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In GIMP, you can (in various modes) draw a constrained straight line which will "snap" the line you're drawing to the nearest 15 degree angle, making it easy to draw lines in a precise direction. For example, in paintbrush mode, you do this by clicking one point, releasing, holding shift+ctrl, then moving the cursor to the next point of the line and clicking.

Is there any way to do this in paths mode? I can't seem to use this method to get an exactly horizontal path segment, for example.

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    If you want vertical or hoizrontal lines you can make use of the guides: just click and drag them from the rulers at edge of the images, before switching to the Paths tool.
    – jsbueno
    Mar 21, 2014 at 1:00

2 Answers 2

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Possible with the free Selection tool. Then go to Select -> to path. You'll see you path in the Paths toolbox.

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  • Can you please explain a little bit better? How to get to "free Selection tool"? What does it? ...
    – Mensch
    Aug 8, 2013 at 8:09
  • The free Selection tool is the "lasso tool" and it has all the other features normal tools like brush has. CTRL for 15° snapping SHIFT for straight lines.
    – Pierre Geier
    Aug 8, 2013 at 9:08
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    That is super annoying. This requires that a closed path be created. :( What if I want to make a path that is open, of several segments? Then I would have to create a selection, close it, convert to path, delete all of the segments that I don't want and if I want to move it to another path group? Ugh, very messy and annoying. If this is the only way, then the Gimp team should revisit this and fix it.
    – Adrian
    Aug 15, 2014 at 15:53
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You can switch on the Grid, and Snap to Grid to constrain a path. Also once you have drawn a path, you can rotate it with the Rotate Tool - use the Path option in the Rotate tool options, click on the path, and set the angle of rotation you wish.

Here's an example of an exact 45 degree path

Screenshot of GIMP path at 45 degrees

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  • That doesn't sound like it's really good enough because it requires you to stick to points on the grid, rather than starting at the point the mouse cursor is on.
    – Jez
    Mar 29, 2017 at 8:45
  • You can change the size of the grid in GIMP by clicking Image > Configure Grid.
    – Billy Kerr
    Mar 29, 2017 at 8:55
  • No but I don't want it to snap to ANY grid point, no matter how small - I want a straight line starting from the point I clicked.
    – Jez
    Mar 29, 2017 at 9:19
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    Then instead of enabling the grid, just pull down a guide off the ruler, and use that to create your path.
    – Billy Kerr
    Mar 29, 2017 at 10:22

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