Linearity: Complete Guide & Tutorial

Introduction to Linearity (formerly Vectornator)

Linearity, previously known as Vectornator, is a powerful and intuitive vector design and animation tool that has rapidly become a favorite among graphic designers, illustrators, and motion graphics artists. Unlike many professional design tools that come with a steep learning curve and high subscription costs, Linearity offers a comprehensive suite of features for creating everything from simple sketches to complex animations, all within a user-friendly interface. Originally designed exclusively for Apple devices (iPad, iPhone, and Mac), it has garnered a loyal following for its seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem, including support for Apple Pencil, Magic Trackpad, and Touch Bar.

At its core, Linearity is a vector-based application, meaning your artwork is composed of mathematical paths rather than pixels. This allows for infinite scalability without loss of quality, making it ideal for logos, icons, typography, and illustrations that need to be resized for different mediums. What sets Linearity apart is its dual focus: it is both a robust vector illustration tool (comparable to Adobe Illustrator) and a capable animation studio (similar to Adobe After Effects or Principle). This integration allows designers to conceptualize, design, and animate their work in a single app, streamlining the creative workflow.

Whether you are a beginner looking to dip your toes into digital design or a professional seeking a cost-effective alternative to industry giants, Linearity provides a welcoming yet powerful environment. This tutorial will guide you through the essentials, from installation to creating your first animated vector graphic.

Getting Started with Linearity

Installation and System Requirements

Linearity is available for free on the Apple App Store and Mac App Store. To get started:

• For iPad and iPhone: Search for “Linearity” (or “Vectornator”) on the App Store. The app is optimized for iPad Pro with M-series chips for maximum performance.
• For Mac: Download from the Mac App Store. It works natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
• Account Creation: After installation, you can sign up for a free Linearity account. This enables cloud syncing across your devices, access to templates, and the ability to save your work to the cloud.

Understanding the Interface

When you first open Linearity, the interface may seem familiar if you have used other design tools. The layout is clean and customizable:

• Canvas: The central white area where you create your designs. You can zoom in/out using pinch gestures (on iPad) or the scroll wheel (on Mac).
• Toolbar (Left Side): Contains the primary drawing and selection tools: Move Tool, Pen Tool, Shape Tools (Rectangle, Circle, Polygon), Text Tool, and the Pencil Tool for freehand drawing.
• Inspector Panel (Right Side): This is where you adjust properties of selected objects, such as fill color, stroke (outline), opacity, shadows, and blending modes. It also houses the Animation Timeline.
• Layers Panel (Bottom Left or Floating): Organizes your artwork into layers. Think of layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. You can reorder, hide, lock, or group layers here.
• Menu Bar (Top): Contains File, Edit, View, and other options. On iPad, this is often accessible via a small icon in the top-left corner.

Setting Up Your First Document

Tap or click “New Document.” You can choose from preset canvas sizes (e.g., Social Media, Print, Web) or create a custom size. For this tutorial, select a standard 1920×1080 px canvas (HD video size) to practice animation later. You can also set the background color—white is fine for now.

Key Features of Linearity

Linearity packs an impressive array of features that rival desktop-only applications. Understanding these will help you leverage the tool to its full potential.

1. Vector Illustration Engine

The heart of Linearity is its vector engine. It supports:

• Bezier Curves: The Pen Tool allows you to draw precise curves and straight lines by placing anchor points. You can adjust the handles of these points to create smooth, organic shapes.
• Boolean Operations: Combine, subtract, intersect, or exclude overlapping shapes to create complex forms. For example, you can subtract a circle from a square to create a crescent moon.
• Pencil Tool: For a more natural drawing feel, the Pencil Tool lets you sketch freehand. Linearity automatically smooths your strokes into clean vector paths.
• Text and Typography: Add text with full control over font, size, kerning, and line spacing. You can convert text to vector paths for custom typography.

2. Animation and Motion Graphics

This is where Linearity truly shines. You can create animations without leaving the app:

• Keyframe Animation: The timeline allows you to set keyframes for position, scale, rotation, opacity, and other properties. The app automatically interpolates (tweens) the motion between keyframes.
• Auto-Animate: A beginner-friendly feature where you design two artboards (start and end states), and Linearity generates the animation between them.
• Easing Curves: Control the speed of your animation (e.g., bounce, ease-in, ease-out) to make motion feel more natural.
• Export as GIF or Video: Export your animations as MP4, GIF, or a sequence of PNG images.

3. Collaboration and Cloud Sync

With a Linearity account, you can sync your projects across all your Apple devices. You can also share a link to your project for team collaboration, allowing others to view or edit in real-time.

4. Export Options

Linearity supports a wide range of export formats:

• Vector: SVG, PDF, EPS.
• Raster: PNG, JPEG, TIFF.
• Animation: MP4, GIF, PNG sequence.
• Other: You can also export to Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Sketch (.sketch) formats for compatibility with other tools.

How to Use Linearity: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s walk through a practical project: creating a simple animated logo or icon. We will draw a star, add a gradient, and make it rotate.

Step 1: Drawing a Vector Shape

Select the Polygon Tool from the toolbar (it may be nested under the Rectangle Tool). Tap or click on the canvas to open the polygon options. Set the number of corners to 5 and check the “Star” option. Adjust the “Star Ratio” to make the points sharp or rounded. Click “Create.” A perfect star will appear on your canvas.

Step 2: Styling Your Shape

With the star selected, look at the Inspector Panel on the right:

• Fill: Tap the color swatch. You can choose a solid color, or tap the gradient icon (a small circle with two colors). Select “Linear Gradient” or “Radial Gradient.” Tap on the gradient stops to change colors (e.g., from gold to orange).
• Stroke: You can add an outline. Set the stroke width to 0 for no outline, or choose a contrasting color.
• Shadow: Add a subtle drop shadow to give depth. Adjust the blur and offset.

Step 3: Organizing with Layers

Open the Layers Panel. You will see your star on a layer named “Polygon.” Double-tap the layer name to rename it to “Star.” This is good practice for complex projects. You can also lock the layer to prevent accidental edits.

Step 4: Adding Animation

Now, let’s make the star spin:

1. Tap the Animate button in the top-right corner (it looks like a play button or a clock icon). This opens the timeline at the bottom of the screen.
2. The timeline shows a purple bar representing the duration of your animation. By default, it is 3 seconds long. You can drag the edges of the bar to change the duration.
3. With the star selected, tap the “+” icon on the timeline and choose “Rotation.” A diamond-shaped keyframe will appear at the start (0s).
4. Move the playhead (the white vertical line) to the end of the timeline (e.g., 3s).
5. On the canvas, rotate the star by dragging the blue rotation handle that appears above the shape. Alternatively, in the Inspector Panel, you can manually set the rotation angle to 360 degrees.
6. A second keyframe will appear at the 3s mark. Linearity will automatically create the rotation animation between the two keyframes.

Step 5: Refining the Motion

To make the rotation smoother or more dynamic:

• Tap on the diamond keyframe at the 3s mark. In the Inspector, you will see an “Easing” option. Choose “Ease In Out” for a natural start and stop.
• You can also add a “Scale” animation: add a keyframe at 0s, move the playhead to 1.5s, and scale the star up slightly (e.g., 120%). This creates a “pulse” effect.

Step 6: Previewing and Exporting

Tap the Play button in the timeline to preview your animation. If everything looks good:

1. Tap the Export button (share icon).
2. Choose “Animation” from the export options.
3. Select format: MP4 for video, GIF for a looping image, or PNG Sequence for frames.
4. Set the resolution (e.g., 1080p) and frame rate (e.g., 30 fps).
5. Tap “Export” and save to your device or share directly to social media.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Linearity

To elevate your designs and streamline your workflow, keep these practical tips in mind:

1. Master the Pen Tool

The Pen Tool is the backbone of vector design. Practice drawing curves by holding down the mouse or Apple Pencil after placing an anchor point. Drag to create handles, then release. To create a corner point (sharp angle), double-tap the anchor point. Use the “Convert Point” tool to switch between smooth and corner points.

2. Use Guides and Grids

For precise layouts, enable the grid (View > Show Grid) or create custom guides by dragging from the rulers. You can snap objects to the grid or guides for perfect alignment. This is especially useful for UI design or symmetrical illustrations.

3. Leverage the Symbol Library

If you use the same element multiple times (e.g., a logo or an icon), turn it into a Symbol. Select the object, tap “Create Symbol” in the Layers Panel. Any changes you make to one instance of the symbol will automatically update all other instances. This is a massive time-saver for branding projects.

4. Experiment with Blend Modes

In the Inspector Panel, under the Fill or Stroke options, you will find “Blend Mode.” Try modes like “Multiply” (darkens colors), “Screen” (lightens), or “Overlay” (increases contrast). These can create stunning visual effects without manual color mixing.

5. Take Advantage of Auto-Animate for Complex Animations

Instead of manually keyframing every property, use the Auto-Animate feature. Create two artboards (tap the “+” icon in the Layers Panel to add an artboard). Design the start state on Artboard 1 and the end state on Artboard 2. Then, in the timeline, select “Auto-Animate.” Linearity will animate the transition between the two artboards, including changes in position, color, and shape.

6. Organize with Groups and Naming

As your project grows, your Layers Panel can become cluttered. Group related objects by selecting them and pressing Command+G (Mac) or tapping “Group” in the Layers Panel. Rename every group and layer descriptively (e.g., “Background Clouds,” “Foreground Car”). This makes editing and animating specific parts much easier.

7. Use the Pencil Tool for Organic Shapes

If you are drawing a character or a natural element, the Pencil Tool is often faster than the Pen Tool. Draw a rough shape, and Linearity will simplify it into a clean vector. You can then adjust the anchor points afterward. Enable “Simplify Stroke” in the Pencil Tool settings for smoother results.

8. Keyboard Shortcuts (Mac and iPad with Keyboard)

Learn these essential shortcuts to speed up your workflow:

• V: Select/Move Tool
• P: Pen Tool
• T: Text Tool
• R: Rectangle Tool
• Command + Z: Undo
• Spacebar + Drag: Pan the canvas
• Command + D: Duplicate selected object

9. Export at 2x for Retina Displays

When exporting static images for web or mobile, use the “Scale” option in the export menu. Set it to 2x or 3x to ensure your graphics look crisp on high-resolution screens (e.g., iPhone or Retina Mac displays).

10. Explore Community Templates

Linearity offers a library of free templates and assets within the app (tap the “Discover” tab). These are excellent for learning how professional designs are structured. You can deconstruct them to understand layer organization and animation techniques.

Conclusion

Linearity is a remarkably capable tool that proves professional-grade vector design and animation do not require a complex, expensive software suite. Its intuitive interface, combined with powerful features like keyframe animation, Boolean operations, and cloud collaboration, makes it an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned designers. By following this tutorial, you have learned how to set up a project, create and style vector shapes, add basic animation, and export your work. As you continue to explore, remember to experiment with the Pen Tool, leverage the timeline for motion, and organize your projects with layers and groups. The more you practice, the more you will appreciate the depth and flexibility Linearity offers—all from the convenience of your Apple device.