Edit Brush
Tools are effective for making a variety of global adjustments, but are not ideal for adjusting specific areas of a photo. For example, instead of blurring an entire photo, it may be more desirable to blur certain areas, such as the background. To do this, and other local adjustments, use the Edit Brush tool.
The Edit Brush tool selectively edits photos by simply brushing on the effects. The Edit Brush tool is essentially creating a mask that is used to determine which pixels will be affected by the current settings of the chosen operation.
Edit Brush
The Edit Brush button resides at the top of the editing dialog associated with all applicable filters. 
To use the Edit Brush:
- Select a filter from the Filters main menu item.
- Click the Edit Brush button to display the brush controls in the filter dialog.
- Specify the brush settings in the panel or on the fly as described below.
- Start painting the effects on the photo.
- Adjust the sliders to get the desired effect.
- Do one of the following:
- Click Apply to apply any changes and set options on another tab.
- Click OK to apply any changes and close the tool.
- Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.
Edit Brush Controls
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
|
Nib Width |
Adjusts the size of the brush. Use the mouse wheel to adjust nib width or adjust the Nib Width slider. |
|
Feathering |
Adjust the slider to control the softness of the transition between the brush strokes and the image. Use Shift + mouse wheel to adjust the amount of feathering or adjust the Feathering slider. |
|
Pressure |
Adjust the slider to control the strength of the brush. |
|
Smart Brushing |
See Smart Brushing section below. |
|
Tolerance |
Use the slider to determine the Color, Brightness, or Magic range of selected pixels. Values range from 0 to 100. A lower value selects fewer pixels. A higher value selects a broader range of pixels. |
|
Show mask |
When this option is enabled, brush strokes will be displayed in the color shown. This is helpful when brushing a complex area with a subtle effect, as it can be difficult to tell missed spots. Alternatively, hold down the S key to see the brush strokes on the image. |
|
Clear all brush strokes |
Removes all brush strokes from the image. |
|
Invert all brush strokes |
Toggle this option to invert brushed strokes. This makes brushed areas no longer brushed and untouched areas brushed. This is useful to use if the majority of the image brushed needs to be brushed and a small section left untouched. Brush only the small area and invert the brush strokes to apply to the larger area. |
|
Load last applied brush strokes |
Applies effects to the area most recently brushed and applied. |
Creating Straight Lines:
Hold the Shift key while using the Edit Brush to lock the direction the brush can move in horizontally, or vertically. For example, holding Shift, then clicking and dragging horizontally will lock the cursor into horizontal only so long as shift is being held. Release Shift to return to free hand brushing. You can even release Shift to return to free hand brushing, then press it again while still drawing the same line to unlock and re-lock the brush at will.
Creating Diagonal Lines:
Using the Edit Brush, Gemstone can create straight diagonal lines by placing two points on the image. Place the cursor where you want the line to begin, press and hold Shift, then Left-Click on the image to create a point. Let go of Shift, and move the brush to where the line will end, press and hold Shift, then Left-Click again to create a second point. A straight line will fill in between these two points.
Brush strokes need to be applied in order to see adjustments.
To exit Brushing mode, toggle the Edit Brush button.
Undo and redo each brush stroke individually using the Undo and Redo buttons at the bottom of the Filter dialog.
Use the Edit Brush with Blend Modes and Selections to alter the way the effect is applied.
The Edit Brush tool is enabled in many of the editing tools and special effects filters. When a tool or filter does not warrant the use of the Edit Brush tool, it is grayed-out.
The Edit Brush tool is not available in the following filters:
- Detail Brush
- Distortion Correction
- Dodge and Burn
- Lens Correction
- Liquify
- Perspective Correction
- Red Eye Reduction
- Repair Tool
- Vignette
- Watermark
The Edit Brush tool is also not available in the following:
- Crop
- Flip
- Resize
- Rotate
- Selections
- Text
Smart Brushing
The Smart Brush is used to target brushing to specific colors, brightness values, or a combination of color and brightness. The Smart Brush only affects pixels similar in value to the pixel in the center of the brush stroke, and only allows adjustments to be applied to those similar pixels.
To use the Smart Brush:
- Select a tool from the Filter main menu list.
- Click the Edit Brush to enter Brushing mode and display the Brush controls.
- Select an option from the Smart Brushing drop-down menu:
Color
Uses the color of pixels similar in value to the pixel in the center of the brush stroke to determine if they should be brushed on, depending on the Tolerance slider setting.
Brightness
Uses the brightness of pixels similar in value to the pixel in the center of the brush stroke to determine if they should be brushed on, depending on the Tolerance slider setting.
Magic
Uses a combination of the color and brightness values similar to the pixel in the center of the brush stroke to determine which pixels should be brushed on, depending on the Tolerance slider setting.
- Use the Tolerance slider to increase or decrease the range of pixels affected by the Smart Brush.
- Place the cursor over the desired color or brightness and begin painting on the effect.
- Adjust the sliders to get the desired effect.
- Click OK to apply the brush strokes.
Hold down Ctrl to temporarily disable the Smart Brush.
Erase brush strokes by right-clicking and brushing over strokes.
To turn off Smart Brushing:
Select Off from the Smart Brushing drop-down menu.