Affinity by Canva Course

Learn how to use Affinity to create professional graphics, photo edits, page layouts, marketing material, and digital content. Practise your new skills under the guidance of an experienced software trainer.

By the completion of this Affinity course you will be able to:

• Understand the essential functions of Affinity
• Navigate the Affinity workspace confidently
• Create documents for print, web, and social media
• Work with vector shapes, images, text, layers, and colour
• Edit and enhance photos using non-destructive techniques
• Create simple page layouts for brochures, flyers, and documents
• Export files for print, web, PDF, and social media use

The Affinity Workspace

This section introduces the main interface and explains how the Affinity workspace is organised.

• Navigate the Affinity interface
• Understand the main tools and panels
• Switch between design, pixel, and layout workflows
• Zoom, pan, and move around a document
• Save and reset workspace layouts
• Set basic preferences
• Open and save Affinity files

Creating New Documents

This section explains how to create new files for different design purposes.

• Create a new document
• Choose document presets
• Set page size and orientation
• Set margins, bleed, and units
• Create documents for print, web, and social media
• Adjust document settings after creation
• Save a document for future editing

Working with Artboards and Pages

This section shows how to organise single-page and multi-page designs.

• Create and manage artboards
• Add, duplicate, and rename artboards
• Set up multiple page designs
• Create social media design variations
• Use pages for simple publication layouts
• Rearrange pages and artboards
• Prepare multi-page files for export

Drawing Shapes and Vector Graphics

This section introduces the vector drawing tools used to create clean, scalable artwork.

• Create basic shapes
• Adjust shape properties
• Use the Pen tool to draw paths
• Edit nodes and curves
• Combine and subtract shapes
• Align and distribute objects
• Group, lock, and arrange artwork

Working with Text

This section explains how to add and format text for design and layout work.

• Create artistic text
• Create frame text
• Change font, size, and style
• Adjust leading, tracking, and alignment
• Apply paragraph spacing
• Create bulleted and numbered lists
• Convert text to curves when required
• Check and replace missing fonts

Placing and Editing Images

This section shows how to add photos and graphics to a design.

• Place images into a document
• Scale, crop, and reposition images
• Fit images inside frames
• Replace images
• Rotate and transform images
• Use picture frames
• Manage image quality and resolution

Layers and Object Organisation

This section explains how to organise artwork in complex designs.

• Understand the Layers panel
• Create and rename layers
• Move objects between layers
• Reorder objects
• Lock and hide layers
• Group related objects
• Use layer structure to manage complex files

Colour, Swatches, and Gradients

This section introduces colour controls for print and digital design.

• Apply fill and stroke colours
• Use the Colour and Swatches panels
• Create custom colour swatches
• Understand RGB and CMYK colour
• Apply gradients
• Adjust transparency and opacity
• Reuse brand colours across a design

Stroke, Lines, and Effects

This section shows how to style shapes, lines, and objects.

• Apply stroke settings
• Adjust line weight
• Create dashed and dotted lines
• Add shadows and glows
• Apply object effects
• Adjust blend modes
• Use effects carefully for professional output

Photo Editing and Image Adjustments

This section introduces essential image editing workflows inside Affinity.

• Crop and straighten images
• Adjust brightness and contrast
• Adjust colour and saturation
• Apply non-destructive adjustment layers
• Use masks to control image edits
• Remove simple blemishes or unwanted areas
• Sharpen and enhance images
• Prepare images for print or screen use

Selections and Masks

This section explains how to isolate parts of an image or design.

• Create basic selections
• Refine a selection
• Use selection tools for photo editing
• Create layer masks
• Paint on a mask
• Hide and reveal image areas
• Combine selections with adjustment layers

Layout Design

This section shows how to create simple professional page layouts.

• Create flyers, brochures, and short documents
• Set up margins and guides
• Place text and images into a layout
• Align elements consistently
• Use repeated design elements
• Create simple headers and footers
• Build a clean visual hierarchy

Styles and Reusable Formatting

This section explains how to make formatting faster and more consistent.

• Create text styles
• Apply consistent headings and body text
• Update styles across a document
• Create object styles
• Reuse colours and effects
• Build a consistent document design

Importing and Working with External Files

This section explains how to bring existing content into Affinity.

• Open common image and design file formats
• Place PDF, SVG, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF files
• Import artwork from other design software where supported
• Check file compatibility
• Replace linked or embedded assets
• Prepare supplied client artwork for editing

Exporting and Sharing

This section shows how to prepare finished artwork for different uses.

• Export as PDF
• Export as JPEG and PNG
• Export transparent graphics
• Export files for print
• Export files for websites and social media
• Check file size and image quality
• Save editable Affinity files
• Prepare files for client handover

This introductory Affinity course requires little or no prior knowledge of Affinity software. It is suitable for beginners, marketing staff, small business owners, content creators, designers moving from Adobe software, and anyone who needs to create professional visual content.

Participants with some design experience will also find the course useful, as it provides a clear, practical workflow across vector design, photo editing, and page layout.

For multiple participants or corporate training in Affinity, please message us to get pricing information. Or call us on 0410 416 138 to start a conversation.