how to draw lines in gimp

Existence able to draw a perfectly direct lines may sound like a niggling chore, only doing and so in a raster-based environment (such every bit GIMP) can be surprisingly perplexing to some equally it'due south somewhat of a hidden characteristic. In this tutorial we'll exist going over two different ways in which you tin draw a straight line with GIMP, using paths likewise equally brush strokes.

In short, y'all can draw a straight line in GIMP by using the Paths Tool to draw a straight path, and and so stroke the path.

This tin also exist achieved using the Pencil or Brush tool and holding Shift on your keyboard before clicking on the canvas. The do good of this method is that it allows you to lock your lines onto a horizontal or vertical centrality. Let'southward dig in!

Draw A Straight Line with GIMP

The following video tutorial will walk you through both processes for cartoon straight lines with GIMP:

Continue on for the written instructions.

Option 1: Draw straight lines using the Paths Tool

To draw a directly line with GIMP, create two points on your sheet using the Paths Tool. Then, navigate to Edit > Stroke Path and cull the size/thickness of your line. Press the Stroke push button when finished. This will create a line going through the two points you created.

Permit's start go over how to draw a straight line using the Paths Tool, which can be accessed in your toolbar or by pressing the letter B on your keyboard.

With the Paths Tool enabled, click on your sail to create a point. This point will represent the starting point on your line:

First point — Clicking one time will create the first point, or the start bespeak of your line.

At present bring your cursor over to where y'all'd like the 2nd point to exist and click to place it. This will represent the endpoint of your line.

The tool volition automatically place a line betwixt these ii points:

Point two — The second signal will represent the endpoint of your line.

Yet, this line is not office of the design. It'southward essentially a visual guide. To make this guide (or path) into a line we'll have to employ a stroke to it using the Stroke Path feature.

To access it, navigate to:

Edit > Stroke Path

The menu should expect something similar this:

The presets chosen in the screenshot to a higher place are as follows:

Stroke line: Solid color
Antialiasing enabled
Line width: 3 px

The Line Width value represents the thickness of the line that will be drawn. Y'all can increment or decrease this size to adapt your own needs.

Once applied, printing the Stroke button, and a stroke (in the color you've chosen equally your foreground color) volition exist generated along your path:

Stroke line — The color of the line you lot describe will be determined past your chosen **foreground** color, noted in the screenshot above.

You may accept to deselect the Paths Tool to get rid of the guide/path in order to see the straight line you've drawn with GIMP.

Option 2: Draw direct lines using the Shift key

To draw a straight line with GIMP, grab the Pencil Tool and click on the canvas to create a bespeak while holding Shift on your keyboard. Drag the line in the direction you'd like information technology to become, then click again to end the line.

At present let's go over a different method in which the Brush Tool and Pencil Tool can be used to draw a straight line with GIMP.

Typically, when yous depict a line with the Brush or Pencil tools, it's rarely perfectly direct. This is because the line follows the path of your hand movement, which ordinarily isn't a perfectly directly. However, there is another way to draw with these tools, allowing yous to describe a direct line if need be.

Allow's use the Pencil Tool (keyboard shortcut: Northward) for example.

Hold Shift on your keyboard and click once on your canvass to create a bespeak. At that place should at present be a guide line originating from the spot of the point that tails your mouse movement:

Pencil line

While notwithstanding holding Shift, simply click again to create some other point, which will and then complete your line:

Drawn line — A straight line drawn with the **Pencil Tool**.

While drawing, you can concur the Control key to lock the line onto the horizontal or vertical axis to describe perfectly straight line:

Straight lines — Holding **Shift** and **Control** will allow you to describe direct lines that follow 15 degree increments.

Y'all can too draw diagonal lines using this method equally well equally your lines volition be locked into 15 degree increments.

This method tin also be repeated using the Brush Tool (keyboard shortcut: P) which volition likewise permit yous to draw a straight line with GIMP using castor settings of your preference. Bank check out my tutorial on how to employ those tools if you need further assistance.

Which Is Better?

The benefit of using the Path Tool method is that you tin can change the thickness of your line later on it's been drawn, if demand exist. Changing the thickness when using the Pencil or Brush tools would mean undoing/erasing the line and starting over with a different brush thickness.

On the other hand, the benefit of using the Pencil/Brush tools is that you lot can lock your lines onto 15 degree angles if need be.

If you have whatsoever questions or need clarification on any of the steps taken in this lesson, simply go out a annotate below.

Go A Master Of GIMP!

Desire to learn more about how GIMP works? Check out The GIMP Serial – a comprehensive collection of over 60 videos where I go over all of the major tools, features and functions in GIMP and explain what they practise, how they work, and why they're useful.

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