Opacity Brush Preferences

Using the flyout menu of the Opacity Brush panel, doubleclicking the Opacity Brush tool in the toolbox, or pressing the Enter key when the tool is selected will bring up the Opacity Brush preferences dialog:

Opacity Brush Preferences Dialog

1. Resolution

Specifies the resolution of any new opacity masks which are created by brushing with the Opacity Brush tool (existing masks are not affected). The value can range from 1ppi (pixels per inch) to 2400ppi, with a default of 72ppi.

2. Preview Type

Specifies the type of preview which the Opacity Brush tool will display, from among None, Radius Only, Radius and Hardness Only, Full (Medium Resolution), and Full (High Resolution). Full previews may be somewhat slower than the other options, depending on brush size and computer capability.

3. Brush Preview Warning

Due to technical limitations of Illustrator, previews will not display correctly when brushing long distances when GPU Performance is enabled. It is recommended to use CPU preview when brushing with the Opacity Brush tool.

4. Drawing Annotation Color

Specifies the color of the brush preview when drawing normally, from among red, blue, magenta, green, black, and white.

5. Erasing Annotation Color

Specifies the color of the brush preview when in erasing mode, from among red, blue, magenta, green, black, and white.

6. Decrease Spacing at High Hardness

When enabled, brush spacing will be lowered when its hardness increases, in order to avoid scalloping along the edges of the brush’s path.

7. Hide Edges While Brushing

When enabled, Illustrator’s annotations indicating the edges of the selection will be automatically hidden during the brushing operation.

8. Base Opacity Applies to New Masks

When enabled, the base opacity value from the reset mask area of the panel will be used not just when resetting masks, but also when a new mask is initially created (that is, when the art is first brushed).

9. Extend Masks Automatically

When enabled, and a piece of art that has been brushed with the Opacity Brush is enlarged, the opacity mask will automatically be extended such that it completely covers the new bounds of the artwork.

10. Informational area

Shows a brief description of each preference control when the cursor is being hovered over it.