Create a 1980s Retrowave Graphic in Affinity Photo

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a 1980s retrowave graphic in Affinity Photo.

Retrowave, which is also called synthwave, is derived from an electronic music genre that’s associated with action or sci-fi movie soundtracks of the 80s. Similarly, retrowave (when referring to art) incorporates aesthetics of the 1980s. This includes arcade games, fashion, pop culture, etc. Some of the themes of this 1980s retrowave graphic style are neon lights or colors, wireframe computer graphics, cityscapes, and mountain ranges.

Step 1

First, go to File > New. Web. Then, select FHD 1080p which is 1920 px by 1080 px.

Step 2

Next, go to the Swatches Panel. Double click on the white color to bring up the Color Chooser.

Step 3

After that, grab the Flood Fill Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the tool and click on the document.

Step 4

Now, grab the Ellipse Tool from the Tools Panel. Press CTRL + Shift and draw an ellipse. In the Toolbar, make sure you have Snapping turned on.

Step 5

Grab the Gradient Tool from the Tools Panel. Drag the Gradient Tool from the top of the ellipse to the bottom. Next, select the top color. Then, go to the Swatches Panel. Double click on the color and set the fill color to #ECA089.

Step 6

After that, select the bottom color. Set its fill color to #F6019D.

Step 7

Now, grab the Rectangle Tool from the Tools Panel. Draw a rectangle across the bottom part of the ellipse. Press CTRL + J to make a duplicate of the ellipse. Next, move the duplicated ellipse slightly up while holding Shift. Then, press CTRL + J to make 3 more duplicates of the rectangle.

Step 8

Next, select all the rectangle and the ellipse in the Layers Panel. Go to the Boolean Operations Panel and select Subtract.

Step 9

Now, let’s make the grid for the 1980s retrowave graphic. Grab the Pen Tool from the Tools Panel. Go to the Swatches Panel and select the stroke. Set the stroke to the following color #F6019D. Get rid of the fill color. Next, go to the Context Toolbar and set the Width of the stroke to 3 pt.

Step 10

Take the Pen Tool and draw a line. Hold Shift while drawing the line so that it’ll be straight.

Step 11

With the line still selected, press CTRL + J to make a duplicate of it. Then, grab the Move Tool and drag the duplicated line slightly to the right while holding Shift.

Step 12

Then, press CTRL + J to make more duplicates of the lines until they’re across the document.

Step 13

In the Layers Panel, select all the lines. Press and hold CTRL, then stretch the line out past the document.

Step 14

After that, press CTRL + J to make a duplicate of all the lines.

Step 15

Now, hold Shift and rotate the duplicated lines -90 degrees. Then, press and hold CTRL and stretch these lines past the document too.

Step 16

Go to the Layers Panel and select all the lines.

Step 17

Now, grab the Perspective Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the bottom left point and drag it out to the left. Then, grab the bottom right point and drag it out to the right.

Step 18

After that, select the top left point and drag it down. Then, select the top right point and drag it down. Once you’ve done that, hit Apply.

Step 19

In the Layers Panel, drag the grid layer below the ellipse.

Step 20

Grab the Pen Tool from the Tools Panel. Draw a line across our grid. Drag this line below the ellipse.

Step 21

With the line still selected, go to the Layers Panel and select the fx (Layers Effect) icon. Select Outer Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Screen, Opacity to 100%, Radius to 10 px, and Intensity to 18%. The Color should be white.

Step 22

Select the ellipse, and then select the fx icon in the Layers Panel. Then, select Outer Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Screen, Opacity to 80%, Radius to 30 px, and Intensity to 35%. Go to Color and set it to the following color #D40078.

Step 23

Now, select the grid layer. Click the fx icon and select Outer Glow. Go to Color and set it to our pink color which is #D40078.

Step 24

Next, grab the Pen Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the Pen Tool and click on the document to make a point at our horizon line.

Step 25

After making the first mountain range, lets make the other one. Then, go to the Swatches Panel. Get rid of the stroke and make the fill color for the mountains black.

Step 26

In the Layers Panel, select our line we created on the grid and drag it to the top. Click on the fx on the layer. Change the Radius to 50 px, Intensity to 73%, and the Color to #F6019D.

Step 27

Then, with the line still selected, press CTRL and J to make a duplicate of it.

Step 28

Grab the Pen Tool from the Tools Panel. Go to the Swatches Panel. Select the stroke and give it the following color #22904A. Make sure the fill color is off. Next, create a triangle on the mountain. Make sure you connect it complete the shape. Then, press CTRL and click on the document before creating the next shape. Now, create another triangular shape. Keep creating these shapes across the mountains.

Step 29

After creating all the shapes, go to the Layers Panel. Select all of our triangle shapes. Then, press CTRL + G to group them together. Or right click on the selection and click Group. In the Layers Panel, label the group Mountain Lines.

Step 30

With the group selected, click on the fx icon. Select Outer Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Normal. Next, set Color to #2AB45C. Then, set the Opacity to 85%, Radius to 11 px, and Intensity to 50%.

Step 31

In the Layers Panel, click on the Add Pixel Layer to add a new layer.

Step 32

Grab the Paint Brush Tool from the Tools Panel. Go to the Swatches Panel and set the color to white. Next, go to the Brushes Panel. Then, go to the Basic brushes and select the 16 px Round Soft Brush. Take the brush and make a few dots across the sky area.

Step 33

After that, select the star layer and name it Stars in the Layers Panel.

Step 34

Next, select the fx icon and click Outer Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Screen, Opacity to 100%, Radius to 20 px, and the Intensity to 50%.

Step 35

Then, click the Live Filters icon and select Gaussian Blur. For the Radius, set it to 3 px.

Congratulations, you’ve created a 1980s retrowave graphic in Affinity Photo. For more Affinity Photo tutorials, check out this article Affinity Photo: Cyberpunk Effect Tutorial.