Tutorials    
Basics
Enhancing Images
Blending Images
Special Effects
Drawing Tools
Interface Color Balance Selection Tools Filters Color Selection
Toolbox Brightness/Contrast Transform Layer Styles Type Tool
Palettes Hue/Saturation Opacity Paint Tools
Layers Cropping Vector Shapes
File Types Cloning Stamp Gradients
Resolution/Size Blur/Sharpen/Smudge
Burn/Dodge/Sponge

What are the
Paint Tools?

In Photoshop, you can use the Paint Tools to draw freehand and to create your own images and graphics. Photoshop’s paint tools consist of the Pencil tool, the Paintbrush, the Airbrush, and the Paint Bucket.

  
 
 

The Pencil tool draws lines with a sharp edge:




  
 
 

The Paintbrush also draws, but rather than having a sharp edge, the edge is softer and slightly transparent:




  
 
 

The Airbrush tool is similar to the Paintbrush, except that the edge is softer yet, and the entire line is transparent, rather than just the edges:




  
 
 

The Paint Bucket lets you color in an entire area with just one click:




  
 
 

How do I use the
Pencil Tool,
Paint Brush,
or Airbrush?

To use the Pencil Tool, the Paint Brush, or the Airbrush:

1) Click on the tool you want to use.


2) Select any desired options from the Option Bar, including the brush size, shape and pattern you want to use when painting with the mouse.




     

To select a new brush, pick it from the Brush pull-down menu on the Options Bar:

  
     
 
     

The circle button with the black arrow (circled in red below) will provide a fly-out menu with more brush options. This menu lets you load more brushes, create brushes, save modified brushes, delete brushes, rename brushes, and reset brushes to Photoshop’s defaults (among other things). The bottom grouping is a list of other brush families that you can use if you wish.

  
 

 
       



To modify the characteristics of the currently selected brush, click on it in the Options Bar. A dialog box for brush modifications will appear. You can change the brush Diameter, Hardness and Spacing by using the slider bars; modify the brush tip’s Angle and Roundness by manipulating the circle and axis button.


(Note: The Options Bar also provides you with options to change appropriate brush characteristics such as opacity and brush pressure.)


3) In the Layers palette, select the layer on which you want to paint.

4) Drag the mouse to draw.


  
   
    How do I use
the Paint Bucket?		  

To use the Paint Bucket:

1) Click on the Paint Bucket tool.

2) Select any desired options from the Option Bar.

3) In the Layers palette, select the layer on which you want to paint.

4) Using the selection tools, select the part of the layer you want to fill.

5) Make sure that the foreground color is set to the hue you want. (See the Color Selection section for more information.)

6) Point with the mouse to the selected area, then click once. The selected area will fill with the foreground color.

 
   
   

Some examples

 

 

 

  

These illustrations show examples of what you can create using the Painting Tools in Photoshop:

  
       

(Illustrations courtesy of Amy Rider.)

 


  
 

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Contact Dr. Mary Nicholson at mjnich@bloomu.edu