Affinity Designer Layers and Object Management

Question 1

How do you create a clipping mask in Affinity Designer?

Accepted Answer

Place one object inside another using Layer > Insert Inside / drag onto the layer in the Layers panel

Answer

Dragging a layer onto another in the Layers panel (or using Layer > Insert Inside) clips the top layer to the shape of the parent.

Question 2

What is the difference between a Layer Mask and a Clipping Mask in Affinity Designer?

Accepted Answer

A Layer Mask uses grayscale luminance to control transparency; a Clipping Mask uses a shape's boundary

Answer

A pixel-based Layer Mask hides areas based on black/white values, while a Clipping Mask constrains visibility to the parent shape's outline.

Question 3

In Affinity Designer, how do you lock a layer so it cannot be selected or edited?

Accepted Answer

Click the lock icon next to the layer in the Layers panel

Answer

Clicking the padlock icon in the Layers panel locks that layer, preventing any selection or editing until unlocked.

Question 4

What does the 'Passthrough' blend mode on a group do in Affinity Designer?

Accepted Answer

Allows the group's layers to blend with all layers below as if the group didn't exist

Answer

Passthrough blend mode means the group's contents interact with the entire layer stack below, not just within the group's isolated compositing space.

Question 5

How can you quickly duplicate a layer in Affinity Designer?

Accepted Answer

Press Ctrl+J

Answer

Ctrl+J (Cmd+J on Mac) duplicates the selected layer(s) and places the copy directly above the original.

Affinity Designer Practice Test