Affinity Bootcamp - January 2025

[Sharon Murray]

This was a fun project!  Last year in June I and my other three sisters found out we had a fourth sister that we did not know existed until she happened to take a DNA test.  I took one  myself, as well as my other sister that lives in Australia, and sure enough we matched as half-sisters!  In August, my Aussie sister came to visit when our new sister came to NC from TX to meet us. I hadn't seen my Aussie sister in 20 years!  We also traveled to GA to visit some more family.  It was the highlight of my year!  The four of us went and got matching tattoos (middle picture)

[Linda J Walker]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:56 AM, Sharon Murray said:

This was a fun project!  Last year in June I and my other three sisters found out we had a fourth sister that we did not know existed until she happened to take a DNA test.  I took one  myself, as well as my other sister that lives in Australia, and sure enough we matched as half-sisters!  In August, my Aussie sister came to visit when our new sister came to NC from TX to meet us. I hadn't seen my Aussie sister in 20 years!  We also traveled to GA to visit some more family.  It was the highlight of my year!  The four of us went and got matching tattoos (middle picture)

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The power of DNA! I love to hear stories like this! I have done DNA, my mom also tested several years ago. I hope to find my 5th g.grandmother someday thru the power of DNA 😀

[Gerry Landreth]

  On 1/21/2025 at 6:07 AM, Sue Thomas said:

I had the same when I  moved to Canada. Having a strong Welsh accent, I  was  frequently asked  and still asked to this day by strangers,  are you English,  Australian, even South African.  You'd  be surprised  how many North Americans there are that have never heard of Wales, yet alone know that it is a country,  which is part  of the UK.  

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Don't feel too slighted. Many Americans couldn't tell you where the states are or name them if they saw a picture. 

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:01 AM, Linda J Walker said:

Are you adding the new raster layer?

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Yes, I did that. Didn't work.....

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:00 AM, Saara said:

Julie, if you haven't rasterised your photos then you can simply add a stroke to them.  Select one of the photos and you should see the fill and stroke options in the context tool bar.  If you have rasterised them, you can add an outline via the FX panel.

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I tried that on one of the pix and it didn't work. Thanks for the reminder. I will try again. The trouble also is resetting the color picker. It keeps reverting to red for some reason. Can't get B & W, the default. Then when I change the colors, it affects the image!

Edited January 22 by Julie Magerka

[Sue Thomas]

  On 1/22/2025 at 1:11 AM, Gerry Landreth said:

Don't feel too slighted. Many Americans couldn't tell you where the states are or name them if they saw a picture. 

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Don't I know it!

[Jean Naumann]

Here is todays layout.  I like learning all the new things, most of which I had forgotten from doing the PSP bootcamps!  And once again I struggle with finding the right papers to match my project, so I waste so much time trying different ones, but as a friend said to me, it's all about learning, not perfection.

This is a dear cousin of mine who sadly passed away last year 3 months after celebrating her 93rd birthday.  The photos are of Estelle and my daughter who she treated like one of her own granddaughters.

[Sharon Murray]

  On 1/22/2025 at 1:03 AM, Linda J Walker said:

The power of DNA! I love to hear stories like this! I have done DNA, my mom also tested several years ago. I hope to find my 5th g.grandmother someday thru the power of DNA 😀

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This was very unexpected, to say the least!  Several family members ended up doing DNA tests and we found out other interesting things about our family that some will not accept, but DNA does not lie.  Unfortunately, our dad died in 1988 and I wholly doubt he ever knew of our new sister.  Her mother passed in 2021.  

I would bet your will fill your 5th g grandmother - more and more people are doing DNA tests every day and the data base is always growing.  Good luck ♥

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:00 AM, Julie Magerka said:

I tried that on one of the pix and it didn't work. Thanks for the reminder. I will try again. The trouble also is resetting the color picker. It keeps reverting to red for some reason. Can't get B & W, the default. Then when I change the colors, it affects the image!

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I have now figured out the color picker (sort of) and got the outlines (frames) to work. It's great being able to be able to add frames after the images are in the layout. I used to add the borders/frames before I used them in the l/o.

[Rene Marker]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:45 AM, Linda J Walker said:

Carole,

Project 4--added the white border to my photos....but the border is on a new layer. That is okay but I am going to need to move my photos and maybe change the size some. I can change the size of the photo, but the border doesn't change--how do I make them change together???

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Did you group the 2 layers? If you didn't, try that.

[Alice Daniel]

I have been busier than usual with other matters lately so will upload my only project to date. 

[Jeni Simpson]

Project 4 Day 9

Many years ago, in New Zealand, we had a company, Crown Lynn, that created ceramic dinner plates, side plates, and dessert bowls, as well as cups & saucers.
I think most households would have a crockery set in their kitchen cupboards, I know we did. These sets have become rather expensive items now,
sold in Thrift Shops, online, etc.
They also made some beautiful swan vases. I loved the photographs from the gallery and am not so fond of the vases.
A couple of years ago my art class went on a tour of art galleries, art studios, and museums. At the Eastern Gallery, in Gore, was an exhibition of the Crown Lynn swan vases. There were some stunning photographs, as well as a few swan vases set around the gallery. I took a few photographs of these exhibits.
I have used the kit, suggested by Carole, by Tricia from True Heart Digitals.

The swans.

 

 

Edited January 22 by Jeni Simpson
my wording was a bit convoluted ;)

[Cassel]

Great layouts everybody!!!

@Cindy Sheets I know you like to create layouts that might differ from the tutorials, but this Day 5 project does not seem to use ANY of the techniques shown in the video. I am not even sure what tutorial you followed (if you followed one). Which one were you "trying" to follow?

@Jeni Simpson Did you use the snapping to align your photos? Since they are not of the same orientation and size, I can assume you still used the snapping? I see you are gradually catching up. Those swans are interesting. How large are they? 

@Daniel Hess I also occasionally forget to click on the effect, even though I check the box. Obviously, it does not work! Now, after doing it a few times, I realize that the available settings are different so I can catch myself.

@Saara Thank you for pointing out the non-destructive abilities of Affinity. After using PSP for over 15 years, I will definitely have to change my perspective on the workflow. I guess that one advantage of the digital scrapbooking is that if one uses a paper and cuts it "wrong" or the user changes their mind, it is super easy to start over with another copy of the paper. I can see how that is different when working on a photo composition with multiple adjustments. And your photo compositions are fantastic! I hope we will have more opportunities to see more.

@Jenny MacKayYou managed a great result with the pinking edge! I am surprised that the function with the Shift key was not part of V1. Hopefully, those tutorials will give you an idea if you want to upgrade to v2 at some point. Your layout is great and you were successful in making that multicolored title.

@Angela Tilghman The dimensions of the image is not the limiting setting but the file size. By changing the quality, you should be able to reduce that file size. Great use of the multicolored text.

@Rene Marker Glad to see you are also exploring the program further. I could not integrate all the tools and techniques in the Bootcamp. We'll have to look at more in future workshops. I might have to look at the tutorial about the warped shadow. I already have one tutorial schedule on that topic. I wonder if she does it the same way I do!?

@Gerry LandrethCute layout and certainly cute photos. I can't imagine playing hide and seek with my cat!

@Sharon Murray If you were already familiar with PS, I guess some tools and functionalities in Affinity do feel familiar. That will make it easier for you. Good work. And great story about your sisters.

@Corrie Kinkel All those text settings are "hidden" in a different panel. Go to Window > Text > Characters and you will find a LOT of additional settings for your text. You can also access it by clicking on the lonely "a" in the middle of the Text toolbar.

@Linda Rexford I guess we might need some lessons and practice with those masks to work with non-destructive effects. I agree with you that the scallops fit the theme very well.

@Linda J Walker Linking layers is a bit more convoluted in Affinity than in PSP. Are you able to just select both layers at once and move/resize themtogether? If you are more comfortable, you could also group them.

@Jean Naumann Great layout and I am glad you are learning/relearning things with this program.

@Alice DanielGreat layout. That dog is very photogenic! As I am trying to keep track of everyone's projects from the tutorials, can you clarify which one you were trying to replicate? I track those for the random draw at the end of the Bootcamp.

Keep posting. Tomorrow, you will have a day off and then, you will get the last project tutorial. Looking forward to seeing more layouts.

 

[Jean Naumann]

Well I've done another layout, felt I had to do it again to reinforce the learning.  I'm not used to using a lot of embellishments, and feel that this might be a bit over the top!

[Jeni Simpson]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:06 AM, Cassel said:

Great layouts everybody!!!

@Jeni Simpson Did you use the snapping to align your photos? Since they are not of the same orientation and size, I can assume you still used the snapping? I see you are gradually catching up. Those swans are interesting. How large are they? 

Keep posting. Tomorrow, you will have a day off and then, you will get the last project tutorial. Looking forward to seeing more layouts.

 

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Carole, thank you. I tried to snap them, and I also tend to align visually. I don't think I was able to snap, for some reason. I tend to get a bit impatient when things don't work as I wish, and just do whatever works, in the end. The word 'SWANS' took some time to do, the colouring wasn't a problem, and the kerning was. There was too large a space between the W and the A, so I duplicated the word, erased the letters after the W, ANS on one layer, and the letters before, SW on the other, then merged them and created the shadow. The photographs were in ellipses already so I used an ellipse to cut them out of the background.

The swans come in 3 sizes: the Large  is 27cm long, 17cm wide, and 18cm high; the Medium is 21cm long, 12.5cm wide, and 14cm high; the Small is 15.5cm long,10cm wide, and 12cm high;
In inches, the Large is 10.6 inches long, 6.7 inches wide, and 7.1 inches high; the Medium is 8.3 inches long, 4.9 inches wide, and 5.5 inches high; the Small is 6.1 inches long, 3.9 inches wide, and 4.7 inches high.

[Carolyn Rye]

Project 4 completed.  I have finally found out how to select multiple layers with FX then clicking CTRL and processing the same effects for all layers. I needed to click the plus sign to the right of the Outer Shadow.  Once I did that the required effects showed on the right.  I am very excited that I have finally found out how to do that.  I still have so much to learn and after watching this last tutorial by Carole I realize how much she knows.  Thank goodness for her help.

The three photos on this project are very old.  My eldest daughter is now almost 60, so yes, very old. It was wonderful being able to bring them back to life again.

[Carolyn Rye]

@Cassel I have finally found out how to select multiple layers when using FX.  I needed to add the plus sign to the right of Outer Shadow, when I did this, it opened up the Layer Effects that were missing before. I now feel relieved.  

[Saara]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:00 AM, Julie Magerka said:

I tried that on one of the pix and it didn't work. Thanks for the reminder. I will try again. The trouble also is resetting the color picker. It keeps reverting to red for some reason. Can't get B & W, the default. Then when I change the colors, it affects the image!

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Hmmmm. I've never had any issues with the colour picker.  "D" is the shortcut key to revert to black and white.  Doing this shouldn't affect anthing in your design, but if you click somewhere in the working area outside of the canvas first that will ensure you have nothing selected.

[Saara]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:06 AM, Cassel said:

@Saara Thank you for pointing out the non-destructive abilities of Affinity. After using PSP for over 15 years, I will definitely have to change my perspective on the workflow. I guess that one advantage of the digital scrapbooking is that if one uses a paper and cuts it "wrong" or the user changes their mind, it is super easy to start over with another copy of the paper. I can see how that is different when working on a photo composition with multiple adjustments. And your photo compositions are fantastic! I hope we will have more opportunities to see more.

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Thank you. There's no way I could create those compositions using destructive editing as I would have to start over so many times and they take me long enough as it is.  I do really enjoy doing them though.

[Cristina]

I created another layout for Project#3 to practice the "Layer>New Pattern Layer from Selection" that Carole showed in the video.   I did it differently in the layout I've posted before. 

I also tried text with an outline.

Fonts: Brandish and Typewriter

Edited January 22 by Cristina

[Cristina]

Now, Project#4.

This time, I included a Gradient Outline to the photos.
The shadows and other effects were added from the Quick Fix tab.
As there are no Picture Tubes or Carole's Scripts in Affinity, I included the ones I’ve created in PaintShop Pro.

Fonts: BauhausCMedium and Beauty and Love Script.
 

[Cristina]

Now, I am going to read the previous posts. There is always a lot to learn from the comments.

[Cristina]

  On 1/21/2025 at 3:39 AM, Cassel said:

@Cristina Did you happen to use a pattern under the photos? or is it a texture?

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Carole, this is the paper under the photos in Project#3, but I added some noise to give a "glittered" effect.

Another subject:

I had some issues with the shadow appearing in the above layer (?), but I assumed at first it had to do with the different blend modes of the same paper.

But learning two new programs at the same time doesn’t give me much time to look into that.  I will test this after the workshop.

I'll post the page and the original paper (without blend mode) for better understanding.

 

[Saara]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:53 PM, Cristina said:

Carole, this is the paper under the photos in Project#3, but I added some noise to give a "glittered" effect.

Another subject:

I had some issues with the shadow appearing in the above layer (?), but I assumed at first it had to do with the different blend modes of the same paper.

But learning two new programs at the same time doesn’t give me much time to look into that.  I will test this after the workshop.

I'll post the page and the original paper (without blend mode) for better understanding.

 

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I'm not too familiar with the contrast negate blend mode as I've never used it, but blend modes in general cause a layer to react with those below it.  When I next have my laptop on I'll see if I can recreate what you have here and try to work out why.

If you want to change the colour of an element on your page, though, the easiest way to do it is via a recolour adjustment.

[Cristina]

  On 1/22/2025 at 1:25 PM, Saara said:

I'm not too familiar with the contrast negate blend mode as I've never used it, but blend modes in general cause a layer to react with those below it.  When I next have my laptop on I'll see if I can recreate what you have here and try to work out why.

If you want to change the colour of an element on your page, though, the easiest way to do it is via a recolour adjustment.

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Saara, yes, blend modes react to the layers below, and that's why I was surprised it had affected the upper layer. But I do not have time right now to check this and test where the culprit is. I'd be happy if you could find it. 😊
Affinity has different blend modes than PSP, and contrast negate is one of them, so I was playing with it to see the effect.

Thank you for the tip about recolor adjustment. You have more experience with the program, and I very much value every tip you give. Taking notes! 🙂