This Affinity for beginners series is specifically designed for:
• PNG sellers
• Print-on-demand creators
• Etsy shop owners
• Digital designers
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Instead of teaching everything inside Affinity, I’m focusing only on the tools and techniques that are actually useful for creating PNG and POD designs. If you’ve been wanting to learn Affinity but feel overwhelmed by all the tools and features…this Affinity for beginners series is for you.
In this first tutorial, we’re starting with the basics:
how to install, set up, and begin using Affinity for digital design.
Watch the full tutorial below to follow along step by step.
Step 1: Installing & Setting Up Affinity
We start by getting everything set up correctly.
In this section, I walk you through:
• Installing Affinity
• Setting up your workspace
• Organizing panels and tools
• Preparing your setup for PNG and POD design work
This gives you a clean starting point without unnecessary clutter.
Step 2: Overview of the Most Important Tools
Affinity has a LOT of tools but the truth is, most PNG and POD sellers only use a small handful consistently.
In this tutorial, I focus specifically on the tools we actually use for:
• T shirt designs
• PNG files
• Text based graphics
• Trendy digital products
This makes the program feel much less intimidating for beginners.
Step 3: Uploading Fonts into Affinity
Next, I show you how to install and use fonts inside Affinity. Fonts are one of the biggest parts of creating trendy designs, so this is an important step for Etsy and POD sellers.
In the tutorial, I show you:
• How to install fonts
• How to access them inside Affinity
• How to start building designs with them
I also feature fonts from Creative Fabrica.
Get a free Creative Fabrica trial here
Step 4: Basic Text Features
Once the fonts are installed, we move into basic text editing.
You’ll learn how to:
• Change fonts
• Adjust colors
• Resize text
• Adjust kerning and spacing
These small adjustments make a huge difference when creating professional looking designs.
Step 5: Creating Stitch Effects with Strokes
Now we start making things more fun. In this section, I show you how to use strokes and dotted lines to create a stitched look around your text.
This is a super popular style for:
• Boutique style designs
• Faux embroidery looks
• Trendy POD graphics
Step 6: Installing & Using Path Brushes
Finally, I show you how to install and use path brushes inside Affinity.
This allows you to:
• Add decorative outlines
• Create custom stroke styles
• Build more detailed and unique designs
These brushes can completely change the look of your text and graphics.
Why This Series Is Different
This Affinity for beginners series is built specifically for people who want to create:
• PNGs
• POD designs
• Etsy products
That means we’re skipping a lot of the overly technical features and focusing on what actually matters for digital product creation.
Final Thoughts
Learning Affinity can feel intimidating at first. But once you understand the core tools, it becomes so much easier. And the best part? You really only need a small set of features to start creating amazing designs. This is just the beginning of the series, and we’ll be building on these skills step by step.
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