Set brush size, shape, and profile

Sketching > How do I? > Apply and remove paint using brushes >

In the Paint Panel or Brush Options window set Min Radius, Max Radius, Aspect, Rotation, and Brush Profile.

Brushes apply paint to a canvas plane in strokes. A stroke consists of a series of closely spaced stamps. (If you click a brush onto a canvas plane, instead of dragging the stylus, you will apply a single stamp of paint.) The default brushes (Pencil, Marker, Airbrush, and Solid Brush) have circular stamps. You can, however, control the size and shape of brush stamps to produce different types of strokes.

To set the size of a brush

The size of a brush is based on its Min Radius (when you press lightly with the stylus) and its Max Radius (when you press hard with the stylus). If you do not want the size to vary with stylus pressure on the tablet, set the Min Radius and the Max Radius to the same value.

TipSmall brushes are more responsive than large brushes.

Do any of the following:

In the Paint Panel or Brush Options window, adjust the Min Radius and Max Radius sliders or enter values in the Min Radius and Max Radius fields. These values are measured in pixels (of the canvas plane). The maximum brush size is 255.
In the Brush Options window, adjust the minimum radius and maximum radius circles by dragging toward the centre (to decrease the size) or out to the edge (to increase the size)
With the brush tool active, hold down the R key and drag:
- up to increase the minimum radius
- down to decrease the minimum radius
- right to increase the maximum radius
- left to decrease the maximum radius.

To set the shape of a brush

The shape of a brush is based on its aspect ratio. An aspect ratio of 1 means the brush stamp is circular. The lower the aspect ratio, the flatter the brush stamp. The angle of a flat stamp is based on the brush Rotation.

Do any of the following:

In the Paint Panel or Brush Options window, do the following:
- Adjust the Aspect slider, or enter a value in the Aspect field, to make the brush more flat and thin (0) or more circular (1).
- If the Aspect value is less than 1, adjust the Rotation slider, or enter a value in the Rotation field, to make the brush more horizontal (0) or more vertical (90). (If the Aspect value is 1, the Rotation value has no effect.)
With the brush tool active, hold down the P key and drag the mouse:
- right to increase the Aspect value
- left to decrease the Aspect value.
With the brush tool active, hold down the T key and drag the mouse:
- right to increase the Rotation value
- left to decrease the Rotation value.

To set the profile of a brush

The profile of a brush controls the softness of the brush stamp edges.

In the Paint Panel, or on the Stamp tab in the Brush Options window, set Brush Profile to Hard Solid, Solid, Buzz, Regular, or Custom. If you select Custom, an editable graph of the brush profile opens.

The Point Menu enables you to add, delete, or move points on the graph.

A slower slope represents a fuzzier edge; a steeper slope represents a sharper edge. The height of the graph represents opacity on a scale of 0 - 1.