wewah
New Forum Member
Posts: 14 
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Post by wewah on Jul 20, 2015 20:55:18 GMT
Is there a key to press while working with a soft edge brush that will change it to a hard-edged brush. Like when erasing something...some parts need a soft edge and others need hard. I get tired of always going back to the tool, scrolling up or down to a hard or soft and then having to do that again a short while later. Surely there must be some simple way that I've overlooked!
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Post by Major Major on Jul 20, 2015 21:27:55 GMT
Yup. Add the Shift key to the left and right square brackets (the ones that make the brush bigger or smaller) to get softer or harder brushes.
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wewah
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Posts: 14
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Post by wewah on Jul 20, 2015 21:31:39 GMT
Oh, weird...so while mousing with my right hand I have to reach across to the left side of keyboard to hit the shift and left bracket or shift and right bracket? Kinda awkward but doable, I guess. Ick!
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Post by Major Major on Jul 20, 2015 22:20:59 GMT
No one ever said Art was easy.  |
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Squirrel2014
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Where's that cup of tea ... ???
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Jul 20, 2015 22:45:59 GMT
Oh, weird...so while mousing with my right hand I have to reach across to the left side of keyboard to hit the shift and left bracket or shift and right bracket? Kinda awkward but doable, I guess. Ick! Well, some advantages to being left-handed then, maybe ... !!!  Actually, I've just tried it (not in PSE though) and I suspect, if using it quite often, it would be possible to get used to it. Hope you can find this gets easier for you. |
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 20, 2015 23:25:00 GMT
Oh, weird...so while mousing with my right hand I have to reach across to the left side of keyboard to hit the shift and left bracket or shift and right bracket? Kinda awkward but doable, I guess. Ick! Not really. You use your left hand to keep the Shift key down while you tap the left or the right bracket. In effect, what you are doing is typing the curly brackets -- { }. |
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Squirrel2014
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Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Jul 22, 2015 13:32:55 GMT
Oh, weird...so while mousing with my right hand I have to reach across to the left side of keyboard to hit the shift and left bracket or shift and right bracket? Kinda awkward but doable, I guess. Ick! Not really. You use your left hand to keep the Shift key down while you tap the left or the right bracket. In effect, what you are doing is typing the curly brackets -- { }. I was of the understanding thaty wewah was wanting to keep her right hand on the mouse while, at the same time, changing the brush between hard/soft. So, I still think it's worth trying to hold the shift key, on the right side of keyboard, with left index finger, 2nd finger left hand on the ']' key and the left ring finger on the '[' key. After some practice, it's probably not as clumsy as thought initially Julie |
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 22, 2015 15:13:12 GMT
I was of the understanding thaty wewah was wanting to keep her right hand on the mouse while, at the same time, changing the brush between hard/soft. So, I still think it's worth trying to hold the shift key, on the right side of keyboard, with left index finger, 2nd finger left hand on the ']' key and the left ring finger on the '[' key. After some practice, it's probably not as clumsy as thought initially ![:)]() Julie I see what you mean. I believe your understanding is correct. This is indeed cumbersome but it will work. |
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ken1
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Post by ken1 on Jul 22, 2015 16:45:20 GMT
wewah,
Press the Caps Lock key on the keyboard, then use the bracket keys next to the letter P on the keyboard.
This will allow you to engage the mouse and eliminate the gymnastics.
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Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Jul 22, 2015 16:48:14 GMT
Sepiana, yes, it does seem a bit cumbersome but I suppose it will depend on how motivated one is to get used to it As I said, I only tried it going through the motions on the keyboard, not in PSE in practice, but I think it's quite do-able Hopefully, wewah will post back soon to let us know how she is managing, and also if anyone else is trying this 'technique' Julie |
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 22, 2015 17:39:22 GMT
wewah, Press the Caps Lock key on the keyboard, then use the bracket keys next to the letter P on the keyboard. This will allow you to engage the mouse and eliminate the gymnastics.
Ken,
Thanks! This is a great tip! Unfortunately, I am afraid this will allow you to change only the size of the brush; it works the same way as just tapping the square brackets -- [ ]. If you check the Tool Options bar, you will see the Size slider moving. It won't address the question raised by weewah.
Is there a key to press while working with a soft edge brush that will change it to a hard-edged brush. Also, when the Caps Lock key is pressed down, the cursor will change from a circle to little crosshairs. Depending on the nature of the work you are doing on your image with the Brush tool or the Eraser tool, this may not be a desirable situation.
BTW, this Caps Lock key issue is not a bug; it is by design. Many Elements tools give you the option of a precise cursor (the little crosshairs). Pressing the Caps Lock key enables you to toggle this cursor on and off.
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Post by bryston3bsst on Jul 25, 2015 15:36:03 GMT
I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why this would any issue at all. The mouse has nothing to do with it. You simply press shift with your left and press brackets with your right. Quite simple.
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Post by Major Major on Jul 25, 2015 15:42:53 GMT
Bryston -
It would seem the OP did not want to have to take her hand off the mouse to accomplish the action.
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 25, 2015 15:56:37 GMT
Bryston - It would seem the OP did not want to have to take her hand off the mouse to accomplish the action. This was my understanding too. |
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Post by cats4jan on Jul 26, 2015 17:45:46 GMT
Digital Scrapper just had a blog entry that talked about doing different keyboard strokes to accomplish things with the brush tool. I am always amazed at how little I know about keyboard shortcuts. I'm lucky I learned copy/paste keyboard strokes.  Keyboard shortcuts work so slick once you get used to using them. But it takes a while for them to become second nature. |
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Keyboard shortcuts work so slick once you get used to using them. But it takes a while for them to become second nature.