To preserve each layer’s canvas position, export it alone using the full document or artboard as the export area. Keep that area and output size identical for every file, so the surrounding transparent space preserves the alignment.

This guide covers the current Affinity desktop app on Mac and the specific task of producing separate files that line up when stacked again. Affinity’s current help calls its dedicated export workspace Slice Studio. Its documented distinction matters: layer-derived slices export their source layer, while drawn slices export all visible layers within their rectangle. Exporting using the Slice Studio

Why separate layer exports can lose their canvas alignment

Affinity automatically sizes a slice created from a layer, group or object to the extent of that item. That is useful for exporting a compact asset, but the resulting export area does not necessarily include the original canvas margins. A drawn slice follows a different contract: its rectangle defines the export area, and visible content from other layers inside that rectangle is included. Exporting using the Slice Studio

The practical consequence is that content selection and export boundaries are separate decisions. Selecting the correct layer determines what you want to deliver. Keeping the document or artboard boundary determines the coordinate frame in which that content appears.

Consider an illustrative 1000 × 1000-pixel document containing a blue square whose upper-left corner is at x = 120, y = 240. A full-canvas export preserves those margins around the square. A tightly bounded export removes that surrounding space. If both files are subsequently placed at the same upper-left origin, their visible squares will appear in different positions.

Making every exported file the same size is only half the requirement. Every file also needs the same export origin and scale. Enlarging a cropped export to 1000 × 1000 pixels would change its scale rather than restore the missing margins.

Export one visible layer at a time using the full canvas

For a single-page document, the most direct supported path combines ordinary layer visibility with Whole document export. Affinity documents that hidden layers do not export, and its Export dialog provides document, page, selection and named-artboard areas. The procedure below combines those documented controls. Layers panel, Export dialog

Prepare the document and transparent background

Save your working document before changing visibility. Note its intended width and height, and decide which layer or group constitutes each deliverable. For example, a group containing a circle and its accompanying neutral text might be one output rather than two.

On the Mac, open Document > Setup > Document Setup. For a transparent page, enable Transparent background. Use the setup dialog to inspect document dimensions without changing them. Its available settings depend on whether the document contains pages or artboards. Document setup (Desktop only)

A transparent page setting does not remove a filled rectangle you drew behind the artwork. Hide that background object as part of preparing each export. PNG and SVG support transparency, making them appropriate options when separate outputs must overlap without an opaque page covering the artwork underneath. Screen to paper: how to hand off your logo for digital and print

Show the first deliverable and hide unrelated content

Open Window > General > Layers if the Layers panel is missing. Use Toggle Visibility to leave the intended output visible and hide unrelated layers. Affinity also documents Hide Others on a layer’s Control-click context menu. Inspect the resulting canvas before exporting. Layers panel

Keep the content needed to produce the intended appearance together. If a deliverable consists of a group with nested content, work with that group as the output unit. A file containing only one component cannot reproduce visual contributions from components you deliberately excluded.

Export the document boundary, then repeat

  1. Choose File > Export > Export.
  2. Select an appropriate PNG preset.
  3. Set Area to Whole document for the single-page canvas. For a particular artboard, choose that artboard’s name.
  4. Inspect the preview and confirm the output dimensions match your intended canvas dimensions.
  5. Choose Ask for Location, click Export, then name and save the file.
  6. Return to the Layers panel, hide the completed deliverable and show the next one. Repeat with the same area and dimensions.

The menu path, area choices and save sequence come from Affinity’s Export dialog documentation. Width and height default to the image’s native dimensions but can be changed, so check them rather than assuming a previously used preset has the right size. Export Settings

For multiple artboards, explicitly choosing the target artboard avoids ambiguity. The documented Whole document behavior can produce separate image files for the document’s artboards; it does not mean “export just the selected layer’s artboard.” Export Settings

Can Slice Studio batch-export full-canvas layers?

Slice Studio can export multiple layer-derived slices, formats and sizes. However, the documentation does not describe a single command that creates an independent, full-canvas export for every layer. Its automatic layer slices start at the source item’s extent. Treat batch selection and preservation of canvas margins as separate requirements. Exporting using the Slice Studio

Export approach Documented content boundary What it means for this task
Slice created from a layer Its source layer only; initially sized to the item’s extent Automatic creation alone does not establish full-canvas margins.
Slice drawn with the Slice Tool All visible layers inside its rectangle A full-canvas rectangle needs visibility changes to isolate each deliverable.
Whole-document export with unrelated layers hidden The document export area and visible content Provides a straightforward repeatable route to aligned separate files.

The slice distinctions above are documented in Exporting using the Slice Studio; ordinary hidden-layer behavior is documented in the Layers panel.

Use a fixed drawn slice when you need a reusable export region

A drawn slice is useful when your common output region is a specific rectangle within a larger composition. Affinity documents using the Transform panel in Slice Studio to size and position slices created with the Slice Tool precisely. Define one common rectangle, then change ordinary layer visibility between exports to isolate each output. Exporting slices

For separate manually named outputs, leave Continuous off and export deliberately after each visibility change. Continuous export re-exports checked slices when document content or slice settings change, which is unsuitable when you want to preserve several successive visibility states as distinct deliverables. Exporting slices

Affinity also documents resizing a layer-derived slice and restoring it with Revert to auto sized. That reset returns the slice to its original dimensions; it is not a full-canvas alignment command. Do not assume a control named “preserve canvas position” or “export all layers at canvas size” exists. Slice Tool

Which settings matter for PNG and SVG?

For PNG, preserve the full export area, transparency and intended pixel dimensions. Avoid changing width or height between layers. If you intentionally scale every output, apply the same scale to every file so their coordinate frames remain compatible. Affinity documents width, height and aspect-ratio controls for raster exports. Export Settings

Slice scaling deserves an additional check. Affinity’s documented relationship between document DPI and slice multipliers means 1x does not always equal the document’s pixel dimensions. Its example shows a 64 × 64-pixel document at 144 DPI exporting at 32 × 32 pixels at 1x and 64 × 64 pixels at 2x. Inspect actual output dimensions when using slices. Exporting using the Slice Studio

For SVG, use the same visibility-and-full-area procedure. Affinity documents that the SVG view box matches the export area when view-box data is enabled. Consequently, enabling view-box output cannot restore document margins if you first choose a tightly bounded selection area. The full document or named artboard must remain the chosen export boundary. Export Settings

SVG appearance has a separate limitation: some design properties require rasterization. Affinity’s Rasterize setting can rasterize unsupported properties; choosing Nothing omits elements the format cannot support. Retaining canvas positions therefore does not establish that every exported element remains editable vector artwork. Export Settings

Check alignment before exporting the remaining layers

Use two simple outputs to validate the process before repeating it across the document. The following is a suggested diagnostic, using synthetic artwork rather than a claimed test result.

  1. Use two neutral shapes at clearly different positions in the source document.
  2. Export each separately with the same full-canvas boundary and output dimensions.
  3. Open each exported file and confirm its overall dimensions.
  4. Place both into a matching destination canvas at the same upper-left origin and size, without trimming their transparent margins.
  5. Compare their relative positions with the source composition.

If the file dimensions differ, inspect the export area and size settings first. If dimensions match but the artwork shifts, check whether one output used a different slice origin or whether the receiving application cropped or centered its content. If extra artwork appears, inspect visibility and whether you used a drawn slice, which includes visible overlapping layers.

Once the two-file check succeeds, repeat the same boundary, size and visibility procedure for the remaining deliverables. Preserve the surrounding empty space through export and placement: that shared canvas is what allows independently exported layers to reconstruct their original layout.

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