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Affinity Designer, which was developed by Serif, a firm based in the United Kingdom, has emerged as a capable alternative to Adobe Illustrator, which continues to be the most popular choice for vector-based design. It is possible that it does not match the breadth and capability of Illustrator; nevertheless, it does offer a full range of features at a pricing point that is substantially lower.
The lifetime license for Affinity Designer is, in point of fact, significantly less expensive than the monthly subscriptions offered by Adobe. Should you choose to make the jump from Illustrator to Affinity Designer, you will find that many of the keyboard shortcuts are either very close to or exactly the same as those in Illustrator.
However, there are also distinctions, such as the fact that Affinity Designer can be missing some functionality that are included in Illustrator. This article gives a helpful reference to the various keyboard shortcuts that are exclusive to Affinity Designer so that you may navigate the program more rapidly and effectively. You will quickly be able to acquaint yourself with the program and reach your full potential in terms of productivity once you have this information.
Importance of Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts
Shortcuts on the keyboard are important if you want to use Affinity Designer as quickly and effectively as possible. Why are they so important?
- Consistency: Using tools makes sure that your design work stays the same. This cuts down on mistakes and differences that can happen when doing repetitive jobs by hand.
- Faster learning curve: At first, it may take time to learn computer shortcuts, but in the long run, that time will pay off. As you learn more about them, you can use them more easily and effectively in your designs.
- Multitasking: Shortcuts on the keyboard let you do more than one thing quickly, so you can do more things at once and handle more design elements at once.
Best Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts
File and Document Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl/Cmd + N | Create a new document |
| Ctrl/Cmd + O | Open an existing document |
| Ctrl/Cmd + S | Save the current document |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S | Save the current document as a different file |
| Ctrl/Cmd + P | Print the document |
| Ctrl/Cmd + W | Close the current document |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Q | Quit Affinity Designer |
Text Editing Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl/Cmd + C | Copy selected text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + X | Cut selected text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + V | Paste copied or cut text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + A | Select all text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Undo the last text action |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Y | Redo the last undone text action |
| Ctrl/Cmd + B | Bold selected text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + I | Italicize selected text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + U | Underline selected text |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + > | Increase font size |
Object Selection and Manipulation Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| V | Switch to Move Tool |
| A | Switch to Node Tool |
| T | Switch to Text Tool |
| P | Switch to Pen Tool |
| R | Switch to Rectangle Tool |
| E | Switch to Ellipse Tool |
| Ctrl/Cmd + G | Group selected objects |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G | Ungroup selected objects |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + B | Convert selected objects to curves |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C | Copy style of selected object |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V | Paste style to selected object |
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Spacebar + Click & Drag | Pan the canvas |
| Ctrl/Cmd + + | Zoom in |
| Ctrl/Cmd + – | Zoom out |
| Ctrl/Cmd + 0 | Reset zoom level |
| Ctrl/Cmd + R | Show/hide rulers |
| F | Fit the canvas to window |
| H | Show/hide selection handles |
| Tab | Hide all panels temporarily |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + H | Hide UI (user interface) |
Best Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts for Different Platforms
Windows Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C | Copy selected objects or text |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected objects or text |
| Ctrl + V | Paste copied or cut objects or text |
| Ctrl + A | Select all objects or text |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo the last action |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo the last undone action |
| Ctrl + B | Bold selected text |
| Ctrl + I | Italicize selected text |
| Ctrl + U | Underline selected text |
| Ctrl + Shift + > | Increase font size |
| Ctrl + Shift + < | Decrease font size |
| Ctrl + G | Group selected objects |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup selected objects |
| Ctrl + Shift + B | Convert selected objects to curves |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Copy style of selected object |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste style to selected object |
| Spacebar + Click & Drag | Pan the canvas |
| Ctrl + + | Zoom in |
| Ctrl + – | Zoom out |
| Ctrl + 0 | Reset zoom level |
| Ctrl + R | Show/hide rulers |
| F | Fit the canvas to window |
| H | Show/hide selection handles |
| Tab | Hide all panels temporarily |
| Ctrl + Shift + H | Hide UI (user interface) |
| Ctrl + N | Create a new document |
| Ctrl + O | Open an existing document |
| Ctrl + S | Save the current document |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save the current document as a different file |
| Ctrl + P | Print the document |
| Ctrl + W | Close the current document |
| Ctrl + Q | Quit Affinity Designer |
Mac Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Command + C | Copy selected objects or text |
| Command + X | Cut selected objects or text |
| Command + V | Paste copied or cut objects or text |
| Command + A | Select all objects or text |
| Command + Z | Undo the last action |
| Command + Y | Redo the last undone action |
| Command + B | Bold selected text |
| Command + I | Italicize selected text |
| Command + U | Underline selected text |
| Command + Shift + > | Increase font size |
| Command + Shift + < | Decrease font size |
| Command + G | Group selected objects |
| Command + Shift + G | Ungroup selected objects |
| Command + Shift + B | Convert selected objects to curves |
| Command + Shift + C | Copy style of selected object |
| Command + Shift + V | Paste style to selected object |
| Spacebar + Click & Drag | Pan the canvas |
| Command + + | Zoom in |
| Command + – | Zoom out |
| Command + 0 | Reset zoom level |
| Command + R | Show/hide rulers |
| F | Fit the canvas to window |
| H | Show/hide selection handles |
| Tab | Hide all panels temporarily |
| Command + Shift + H | Hide UI (user interface) |
| Command + N | Create a new document |
| Command + O | Open an existing document |
| Command + S | Save the current document |
| Command + Shift + S | Save the current document as a different file |
| Command + P | Print the document |
| Command + W | Close the current document |
| Command + Q | Quit Affinity Designer |
How to Use Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts Effectively?
Using keyboard shortcuts in Affinity Designer well can improve your workflow and speed up the creation process. Here’s how to use the keyboard tools in Affinity Designer to get the most out of them:
- Customize Shortcuts: You can change the keyboard shortcuts in Affinity Designer to fit your needs. If you find that you use certain commands more often, you might want to put them on keys that are easy to reach. To do this, click “Edit” > “Preferences” > “Keyboard Shortcuts.”
- Group Similar Commands: In Affinity Designer, computer shortcuts are organized into groups, like “View,” “Edit,” “Select,” etc. Learn about these categories so you can easily find commands that go with them and do jobs quickly.
- Learn Contextual Shortcuts: The keyboard shortcuts in Affinity Designer often change depending on which tool is active or what is going on. For example, while the Move tool is active, hitting “V” for the Move tool and then “M” for the Rectangle tool. Using these shortcuts is easier when you know how they work in different situations.
Questions and Answers
A: In Affinity Designer, keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys that let you do different orders or tasks quickly without using the mouse or going through menus.
A: Using keyboard tools can make your work in Affinity Designer go much faster. They make it easier to get to orders, tools, and functions you use often, saving you time and making you more productive.
A: Serif, the company that makes Affinity Designer, has official documents and user guides that explain how to learn and use keyboard shortcuts. Most of the time, these sites have a complete list of keyboard shortcuts and what they do. In Affinity Designer’s preferences, you can also change and add your own keyboard shortcuts to fit your routine.