Mirrored circles - this should be simple..?

[Simon Dominic]

I want to draw a circle, mirrored (i.e. two circles equidistant from a mid-line). This is proving problematic.

I tried vector but doing a bit of digging I see vectors can't be used with symmetry.

There is no circle / ellipse tool for raster so I can't just draw a raster circle and mirror it.

I looked into drawing a vector circle and tracing the path with a raster brush (so that the overlay can be mirrored) but this is not possible.

So I thought I'd draw the circle in vector and draw round it freehand in raster symmetry mode (urgh!)... but when I switch to vector the symmetry line disappears so I don't know where to put the circle.

I tried using the raster Marquee tool and drawing round the inside of it (urgh x 2). I can do that and the symmetry line remains... but it does not mirror when I draw! (I don't know if this is a bug, I can't see why brushstrokes would not be mirrored merely because they're constrained by a selection).

In any event, after trying several other things the only way I could draw two identical circles mirrored is to draw one in vector, rasterize it, to to symmetry mode and position it, create a new layer, put markers around the first circle in symmetry mode so they are mirrored to produce a placeholder on the opposite side, duplicate the circle layer, place it within the markers on the opposite side and delete the marker layer.

..Then I need to adjust the circles and find I have to go through the whole soul-destroying process again.

Please tell me I'm missing something here and drawing a circle and having it mirrored is really simple.

[Callum]

Hi Simon Dominic,

I think the best way to do this in vector would be using Symbols you can see an example of how I would go about doing this in my attached screen recording.

Thanks

C

[Simon Dominic]

Thanks, that's helpful, I've not used symbols so I'll look into that.

What I'd request in some future update are, therefore, things along the following lines:

1) Vector symmetry

2) Raster shapes (with symmetry)*

3) Mirroring raster lines constrained by a marquee

 

I was thinking along the lines of a method that can draw both lines and circles. So maybe you click and drag whilst holding down a key - this sets the radius - and when you release key your line is constrained to an arc with that specific radius until you lift off. That way you could draw freehand arcs, circles and maybe even spirals. All with symmetry of course.

[v_kyr]

See also:

• AD mirror mockup template

[Simon Dominic]

Thanks, I'll check that out.

[v_kyr]

17 minutes ago, Simon Dominic said:

Thanks, I'll check that out.

Another way is shown here ...

... by setting the 0 point ruler origin to the middle of the doc, drawing a circle on the +side, then duplicate the circle and move via transform the duplicate to the -side.

[Move Along People]

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[Move Along People]

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[Simon Dominic]

Thanks for those suggestions, they will certainly make things easier. I hope in some future upgrade there will be full mirroring of vectors and shapes, it would make things so much quicker.

[Move Along People]

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[Scarlet]

Another vote for mirroring and symmetry in vector mode. I understand how to set up the symbols, but it's an absolute hassle. 

Why is this available in pixel mode, but not vector??