I am drawing a big rectangle and I need to reach a specific size to fit constraints (e.g. match a game screen). I can use mouse drag for an approximation, but I’d like to be able to use the arrow keys to get the exact dimension I need, similarly to how screenshot apps work.
There is no way to pre-enter a rectangle dimension numerically either (would be the best for my specific case, but wouldn’t solve cases where the user is drawing a bounding box around something by eye and doesn’t know the exact dimensions beforehand).
So being able to press (remappable?) arrow keys while drawing the rectangle to move the final corner (probably along with the cursor to avoid desync/offset between rectangle corner and cursor position) would be very useful.
Bonus point if shift+arrow keys move by a grid unit, like the Move tool.
Maybe a good way to activate it would be to hold control + arrow key to increase any selection by 1px in that direction? Could also work with lasso just fine.
It could work with a modifier too but since you’re using one hand to hold the mouse, you’d have to either:
use the right-ctrl so you can press Ctrl and arrow keys with one hand (not great, but doable)
release the mouse button and use ctrl+arrow key, which means the program needs to acknowledge this when not dragging the selection. However it may be less intuitive to decide what corner to move in this case, since you wouldn’t be actively dragging a corner with the mouse. Always the bottom-right corner? Or the last corner where you released the mouse?
Being able to modify selection after release mouse button sounds convenient though. Maybe we can get inspiration from other graphics editor, but I don’t have one in mind with this feature.
Ah, I forgot that some people use a mouse. Most pixel artists tend to use tablets, which leaves your right hand free.
As it is now, the main way to resize a rectangle (not a selection) is to make a rectangle, copy and paste it, and then press the arrows until its the size you want. Moving it will be functionally the same as adjusting the size.
For a selection though, with left control held down, drawing the handles of a selection could “copy paste” it in that direction. In such a case it would not be using the arrows though.
Ah, just Ctrl and mouse/pen, could be used to extend selection yes. Currently Shift allows you to add more selection areas but without any restriction of shape (you can even have isolated areas), it could be restricted to always extend a proper rectangle.
I was talking about Ctrl+arrow keys for precise per-tap size increments, in which case you generally use two hands. So even if you use a pen you’d have to put it down… unless you hold the pen between two fingers and use the ring or little finger to press ctrl or the arrow keys, if this is what you meant by “leaves your right hand free”.