The Brush Tool

Being started to consider the main drawing tool, it is desirable to note that Adobe Photoshop CS3 software is oriented not for drawing as it is but for working with already existing images. That’s why don’t calculate you could draw with the help of Brush anything you could imagine. More often you’ll create something new on a basis of present images. Nevertheless Brush is very important at work. We can judge so thanks to huge amount of different settings of this tool.

So, let’s start. The tool Brush allows to create lines with smooth or fuzzy edges and also hard lines having different forms. The most important parameters defining line face are its thickness and form. You may assign to brushes different forms with the help of Options palette. Let’s select Brush tool (item 1) and look at this palette.
We’ll consider its settings from left to right. The first list with brush picture (item 2) consists of Tool Presets. It presents in the left side of Options palette regardless of selected tool.

If you regularly use the Tool with some concrete parameters, for example an oval brush 45 pixels in diameter drawing in Multiply mode, you should better save it as a preset to call then from this list when it’s needed. It is more convenient than to adjust the same parameters all over again every time. To save a preset open pop-up tool presets palette by pressing on brush picture (item 2) in the left side of the Options palette.
There are two different ways then:

- to press on the picture with blank page and input preset name (item 3). We may save the tool then with current parameters as preset;
- to enter the presets palette menu. You should press on black triangle in circle in the top right palette’s corner. Then select the first item New Tool Preset in the opened menu (item 4) and input preset name.

The next parameter is near the Brush word (item 5). It is responsible for adjusting brush shape and size. If we open the list the pop-up palette will open where you may choose one brush from the list (item 6) or to adjust diameter (item 7) and hardness. I accent that these presets are for brush tool only, not for other tools in general. In the bottom side of this palette’s menu (item 9) brush presets groups are enumerated. The view of brush presets list may be adjusted through the menu also (item 10). Try different variants and choose the most suitable for you.
The next parameter of Options palette is Mode parameter (item 11) which defines the drawing mode. We will treat of them in the next article.

Opacity parameter defines brush opacity (item 12). I accent that it is opacity exactly. Opacity is differs from transparency by reference point only. We may say about something that its transparency is about 70 percent. It means that something is transparent to greater extent (for 70 percent namely). If we talk about opacity, the 70 percent then means that something is non-transparent to greater extent (non-transparent for 70 percent, i.e. transparent for 30 percent). With respect to brush the term opacity means that with Opacity = 100% an original image will not overlook under a brush stroke. Brush strokes will become more transparent with decreasing Opacity parameter.

Flow–this parameter (item 13) is operates in much the same way as Opacity parameter. But of course it is obvious that the creators of Photoshop would not admit such nonsense, that’s why there are differences in any way. If we trace several times at the same place on an image not releasing a brush, the colors become thicker sensu stricto, i.e. transparency of each deposited layer will tend to absolute non-transparency. As you guess in the case of Opacity the transparency of deposited layer isn’t change irrespective of how many times you trace on the same place with brush.

In the right side of the palette there is a pictogram, which turns brush to an airbrush mode (item 14). Unlike general mode paint is pulverized in this mode. It looks like on a pulverizer or spray can for graffiti work. That’s enough for the present.