Tips and Tutorials

 Paint a Straight Line when the Image is Rotated
With the Rotate Page Tool
(Or when the Image is Not Rotated)

Written for Corel Painter IX.5 and Corel Painter X by Jinny Brown

Question:

How can I paint a perfectly horizontal straight line when the Canvas is rotated using the Rotate Page tool?


Response:

Canvas Rotated

When the Canvas is rotated using the Rotate Page tool, we can still paint straight lines, parallel to the image window horizontally or vertically:
  • Click the V key to paint Straight Line Strokes.
  • Click on the image where you want the straight line to begin.
  • Click on the image where you want the straight line to end and, before letting go, drag to position the end point exactly where you want it then check to make sure the "wire" ghost line is perfectly straight and doesn't contain any stair steps. 
  • When you're sure the ghost line doesn't contain any stair steps, let go. 
  • If the brush stroke looks pixelated, just click in the image using the Rotate Page tool to return it to its normal upright position. Then the brush stroke should look as expected.
Canvas Not Rotated:

To paint a straight line parallel either horizontally or vertically to the image window, without the brush variant's expressive qualities (a plain straight line), follow the steps listed above under Canvas Rotated.

Canvas Rotated or Not Rotated, Paint with Expressive Brush Strokes

If you need to paint a straight line parallel either horizontally or vertically to the image window, but retain the selected brush variant's expressive qualities:
  • First use the Pen tool to draw a straight line where you want it. 
  • Unless you're intending to paint a diagonal brush stroke or a curved brush stroke, check to make sure the line doesn't contain any stair steps.
  • If it does contain stair steps, click the line's end point using the Shape Selection tool (H key), then click the up, down, left, or right arrow keys to nudge it into position and make it a perfectly straight line.
  • A Shape appears in the Layers palette because the Pen tool draws vector based Shapes.
  • Click the B key to activate the Brush tool, choose a brush variant, then paint over the Shape's path and your brush stroke appears on a new Layer above the Shape.
Also see the tutorial named:

© 2007, Jinny Brown
February 19, 2007
last modified December 11, 2007