6 posts
A bitmap costs width × height × 4 bytes in memory regardless of its file size. Decoding at display size, choosing the right config and budgeting the cache are what keep an image-heavy app from being reclaimed.
Drawing custom shapes means Path plus DrawScope. Shadows are separate, and Modifier.shadow takes its own shape parameter — omitting it is why rounded cards get square shadows.
Compose gradients take pixel coordinates, so a hardcoded end point produces a different result on every screen size. Float.POSITIVE_INFINITY and DrawScope.size are the two ways to make a brush relative.
Painter draws content and declares an intrinsic size, which is what lets it participate in layout the way a resource does. Writing one is the right answer when drawing needs to be reusable across Image, Icon and modifiers.
ImageVector is drawing commands executed at render time; ImageBitmap is pixels held in memory. The choice is about scaling fidelity versus per-frame cost, and the common mistakes run in both directions.
Image sizing depends on the modifier constraints and contentScale together. Understanding which one crops, which one fits, and where the aspect ratio comes from resolves most image layout bugs in one pass.
