Affinity Templates for Beginners


Templates Overview

A template is a pre-designed file that gives a starting point for your project. They can include text, images, or other design elements, all of which can be customized for the project you are working on.

Templates use a “universal” file type, meaning they can be used in Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher.

Importing Templates

If you already own a set of templates (such as my collage templates), then follow these steps to import them into Affinity:

  1. After downloading the templates, unzip the folder.
  2. Place the un-zipped folder somewhere on your computer where you won’t accidentally delete it.
  3. Open whichever Affinity program you want to use with the templates.
  4. Open the File Menu, and select “New”.
  5. Open the “Templates” section of the window (found on the left-side).
  6. Press the “+” button (near the bottom-left).
  7. Select the templates folder from wherever you placed it on your computer.

And that’s it! Now anytime you make a new document, you can choose one of the templates as a starting point for your project.

Note: Opening a template will create a new document. This will NOT affect the original template. If you want to modify a template, follow the steps at the bottom of this page.

Creating Templates

If you want to make your own template, follow these steps:

  1. Create a new document in any of the Affinity programs.
  2. Add whatever you want (text, images, etc.)
  3. Open the File Menu, and select “Export as Template”.
  4. Place the template in a folder on your computer.
  5. Import the template into Affinity by following the steps from above.

Editing Templates

If you want to modify an existing template, follow these steps:

  1. Open the template you want to modify.
  2. Make your desired changes.
  3. Open the File Menu, and select “Export as Template”.
  4. Place the modified template in the same folder as the original template.

Note: Making a modified template will not affect the original. If you no longer want the original template, you can delete its file from your computer.