Affinity Photo Course

Lesson 1 • Creating and Managing Documents

Configure new documents with correct resolution, colour space, and bit depth. Proper setup prevents quality loss and rework later.

Lesson 2 • Interface Overview and Navigation

Identify every panel, toolbar, and menu in the default workspace. This spatial familiarity underpins every subsequent workflow in the course.

Lesson 3 • Importing and Opening Files

Open RAW, JPEG, PNG, PSD, and TIFF files correctly. Understanding import options ensures colour fidelity and layer compatibility from the start.

Lesson 1 • Lens Corrections and Noise Reduction

Apply automatic and manual lens corrections and reduce luminance and colour noise. These corrections restore technical image quality before creative editing begins.

Lesson 2 • Exposure and Tonal Range Control

Adjust exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks to achieve a balanced tonal range. Proper tonal control preserves detail in both extremes.

Lesson 3 • Colour Calibration in RAW

Correct white balance, vibrance, saturation, and hue in the Develop Persona. Accurate colour at the RAW stage reduces correction work downstream.

Lesson 4 • Develop Persona Workflow Efficiency

Use overlays, snapshots, and sync settings to speed up batch RAW processing. Efficient RAW workflows scale to large shoots without sacrificing quality.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Selection Refinement

Refine complex edges like hair and fur using the Refine Selection dialog. This section bridges basic selections to professional compositing quality.

Lesson 2 • Layer Panel Fundamentals

Create, rename, group, and reorder layers using the Layers panel. Layer management is the backbone of every non-destructive editing workflow.

Lesson 3 • Selection Tools and Techniques

Use marquee, lasso, freehand, and smart selection tools to isolate subjects. Accurate selections determine the quality of all downstream edits.

Lesson 4 • Pixel and Vector Masks

Apply pixel masks and vector masks to hide or reveal layer content non-destructively. Masks replace destructive erasing and enable reversible compositing.

Lesson 1 • Adjustment Layers for Colour

Add Curves, Levels, HSL, and White Balance adjustment layers non-destructively. Adjustment layers allow iterative colour work without altering pixel data.

Lesson 2 • Soft Proofing and Colour Accuracy

Simulate print and screen output using soft proofing with ICC profiles. Proofing prevents colour surprises when images move from screen to output.

Lesson 3 • Colour Grading with Split Toning

Apply distinct hues to shadows, midtones, and highlights using Split Toning. This technique creates cinematic and stylised colour grades efficiently.

Lesson 4 • Curves for Tonal and Colour Control

Manipulate RGB and individual channel curves to control tone and colour cast. Curves are the most powerful and precise colour tool in the application.

Lesson 1 • Frequency Separation for Skin

Separate texture from tone using frequency separation to retouch skin naturally. This technique preserves pore detail while evening out colour and tone.

Lesson 2 • Liquify Persona for Reshaping

Warp, push, and reshape image areas using the Liquify Persona's mesh-based tools. Liquify enables subtle body reshaping and creative distortion effects.

Lesson 3 • Healing and Inpainting Brush

Use the Healing Brush and Inpainting Brush to remove spots and unwanted objects. These tools blend texture and tone seamlessly for invisible corrections.

Lesson 4 • Clone Stamp and Patch Tools

Clone texture from one area to another and patch regions with matched content. These tools handle complex backgrounds where healing alone falls short.

Lesson 1 • Compositing Workflow Foundations

Plan and assemble multi-image composites with consistent light, perspective, and scale. A structured workflow prevents common compositing errors before they occur.

Lesson 2 • Shadow and Light Integration

Paint realistic shadows and light effects to anchor composited elements convincingly. Proper shadow work is the most critical factor in composite believability.

Lesson 3 • Sky Replacement Techniques

Replace skies using luminosity masks, blend modes, and colour matching adjustments. Sky replacement is a high-demand commercial retouching skill.

Lesson 4 • Blend Modes for Compositing

Apply Multiply, Screen, Overlay, and Luminosity blend modes to integrate layers. Understanding blend mode maths enables precise and creative layer interactions.

Lesson 1 • Blur and Depth of Field Effects

Simulate lens blur, tilt-shift, and motion blur using Live Blur filters. These effects direct viewer attention and add cinematic quality to images.

Lesson 2 • Macros for Filter Automation

Record and play back filter sequences as macros to automate repetitive effects. Macros dramatically reduce time spent on recurring stylistic treatments.

Lesson 3 • Understanding Live Filters

Add Live Filters as editable layer types that update in real time without baking pixels. Live Filters preserve flexibility and are the preferred effects method.

Lesson 4 • Distortion and Stylise Filters

Use Ripple, Twirl, Spherize, and Pixelate filters for creative and abstract effects. These filters expand the creative range beyond photographic realism.

Lesson 1 • Colour Management for Output

Embed ICC profiles and convert colour spaces correctly for each output destination. Proper colour management ensures consistent appearance across devices and printers.

Lesson 2 • Metadata and File Naming

Add copyright, caption, and keyword metadata before delivery to protect and organise work. Metadata survives file transfers and is required by many clients and agencies.

Lesson 3 • Export Persona Mastery

Use the Export Persona to define slices, export settings, and batch outputs visually. The Export Persona is the most efficient multi-format delivery tool in the app.

Lesson 4 • File Format Selection

Choose between JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, WebP, and HEIC based on output requirements. Format choice directly affects file size, quality, and compatibility.