How To Ignore A White Background In Illustrator

TUTORIAL #iii: AFFINITY DESIGNER

Now let's focus on manually tracing a logo, and the tools you lot'll utilize! This tutorial was written by @Belifant

Affinity Designer can be downloaded for Windows and Mac OS, and is the cheapest alternative of the three applications we've covered, reasonably priced at $49.99. It does non feature a monthly subscription, so you lot tin jump right in without a worry almost affording the side by side calendar month! You can buy it direct on their site for the Windows version, or in the App Shop if you're using Mac Os.

Without further ado, allow'due south start!

Basic introduction into Analogousness Designer:

Shapes vs. Curves

A curve is an open path that has a distinct offset and end. These end points are defined by nodes . The path between nodes is known as a segment and can exist straight or arched. A shape is a closed path with no discernible start or end. It is made up of multiple nodes and segments.

In Affinity Designer, there is another departure between curves and geometric shapes: curves are editable paths where you lot can modify anything yous want. Shapes are pre defined sets of curves, for example a rectangle, where you take options to edit the shape as a whole and, depending on the chosen shape, have different options to change that shape, for case, add rounded corners to the rectangle:

This lets you create very dissimilar shapes and designs very quickly, only in order to access the full control over that shape, it has to exist converted into a bend.

For creating a vector curve, we volition work with the Pen Tool (P) and the Node Tool (A). Basically, the Pen tool is to create/convert points, the Node tool is for moving and editing them. Even though they are ii separate tools, there is no demand to switch betwixt them. While the Pen tool is active, holding Command/Ctrl will temporarily activate the Node tool. Released, it will return to the Pen Tool. To move and scale complete shapes, we can use the Motion Tool (5).

Basic functionality of the pen tool and node tool:

Mouse click: creates a betoken. Move cursor to some other position and click again, creates a new bespeak and a straight line between them.

Mouse click and drag: creates bezier handles. Necessary to create and control curves.

Hold Command/Ctrl: temporarily activates the Node Tool.

Concur ALT: splits the bezier handles. Ideal to make sharp corners.

Hold Shift: restrains the curve to standard axis.

This is the very basic functionality. For an in depth explanation on the Pen and Node tool in Analogousness Designer, please meet this very skilful website:
https://www.shortcutfoo.com/web log/affinity-designer-pen-and-node-tools-tutorial/

For a more awarding contained learning of the curves and points, please try this fun footling game:
http://bezier.method.air-conditioning

If yous employ another awarding, the bones principle of the to a higher place is the same everywhere.

Vectorising a logo:

We volition utilise 3 dissimilar methods for the creation of this logo. These methods are available in all vector applications and are used for nigh anything.

We will:

utilize shapes, and edit them.
draw curves with the Pen tool.
apply boolean operations (using a shape to practise something to another shape, like deleting parts of it)

Now permit's become started:

Drag your raster paradigm yous like to vectorise into Affinity Designer. Vector files are resolution independent, then the size of your document does non affair. The image will be placed on a pixel layer. Click on that layer in the Layer's panel to activate, so click the lock sign to freeze it, and then this layer doesn't go in our manner. Add together a new layer by clicking on the layer icon at the lesser of the Layer'southward panel.

We volition use Shapes where we can and if necessary, modify them to fit the design. Permit'southward showtime with the principal ring. Elevate out a circle and fit it as close as possible. We may have to modify the appearance of the shape, so in the color panel, disable the make full color and add a black stroke, in gild for us to see our curves better. As you tin can see, our circle does not fit the logo perfectly, so nosotros volition convert our circle to a bend in club to edit it. Click the „Catechumen to Curves" button on top of the main view.

Having done this, nosotros are getting 4 edit points for the circle. Change to the Node tool (A) and click the right edit point on the circle. Additional handles will announced. Dragging either the upper or lower handle point, we are able to change the curvature of the circumvolve. Click on the upper handle signal, concord Shift (to restrain the movement to the vertical axis) and drag it upwards until the curvature matches the logo. Do the aforementioned on the other side.

After you accept done this, copy/paste this circle and exercise the other shapes, except the heart vertical one. For moving shapes around and adjust their size, you can likewise utilize the Move Tool (V)

The whole logo could be created just with using these circles, but we volition draw the centre vertical part ourself. Catch the Pen Tool (P) and start cartoon out the upper „triangle". Because there are no straight lines, nosotros will need to click and elevate in order to create curved lines. Beginning click and dragging on one corner, go upwardly to the meridian, click and elevate, become down and and so click on your starting signal to close the curve. Don't effort to lucifer the bend perfectly at this stage. It may expect like something below and that is fine, we will edit the bend after the creation.

We use the same technique as we did for the circle shapes above. Click on points with either the Node Tool (A) or the Pen Tool (P)with pressed Command/Ctrl push button, activate the curve handles and drag them so the curve fits the logo. Equally you can encounter, the two lesser points are having sharp corners. So far, we accept ever afflicted the curves on both sides of the edit point. In guild to merely change i side, agree the ALT push button and drag a handle. Once finished, do the aforementioned for the lower part.

Nosotros have created all our curves now. It looks practiced and so far. Now, nosotros want our logo to be filled red, and don't have the black outline, and then let's do that from the color panel. Remove outline colour, and fill all shapes with red.

Not actually what we wanted. We want some parts of it to exist transparent. That's where boolean operations come into place. We want to add together or subtract some shapes from the others. Let'due south beginning with the near outer shape again. Select it, and and so select the next inner one. With those two selected, click the decrease button on top of the chief view, and the inner circle will be subtracted from the outer circle. This is what nosotros get now:

At present we need to do the same to the other shapes, either add or subtract them from each other. Select two curves, and click either the Add together or Subtract button. Note that the club you do this matters, and also the layer's position in the stack. You lot may take to experiment a bit to get the outcome we need. The to a higher place layer volition be the cut out for the below layer, and then if you get undesired results, yous may have to put the layer yous want above or below the other. Having done all this, we get one unmarried shape, our concluding logo:

If, at any point, you want to run across the but the curves points yous have created, you can activate the layer, then hitting Command/Ctrl + Y, to see the lines:

It's not quite perfect yet, there are some points we could delete to optimise information technology further, just let'south encounter if it is even necessary to brand the file size smaller. Allow'due south export the logo and so we can use information technology in Gran Turismo Sport. Go to Export from the Menu, chose SVG for web. Equally you can see, nosotros are at less than 2 kb, fashion below the 15 kb limit of Gran Turismo Sport. Just hit export, save the logo to a location and you lot're done.