Good question. Did you mean the "paths tool"? I don't think there is a pen tool. Anyways I don't think that the paths tool anti aliases. What I would do is make sure the "Lock Alpha Channel" checkbox on the right layers dialoge is marked. (located under Opacity) What this does is it keeps the ammount of transparency the same, however the color will still change to your gradient. This allows for the anti aliasing to maintain its integrity and not look jagged.

If you need further help just email me back. I am too busy to do it right at this moment, but will have free time soon.

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 9:21 PM, bob wrote:

Hi all.

How do I create smooth diagonal lines ?

I've been experimenting with creating various aesthetics for an online portfolio. Here is the result of one such experiment:

http://imgur.com/e7iaj

I created the shape of the navigation container image with the pen tool. I turned the resulting path into a selection, and then applied various fills, gradients and layer effects.

From the outset of that process, the outline of the navigation bar has

been
somewhat jagged.

Is there a way to create the diagonal edges for such an image smoothly?

Thanks.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)

The best method for good anti-aliasing in GIMP is to transform raster lines to vector lines. For example, when you create a selection, by default if you were to stroke the selection, then it would look rigid and pixely. However if you first convert the selection to a path (Select > To Path) and then stroke the path instead of the selection (Edit > Stroke Path), then the rigid pixely lines become smooth anti-aliased lines. That is one option. Another might be to blur your lines, another might be to use a different brush, or instead of drawing your lines with a brush draw them using a selection, then fill the selection, which has options for feathering edges and rounding corners. There are several approaches you may take, and none of them are necessarily the "right approach", you just have to experiment.

Nathan

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 8:21 PM, bob wrote:

Hi all.

How do I create smooth diagonal lines ?

I've been experimenting with creating various aesthetics for an online portfolio. Here is the result of one such experiment:

http://imgur.com/e7iaj

I created the shape of the navigation container image with the pen tool. I turned the resulting path into a selection, and then applied various fills, gradients and layer effects.

From the outset of that process, the outline of the navigation bar has

been
somewhat jagged.

Is there a way to create the diagonal edges for such an image smoothly?

Thanks.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)
_______________________________________________ Gimp-user mailing list
Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU
https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user

On Mon, 2009-11-16 at 04:21 +0100, bob wrote:

Hi all.

How do I create smooth diagonal lines ?

I've been experimenting with creating various aesthetics for an online portfolio. Here is the result of one such experiment:

http://imgur.com/e7iaj

I created the shape of the navigation container image with the pen tool. I turned the resulting path into a selection, and then applied various fills, gradients and layer effects.

Did you try to stroke the path? That gives much better results than converting the path to a selection.

Sven

Ok, I made a quick example of the difference. Here: http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n382/steferfootballdude13/example.png On the left I locked the Alpha Channel. On the Right I didn't. As you can see,(particularly if you zoom in) the Left one has a kind of blurry effect to it. This is called Anti Aliasing (more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-aliasing or just google aniti aliasing). Basically What anti Aliasing does is allows us to make smooth looking diagonal lines in a rectangular grid of pixels. It works by surrounding the solid jagged pixels with slightly transparent pixels. It really helps make it look smooth.

So, in gimp when you put your gradient on without locking the alpha channel (the alpha channel just references to how transparent somthing is) what happens in the selection, no matter how transparent becomes a solid color. This is not ideal.

So. what you will do is, 1. Make your path and do the selection process. 2. once you have your path as some sort of layer, then select the lock alpha channel check.
3. Put your gradient on.

I cant really think of any settings right now that would not allow you to put a gradient on. I would then turn the lock alpha channel off, because it can prevent you from editing the layer and cause fusteration.

The lock alpha channel can also be used to apply a gradient to text, as text is anti aliased. That is when I started using the Lock feature.

Good Luck, Stefan Maerz

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 4:17 AM, bob wrote:

Good question. Did you mean the "paths tool"? I don't think there is a

pen

tool. Anyways I don't think that the paths tool anti aliases. What I would do is make sure the "Lock Alpha Channel" checkbox on the right layers dialoge is marked. (located under Opacity) What this does is it keeps the ammount of transparency the same, however the color will still change to your gradient. This allows for the anti aliasing to maintain its integrity and not look jagged.

If you need further help just email me back. I am too busy to do it right

at

this moment, but will have free time soon.

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 9:21 PM, bob wrote:

Hi all.

How do I create smooth diagonal lines ?

I've been experimenting with creating various aesthetics for an online portfolio. Here is the result of one such experiment:

http://imgur.com/e7iaj

I created the shape of the navigation container image with the pen tool.

I

turned the resulting path into a selection, and then applied various

fills,

gradients and layer effects.

From the outset of that process, the outline of the navigation bar has

been
somewhat jagged.

Is there a way to create the diagonal edges for such an image smoothly?

Thanks.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)

Apologies.
I did indeed mean the paths tool.

I haven't been able to get results by locking the alpha channel. But this is
most probably due to my failure to understand this function and it's purpose.
Until you pointed it out, I hadn't even noticed it. Feel free to point me to information on what what locking alpha can do.

Once I locked the alpha channel, I couldn't seem to do much with the layer. I
couldn't fill it or anything.

However, after playing around with the advice in this thread, I was able to get closer to the effect that I wanted.

I got closer to smooth diagonals by stroking the path.

Thank you.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)

Oh, just read Sven neumann's Post. He has a great idea. After you make your path, use the Stroke Path button right under the selection from path. This will anti alias better (look smoother). But before you do this use a relatively small brush, so your corners are not rounded. Also you may have to fill in the center of your selection before use of the gradient.

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 8:34 AM, Stefan Maerz wrote:

Ok, I made a quick example of the difference. Here: http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n382/steferfootballdude13/example.png On the left I locked the Alpha Channel. On the Right I didn't. As you can see,(particularly if you zoom in) the Left one has a kind of blurry effect to it. This is called Anti Aliasing (more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-aliasing or just google aniti aliasing). Basically What anti Aliasing does is allows us to make smooth looking diagonal lines in a rectangular grid of pixels. It works by surrounding the solid jagged pixels with slightly transparent pixels. It really helps make it look smooth.

So, in gimp when you put your gradient on without locking the alpha channel (the alpha channel just references to how transparent somthing is) what happens in the selection, no matter how transparent becomes a solid color. This is not ideal.

So. what you will do is, 1. Make your path and do the selection process. 2. once you have your path as some sort of layer, then select the lock alpha channel check.
3. Put your gradient on.

I cant really think of any settings right now that would not allow you to put a gradient on. I would then turn the lock alpha channel off, because it can prevent you from editing the layer and cause fusteration.

The lock alpha channel can also be used to apply a gradient to text, as text is anti aliased. That is when I started using the Lock feature.

Good Luck, Stefan Maerz

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 4:17 AM, bob wrote:

Good question. Did you mean the "paths tool"? I don't think there is a

pen

tool. Anyways I don't think that the paths tool anti aliases. What I

would

do is make sure the "Lock Alpha Channel" checkbox on the right layers dialoge is marked. (located under Opacity) What this does is it keeps the ammount of transparency the same, however the color will still change to your gradient. This allows for the anti aliasing to maintain its

integrity

and not look jagged.

If you need further help just email me back. I am too busy to do it right

at

this moment, but will have free time soon.

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 9:21 PM, bob wrote:

Hi all.

How do I create smooth diagonal lines ?

I've been experimenting with creating various aesthetics for an online portfolio. Here is the result of one such experiment:

http://imgur.com/e7iaj

I created the shape of the navigation container image with the pen

tool.
I

turned the resulting path into a selection, and then applied various

fills,

gradients and layer effects.

From the outset of that process, the outline of the navigation bar has

been
somewhat jagged.

Is there a way to create the diagonal edges for such an image smoothly?

Thanks.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)

Apologies.
I did indeed mean the paths tool.

I haven't been able to get results by locking the alpha channel. But this is
most probably due to my failure to understand this function and it's purpose.
Until you pointed it out, I hadn't even noticed it. Feel free to point me to information on what what locking alpha can do.

Once I locked the alpha channel, I couldn't seem to do much with the layer. I
couldn't fill it or anything.

However, after playing around with the advice in this thread, I was able to
get closer to the effect that I wanted.

I got closer to smooth diagonals by stroking the path.

Thank you.

-- bob (via www.gimpusers.com)