How to Create Rounded Image Corners in Affinity Designer

If you want to add a touch of style to your images, one of the easiest ways to do so is by rounding the corners. In Affinity Designer, a powerful graphic design software, you can easily achieve this effect with just a few simple steps. Whether you’re a professional designer or a beginner, this tutorial will guide you through the process.

To get started, open Affinity Designer and import the image you want to edit. Select the Rectangle tool from the toolbar on the left. Draw a rectangle over your image, making sure it covers the entire area you want to round. Next, select the Corners tab in the context toolbar at the top of the screen.

In the Corners tab, you’ll find options to adjust the corner radius. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the roundness of the corners. You can also manually enter a value in the input box for precise control. Play around with the settings until you achieve the desired effect. It’s a good idea to preview the changes in real-time by selecting the Live Corner Preview checkbox.

Once you’re satisfied with the corner radius, you can further enhance the look of your image by adding a border or adjusting the color and opacity of the rounded corners. You can find these options in the Stroke and Fill tabs of the context toolbar. Experiment with different combinations to unleash your creativity and make your image stand out.

Finally, when you’re done editing, don’t forget to save your work. Affinity Designer supports various file formats, including popular ones like JPEG and PNG. Choose the appropriate file format and save it to your desired location on your computer. Congratulations, you have successfully rounded the corners of your image in Affinity Designer!

By following this straightforward tutorial, you can easily add rounded corners to your images in Affinity Designer. Whether you’re creating social media graphics, website banners, or print materials, this simple technique can elevate the visual appeal of your designs. Give it a try and see how it enhances your creativity!

What is Affinity Designer?

Affinity Designer is a professional graphic design software developed by Serif, a UK-based company. It is a powerful tool that allows designers to create and edit vector graphics with ease. Affinity Designer is known for its advanced features and intuitive interface, making it a popular choice among graphic designers, illustrators, and digital artists.

With Affinity Designer, users can create a wide range of designs, including logos, illustrations, user interfaces, web graphics, and more. The software offers a comprehensive set of vector editing tools, allowing users to manipulate shapes, curves, colors, and gradients with precision. It also supports non-destructive editing, meaning that changes can be made to your design without altering the original image.

In addition to its vector editing capabilities, Affinity Designer also supports raster editing, allowing users to work with pixel-based images. This makes it a versatile software that can handle both vector and raster graphics, eliminating the need for multiple design programs.

One standout feature of Affinity Designer is its ability to round the corners of images, as demonstrated in this tutorial. This feature makes it easy to create designs with rounded edges, giving your artwork a modern and polished look.

Affinity Designer is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems, making it accessible to a wide range of users. It also offers seamless integration with other Affinity apps, such as Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, allowing for a seamless workflow.

In conclusion, Affinity Designer is a powerful and versatile graphic design software suitable for a variety of design projects. Whether you are a professional designer or a hobbyist, Affinity Designer provides the tools and features you need to bring your creative vision to life.

Why round the corners of an image?

Rounding the corners of an image can serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. It is a popular design technique that can give your images a softer and more polished look.

From a functional standpoint, rounding the corners of an image can help to create a more harmonious and cohesive visual design. Sharp corners can sometimes disrupt the flow and balance of a composition, especially if the image contains other rounded elements or if the overall design has a soft and organic feel.

Aesthetically, rounding the corners of an image can add a touch of elegance and sophistication. It can create a more pleasing and gentle visual experience, enhancing the overall appeal of the design.

In addition, rounded corners can also help to create a sense of familiarity or nostalgia. They are often associated with vintage or retro design styles, which can evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia in viewers.

Furthermore, rounded corners can be especially useful when working with images that will be incorporated into web design or user interfaces. Because sharp corners can appear harsh and unfriendly, rounding the corners of images can help to create a more user-friendly and approachable interface.

Overall, rounding the corners of an image is a versatile design technique that can enhance both the functionality and aesthetics of your designs. Whether you want to create a more harmonious composition, add elegance and sophistication, or create a user-friendly interface, rounding the corners of an image can be a valuable tool in your design toolkit.

Methods of rounding corners

There are several methods you can use to round the corners of an image in Affinity Designer. Here are three popular techniques:

1. Corner Tool: With the Corner Tool selected, click and drag on each corner of the image to round them. You can adjust the radius of the corners by dragging the yellow handles that appear.

2. Corner Radius: In the Transform panel, you can manually enter a corner radius value to round the corners of the image. Simply select the image, open the Transform panel, and enter the desired value in the “Corner Radius” field.

3. Masking: Create a rectangle shape with rounded corners using the Rectangle Tool, and then place it over your image. With both the shape and image selected, go to the Layers panel and click on “Add Mask” to mask the image with the rounded rectangle shape.

These methods give you flexibility in rounding the corners of your images, allowing you to achieve the desired look for your design.

Using the Corner Tool

When it comes to rounding the corners of an image in Affinity Designer, the Corner Tool is an incredibly useful feature. This tool allows you to easily adjust the sharpness and roundness of the corners with just a few simple steps.

To use the Corner Tool, follow these steps:

1. Select the image or object that you want to round the corners of.
2. In the toolbar or the context toolbar, click on the “Corner Tool” icon. The icon looks like a square with a curved corner.
3. With the Corner Tool selected, click and drag on any corner of the image to adjust the corner radius. You can drag inwards to make the corner sharper or outwards to make it rounder.
4. Repeat step 3 for each corner that you want to adjust.

It’s that simple! The Corner Tool in Affinity Designer gives you full control over the corner radius of your images or objects, allowing you to create the perfect look for your designs.

Using the Pen Tool

The Pen Tool is a powerful tool in Affinity Designer that allows you to create precise and customizable shapes. Here’s how you can use the Pen Tool to round the corners of an image:

1. Open Affinity Designer and create a new document or open an existing one.

2. Import the image that you want to work with by either dragging and dropping it onto the canvas or going to the “File” menu and selecting “Place.”

3. Select the Pen Tool from the toolbar on the left side of the screen. It looks like a small pen icon.

4. Start by creating a straight line segment by clicking on the canvas. This will be the first point of your shape.

5. To create a curved line segment, click and drag on the canvas. This will create a direction handle that you can use to control the curvature of the line.

6. Continue creating straight and curved line segments by clicking and dragging on the canvas. Use the direction handles to adjust the curvature as needed.

7. Once you have completed the shape, click on the starting point to close it. You should now have a closed shape that outlines the image.

8. To round the corners of the shape, select the Corner tool from the toolbar. It looks like a small square with rounded corners.

9. Click and drag on the corners of the shape to round them. You can adjust the radius of the corners by dragging the corner handles.

10. Once you are satisfied with the rounded corners, you can apply the changes by going to the “Layer” menu and selecting “Rasterize” or “Expand Stroke,” depending on your preference.

11. Finally, you can delete the original image layer if desired and export the rounded shape as a new image or continue editing it further.

Shortcut Key	Action
P	Select the Pen Tool
Ctrl (Command) + J	Place an image
A	Select the Corner tool
Ctrl (Command) + E	Rasterize or Expand Stroke

By using the Pen Tool, you have the flexibility to create custom shapes and round the corners of your image exactly to your liking. Practice using this tool to enhance your designs in Affinity Designer.

Using the Rectangle Tool

The Rectangle Tool in Affinity Designer is a versatile tool that can be used to create various shapes, including rounded corners. Here’s how you can use the Rectangle Tool to round the corners of an image:

1. Open Affinity Designer and create a new document or open an existing one.

2. Select the Rectangle Tool from the tools panel on the left side of the screen. It is represented by a rectangle shape.

3. Click and drag on the canvas to create a rectangle shape. You can adjust the size and position of the rectangle by dragging its corners or edges.

4. With the rectangle shape selected, go to the toolbar at the top of the screen. In the context toolbar, you’ll see various options for modifying the shape.

5. To round the corners of the rectangle, look for the “Corner Radius” option in the context toolbar. Increase the value of the corner radius to make the corners more rounded.

6. You can also enable the “Relative Corner” option to adjust the corner radius for individual corners of the rectangle. By default, the corner radius value is applied to all corners equally.

7. After rounding the corners to your desired shape, you can further customize the rectangle by applying colors, gradients, strokes, or other effects using the tools and options available in Affinity Designer.

8. Finally, you can use the rectangle shape as a mask for an image or other objects. To do this, place the image or object on a layer below the rectangle shape, right-click on the rectangle shape, and select “Create Mask”. The image or object will be clipped to the shape of the rounded rectangle.

By using the Rectangle Tool and adjusting the corner radius, you can easily round the corners of an image or create other rounded shapes in Affinity Designer.

Best practices for rounding corners

When rounding corners in Affinity Designer, there are a few best practices to keep in mind to ensure a clean and professional result.

1. Use the correct tool: Affinity Designer offers several tools for rounding corners, such as the Corner Tool, the Rounded Rectangle Tool, and the Boolean operations. Choose the tool that best suits your needs for the specific image or object you are working with.

2. Consider the image or object: Before applying rounded corners, consider the overall design and purpose of the image or object. Rounding corners can create a softer or more modern look, but it may not always be suitable for all designs or images. Evaluate whether it enhances or detracts from the intended message or aesthetic.

3. Maintain proportion: When rounding corners, it’s important to maintain proportionality. Ensure that the radius or degree of rounding is consistent across all corners to avoid an uneven or awkward appearance. Using the same value for all corners creates a sense of uniformity and balance.

4. Preview and adjust: Affinity Designer allows you to preview the effect of rounded corners before finalizing your design. Take advantage of this feature to make any necessary adjustments to the radius or degree of rounding. This way, you can ensure that the corners are visually pleasing and aligned with your design vision.

5. Consider the background: When rounding corners, consider the background against which the image or object will be placed. A solid-colored background may require different corner rounding compared to a patterned or textured one. Test different rounding options to find the best fit for the background.

6. Be mindful of file size: Rounding corners can slightly increase the file size of your image or object. While this may not be a significant concern for most designs, it’s worth considering if you’re working with large or complex files. Keep an eye on the file size and optimize accordingly.

7. Practice and experiment: Rounding corners is a skill that improves with practice and experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques, tools, and values to achieve the desired effect. Practice on different images or objects to develop your proficiency and discover what works best for your style and designs.

By following these best practices, you can round corners effectively and add a polished touch to your designs in Affinity Designer.

Remember, rounding corners should enhance the overall design and contribute to its visual appeal. Use it as a tool to create harmony and balance rather than simply as a decoration.

Choosing the right corner radius

When rounding the corners of an image in Affinity Designer, it is important to choose the right corner radius to achieve the desired look.

The corner radius determines the size of the curve that is applied to the corners of the image. A smaller corner radius will create sharper corners, while a larger corner radius will create more rounded corners. The choice of corner radius depends on the overall design and what you want to achieve.

If you’re going for a sleek and modern look, you might want to use a smaller corner radius that creates sharp corners. This can give your image a clean and precise appearance.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a softer and more organic feel, a larger corner radius that creates rounded corners can be more appropriate. This can add a gentle and inviting touch to your image.

It’s important to experiment with different corner radii to see what works best for your specific design. You can try a variety of values and preview the results to assess the impact of each radius on the overall look and feel of your image.

Remember that the corner radius is just one aspect of your design, and it should complement the other elements and visual style of your project. Whether you choose a smaller or larger corner radius, make sure it harmonizes with the rest of your design for a cohesive and professional result.

By carefully choosing the right corner radius, you can enhance the visual appeal of your image and create a design that is both aesthetically pleasing and effective in conveying your intended message.

Questions and answers:

What is Affinity Designer?

Affinity Designer is a graphic design software developed by Serif that is commonly used for creating vector graphics and editing images.

Why would I want to round the corners of an image?

Rounding the corners of an image can give it a more polished and professional look. It can also help to soften the harsh edges of an image, making it more visually appealing.

How do I round the corners of an image in Affinity Designer?

To round the corners of an image in Affinity Designer, you can use the “Corner Tool” located in the toolbar. Simply select the image, click on the “Corner Tool”, and then drag the corner handles to adjust the roundness of the corners. You can also adjust the corner radius value in the “Corner” tab of the “Transform” panel.