How to Use the Transform Panel in Affinity Designer
Posted on 16th June 2023
About the Transform Panel
The Transform panel is one of the most important panels in Affinity Designer. It allows you to move, rotate, scale and shear objects. It also has some handy alignment tools. In this tutorial we’ll take a look at how to use all the features of the Transform panel.
Moving Objects
To move an object, simply select it with the Selection tool and then click and drag it to the desired location. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge an object in small increments. If you need to move an object in a specific direction, you can use the Transform panel. First, select the object you want to move. Then, click on the X or Y value in the Transform panel and type in the desired value. This will move the object horizontally or vertically by the specified amount.
Rotating Objects
To rotate an object, select it with the Selection tool and then click and drag the rotation handle that appears above the object. You can also use the Transform panel to rotate an object. First, select the object you want to rotate. Then, click on the Rotation value in the Transform panel and type in the desired value. This will rotate the object by the specified amount.
Scaling Objects
To scale an object, select it with the Selection tool and then click and drag one of the corner handles that appear around the object. You can also use the Transform panel to scale an object. First, select the object you want to scale. Then, click on the Scale value in the Transform panel and type in the desired value. This will scale the object by the specified amount.
Shearing Objects
To shear an object, select it with the Selection tool and then click and drag the shear handle that appears above the object. You can also use the Transform panel to shear an object. First, select the object you want to shear. Then, click on the Shear value in the Transform panel and type in the desired value. This will shear the object by the specified amount.
Aligning Objects
The Transform panel also has some handy alignment tools. To use these, first select the objects you want to align. Then, click on the desired alignment button in the Transform panel. The options are Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Align Top, Align Middle, and Align Bottom. These buttons will align the selected objects with the object that is farthest to the left, right, top, bottom, or middle.
Conclusion
The Transform panel is a powerful tool that every Affinity Designer user should be familiar with. With it, you can move, rotate, scale, and shear objects. You can also use it to align objects. In this tutorial we’ve taken a look at all the features of the Transform panel. Now it’s time for you to put it to use in your own designs.
To complete the article, I’ll be adding text under the following headings:
– Aligning Objects
– Flipping Objects
– Rotating Objects
– Skewing Objects
– Transforming Objects
Aligning Objects
There are a few different ways you can align objects in Affinity Designer. The first is to use the align buttons in the Transform panel. To do this, first select the objects you want to align. Then, in the Transform panel, click the align button that corresponds to how you want to align the objects.
For example, if you want to align the objects horizontally, click the align button that has a horizontal line. If you want to align the objects vertically, click the align button that has a vertical line.
You can also use the alignment tools in the Toolbar. To do this, select the objects you want to align. Then, in the Toolbar, click the alignment tool that corresponds to how you want to align the objects.
For example, if you want to align the objects horizontally, click the alignment tool that has a horizontal line. If you want to align the objects vertically, click the alignment tool that has a vertical line.
You can also use the keyboard shortcuts to align objects. For example, to align the objects horizontally, press Shift+Cmd+H (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+H (Windows). To align the objects vertically, press Shift+Cmd+V (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+V (Windows).
Flipping Objects
You can flip objects horizontally or vertically. To do this, select the objects you want to flip. Then, in the Transform panel, click the Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical button.
You can also use the keyboard shortcuts to flip objects. For example, to flip the objects horizontally, press Shift+Cmd+F (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+F (Windows). To flip the objects vertically, press Shift+Cmd+G (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+G (Windows).
Rotating Objects
You can rotate objects in Affinity Designer. To do this, select the objects you want to rotate. Then, in the Transform panel, click the Rotate button.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut to rotate objects. For example, to rotate the objects, press Shift+Cmd+R (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+R (Windows).
Skewing Objects
You can skew objects in Affinity Designer. To do this, select the objects you want to skew. Then, in the Transform panel, click the Skew button.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut to skew objects. For example, to skew the objects, press Shift+Cmd+K (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+K (Windows).
Transforming Objects
You can also use the Transform panel to scale, move, and resize objects. To do this, select the objects you want to transform. Then, in the Transform panel, click the Scale, Move, or Resize button.
You can also use the keyboard shortcuts to scale, move, and resize objects. For example, to scale the objects, press Shift+Cmd+S (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+S (Windows). To move the objects, press Shift+Cmd+M (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+M (Windows). To resize the objects, press Shift+Cmd+R (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+R (Windows).
