How to use the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer

This Affinity Designer tutorial is a continuation of our free beginner's guide to Affinity Designer. You can watch the whole video explaining all the Affinity Designer basics on the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel.

Previously, we learned about the Pixel Persona in Affinity Designer. In this installment, we'll focus on how to use the Resource Manager. If you'd rather follow the video, here it is:

Watch the lesson: How to use the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer

Why should you learn to use the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer?

Before we get into the Affinity Designer tips and tricks, we need to figure out why this feature is useful. Let's say you have a project where you need a ton of resources. As you can imagine, trying to manage each one could be a total nightmare. Luckily, there's the Resource Manager!

The Affinity Designer Resource Manager is a handy tool that helps you keep track of every file you've linked or imported into your Affinity Designer project. Whether it's images, documents, or other file types, you can update, monitor, replace, and stay on top of the different components that make up your design.

Needless to say, the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer makes creating your artwork much easier, more efficient, and more flexible. Now, let's check out this Affinity Designer tutorial to learn how to use it.

How to use the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer

In our previous tutorials on Affinity Designer, you've been learning some tips and tricks that can help you use the software to your advantage. On this occasion, we'll be working with the Affinity Designer Resource Manager.

Step 1

To start off this Affinity tutorial, we need to access the Affinity Resource Manager. Go to the Window tab on the top menu. There, click on the Resource Manager option.

Step 2

This will open up the Resource Manager panel, where you'll be able to see all the files you've added to your Affinity Designer project.

Step 3

Once it's there, you can click through each of the files to get more information about them (file size, placement, status, etc.) or take some actions (locate in document, replace, collect, link, and more).

Frequently asked questions about the Resource Manager in Affinity Designer

Now that you have a general idea of how to use the Affinity Designer Resource Manager, let's dig into a couple of questions you may have, so you can explore its full potential.

What's the difference between linked and embedded files?

Embedded files are the ones you upload into the platform to work on. On the other hand, linked files are external items that you added through a link.

What actions can you take with the Resource Manager?

Here's a brief overview of what you can do with the Affinity Resource Manager:

View the status of which files are linked vs embedded,
Monitor and update linked files that have been updated outside the platform.
Swap existing Affinity resources with a new file.
Monitor and fix broken links.
Change the status of a file from linked to embedded, storing the asset within the Affinity Designer project.
Access the information of each file (size, path, resolution, etc.).
Organize your files and change their path or directory.

Learn more about Affinity Designer

If you need premium Affinity Designer graphics, check out Envato for unlimited downloads! Eager to read more Affinity Designer tutorials? Here are other Envato Tuts+ Affinity Designer tips and tricks for different skill levels: