Using shapes with various kind of brushes is something that any "image program" must have. Pixopedia 24 use shapes and brushes not only for drawing, but for applying effect to selected region on image by means of shape and brush style.

Brush Setup

This panel is used to select brush style as well as its size and other parameters of interest. Prior to any "hand" action, shape with brush specification is drawn onto mask. Mask is actually bitmap with same dimensions as original image, butt has only only one channel. After shape is drawn onto mask, action is applied, taking into account the value of pixel in original image, and the value of mask pixel in the same position. If value of the pixel mask is 0 action is not applied, if value is 255 action is applied and resulting pixel is not merged with original pixel. All other values merge newly obtained pixel color values with original pixel values according to amount of mask pixel value.

As you can see from the above picture, at the time this manual was written there are 6 brush types available. Every brush type has it's associated parameters panel ( teal color). Beside those brush specific parameters, there are parameters common to all brush types. We will first describe common brush parameters.

Basic Brush Parameters

Pen Size
slider is used to set the brush width, as well as shape border size.

Capacity
slider is use to set the capacity of the brush, i.e. the percentage of the maximum value 255 to be used for mask drawing. Lower the value, more transparent drawing is performed.

ColorVary
slider is used to set amount of color variation added or subtracted to initial value. Initial value can be foreground, background color and color of picked pixel value for some retouch actions. This slider value is similar to PixelVary global parameter, except that variation is applied to each brush stroke, not to each pixel.

SizeVary %
slider is used to set amount for pen size variation. This variation is applied after each brush stroke, or after every Autobrush step. The variation is randomly calculated from the percentage of size variation given.

Step
slider controls the spacing of the discrete drops of paint, or how frequently the brush touches the image during a stroke. When Step value is set to 1, brush stroke is drawn continuously. Higher step values gives a more discontinuous stroke look. Higher value also results in faster the drawing.

Size variation adjustment
This check box is used to force (when checked) falloff calculation after size variation occurs. Falloff is calculated (if such brush type is selected) for given pen size. If pen size is varied, falloff amount needs to be recalculated to fit a new pen size.

Brush shape
Depending on radio button chekced brush tip shape can be circle or square. When circular brush tip is selected, it's diameter is equal to size slider value. If squre brush tip is selected, the length of it's sides are equal to size vlider value.

Brush Effects and Stroke Rules





Two upper panels represent additional brush effects and stroke rules.

Brush Effects

Chalk effect
check box is used to emulate drawing with chalk.

Invert intensity
check box is used to invert mask pixels
( 255 - mask_pixel) of specified brush.

Blur
check box is used to blur specified brush in process of drawing with given kernel.

Bump
check box is used to create bumped (beveled) brush, i.e. the brush with 3D effect with given bump scale. Higher the number, higher is the three dimensional effect achieved.

Bump limit
is used to limit this effect to certain mask value. Only values beyond this limit are affected. This parameter creates a bumped brush with soft borders.

Roughness
parameter is used to create small bumps on already bumped brush, obtaining an effect of rough surface.

Shifting arrows
controls displacement amount of mask while bumping the brush. Actually, this equals the direction of light applied to 3D brush. Similar control is described in shift action section.

Scratches
combo box is used to select scratches effect that will be applied to shape drawn. Two additional slider gives a possibility to control scratch thickness and also number of scratches per 100x100 ROI. The value of this slider gives approximately number of scrathes aplied on 100 by 100 pixeles area.

There are six types of scrathes available:

• No scratches - normal brush strokes and shapes, no additional scratches applied.
• Long lines mesh - randomly drawn long lines with given thickness.
• Short lines mesh - randomly drawn short lines with given thickness.
• Machine gun - randomly drawn solid circles with diameter equal to thickness.
• Regular grid - line scratches of given thickness drawn as regular grid.
• Square mesh - randomly drawn squres with size equal to thickness.

• No fading - normal brush strokes, pen size/capacity does not change.
• Fade out - pen size/capacity decreases while moving the stroke.
• Fade in - pen size/capacity increases while moving the stroke.
• Fade out and back - combined action, pen size/capacity decreases to fading limit and then again increases to pen size/capacity. This effect repeats as you stroke.
• Fade in and back - oposit form above, pen size/capacity increases form fading limit to pen size/capacity and back.

NOTE:
Six basic brushes available, when combined with various effects (specific, chalk, blur, invert intensity, bump), can produce various brush types with very interesting effects. You can select a brush without any additional effect, or use any combination of effects available.

Shapes

Those two panels are actually pop-up menus that appear (depending on action selected) on the right button mouse click and if this click is performed inside the image manipulation region.
Some actions do not have any pop-up menu attached (like warp actions), but most of them have the first pop-up menu attached to right mouse click.

The first menu appears in most actions, while second one appears only in retouch tools actions.
In the first menu we can select various shapes for drawing and other applications. Those shapes will be further discussed.

The second menu (retouch tools menu) is a subset of the first, most commonly used menu, with one exception. It has autobrush shape selection. All other shapes has the same function as in the first "common" menu.

Free Hand
shape is actually a free hand line drawing and if used in conjunction with falloff brush type, has an alternative name: neon brush. As you'll notice in daily operation with Pixopedia 24, free hand drawing does not depend on how long do you hold the left mouse button down. The shape depends on mouse movement and on passing over already drawn line. When you release the mouse button, shape is written and new image changes the position of old one.

Line
shape is used to draw straight line. Starting point is selected by clicking left mouse button and holding it down, moving the mouse to desired point and releasing the left mouse button.

Rectangle Outlined
shape is rectangle that is not filled inside. It is actually a rectangle frame drawing. The frame thickness depends on previously set pen size.

Rectangle Filled
is well known shape. Filled rectangle is drawn but with borders width depending on previously set pen size value.

Examples of various brush types, shapes and effects.

Ellipse Outlined
draws hollow ellipse with frame thickness equal to pen size value.

Ellipse Filled
draws filled ellipse with border size equal to previously set pen size value.

Text
shape drawing is performed in two steps. After left mouse click on some part of image, a pop-up menu occurs. It has an edit field for text entering, and a button for font changing. After writing the text and selecting the appropriate font style, press OK button. You can move your text around the image without pressing any mouse button. When you have chosen the position for text, click again on left mouse button, text will be placed and rendered in that position. You can see the text menu in
using mouse & keyboard section.
Text antialiasing can be performed by super-sampling method, higher the amount, the better antialiasing is performed. Text rotation angle is specified by slider and its associated edit field and spinner buttons.

Circle Outlined
draws hollow circle with frame thickness equal to pen size value. Circle drawing is different from ellipse drawing. Clicking the left mouse button determines the center of the circle.

Circle Filled
draws filled circle with border size equal to previously set pen size value.

Jittered Handed
shape draws connected or disconnected filled circles/squres of radius equal to pen size value. The density of circles depends on speed of mouse movement. The spreading of circles around, depends on jittering and repeating values. Very interesting patterns can be created using this specific type of shape drawing.

Linear Gradient
shape fills a part of image with desired color scheme gradient. Gradient begins at selected starting point with highest color value and goes to 0 color value at desired ending point. Those point are determined by XORed line drawn onto image. Gradient also fallows line angle.

Example of apply on contour shape. Original picture is on the left, right picture is processed with apply on contour shape. Click on picture to enlarge.