Affinity Photo: horizontal & vertical lines using Paint Brush Tool?

[K2021]

Hi,

is there a way to draw horizontal/vertical lines using the Paint brush tool that is as simple as for example in Paint.net, where you just press shift and draw using the line tool?

AFAIK line tool is not present in Affinity Photo.

Do I really have to go thru all the steps necessary to achieve this simple thing using the Pen tool? Isn't there a more "normal" way, pls?´By "normal" I mean a way that requires less than a minimum of 7 clicks to draw a horizontal line, which seems to me a little bit overkill for something this simple.

Many than in advance for any kind help!

Best regards,

K

[loukash]

5 hours ago, K2021 said:

Do I really have to go thru all the steps necessary to achieve this simple thing using the Pen tool? Isn't there a more "normal" way, pls?´By "normal" I mean a way that requires less than a minimum of 7 clicks to draw a horizontal line, which seems to me a little bit overkill for something this simple.

Obviously, it seems to be a matter of perspective:
For me, using pixel tools is always the p.i.t.a. Not the vector tools.

Anyway…

To draw straight pixel lines, there is a slightly awkward "secret handshake" that involves pressing and holding the Shift key immediately after you start dragging.
(I'd suggest that classically trained pianists with lots of Chopin études practice may have a certain motoric advantage here. For me as a blues guitarist, less so…)

[K2021]

What a beautifully composed reply👍

Thank you for that!

The technique that you've suggested has a somewhat unpleasant side-effect though. It joins the beginning of the new line with the last location, the Paint brush tool was used at before. Can we get around that?

Best regards,

K

 

[foto-grafic]

When you have finished drawing the first line, release the Shift key and start somewhere else;
click to start a new line and Shift key pressed and click on the end point.
Repeat until bored ...

[loukash]

1 hour ago, K2021 said:

a somewhat unpleasant side-effect though. It joins the beginning of the new line with the last location

That's exactly the "awkward" part: The sequence of click/drag/hold/press matters.

[K2021]

I could never get bored drawing straight lines.

They are so... unpredictable.

Thank you for being able to explain this feature even to me 😄

The fact that you need to click first, then press shift, then draw is not very intuitive to me. Hard to do with a pen, but fortunately I am also an owner of a mouse, which is more attuned to this kind of tablet gymnastics.

Many thanks!!

Best regards and strong health!

K

[loukash]

28 minutes ago, K2021 said:

They are so... unpredictable.

Hence vector.
Keep in mind that Photo has exactly the same basic vector capabilities and tools as Designer and Publisher, and you can always add more features to your afphoto document using the latter two.
So many options to create "pixel art" non-destructively with vector:

My favorite trick: "Antialiasing: Force OFF" for vector "1-bit art".

[K2021]

@loukash

This a beautiful tutorial and I will try it. Thank you! (nebo mám napsat Díky! ?

I might add that I am still a bit pessimistic as even paint.net seems so much arrow-friendlier than AP, but I will give this a reasonable shot.

Many thanks again!!

K