Computer Graphics with Photoshop - CS2 tool understanding or should I say mis-understanding?

Author

CS2 tool understanding or should I say mis-understanding?

Jethro

2007-01-10, 6:20 pm

Still working with my friend's CS2 on my PC - WXP PRO SP2.
Before I return it to him, I wanted to use CS2 a little to see if it
is something I want to use myself. Okay - so I am impressed, but
sometimes I run into something that shows my non-understanding of a
CS2 function. Hence another dumb question:

It has to do with tools and their use. Take for example the sharpen
tool. I select that (left mouse key) and want to choose a so-called
'preset' for that tool. I know enough to use the preset picker in
leftmost part of the options bar, but I don't see what I want - namely
a circle - so that when I move the cursor over into the graphic I get
a circle that I can enlarge or shrink, and use to apply the
'sharpening'.

What is the name of that preset (if it exists)? How do I get the
sharpen tool to use that preset and give me a circle in the graphic to
deal with?

There is something basic here that I don't grasp, and probably would
apply to several CS2 tools. Therefore I feel I need to understand
this before I can continue my learning process. Of course I could
give up and simply return CS2 to my friend, but he says I can play
with it for another month or so, if only to help him when he starts
using it. He figures that I am smarter than he. I wonder.

Thanks

Jethro

Fred Athearn

2007-01-10, 6:20 pm

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:47:56 GMT, Jethro <Wilson@somewhere.org> wrote:

>There is something basic here that I don't grasp, and probably would
>apply to several CS2 tools.

Yes you are talking about the form of the painting cursor. It has
nothing to do with tool presents. It is set under
edit>preferences>display and cursor. It may be set to the precise
mode rather than the "normal" which is a circle.

It could also have something to do with using a tablet. I find that
sometimes when using the Wacom tablet I don't see a brush until I use
the pen once, after which I see it with pen or mouse.