Brush spacing / rotate / scale

[Valerie VK]

> I added a method to stroke a path with the current brush. 
> Adding a path painting tool like in 1.6 isn't that difficult as 
> flake + KisPainter provides everything needed. Maybe I will 
> implement that later today.

> The basics for editable paths are already partially implemented 
> in the vector selection, we just need to create some kind of 
> layer/mask which draws the KoPathShapes onto a KisPaintDevice.

Well then that should solve that. :)

> Yeah. From what I have seen the Corel folks also seems to have 
> quiet a few problem when designing their painting system. It 
> seems to be different release after release.

It doesn't only "seem" different. In particular, I remember years
ago when people online started complaining that Painter had decided 
to start looking more like Photoshop.

In my opinion, several goals should try to be met as much as
possible:

1. On-canvas editing. The less the user has to fiddle with menu 
boxes and options, the better. They break the work flow.

2. For the remaining editors, hands off the clutter, even at the 
price of more precision. Editors could tend to be visual: the new 
color mixer is more intuitive than say... numerical color sliders. 
Who cares if it's #12378B rather than #12378C? Options are still 
present, just tucked away in collapsible windows. Brush behavior 
presets might also be a plus.

3. Pick up and paint. This must apply to advanced painting options 
too. Maybe by using artistic templates (watercolors, oils etc), 
where the default tool will change accordingly. You open a 
watercolor template, you drag on the canvas, and you see a watercolor
trail. Lovely!

4. Keep it English. "Chose a CMYK color space then proceed to chose 
to change the layer mode to Multiply, then make use of the pixel 
brush." Ri-ight. What?

"Chose a watercolor template. Notice that the "mode" of the layers 
is "watercolor." Your default brush is a watercolor brush. Start 
painting." Yay!

5. Get the core functions down Well. The very core functions are the 
ones that will matter to Everybody, things like line-smoothing, 
anti-aliasing, etc. I've seen people argue on the merit of which 
program to use just based on how smooth are the lines they are able 
to produce. Some buy tablets just for that, others use work-arounds 
such as paths.

I admit my first impression of Krita was "Damn the line anti-aliasing 
is bad..." (I think it turned out to be a zoom-level problem. Won't
that be addressed with Arthur?).

Also, if you find a way to make strokes like these:

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/329/sharpstrokesgk7.png

with a mouse (and with line-smoothing), then... wow. In my early 
days of checking out programs, I looked left and right to find a 
way to easily do those (without resorting to paths, vector 
programs, or the likes that are cumbersome for drawing a few 
hundred hairs and hair highlights). I even can't get them right 
with a graphics tablet. :( Size-fade comes close, but if there's a 
way to automatically resize the edge no matter what the length of 
the line, that'd be better.

6. Finally... get involved with artists. They're the ones doing the
drawing, they should be able to give the most feedback on what works
and what doesn't. They may even help you identify work sequences, such
as 1. lineart cleaning, 2. [whatever], 3. [whatever] and help determine
the best way to go about it while providing tutorials. 


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