picture out of your laptop and insert it into your structure.

Having bother or caught on this idea? Here is a free written walkthrough that may assist troubleshoot any issues you might need with inserting pictures in Affinity Writer.

5.2 The best way to Modify Photos in Affinity Writer

Watch Video Lesson (4 minutes) ↗

Now that you have your pictures inserted in Affinity Writer, you may seemingly need to alter them. This would come with issues like resizing, cropping, rotating, and extra. Fortunately, Affinity Writer makes this a breeze.

Observe this lesson and we’ll take a look at among the methods you may alter your pictures in Affinity Writer collectively.

5.3 The best way to Use the Photograph Persona

For superior picture enhancing, we will additionally flip to the Photograph Persona in Affinity Writer. On this lesson, we’ll check out the Photograph Persona and use it to pick out and masks the background out of this picture in our design. It’d look difficult, however Affinity makes it straightforward. We do not even want to leap to Affinity Photograph to make these edits—Personas make it easy to make these modifications all inside Affinity Writer.

affinity publisher personas — We’ll make some picture edits within the Photograph Persona on this lesson.

5.4 Extra Picture Methods in Affinity Writer

Watch Video Lesson (10 minutes) ↗

Let’s take these strategies we have realized and put them to sensible use. On this lesson, we’ll use the ideas we have coated in different elements of our structure design. We’ll add extra pictures, edit them, and alter them to make our tri-fold brochure. Observe this lesson to apply these strategies collectively.

5.5 The best way to Use the Baseline Grid in Affinity Writer

We’ll wrap up this lesson with a take a look at the Baseline Grid in Affinity Writer. Consider this like a line that all your content material can sit on—and even snap to! We’ll check out toggling this function on, and the way you should use it in your design work, on this lesson.

affinity publisher baseline grid — Here is a take a look at the Baseline Grid in Affinity Writer. We will simply toggle its visibility on and off.

6. The best way to Work With Kind in Affinity Writer

6.1 The best way to Set up Fonts for Affinity Writer

Watch Video Lesson (4 minutes) ↗

You are seemingly going to need to use fonts aside from the default, when working in Affinity Writer. On this lesson, we’ll stroll by putting in some new fonts, just like the sans serif font Visby, from Envato Components.

Affinity Writer will entry your system fonts, so for those who’re interested in how one can set up fonts for Affinity Writer, that is the place to begin.

Should you’re having bother putting in fonts, take a look at these free walkthroughs for additional assist. There is a walkthrough out there for each Home windows PC and Mac.

6.2 The best way to Use Fonts in Affinity Writer

Now that you have your fonts put in and able to go, how do you utilize them? On this video lesson, we’ll stroll by utilizing fonts in Affinity Writer, accessing them, and getting them into your Textual content Types too. Affinity Writer Textual content Types offer you a ton of choices, from the font itself to the load, the colour, and far more. Prepared to provide it a strive for your self?

affinity publisher fonts — Modifying your Textual content Types is one option to change the font in Affinity Writer

6.3 The best way to Use the Affinity Writer Character Panel

The Character panel is one other key place you may flip to whenever you’re working with sort in Affinity Writer. Right here, we will simply entry a complete host of choices for our copy, just like the font, the font dimension, the load, and extra. It is also a straightforward option to entry our Character Types—and, in flip, our Textual content Types. You may get an opportunity to strive all that out on this video lesson. Able to get began?

affinity publisher character panel — You should use the Character panel in Affinity Writer to edit various textual content attributes

Cannot discover the Character panel? You possibly can open it up through Window > Textual content > Character.

6.4 The best way to Use the Discover and Substitute Panel in Affinity Writer

The Discover and Substitute panel is one other useful panel that you have to be conscious of. It makes it a lot simpler to search out and change content material positioned in your doc. That is particularly useful for those who’re working in a really lengthy doc. On this lesson, we’ll take a look at an instance the place we will simply change up a few of our textual content.

6.5 Extra Typography Methods in Affinity Writer

Let’s wrap issues up by including some ending touches to our design. We’ll refine our title, for instance, with among the strategies we have realized within the course thus far. Absorb some extra apply on this lesson’s walkthrough.

Bear in mind, you might be welcome to take these strategies and experiment with them. Wish to make a special tri-fold brochure or a special design altogether? Go for it! You may as well undergo this course a second time to provide it a strive with some content material of your personal.

7. The best way to Work With Colour in Affinity Writer

7.1 Introduction to Colour in Affinity Writer

On this lesson, we’ll shift our focus to paint. We’ll begin out easy by simply including a easy form to our design that we’ll then apply coloration to. It is easy and simple, however very efficient. We’ll use this straightforward form as our place to begin, after which transfer on to extra superior methods of working with coloration.

You could find the Form Instruments within the Instruments on the left-hand facet of the software program. On this case, we’ll use the Rounded Rectangle Instrument.

Chances are you’ll solely see a Rectangle whenever you look within the Instruments—that is okay! Simply click on and maintain on any Form Instrument to broaden the record. Then, you may see an enormous record of shapes to select from!

7.2 The best way to Use the Colour and Swatches Panels

Watch Video Lesson (5 minutes) ↗

Subsequent, it is time to begin speaking about some key panels you may want, when working with coloration: the Colour panel and the Swatches panel.

The Colour Panel—we will use this panel to simply choose colours in a wide range of methods. Select from completely different coloration modes, like CMYK or RGB, or select from sliders or a coloration wheel.

The Swatches Panel—that is the place your coloration swatches will go. Consider them as a group of colours you may retailer and use everytime you’d wish to.

We’ll use these panels on this lesson so that you get a really feel for the way they work. Able to take them for a check run?

We’ll additionally check out World Colours on this lesson, that are an much more handy option to work with coloration in Affinity Writer. Once you set a World Colour, it will get utilized to your whole doc—so whenever you change it, it modifications globally.

7.3 The best way to Use the Designer Persona to Add Colour

We’ll check out the Designer Persona on this lesson, one other one of many Personas you should use in Affinity Writer. On this demonstration, we’ll draw some summary, colourful shapes to convey some extra coloration to our design. No want to modify to different software program—with Personas, we will do all of it proper right here in Affinity Writer. Give it a strive on this video lesson.

affinity publisher designer persona — Use the Designer Persona in Affinity Writer to create some colourful summary shapes.

7.4 The best way to Use Picture Mixing Modes in Affinity Writer

Mixing Modes are one other means we will alter our pictures in Affinity Writer. On this case, we now have a picture that is not precisely taking part in good with our summary shapes. Whereas there are numerous methods we may resolve this situation, we’ll use this as a possibility to provide Mixing Modes a strive. Check out the earlier than and after, beneath! That is what you may be taught to simply obtain on this lesson.

8. The best way to Preflight in Affinity Writer

8.1 The best way to Use the Preflight Panel in Affinity Writer

Watch Video Lesson (5 minutes) ↗

What’s Preflight? Preflight is a method of checking your work for errors. You may need to do that earlier than you despatched it off to be printed, for instance. Preflight can apply to each printed and digital work too—you do not need to ship off work as “full” with errors!

On this lesson, we’ll check out Preflight in Affinity Writer. Stroll by the content material together with the video to assist forestall errors in your personal work.

Open the Preflight panel by going to Window > Preflight.

9. The best way to Export for Print in Affinity Writer

9.1 The best way to Use the Export Choices in Affinity Writer

So you have completed your design, and you have checked all the things over with the assistance of the Preflight panel in Affinity Writer. What’s subsequent? It is time to Export your work!

On this lesson, we’ll undergo the choices you’ve got when exporting your work in Affinity Writer. There are a number of choices, which could appear overwhelming at first—but it surely’s an excellent factor! From PDF information for print to digital work, Affinity Writer provides you a ton of selections. Study them on this video lesson.

affinity publisher export — Simply Export your work in Affinity Writer

9.2 The best way to Package deal Your Affinity Writer Doc

It is also a good suggestion to bundle your work in Affinity Writer, and on this video lesson, you may find out how to take action. This can be a step past exporting your work, but it surely’s nonetheless a very essential one to think about. It is a easy course of however will be a necessary one, particularly if you want to return and edit your work later.

Why bundle your work? This manner, all your content material is in a single place, so you may simply entry your work and all of the linked information sooner or later.

10. Now You Know the Affinity Writer Fundamentals

10.1 Thank You for Watching!