This is the optional guide which supports session 2 of Celia Henderson's Getting Started in Affinity Workshops
 
It is a detailed guide on the tools & features which Celia covers in the session and can be downloaded to be kept/printed, etc. It is yours to keep.
 
I will guarantee you enjoy these hand outs - I will refund you if you do not!
 
Selections, Masks and the Magic of Layers: A Step-by-Step Companion to Affinity V3 Pixel Studio (Session 2 Guide)
 
Take complete control of your creative editing without getting lost in the technical weeds!
 
One of the most exciting parts of moving over to the brand-new Affinity V3 application is unlocking its incredibly fast, non-destructive engine. But the moment you start trying to blend textures, isolate specific subjects, or arrange a complex stack of layers, the interface can easily start to feel a bit overwhelming. It is very common to suddenly find yourself staring at an adjustment that isn't showing up, or a selection that has clipped the wrong part of your photograph.
 
This practical, illustrated PDF manual is your step-by-step companion to Session 2 of our series. Written by community favourite Celia Henderson, this guide completely outlines the structure of layers and selections, breaking them down into simple visual milestones you can practice smoothly at your own keyboard.
 
What You Will Learn Inside This Guide:
The Hidden Logic of Layer Hierarchies: Clear rules for organizing your layer stack. You will discover exactly how parent, child, and nested layers interact so your adjustments land perfectly only on the targets you intend.
The Power of True Image Layers: Understanding why Affinity treats placed texture files differently than standard pixels. Learn how to use container layers to preserve your native resolution and effortlessly swap textures with a single click.
Precision Selection Tools Made Simple: A complete field guide to Affinity's selection tools, including the Selection Brush, Flood Selection, and the advanced Object Selection system.
Taming Complex Edges (The Refine Mask Workflow): How to master the Refine engine to isolate difficult details effortlessly. Use Matte edge controls to perfectly separate complex textures—like fine hair, clothing threads, or stray strands of straw—from their backgrounds.
Targeted Color Adjustments with HSL Pickers: Step-by-step guidance on utilizing the HSL color wheel and adjusting sensory drop-off sliders to shift or desaturate specific colors in one area while completely protecting the rest of your composition.
Non-Destructive Crop, Straighten, and Save Rules: Mastering the straighten tool along horizontal or vertical lines and utilizing the native .af format to embed your editing history so you can readjust crops and change your mind even after closing the file.
Demystifying HSL vs. HSV Mode: A beautifully simple breakdown of how saturation and luminosity calculations differ between editing models, helping you control color tints and intensities with total accuracy.
 
About the Author: Celia Henderson
Celia Henderson is a highly respected professional photographer and one of the most trusted educators in the Camversation community. She is renowned for her patient, logical,and methodical teaching style. Rather than just showing you what button to click, Celia excels at explaining why the software behaves the way it does, making her the perfect guide to help you build true editing confidence.
 
Why Keep This Guide by Your Keyboard?
Live demonstrations are fantastic for seeing what is possible, but trying to recreate those exact adjustments later on your own images can be incredibly frustrating when a single layer setting or selection mode isn't ticked.
 
This downloadable manual is yours to keep forever. You can easily print it out or keep it open on a second screen next to your monitor. Packed with screen grabs and practical troubleshooting notes written directly during the live workshops, it eliminates the guesswork, saving you frustration.