Before today, I could select an image, draw a closed vector shape in it, and use Paint to remove or add the image fill within that vector shape. This allowed me to cut out parts of an image using vector geometry, without using a mask.
For example:
1. Select an image.
2. Enter vector editing.
3. Draw a closed vector shape over the desired area.
4. Use Paint to remove/add the image fill inside that vector shape.
If the vector shape was not closed, Figma simply would not allow the fill operation. It did not switch to Crop.
Now, when I select Paint, Figma immediately switches to Crop → Custom. The vector shapes can still be created, but I can no longer use Paint to edit the image fill through those vectors.
This is particularly important because I have existing Figma files where image cutouts were created using exactly this workflow. They were made with vector geometry, not masks. The objects are still clearly vector-based, but I can no longer edit their image fills using the previous method.
I also noticed that Figma released “Erase and drag to fill for vector editing” on August 24, 2026, which introduced changes to vector editing and the Paint Bucket tool.
Could this new vector editing update have changed the behavior of Paint when working with image fills?