Bracket keys adjust sizing of existing selected stroke/brush



  • The bracket keys already adjust the sizing of brushes on the fly, before you lay down a stroke, but what about allowing the same bracket keys to size a selected pen stroke/brush stroke that is selected after the fact? I don't think you'd need any other extra modifier key. It would only happen to a stroke or strokes that are selected at that moment. I think that would be a handy way to quickly adjust existing strokes


  • administrators

    @Boldline I think this could be useful in the pencil and brush tools. It would only work when the pencil (also path sketch) or brush tools are selected and something is selected or was painted.

    It would also implicitly solve the width update in the panels when using the bracket keys 🙂

    The Esc key already deselects new paint or selected objects, so that can be used if someone does not want to change width, with the bracket keys.



  • Yes it would only work when an applicable stroke or strokes are pre-selected already. this way it's not going to happen unintentionally. I think it should be applicable to any kind of stroke tool result there is in VS - path tool, brush, pencil, pen, etc. To me it's a faster way to make adjustments on the fly and not have to go over and resize each line in the numerical box. Then I can not only adjust future strokes on the fly with the bracket keys, but I can stop and select as many of the strokes as i want that I already made and tweak them quickly and efficiently. It would be assumed that if someone wanted to make drastic size differences, they'd go to the numerical box and do it there... but the bracket keys give the fine tuning quick result.

    The other question this new feature being added brings up - if I select multiple strokes of different size widths and adjust sizing with the bracket keys, will they all enlarge or shrink proportionally to each other or all become the same size? I'd prefer they all grow incrementally from where they start and not all become the same as a result in the end.

    All that said, I think the issues with updating the stroke size in the numerical boxes are still worth fixing. Even that part needs to be smooth and as efficient as possible.



  • @vectoradmin said in Bracket keys adjust sizing of existing selected stroke/brush:

    I think this could be useful in the pencil and brush tools. It would only work when the pencil (also path sketch) or brush tools are selected and something is selected or was painted.

    I'm liking the updates to this in the 041 update! Would this bracket key sizing option not also work with the pen tool? I noticed that I could draw a stroke with the pen tool and then hit the shortcut key for brush or pencil and then the same stroke could be edited in size by the bracket keys. I know you referenced the other tools that it could work with.
    Also, is the bracket key option something that can also be used if the transform tool is selecting the shapes after they are created? Part of what I was envisioning was being able to grab stroke(s) after the fact and tweak their sizing quickly with the bracket tool.


  • administrators

    @Boldline Looks like this should be made a regular command available from most tools that can be reassigned other key combination (as a shortcut).
    I think the bracket keys are free otherwise, but the up/down arrow is used for nudging the selection.



  • @vectoradmin I totally agree. That would be a great solution



  • @vectoradmin The bracket key stroke width edit shortcut is a real gamechanger and I love using it. I noticed when I am adding strokes, they stay highlighted until I change tools. This is great if i want to adjust several strokes at one time, but often I just want to quickly modify the stroke I just made, not always the last several at the same time. Is there a feasible way to accomplish this option?


  • administrators

    @Boldline The strokes stay selected if the Eraser option is checked in the context panel. This is because the eraser will need the previously painted strokes.
    If the Eraser option is disabled, then only the last stroke is selected



  • @vectoradmin Oh! ok that makes total sense now. Awesome. I like that setup.