Vectornator 4.2

The 4.2 update is finally here!

We’ve got a lot of great changes in this new release, and we’re really excited to show you the improvements we’ve made! Let’s dive in.

New ways to create documents

First up, we’ve completely redesigned the way that you create new documents in Vectornator.

We’ve improved the layout of the Template Picker. Now, you can see the aspect ratio directly displayed on the thumbnail of each template, giving you a much better understanding of the dimensions of your document before you create it.

It also just got a lot easier to edit a template! On iPad and iOS, just tap the three dots in the lower right hand corner of the template, or on macOS, click the Show Details button.

We’re also incredibly excited to bring you custom document templates. Now, you can create a new template in whatever size you want, and save it to your own personal library of custom templates. There’s also now an option to create a new template based on the size of your current device!

And our set of social media and device templates got updated too! You should now see options that more closely reflect the types of templates you’ll use the most often. Speaking of which, when you tap the New Document template button in the Gallery, you’ll see your five most recently used templates. A lot of little improvements like these will add up to a large amount of time saved over the course of your workflow.

Easier file import

Our new file import area makes it much easier to understand which types of files you can import into Vectornator. Just tap on one of the options or drag and drop your documents onto the highlighted area.

Document scanner

This one is really exciting! In the new import tab, you’ll see a camera icon. This is a new feature that we’ve implemented which allows you to scan documents directly into Vectornator using your device’s camera!

When you scan a document, you’ll have some image editing options available before you decide to import the document. And you can take several photos in a row, and then import them as separate Artboards in the same file.

This new feature is perfect for designers who like to sketch out a design concept with physical pencil and paper first. And it’s also great for quickly converting a physical document into a PDF! Just upload the images into separate Artboards, and then export the file as a PDF.

Redesigned selection handles and Bézier nodes

We’ve reworked selection handles as well!

On iPad and iOS, selection handles are now blue. On macOS, they will adapt to the accent color setting on your device (which is blue by default).

The selection handles also now have much more contrast against different backgrounds, and the selection outlines are now much thinner, which helps them to not cover your shape’s stroke.

We also reworked the nodes on our Bézier curves and shapes. Now, when you’re drawing shapes and curves with the Pen Tool, you’ll notice that the start node of your path is highlighted with a green color and the end node is highlighted in red, while all the other nodes in between remain blue.

This new color coding makes it way easier to understand how a path is set up and where a path opens and closes.

New tool behaviors and content aware options

Speaking of the Pen Tool, we’ve also added some content-aware options to help you while you’re drawing vector paths.

First, we’ve added the Close Path button, which will complete your vector shape instantly by drawing a line between the beginning and end nodes of your line. Thanks to the new color-coding in this update, it’s now much easier to see where that line will be drawn. Just tap the button to close the path!

You can also now finish a path while you have the Pen Tool selected, enabling you to draw another separate path without having to switch tools. Just tap on the End Path Button.

Alternatively, you can use a new gesture to easily end your path: Simply double-tap or double-click near the end node of your current path to finish it, or press the escape key on your keyboard.

Also, when you have an open path selected and you switch from any other tool to the Pen Tool, you can now continue drawing from your selected shape without first having to select the end node.

We hope these improvements make drawing shapes and curves with the Pen Tool a lot more fluid and enjoyable!

New home screen sidebar

On iOS & iPadOS, our new Home Screen sidebar makes it easier to switch between your Gallery and News tabs and your Vectornator Settings. And if you want to focus more on your document, you can just collapse the sidebar so that your project has more space to breathe.

Redesigned widget area

On iPadOS & iOS, the Widget Area has been redesigned to feature a better button layout with the undo and redo buttons now always visible. We also added a menu for the scale + rotation widget.

New tools menu

On macOS, we added an easy way to see all of the key command shortcuts for the individual tools. You also now have the ability to customize your Vectornator keyboard shortcuts via your System Preferences.

Reworked library window

On macOS, the Library is now shown as a popover window instead of a separate tab. Click the plus icon in the top right corner to access the new Library, including Iconator and Unsplash!

New inspector sidebar

On macOS, the Inspector now has a proper sidebar and better integrates into the system. It no longer floats above the canvas anymore and holds all the options to arrange, group and reposition your elements at the top for easier access. Because of this change, “Zoom to fit" now properly centers your artwork on the canvas.

Focus mode

On macOS, we make it easier to show off your artworks by adding the option to hide interface elements via the “View” menu. You can separately hide Layers (keyboard shortcut ⌥⌘1) or the Inspector (keyboard shortcut ⌥⌘2), or all interface elements at once (keyboard shortcut ⌘.) When hiding all interface elements, the Toolbar also disappears, plus the app remembers which parts of the interface were visible before entering focus mode and restores only these when you unhide again.

Bug fixes

We fixed an issue that caused the app to crash on iOS 15 whenever a document was opened. We also fixed an issue where creating new artboards with a trackpad or mouse attached to the iPad could cause the app to crash.

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We constantly want to improve the quality of our software. Feel free to ask questions, give feedback & share your ideas. We’re always happy to connect with members of our community. Contact us directly in Vectornator or via support@vectornator.io. If you enjoy using Vectornator, please rate the app and share your review. Thank you for being part of our community!

Don't forget to download Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) today if you haven't already.

Let us know what you think of Vectornator 4.2! We can’t wait to hear from you!