Paint Stroke Tool HUD Parameters
The Paint Stroke Tool HUD appears after the Paint Stroke tool is selected in the toolbar
and before a stroke is drawn. This HUD contains controls that define the color and width
of the stroke and how pen pressure and speed affect the stroke (opacity, width, and so
on), a checkbox that allows the stroke to be “drawn in” over time, smoothing controls,
and a Shape Style pop-up menu for quick access to preset brush styles and a sketch area
for sampling these brush styles.
Brush Color:
A color well and eyedropper that set the color of the brush. For more
information on using these controls, see
Color Controls
.
Width:
A slider that defines the width of the paint stroke.
Pen Pressure:
When creating paint strokes, this pop-up menu allows you to determine
stroke properties derived from the pressure of your pen before creating the stroke. This
parameter is not available for solid brush types. Choose from one of the following:
Note: Only strokes drawn using a stylus and tablet will have recorded pressure variations.
• Nothing: Pen pressure is ignored.
• Width: The harder the pen pressure, the wider the stroke. To adjust the width of the
dabs after the stroke is created, use the width and brush scale controls in the Style and
Stroke panes.
• Opacity: The harder the pen pressure, the more opaque the stroke. To adjust the opacity
of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the opacity controls in the Style or Stroke
pane.
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• Spacing: The harder the pen pressure, the greater the spacing between stroke dabs.
To adjust the spacing of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the spacing controls
in the Style or Stroke pane.
• Angle: The harder the pen pressure, the greater the angle of the stroke dabs. To adjust
the angle of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the angle controls in the Stroke
pane.
• Jitter: The harder the pen pressure, the larger the amount of jitter on the stroke. Jitter
randomizes the position of the paint dabs, giving the dabs a particle-like appearance.
To adjust the jitter of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the jitter controls in the
Stroke pane.
Note: You can affect multiple parameters on a single stroke, such as pressure affecting
opacity and spacing. Choose an option, such as Opacity, before the stroke is created.
After you create the stroke, apply a pen shape behavior to the stroke and apply the action
to another parameter, such as Spacing. For more information on the pen shape behaviors,
see
Shape Behaviors
.
Pen Speed:
This pop-up menu allows you to affect the stroke’s width, opacity, spacing,
angle, and jitter based on the speed recorded when drawing the stroke with the paint
stroke tool. These settings can be applied to paint strokes created using a stylus and
graphics tablet or mouse. This parameter is not available for solid brush types. Choose
from one of the following:
• Nothing: Pen speed is ignored.
• Width: The faster you move the pen, the more narrow the stroke; the slower you move
the pen, the wider the stroke. To adjust the width of the dabs after the stroke is created,
use the width and brush scale controls in the Style and Stroke panes.
• Opacity: The faster you move the pen, the less opaque the stroke. To adjust the opacity
of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the opacity controls in the Style or Stroke
pane.
• Spacing: The faster you move the pen, the greater the spacing between the dabs of
the stroke. To adjust the spacing of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the spacing
controls in the Style or Stroke pane.
• Angle: The faster you move the pen, the greater the angle of the stroke dabs. To adjust
the angle of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the angle controls in the Stroke
pane.
• Jitter: The faster you move the pen, the larger the amount of jitter on the stroke. Jitter
randomizes the position of the paint dabs so they appear more like particles. To adjust
the jitter of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the jitter controls in the Stroke
pane.
Write On:
This checkbox, when selected, allows a stroke to be “painted” on the Canvas
over time. For more information, see
Write On
.
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Smoothing:
Select this checkbox to create a smoother stroke with fewer control points.
Paint strokes drawn with smoothing on are created as bezier shapes. Paint strokes drawn
with smoothing off are created as linear shapes.
Shape Style:
A pop-up menu that allows you to apply a preset shape style (from the
Library) to the selected shape. You can also save any custom shape style to the Library
using this pop-up menu. Any stroke (shape) presets you have saved to the Library also
appear in this list.
Sketch area:
An empty field where brush styles can be sampled in combination with the
current Paint Stroke Tool HUD settings.