Brush size, ink & dynamics
Size and shape#
- **Size*— the context bar shows
− [N px ▾] +. Tap **−/+*to step by one pixel; tap the number for a slider and preset sizes (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32). - **Shape*— **Square*or Round, in the size popover or the tool rail **Brush*section.
- **1 px*— tap the
1 pxbutton to jump to a single-pixel brush and back. - **Pixel-perfect*— removes the doubled corner pixels a diagonal freehand stroke would otherwise leave. Keep it on for line art; turn it off (Freehand) for organic textures.
Ink modes#
The ink mode decides how a painted pixel combines with what's underneath. Cycle it with the chip in the context bar (paint tools only).
| Ink | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Simple | Opaque colours replace; semi-transparent colours composite; transparent erases. The everyday mode. |
| Alpha | Always composites using the colour's alpha — no hard replace. |
| Copy | Writes the colour and its alpha exactly, transparent included. Effectively "draw with the raw pixel". |
| Lock Alpha | Changes only the colour of pixels that are already opaque — the shape stays put, you recolour inside it. |
| Shading | Shifts pixels along a light↔dark ramp instead of painting a flat colour (the Shading tool's mode). |
Symmetry#
Mirror your strokes live — see Symmetry.
Pencil dynamics (tool rail ▸ Pencil section)#
| Control | Effect |
|---|---|
| Size: pressure / fixed | Apple Pencil pressure scales the brush between PMIN and PMAX px. |
| Pressure → Opacity | Lighter press paints more transparent. |
| Velocity → Size | Faster strokes paint thinner (or thicker). |
| Random Size | Adds per-stamp size jitter — good for spray-like texture. |
| Random Scatter | Offsets each stamp randomly within a radius. |
| PMIN / PMAX | The pressure range endpoints, in pixels. |
| TAP / SQZ / TILT / PRESS | Assign an action to the Pencil's double-tap, squeeze, tilt threshold and pressure threshold. |
Brush tip (tool rail ▸ Tip section)#
- Flip Tip H / V, **Rotate Tip ± *— orient a custom brush stamp.
- **Directional*— the stamp rotates to follow the stroke direction.
- **Align: stroke / global*— whether a textured tip is anchored to the stroke or to the canvas.
- **Brush tiling*— repeat the tip seamlessly for pattern strokes.
- **Brush Library*— open the full brush manager (see Custom brushes).