Effectively Designing Corners in Affinity Designer

The corner tool in Affinity Designer provides you with a convenient way to specifically design and adjust the corners of your vector-based objects. Whether you are creating a simple square or complex shapes, this tool will significantly enhance your workflow. In this guide, we will walk you through the features and applications of the corner tool, allowing you to work more effectively with your designs.

Main findings

• The corner tool allows you to intuitively round or reshape object corners.
• The rounding can be entered numerically or adjusted visually.
• Thanks to the flexibility of this tool, paths can also be edited afterward.

Step-by-step guide

To use the corner tool effectively, proceed as follows:

Start with the pen tool or one of the shape tools like the rectangle tool to create your base shape. For example, take the rectangle tool and draw a square in your workspace. This will give you the typical corners that you want to adjust in the next step.

To activate the corner tool, go to the corresponding icon in the toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut "C". With the corner tool active, you will see the individual anchor points around your shape. You can select and adjust these points.

Click on one of the anchor points and drag it down to the right. You will notice that the corner transforms into a curvy shape. This dragging creates an intuitive adjustment of the curve, which you can shape according to your desires.

If you need more precise control over the rounding of your corners, you can take a look at the number in the context bar. Here you can see the radius of the curve and change it. If you want to set a larger radius, simply click in the field and enter the desired value, for example, 40 mm. This way, you can make very precise adjustments.

The corner tool also offers you various corner types. You can choose between rounded corners, straight corners, or even concave corners in the context bar. This gives you the freedom to completely customize the design of your shape.

When making your adjustments, you can simply use the red circles around the anchor points. These circle handles help you further adjust the curves without changing the tool.

To switch between different layers and continue adjusting the corners, you can selectively use the corner tool on specific shapes. However, you will only be able to make a complete modification once you click "Lock Corners". This allows for the conversion to a regular path that can then be further edited.

To further demonstrate the flexibility of the corner tool, hide an existing layer and activate the pen tool. For example, create a zigzag line and then switch back to the corner tool. Click on one of the anchor points and drag it to create new curves. This way, you can develop creative shapes and lines.

You can continue to fill objects without outlines but with colors. The corner tool is also ideal for creating interesting transitions and shapes. Experiment with different colors and forms.

Do not forget to play around until the final design before you lock the curves. Only when you click on "Lock Corners" have you transformed the corners into a fixed path that can no longer be edited. Now you have the complete arsenal of node and pen tools at your disposal to perfectly round off your designs.

Summary - Corner Tool in Affinity Designer: Step-by-step Guide

With the corner tool in Affinity Designer, you can design and adjust your corners as you wish. From simple rounded squares to complex, flowing shapes. You have full control and flexibility to design each corner according to your preferences. Use this guide to effectively incorporate the tool into your design process.