Image layers and masks in Affinity Photo 2

Affinity Photo 2 is very effective at combining photos to produce composite images. It’s all done with image layers and masks, and this article uses a simple example with a seaside scene layered with a new and more interesting sky. It introduces the idea of image layers and how to stack them, and then how to use masks to control the visibility of each layer so that layers below can show through exactly where you want them to.

It also introduces a couple of more advanced masking tools in Affinity Photo 2 – Live Masks and Compound masks. These sound complicated, but you only need to use them once or twice to grasp how they work and figure out when and if they will be useful.