Contents
- Index
Tool Options Bar
When a tool has configuration options, such as line thickness or pattern, they will be displayed in the Tool Options portion of the screen, which is usually located just under or next to the Speed Button bar.
You may rearrange the position of the Tool Options and Speed Button bars by dragging the small vertical buttons at their left margins. Place one bar onto the other or switch their positions.
You can change the size of the brush either by clicking on the arrow next to the Brush field, or by typing the new size directly into the box. You may also choose from pre-defined Custom Brushes by clicking on the drop-down menu at the center of the bar. If you are using a Text tool, options to change the Font style and size will also be available. Many tools also give you the option to set the Intensity (transparency) for the shape being drawn, as well as to specify a drop Shadow behind the object. For brushstrokes, you can move the Fade slider to cause the color to fade as the stroke progresses. Move the slider to the right to cause the stoke to fade faster. Move the slider all the way to the left to eliminate the fade effect entirely.
The Style field allows you to change. Click the Arrow button to select brush and fill characteristics (see below). Click the Circle button to return to the default settings.
To paint using a pattern, checkmark the On box, and select a Pattern from the list. You can create, modify and delete patterns using the brush icons at the top of the Pattern panel. When creating or editing a pattern, lighter colors in the pattern image will lighten the paint color. Darker shades will darken the selected paint color. Patterns should generally be less than 100x100 pixels in size. For most patterns, you will also want the small images to repeat seamlessly, so as to disguise the edges of the pattern's image. You can do this from the Effects menu by using the Tile / Make Tile filter.
You may also specify whether shapes are drawn filled (with a pattern, color or gradient) by marking the Solid option. Use the Hollow option if you only wish the shape's outline to be painted.
You can use Gradients for the Flood, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse and Text tools. Checkmark the On option to enable gradients. Click on the style of gradient you wish to use. You may rotate the gradient using the slider underneath the Preview window. To change the center point of the gradient, simply click inside the preview box. To restore to the center, click on the button in the top/right corner of the Preview section. You can select colors for the gradients by clicking on the Arrow button next to the preview.