Select a Subject in Affinity on a Mac
Install the segmentation model and cut out a subject, curly hair included, with Affinity's Object Selection Tool.
Want step-by-step guides like this for your own workflows? StepGrab records every click on your Mac and builds the guide automatically — PDF, GIF, or MP4, 100% offline. Try it free on the Mac App Store →
Step-by-step instructions
Affinity's Object Selection Tool picks a subject out of a photo in one click, and it handles the hard parts like curly hair surprisingly well. The catch is that it does nothing until you install the segmentation model first, which is the step most tutorials skip. Everything below runs on your Mac, no data leaves the machine.
- Open Affinity and click "Affinity" in the menu bar at the top left.
- Choose "Settings…" from the menu.
- Click into the search field at the top of the Settings window.
- Type "machine" and click "Machine Learning Models" in the results.
- Find "Segmentation" in the list and click "Install". The model is around 290 MB and runs entirely on your Mac.
- Close the Settings window.
- Back in your document, switch to the "Pixel" studio in the toolbar at the top.
- Select the Object Selection Tool in the toolbar on the left.
- Click or drag over your subject. Affinity analyses the image and highlights what it detected, including fine strands of hair. Use "Refine…" in the context bar if the edges need cleaning up.
This how-to was recorded with StepGrab, a native macOS app that captures a screenshot at every click and turns it into a numbered, annotated guide. Every frame above is a real screen from a Mac — press play to watch each step, or download the full guide as a PDF or video.
Make your own step-by-step guides
Record any workflow on your Mac and export it as a PDF, GIF, or MP4 — 100% offline, no account required.
Get StepGrab on the Mac App StoreSwitching from a browser tool? See how StepGrab works as a native Scribe & Tango alternative for Mac, or browse ready-made SOP templates & examples.