Is pixel erase the only way?

[Handyann]

Hi all. If I want to erase part of a brush line, I understand that changing to the pixel persona and using the eraser is the only way to do it, is that correct? I'm asking because that process converts the whole layer to pixel and it becomes impossible to edit as before in designer persona. Is there a different way please?

[GripsholmLion]

It may have been useful to have had at least a screen grab of your work, in case what I or someone else may have in mind wouldn't be suitable. There's a bit of missing contextual info, such as whether you want a soft erasure, which brush was used, etc.

However, one possible way is to select nodes either side of the part to be removed, break the curve, and delete the unwanted part. Another very similar way is to make two cuts with the knife tool and, again, delete the unwanted curve.

Edited March 28 by GripsholmLion
Added method

[Handyann]

I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would help. I've added a shot here. As to your reply, I did think of both your suggestions but I can't find a way to get nodes to apply to the brush I used, nor can I use the knife tool on it. The type of erasure I want is simple - total removal of the unwanted lines. The brush is a custom one used to apply set seam allowances to sewing pattern shapes.

On the screenshot, the dotted line is the shape curve, the solid line is the brush applied outside the curve and the circled sections are the bits I don't want. I have found a way to cover them using shapes on top, but that seems very clunky for such a sophisticated design software. 

[GripsholmLion]

I can't see much from that, to be honest; with no layers and no nodes visible, I can't possibly see where the problem lies. But you should be easily able to delete the ends of those paths by deleting the extraneous nodes beyond the intersection. Removing nodes from the end of a path is easy.

[GripsholmLion]

Here's a rough example of deleting nodes beyond the point at which two paths cross, making use of node snapping to easily add a new node to each line which then becomes their end point. There are probably even quicker / neater ways of doing this, but this example is good enough for this late in the day.

 

 

 

[Alfred]

42 minutes ago, Handyann said:

I can't find a way to get nodes to apply to the brush I used

What kind of brush did you use? I’m not actually convinced that you need to use a brush at all here. If you draw a solid line with the Pen Tool, duplicate it, make the duplicate dashed and pale instead of solid and black, and then move it up/down and sideways, you end up with something like this:

[Handyann]

The brush puts a complete seam allowance accurately spaced around the piece with one click and in a choice of widths. I wouldn’t have the time to do each individually. The screenshot only shows a very small part of the whole piece. There are no nodes to delete as it isn’t a path, even though it looks like an ordinary line. This issue only happens at this very sharp concave point. All the other sides and corners are perfectly fine.  Perhaps I’ll just have to stick with covering with white shapes 🤷‍♀️ Thank you for your time anyway 😊 

[GripsholmLion]

If this is not a path, then this cannot be a vector brush, but a raster brush, so I can't really see the point of the question as it was phrased. There should be no need to worry about converting to a pixel layer if there are no paths to preserve.

[Handyann]

@GripsholmLion As you might have gathered, I am very new to this and so probably explain myself badly. I will just trot off and find out the difference between a vector brush and a raster brush.

What I do know is that if I draw a shape with the pen tool, then apply the brush, change to pixel persona and erase the unwanted lines, the whole shape becomes a pixel layer. If I then need to return to it at a later date I can’t edit it to remove the brush stroke and replace it with a different one - I have to redraw it.

I just asked if there was another way to erase the excess brush lines other than using the pixel eraser. Apparently the answer is no.

[GripsholmLion]

Well, there is, as I showed you, but you need to use vector tools if you want vectors.

If I was drawing your design, I would have used a method along the lines of what @Alfred suggested: start with the pen tool to draw the inner lines. However, I would then create an offset path around it using the Contour tool. That is entirely vector and easy to do.

[Handyann]

Thank you.

[Alfred]

9 minutes ago, GripsholmLion said:

Well, there is, as I showed you, but you need to use vector tools if you want vectors.

If I was drawing your design, I would have used a method along the lines of what @Alfred suggested: start with the pen tool to draw the inner lines. However, I would then create an offset path around it using the Contour tool. That is entirely vector and easy to do.

Yes, contours is the way to go. With multiple contours you should be able to achieve the choice of widths that @Handyann wants.

[Handyann]

Thank you both. I’ll explore that after this project deadline. No time to experiment just now.

[thomaso]

14 hours ago, Handyann said:

The brush is a custom one used to apply set seam allowances to sewing pattern shapes.

12 hours ago, Handyann said:

The brush puts a complete seam allowance accurately spaced around the piece with one click and in a choice of widths. I wouldn’t have the time to do each individually.

I doubt a brush like this will work for every possible corner angle …

… instead you could use a PenTool vector curve + apply a multi-stroke setup, like so:

Just note, here the white stroke is set to Blend Mode "Erase", this will cause rasterization on export. Alternatively you can use "Normal", it wouldn't occur as such on a white background (page, artboard, paper.

11 minutes ago, GripsholmLion said:

I would then create an offset path around it using the Contour tool. That is entirely vector and easy to do.

Wouldn't this require copied curve objects to allow different strokes for in-/outside?

[iconoclast]

To be honest, I don't fully understand the problem here. But I want to make an annotation. Not all brushes that are called "Vector Brushes" in Designer really are vector brushes. In fact the most are not. The most vector brushes only have a vector core and pixel textures following this vector core. These textures of course don't have nodes and can't be cutted like vectors. They are pixel data. So one possibility to erase these textures is to change to the Pixel Persona and use the Eraser tool, or a Layer Mask (for non-destructive erasing). You can even paint over the textured lines with any brush and any colour you want and use the Layer Mode "Erase" (the last one at the bottom of the list). It would be like to overpaint the line with white colour, but it has the advantage that, if you have a transparent background, the overpainted areas will be transparent too, and not white. And it is a non-destructive method too, so that you can undo it whenever you want by simply making the layer invisible.

[Handyann]

@thomaso Thank you. That’s what I was trying to achieve. I didn’t create the brushes by the way, I just used them 😊 

[Handyann]

@iconoclast Thank you for the explanation about the brushes. It makes more sense now.

[thomaso]

13 hours ago, Handyann said:

I wouldn’t have the time to do each individually.

1 hour ago, Handyann said:

No time to experiment just now.

55 minutes ago, Handyann said:

That’s what I was trying to achieve.

Depending on the number of curves, corners to be fixed or objects to get outlined it may be more efficient to define a multi-stroke setup once + save that as "Style" for multiple assignment with 1 click.

EDIT: stupid me, these corners are the consequence of maths and parallel lines … BUT… with this method I don't know a solution yet for the intense outer offset in narrow angles like this. Reducing the 'Mitre' value cuts the corner while increasing the value may increase the offset. – Does someone know how to avoid this here?

Edited March 29 by thomaso

[lepr]

4 hours ago, Handyann said:

What I do know is that if I draw a shape with the pen tool, then apply the brush, change to pixel persona and erase the unwanted lines, the whole shape becomes a pixel layer.

That conversion of vector to raster can be avoided by using the highlighted option in the screenshot below. Instead, a mask will be nested inside the vector object and the Erase Brush will modify the mask.

 

[Handyann]

@leprGenius! So simple and well within my newbie understanding. Thank you.