Template Workshop 2025

[Jeni Simpson]

10 hours ago, MoniqueN. said:

Working with Affinity for the first time went well, but if I resize my project my photo gets blurred. What  am I doing wrong? 🙂

Looked at the video and copied it step by step, but nothing helps 🙂

Do you export your project to a jpeg?  You can go File > Export and there you will resize to 600 pixels and choose jpeg. Then you are able to save as a jpeg.

[Jeni Simpson]

8 hours ago, Euka said:

Day 2 - Using the same kit by gemini Out of the Blue - Cape Leeuwin is in Western Australia and it is where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean - the lighthouse built in 1895 is the tallest on mainland Australia and still operating.  It is a popular tourist attraction in the Margaret River region.  

Interestingly I have 3 font viewers and not one of them allow the fonts to show in affinity.  

Euka, I keep Nexus font open, and the fonts all show up in Affinity for me. I open the viewer each time I open Affinity, so that they can show up.

[Deana Davis]

3 minutes ago, Jeni Simpson said:

Euka, I keep Nexus font open, and the fonts all show up in Affinity for me. I open the viewer each time I open Affinity, so that they can show up.

I need an entire lesson on how to use Nexusfont   I don't seem to be able to get it to do what I want.   sigh

I'm such a lost cause at times lol

[Jeni Simpson]

8 hours ago, Cristina said:

Thank you, Jeni!

I also like her smile in the photos.  In the first layout, she was not happy because her cousin had not arrived yet. 😄 She was two, and her cousin was three at the time.

 I have more pictures of her smiling afterwards, but I thought that photo told a story of a brief moment of her frustration.

I like Lynn Grieveson's style and have a few of her freebies, kits/collections. 

Wednesday is when The LilyPad site offers 50% off in some selected kits, and I take advantage of it if there's something I like very much.

Thank you, Christina, I too, love Lynn Grieveson's style, I have been looking at her work since you mentioned her.

[Deana Davis]

30 minutes ago, Ann Seeber said:

I'll put in a call for @Cassel. She'll get you going. Are you working in PSP or Affinity?

Thank you Ann!  I use both.  I'm wanting to learn more with working in Affinity though

[Jeni Simpson]

Just now, Deana Davis said:

I need an entire lesson on how to use Nexusfont   I don't seem to be able to get it to do what I want.   sigh

I'm such a lost cause at times lol

Deana, it took me a while to work it out, but once I managed to 'get' it, I found it helpful. I used another one for years that was brilliant, but unavailable now.

[Ann Seeber]

10 minutes ago, Deana Davis said:

Thank you Ann!  I use both.  I'm wanting to learn more with working in Affinity though

This workshop has daily assignments with templates and an instruction video for PSP and for Affinity. Your choice. 

[Deana Davis]

7 minutes ago, Ann Seeber said:

This workshop has daily assignments with templates and an instruction video for PSP and for Affinity. Your choice. 

I hope to get something soon.  TY

[Bonnie Ballentine]

A group of us decided to take a "girls trip" to the beach. Then someone said, "why don't we try to find a pickleball tournament while we are there?" And we did. We had a blast but it was cold...and rainy!

In this layout, some of the ladies were in the restroom...it had heat!

[Jeni Simpson]

Template 2
I thought I posted this one last night and I've been back on the pages and haven't seen it, so here goes. Apologies if it has been posted before.
Using Jessica Dunn's kit Coastal Spring and the font Gabriola.
I probably could have placed a white frame around the photographs.

This young penguin wandered close to me, although I did zoom in a bit, so not this close.
They are an endangered species, so I quickly left after snapping this photograph of the wee soul.
It is the tiny Yellow-eyed Penguin, supposedly the tiniest of penguins.
They are nesting on the Catlins coast, about 1 hour from where I live.

[Jean Naumann]

Here is my day 3.  In Roma, western Queensland, each June they have a competition called Sculptures Outback where people use recycled metal to make fabulous sculptures.  This one2 cockatoos is made of old windmill blades for the crest, corrugated iron for the wings, rusted chequer plate for the back and other bits and pieces of recycled metal.  It's always a fabulous display and the overall winner each year is acquired and remains in the park on the highway as you drive into Roma. There are some amazing sculptures there now after the competition has been running for several years.

[Linda Rexford]

22 hours ago, Cassel said:

Great to see many more projects posted in this thread.

@Linda Rexford Are all the kittens "single-colored" while mom was "striped"? They look so cute!!!

@Jeni Simpson That is a very nice set of papers that you used. I love that play on word!

@AprilDawn That is such a beautiful photo! And well showcased!

@Carolyn Rye It will be interesting that our Australian members might recognize things from that adventure.

@Cristina Yes, copying and pasting from one image to another works just the same as in PSP. I guess some commands are pretty universal in most programs (you could even copy and paste into a Word document!)

@Sharla Those white dots really match the image like snowballs!

@Leslie Pugs I love the title! Have you tried adjusting the Levels on the photo? It could make the colors pop out even more.

@Euka Very appropriate to use a wavy pattern for the title.

@Ann Seeber That Blind effect matches very well the details in the photo!

@DianeM The Float is still available under Window > Arrange > Float. I don't know if there is an actual difference in the result of dragging from Window into the Affinity program. It is not something I am used to do in PSP so I don't do it in Affinity. Maybe someone else could chime in with their experience. So far, if you are able to drag and drop, continue doing that. Maybe you will find some differences, or maybe you will find it works just as well.

@Jacques Maude is the same age as my daughter (March 1989)! 🙂

@Susan Ewart The faint dots add just enough texture without being overpowering. That is the beauty of the dots being on separate layers, right?

@bina greene Great interpretation and tweaking of the original template!! Is it just the resizing or are some shadows missing in the second template (on the photos)?

@Hank Sobah That Earth Day layout made me smile! 🙂

@Anja Pelzer Meow! I love all animals, but I have a sweet spot for cats!

@Sue Thomas Yes, some things are very easy with Affinity. Some of those were previously suggested for PSP but never got to the implementation stage!

Keep those projects coming! And remember to update your profile so we know what program you are using. It will be easier to give suggestions and ideas knowing what program you are using.

Skooter had faint stripes but was mostly orange.  It's interesting to see how different the kittens are for feral cats.

[Linda Rexford]

19 hours ago, Jean Naumann said:

and Day 2 - I struggled with this one trying to find suitable papers. That is always my problem, I waste far too much time trying to find the right ones.  This is my granddaughter Bella, she loves posing for photos.

Picking papers is really hard for me too!!  Bella is beautiful!

[Linda Rexford]

15 hours ago, MoniqueN. said:

On a free font site you have fonts with paws etc. would of been nice on your project too. 🙂 I know I have a font like that, but can't find it at the moment. 🙂

 

I never thought of that!  Thanks for the idea!

[Linda Rexford]

14 hours ago, Euka said:

Day 2 - Using the same kit by gemini Out of the Blue - Cape Leeuwin is in Western Australia and it is where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean - the lighthouse built in 1895 is the tallest on mainland Australia and still operating.  It is a popular tourist attraction in the Margaret River region.  

Interestingly I have 3 font viewers and not one of them allow the fonts to show in affinity.  

I use Font Runner and it works good with Affinity.  I have my fonts in different categories so I just have to be sure the right category is showing in Font Runner and then it shows up in

Affinity.  It's the only one I have used so I don't know how it compares to other font viewers.

 

[Jeni Simpson]

Template 3
Still using Affinity Photo.
5 kilometres from home is Triflor New Zealand, an agent for Triflor Netherlands.
Many farms dotted around the area grow bulbs for Triflor. I noticed one field just outside our village yesterday, with bulbs recently planted.
https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/people/how-a-southland-tulip-farm-grows-a-blooming-business/
The great advantage of living in a rural area is the community spirit. Every year, in October, the local Presbyterian Church holds a Tulip Day out at Triflor in Edendale.
Triflor donates the bulbs, and the church takes the orders and payment. The customers pay around 80 cents per bulb, which goes directly to the church.

Kit used is Jessica Dunn Spring Day mini
Fonts are High Tower Text and Bargetta Script

Edited April 24 by Jeni Simpson

[Linda Rexford]

Day 3.  I used a kit by CPJess spring mini.  The font is comic sans.  

[Cassel]

@Jenny MacKay Simple but effective. Such a nice memory with that 14 year old photo! Is the shadow missing on the scalloped circle in the second project or maybe it is due to resizing?

@Carolyn Rye That wooden "paper" is very interesting. Did you adjust the color of the paint or was it already blue?

@Jean Naumann That starburst paper really puts the focus on the photo!

@Cristina Have you considered using the "text on different surfaces" for the datestamp? Since it is "printed", there should be some "misses" on the edges of the papers/photos.

@fiona cook I hope you don't have any more issues with the sites today. Yesterday, there was an issue with the Campus but the store is on a different server so that is surprising me (unless there was too much traffic due to the birthday sale!).

@bina greene Did you use a kit with wordart for the kitties title? It is cute!

@MoniqueN. You are correct: sometimes, resizing will blur, but there is even a better way (that I discovered afterward): when you export a jpg version, you can set the size to 600 directly on that dialog window so you don't have to resize separately. There might be a way to handle the resizing in a better way, but at this point, adjust the size in the Export command and it will even save time.

@Sue Thomas Interlacing is so much easier to do in PSP. Once I find a satisfactory way to do it in Affinity, I'll do a tutorial for it. So far, I find it still convoluted.

@Euka Which font viewers are you using? For me, TheFontThing allows me to see fonts in Affinity, and others use NexusFont.

@Jacques Your titles/taglines make me smile. I can just imagine Brian exercising. I heard once, of an instructor who copied all the moves of a 2-year old as a workout: she had a hard time keeping up with the toddler!

@Leslie Pugs When you have small text, avoid contrasting stroke as it tends to distort the main color and makes the text much harder to read.

@Donna Sillia The circle almost appears like a path going from one image to the other!

@Hank Sobah Paste from Clipboard is only available in the Affinity program. In PSP, we don't need it.

@Sharla Great choice of a font for your title.

@Deana Davis Did you end up getting the emails? Even if you registered late, you should have received the emails with the lesson links. On the other hand, as a DIAMOND member, you can access all the lessons in the Workshop Index. For NexusFont, check out this article.

@Bonnie Ballentine Hey, you find heat where you can!! This type of photo with a story can be a conversation starter over time!

@Jeni Simpson Since your title as a nice outline, you could likely add a shadow to it as if it is cut out of cardstock. Especially when you have your title overlap the edge of a 3D element (with a shadow), it would be more consistent as it would give it also a 3D effect. If you want it to look like it is painted (no shadow), you have to make sure it does not touch the edge of any element.

For anyone who wants to START using Affinity and you want to have more than the regular 7-day trial, let me know (someone emailed me but I lost the message so I don't remember who it was). I was given permission to give anyone participating in these workshop, a 90-day trial (of course, you can only use it once!)

[Jacques]

9 minutes ago, Cassel said:

@Jenny MacKay Simple but effective. Such a nice memory with that 14 year old photo! Is the shadow missing on the scalloped circle in the second project or maybe it is due to resizing?

@Carolyn Rye That wooden "paper" is very interesting. Did you adjust the color of the paint or was it already blue?

@Jean Naumann That starburst paper really puts the focus on the photo!

@Cristina Have you considered using the "text on different surfaces" for the datestamp? Since it is "printed", there should be some "misses" on the edges of the papers/photos.

@fiona cook I hope you don't have any more issues with the sites today. Yesterday, there was an issue with the Campus but the store is on a different server so that is surprising me (unless there was too much traffic due to the birthday sale!).

@bina greene Did you use a kit with wordart for the kitties title? It is cute!

@MoniqueN. You are correct: sometimes, resizing will blur, but there is even a better way (that I discovered afterward): when you export a jpg version, you can set the size to 600 directly on that dialog window so you don't have to resize separately. There might be a way to handle the resizing in a better way, but at this point, adjust the size in the Export command and it will even save time.

@Sue Thomas Interlacing is so much easier to do in PSP. Once I find a satisfactory way to do it in Affinity, I'll do a tutorial for it. So far, I find it still convoluted.

@Euka Which font viewers are you using? For me, TheFontThing allows me to see fonts in Affinity, and others use NexusFont.

@Jacques Your titles/taglines make me smile. I can just imagine Brian exercising. I heard once, of an instructor who copied all the moves of a 2-year old as a workout: she had a hard time keeping up with the toddler!

@Leslie Pugs When you have small text, avoid contrasting stroke as it tends to distort the main color and makes the text much harder to read.

@Donna Sillia The circle almost appears like a path going from one image to the other!

@Hank Sobah Paste from Clipboard is only available in the Affinity program. In PSP, we don't need it.

@Sharla Great choice of a font for your title.

@Deana Davis Did you end up getting the emails? Even if you registered late, you should have received the emails with the lesson links. On the other hand, as a DIAMOND member, you can access all the lessons in the Workshop Index. For NexusFont, check out this article.

@Bonnie Ballentine Hey, you find heat where you can!! This type of photo with a story can be a conversation starter over time!

@Jeni Simpson Since your title as a nice outline, you could likely add a shadow to it as if it is cut out of cardstock. Especially when you have your title overlap the edge of a 3D element (with a shadow), it would be more consistent as it would give it also a 3D effect. If you want it to look like it is painted (no shadow), you have to make sure it does not touch the edge of any element.

For anyone who wants to START using Affinity and you want to have more than the regular 7-day trial, let me know (someone emailed me but I lost the message so I don't remember who it was). I was given permission to give anyone participating in these workshop, a 90-day trial (of course, you can only use it once!)

@Cassel My daughter told me he was trying to grab her feet.

[Jeni Simpson]

3 hours ago, Cassel said:

@Jeni Simpson Since your title as a nice outline, you could likely add a shadow to it as if it is cut out of cardstock. Especially when you have your title overlap the edge of a 3D element (with a shadow), it would be more consistent as it would give it also a 3D effect. If you want it to look like it is painted (no shadow), you have to make sure it does not touch the edge of any element.

For anyone who wants to START using Affinity and you want to have more than the regular 7-day trial, let me know (someone emailed me but I lost the message so I don't remember who it was). I was given permission to give anyone participating in these workshop, a 90-day trial (of course, you can only use it once!)

Carole, if you are talking about the Tulips template, I added a drop shadow to the word tulips of opacity 70%, radius 6 px, and offset of 12 px. What would have been a better choice?

[MoniqueN.]

3 hours ago, Cassel said:

 

For anyone who wants to START using Affinity and you want to have more than the regular 7-day trial, let me know (someone emailed me but I lost the message so I don't remember who it was). I was given permission to give anyone participating in these workshop, a 90-day trial (of course, you can only use it once!)

That would be great! I've sent you an email 🙂

[MoniqueN.]

15 hours ago, Julie Magerka said:

I find some days the login and the links are very slow. Sometimes I just close it and walk away for a while to see if the connections are better.

Me too and F5 is a friend of mine too, sometimes it's quicker after refreshing 🙂

[MoniqueN.]

20 hours ago, bina greene said:

I love red cats, most cats we had over the years were red 🙂

[MoniqueN.]

4 hours ago, Linda Rexford said:

I never thought of that!  Thanks for the idea!

Catpaw was the font I mentioned earlier🙂

[MoniqueN.]

5 hours ago, Jeni Simpson said:

Template 2
I thought I posted this one last night and I've been back on the pages and haven't seen it, so here goes. Apologies if it has been posted before.
Using Jessica Dunn's kit Coastal Spring and the font Gabriola.
I probably could have placed a white frame around the photographs.

This young penguin wandered close to me, although I did zoom in a bit, so not this close.
They are an endangered species, so I quickly left after snapping this photograph of the wee soul.
It is the tiny Yellow-eyed Penguin, supposedly the tiniest of penguins.
They are nesting on the Catlins coast, about 1 hour from where I live.

I'm such a fan of polkadots! On lay outs and even  clothes ! 🙂