Size and Hardness Shortcuts

Not just for the brush tool...

The Brush tool is very important in Photoshop Elements, because many other tools use the same kind of format. Examples include the Eraser tool, Healing and Cloning tools, and the Blurring and Sharpening tools, to name but a few.

The implication of this is, if you know how to use the Brush tool quickly and effectively, you will be able to use many other tools better as well.

The Shortcuts

Two of the main properties of the Brush tool are the size of the brush, and its hardness. You may wish to alter these values often while using the tool, so a quick way to do it is very useful.

To alter the size of the brush, use the square bracket keys, [ and ]. Pressing the left hand key, [, will decrease the size of the brush, and the right hand key, ], will increase the brush size.

To alter the hardness of the brush, we use the same keys, but we hold the Shift key as well. In effect we are typing curly brackets, { and }. Hold Shift and press the left hand key, {, to soften the brush edge. Hold Shift and press the right hand key, }, to make the brush edge harder.

Using these keys can make changing the size and hardness of a brush much quicker when you are altering them frequently.

Variations

These keys are quite commonly used as tool shortcuts. For example the Pencil tool does not have a Hardness value, but it does have a size value. You can use the square bracket keys, [ and ], to change the pencil size.

When the Cookie Cutter tool is selected, pressing either square bracket key will cycle through the available shapes.

If you're looking for a shortcut when using a tool, these keys are always a good place to start.

Kind Regards

Robert Redwood Robert Redwood - Bio
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