Pixel brushes

[Mr Sinister]

Hi. I’m a recent convert from Photoshop.

Am slowly getting to grips with vector drawing, but my question is regarding the pixel brush(es).

I’ve gotten used (in PS) to being able to lay down a clean paint brush line that is a defined number of pixels wide (I usually work in between 1 and 6 pixels).

I have imported a PS image Into Designer 2. 300dpi. I’ve not changed the size of the image. I have my paint brush set to 1 pixel, and it’s still larger than some lines that are at least 4 pixels. Not only that, when drawing, the brush has a bleed off that’s around the same width as the brush itself. It feels like trying to create precise lines using a roller. 
I have read about issues that people have had regarding jagged / pixelated brush lines that can be mitigated by adjusting brush hardness etc. Thinking that may be my issue,  I have tried altering the brush parameters, but - so far - nothing has helped.

Any pointers (ha!) are much appreciated.

Affinity Designer 2

MacBook Pro. Monterey. 2021. 16GB Ram

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

It would help to see a screenshot of your application window to illustrate the issue. But off-hand, check the brush Softness, and check whether Wet Edges are enabled. I think both of those could have some effect, but there may be others.

Also check to make sure you aren't confusing "1 pt" and "1 px".

[Mr Sinister]

Hi. Thanks for the response.

I have attached a screenshot that I hoped explain the situation. I *think* the brush is 1px, as indicated top left.

The image is a PS illustration. Most of the black lines have been created as vectors in Designer 2. The thinner, slightly wonky, black lines are from the PS image. They were drawn using a 4px pen line. The grey line near the bottom was created using a brush at the shown settings. It’s much broader than the 4px line created in PS. 
Also it’s rather jagged. 
 

Thanks again.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Mr Sinister

[walt.farrell]

Thanks, but that's still lacking some context. The full application window would be more useful.

It does answer the px vs pt question, at least.

And it shows that the Hardness is not 100% which may play a role.

I'm not sure what gray line you're referring to. Is it the block 1px line at the very bottom? The anti-aliasing is contributing to that being bigger than 1px. What do you see with a Hardness of 100%?

Your "wonky" lines from PS are less than 1px, not 4px as you mentioned. You can see this from the rulers.

[Mr Sinister]

OK. You are going discover that my technical knowledge is both very limited, and really specific. I learned to use PS during my degree, and I am entirely self-taught, to the point where I could get PS to do what I wanted, and not really any more than that.

My knowledge of Designer is almost non-existent, beyond what I’ve learned watching the tutorials (and only about 25% of what I learned has lodging in my brain). So bear with me.

Could you explain what the ‘full application window’ is, for future reference?

Also, I have realised that the image I am ‘drawing over’ was indeed scaled down from its original size, and I forgot that I’d done that, hence the lines are indeed fewer pixels wide than I thought🤦🏻‍♂️

Apologies for my confusion.

It’s probably best to close this thread down, and never speak of it again.

Thanks for your help. Btw, I’m really enjoying drawing in vectors, which is not something I’ve really done before.

 

[GarryP]

The “full application window” is everything within the main window of the application you are using, rather than just a photo of a part of it.

For an example, see the attached image where we can see everything that you can see on your screen, including menus, tools, the context toolbar and settings, file type and other information, etc., rather than just a part of what’s on the screen.
The more we can see of what you can see the better we can help when it comes to diagnosing visual issues.

Basically, maximise the application (make it fill as much of the screen as possible) and take a full-screen screenshot with the software which is built into the operating system – plenty of instructions on the web for how to do this.

[StuartRc]

I had play around with some of my brushes to see if there was an issue...I could not find one!

Initially  I though that maybe the image was imported at a different resolution or that the brush anti- aliasing was creating the impression that the brush is larger than the actual specified size. Also you could try comparing the pixel brush with the brush tool to see if the results you require are better. Zooming in can create some strange illusions!. Also check the blend modes on context menu and | or see if something unexpected is set in the dynamics that would influence the size of the brush.. like 'size jitter' for instance

You do get this with brush settings...As a footnote, normally I would not use a brush at 1px as it tends to look too pixelated. 2px with a reduced hardness works better for me personally...

Scaling would have influence on what you are seeing!

As below
the Brush used is the same 
but red appears to be larger as original pixel object was scaled (Black)