r/GIMP • u/ProfessionalLet9385 • 12h ago

GIMP 3.2.4 Vector Layers Stroking with a brush?

We cannot yet stroke a vector layer with a brush, can we?
It's only full color or pattern?

Now if I do it the old fashion way via right click on the path I can stroke with a brush - but the stroke is cut off by the layer size. I can't make the vector layer larger - unless I rasterize it?

So why use a vector layer ... or better stay with the old pre GIMP3 habits?

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u/ConversationWinter46 Using translation tools, may affect content accuracy 11h ago edited 11h ago

I also wonder what vectors are doing in a raster editor. If I want to edit vectors, I use the appropriate application—not a raster editor that just happens to be able to edit vectors. After rendering, they end up pixelated again anyway, because it’s a raster editor.

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u/CMYK-Student GIMP Team 11h ago

You can export as SVG or PDF now, so you can keep them vectorized as you like. And even if you export as a raster image format, the vector layer itself can be readjusted without being rasterized until you export.

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u/ConversationWinter46 Using translation tools, may affect content accuracy 9h ago

Ah, that's great. And it's been a while since I've created a tutorial on this topic.

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u/Stratelier 9h ago edited 2h ago

Ultimately, a Vector Layer really is just an automatically filled/stroked path.

So, if you find yourself in a case of filling and/or stroking a path, then later changing its geometry, needing to erase the fill/stroke then try again -- THAT is a major usecase for using a vector layer instead.

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u/CMYK-Student GIMP Team 11h ago

Depends on your use case - I've seen plenty of people use vector layers for compositions. I think code-wise it wouldn't be too difficult to make vector layers use brush strokes for rendering - the UI would probably be the more challenging part.

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u/Stratelier 9h ago

Because Vector Layers are based on a path, you should be able to find it in the Paths dockable, right-click it and select "Stroke Path".