How do you make a Clipping Mask in Affinity Designer?

To create a clipping mask in Affinity Designer, you essentially use one object (the shape) to define the visible area of another object (the image). Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Open Your Image: In Affinity Designer, go to File > Open, navigate to your image, and select it to open.

2. Draw Your Shape: Select a shape tool (e.g., Ellipse Tool, Rectangle Tool, Pen Tool) from the toolbar on the left. Draw the shape you want to use as the mask on top of the image you want to mask.

3. Create the Clipping Mask: There are a couple of ways to do this:

   • Method 1 (Drag and Drop): In the Layers panel (usually on the right), drag the image layer and drop it directly onto the layer of the shape you created. The image layer will become indented under the shape layer, indicating it is now clipped.
   • Method 2 (Move Inside): Select the image layer in the layers panel. Drag the image layer over the shape layer in the Layers Panel. Look for a horizontal blue line to change into a longer vertical blue line running down the side of the shape layer. Releasing the mouse now will clip the image into the shape.

4. Adjust the Mask: You can now move and resize both the shape and the image independently to adjust the position and scale of the masked area. Select the individual layers in the Layers panel to make adjustments.

5. Optional Adjustment Layers: You can add adjustment layers within the clipped group to affect only the clipped image. For instance, you could add a brightness/contrast adjustment to the image. To do this, create the adjustment layer (e.g., Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast) and then drag the adjustment layer in the Layers panel onto the thumbnail of the image layer. This ensures the adjustment only affects the image within the clipping mask.

Here's a summary table for clarity:

Affinity Designer's clipping masks are non-destructive, meaning you can always adjust or remove the mask without permanently altering the original image.