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There are four types of perspective guides:

1 Point Mode

Create an image with one vanishing point and a horizon. Draw images that appear as if you are viewing them head, such as looking down a street, train tracks, hallway, or at a building. Mouse over it to show the horizon (blue line). Drag to reposition the vanishing point and horizon.

2 Point Mode

Create an image with two vanishing points and a horizon. Draw images of an object with a corner facing you, such as the corner of a building. The walls will recede to the vanishing points.

3 Point Mode

Create an image with three vanishing points and a horizon. Draw images of an object that you are viewing from either above or below. When you mouse over or drag a vanishing point, a horizon line (blue) and triangle connecting the three points (light blue) appears.

In this video on Perspective tools, we take you through a process of building a cityscape sketch in 3-point perspective, from start to finish.

Fisheye Mode

Only available with SketchBook Pro Desktop

Create a panoramic or hemispherical image with a very wide angle of view. Draw images of a scene viewed from a convex mirror or lens.

This mode has 5 vanishing points: left, right, top, bottom, and center. The grid is composited of a horizon line, vertical line, and circle. Curves intersect at the vanishing points. Moving the center point moves the entire grid. Moving an edge point changes the circle’s radius.

Perspective Tools for Desktop

The version of SketchBook you're using, determines the perspective tools available. In SketchBook Pro Desktop (Windows, Mac, and Mac App versions), you will have the following tools:

Accessing the Perspective tools

Tap to access the Perspective tools and guides for drawing objects and scenes in perspective.

The Perspective cursor

When you select a guide, the cursor changes to a dashed, three-line cursor.

As the cursor moves around the canvas, one of the dashed lines rotates to always point at the vanishing point.

If you draw in the general direction of the vanishing point, your stroke will automatically snaps to it. Scott Robertson does a great job demonstrating this in his walk-through Perspective Sketching Tools video, using SketchBook Pro 7.

Perspective Tools for Mobile

In the mobile (Android, iOS, and Windows 10) versions of SketchBook, you will have the following tools:

NOTE If you don't see (the Perspective Guides icon) in the toolbar, tap-drag the middle of the toolbar to the left. This will expose it and many more tools, such as Import Image, Text, and Time-lapse.

Customize Grid

Tap , then set the following parameters:

• Density - Sets the density of lines radiating from the vanishing points to create the perspective grid. The higher the number, the more grid lines.

  

  

• Opacity - Sets the visibility of the grid. The higher the number, the more visible the grid lines.

  

  

Infinity and Constrained Grid

When using both Infinite and Constrained Grid, you can do the following:

• Reposition the horizon line or a vanishing point by tap-dragging a vanishing point.

  NOTE If the vanishing points won't move, disable Lock perspective guides.

• Rotate the horizon line by tag-dragging around the canvas.

Infinity Grid

The lines of the grid extend out, infinitely, from the vanishing point.

Constrained Grid

The lines of the grid are constrained within a frame.

Tap-drag the green handles to change the size and shape of the frame.

Vanishing points

The selected Perspective Guide sets the number of vanishing points. Therefore, 1 Point Mode will have one, 2 Point Mode will display two, and so on.

The image below was created in 1 Point Mode. As you can see, there is only one (vanishing point).

You can snap to the vanishing points, draw through them, or cut your strokes short. They can even be moved off the canvas to create a less dramatic camera angle. To do this, zoom out of the canvas, then drag and reposition your vanishing points.

Perspective tools

To aid with drawing, try the Perspective tools:

Snap and Unsnap

When enabled, use this to help you draw in perpective. The strokes will be straight and constrained to being parallel to the horizon, perpendicular to the horizon, and to the vanishing points.

When disabled, draw freehand curves, etc., without being constrainted to straight lines.

Lock and Unlock

The version of SketchBook you are using will determine the name and variation in functionality for this tool.

• For the SketchBook Pro Desktop version, this tool is called Lock/Unlock Vanishing Points. When enabled, the vanishing points are locked into place and there is no worry of accidentally moving them. When disabled, they can be repositioned.

• For the SketchBook Mobile and Windows 10 versions, this tool is called Lock/Unlock Perspective Guides. When enabled, the vanishing points, as well as the constrained grid handles, are locked into place, without the worry of accidentally moving them. When disabled, they can be repositioned.

Show and Hide horizon line

When enabled, horizon lines are visible. When disabled, it is not.

Moving and locking vanishing points

To move a vanishing point, tap-drag and reposition it. If the vanishing point cannot be moved, tap to unlock the vanishing points, then tap-drag them into position.

Tap to lock the vanishing points (and constained grid handles, if using the mobile or Windows 10 versions) in place.

Hiding and unhiding the horizon line

To hide the horizon line, tap to hide it.

Tap to display it.

Saving perspective sketches

Only for SketchBook Pro Desktop

The default format set in your preferences determines whether the location of the perspective guide is maintained or not.

• To maintain the last location of the perspective guide, set Preferences > General > Default Save Format to TIFF.
• To removes the perspective guide location, set Preferences > General > Default Save Format to PSD.