Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

When you're drawing on a bitmap layer and select the Brush tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

If you are working with vector layers, see Brush Tool Properties (Vector)

NOTE: To learn how to use the Brush tool, see About the Brush Tool.

Icon Tool Name Description
  Previewing the Stroke

The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display advanced customization parameters.

Preview Stroke

  Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the width of the stroke.

  Flow

The Flow parameter lets Lets you set the range for the rate at which paint flows from the brush. The analogy works better with a pen. The greater the flow, the more ink comes out, which gives you a more consistent line colour and texture. If the flow is light, then the colour and texture of the line may look spotty. The flow works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

  Opacity

The Opacity parameter are where you set the transparency for a brush stroke. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

  Brush Presets

Presets are created by saving the properties of the current tool to a new preset, which you can reuse for repeated tasks. You can create as many presets as you need.

New Pen Template New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

New Pen Template Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

  Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

  Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported via the Export Brushes command.

  Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different computer.

  Small Thumbnail, Large Thumbnail, and Stroke View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.

Draw Behind

When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paint behind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you release the tool.

Repaint Brush

The Repaint Brush is used to repaint zones that have already been painted, it will not affect empty zones or pencil lines. You can use this mode to paint tones or highlights onto your character.

Tip Tab

Tool Name Description
Brush Tip Library

This is where you select the shape of the brush tip. By default it is round. Note that some tips are designed to have semitransparent areas, even when the maximum brush opacity is set to 100%.

To create a custom brush tip, you must prepare the file ahead of time, either in Harmony or in a third-party software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Colour is not supported and transparency is not supported in the traditional sense. Black appears as 100% opaque, white appears as 100% transparent and all the shades of grey in between appear as varying degrees of semitransparency. A range of file formats are supported—.jpeg, .png, .tif, .psd, .tga to name a few. Alpha channels are disregarded on import. It is recommended that your file be between 100 x 100 pixels and 400 x 400 pixels.

You can also import brush tips that you exported from Harmony, so you can share them with colleagues.

Minimum and Maximum Size

The minimum and maximum sizes of your drawing tool produce the thick and thin effect on your stroke. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

  • Maximum Size: Defines the maximum width of the stroke.
  • Minimum Size: Defines the minimum width of the stroke in relation to and as a percentage of the maximum size.
NOTE: Setting the Minimum Size value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating width variation on your stroke. In other words, you would be forcing a uniform line width using the Maximum Size value.

Roundness and Angle

The Roundness and Angle parameters allow you to change the shape and orientation of the brush tip.

  • Roundness: Squashes the height of the brush tip from its centre point. 100% roundness = the native height of the brush tip. A smaller percentage will make the brush tip look flatter and more narrow. The squashing is NOT relative to the angle value—if the brush tip is rotated, the squashing function still uses the brush tip's original orientation.
  • Angle: Rotates the brush tip counter-clockwise. 0° = the brush tip's native orientation.

Hardness

The Hardness and Spacing parameters allow you to change the softness and spacing of the marks made by the brush tip. You can preview the hardness and spacing at the top of the Bitmap Brush Properties window, stroke preview area.

The hardness value corresponds to the softness of the brush tip's edges. The lower the value, the softer the tip edge. The higher the value, the sharper the tip edge. Be aware that some brush tips are not 100% opaque, so they will always appear somewhat soft, even at 100% hardness.

Spacing

Defines the amount of space between each stamp of the brush. A value of 100% sets the stamp marks edge to edge, if there is no white space around the shape. The larger the value, the greater the space between marks. A really large value can make the brush stroke appear as a string of individual marks. Conversely, a small spacing value will give the appearance of a fluid brush stroke.

Spacing is only evident when making a continuous stroke.

Randomness

The Randomness parameters let you create a varied bitmap brush stroke. Refining these options can give your stroke a lovely, non-mechanical look.

Random Size

You can create variation between the thick and thin of your brush stroke just by setting the Maximum and Minimum Size values. If you add randomness to the mix, pressure sensitivity from your drawing tablet will still be applied. Light pressure will create random values around the minimum, while heavy pressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger the percentage, the larger the range of random variation.

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Size to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating width variation on your stroke, whether you are applying randomness or not. Therefore, you would be forcing a uniform line width using the Maximum Size value.
Random Angle

Sets the range for random rotation around the set Angle value. For example, if the Angle is set to 45° and the Random Angle set to 10°, the software will choose values between 40°–50° (plus or minus 5 degrees, equaling a total of 10 degrees).

Random Spacing

Sets the range for random spacing around the set Spacing value. For example, if the Spacing is set to 50% and the Random Spacing is set to 10%, then Harmony will choose values between 45%–55% (plus or minus 5 percent, equaling a total of 10 percent).

Transparency Tab

Tool Name Description
Maximum and Minimum Flow

The Maximum and Minimum Flow parameters let you set the range for the rate at which paint flows from your brush. The analogy works better with a pen. The greater the flow, the more ink comes out, hence the more consistent the colour and texture of the line. If the flow is light, then the colour and texture of the line may look spotty. This feature works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

  • Maximum Flow: Sets the maximum rate at which colour and texture are applied as you create a fluid stroke.
  • Minimum Flow: Sets the minimum rate at which colour and texture are applied as you create a fluid stroke. It is defined as a percentage of the Maximum Flow value. If the Minimum Flow value is set to 100%, then tablet pressure sensitivity will no longer be applicable. The flow will be set to the constant rate of the Maximum Flow value.

Maximum Opacity and Minimum Opacity

The Maximum and Minimum Opacity parameters are where you set the opacity range for a brush mark. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

  • Maximum Opacity: Sets the transparency limit of the brush mark when the pressure is heavy.
  • Minimum Opacity: Sets the transparency limit of the brush mark when the pressure is very light. It is defined as a percentage of the Maximum Opacity value. If the Minimum Opacity value is set to 100%, then tablet pressure sensitivity will no longer be applicable. The opacity will be set to the constant rate of the Maximum Opacity value.

Randomness

Th Randomness parameter lets you set the range for the randomness of the flow and opacity. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

Randomness Flow

You can create variation in the flow of your brush stroke just by setting the Maximum and Minimum Flow values. If you add randomness to the mix, pressure sensitivity from your drawing tablet will still be applied. Light pressure will create random values around the minimum, while heavy pressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger the percentage, the larger the range of random variation.

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Flow value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating flow variation on your stroke, whether you are applying randomness or not. That is, you would be forcing a uniform flow using the Maximum Flow value.
Random Opacity

You can create variation in the opacity of your brush stroke just by setting the Maximum and Minimum Opacity values. If you add randomness to the mix, pressure sensitivity from your drawing tablet will still be applied. Light pressure will create random values around the minimum, while heavy pressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger the percentage, the larger the range of random variation.

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Opacity value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating opacity variation on your stroke, whether you are applying randomness or not. That is, you would be forcing a uniform opacity using the Maximum Opacity value.

Dual Tip Tab

The Dual Tip tab lets you set the parameters for creating a dual tip brush. The primary bitmap brush tip and the dual tip always work together. You can set the parameters for the primary tip in the Tip tab and those for the dual tip in the Dual Tip tab. The Blend mode you select determines how the tips are combined.

You must select the Dual Tip option to access the tab's parameters.

By default, the Blend Mode is set to Multiply and the Random Angle to 360°.

Tool Name Description
Blend Mode The Blend modes let you decide how the primary tip and the dual tip are combined.
Multiply

This is the default blend mode. When the two brush tips are combined in this mode, they essentially cut each other out in overlapping areas, where one or both tips have an area of 100% transparency. The less opaque the brush tips are, the lighter their combination.

Colour Dodge

In this mode, the primary tip cuts out the shape of the dual tip. Where the tip shapes overlap, within the boundaries of the primary shape, the colour and opacity appear darker.

Combine

This mode treats the two tips as two different and separate brushes that have the same colour and follow the same path.

Paper Texture Tab

The Paper Texture tab lets you view and select a paper-like texture for your brush. You can also import paper textures that were previously exported.

You must select this option to access the tab's parameters.

Tool Name Description
Texture Scale Increase or decreases the size of the paper texture.
Additive

This option layers the texture on top of itself as you scribble overlapping lines in one continuous stroke. If this option is turned off, areas of overlapping lines from a single, continuous stroke will appear the same, in terms of darkness and texture, as non-overlapping areas.

Aligned

This option defines the way separate, overlapping strokes behave. If this option is enabled, the paper texture's position does not change with each sweep of the brush. If this option is disabled, each sweep of the brush produces a different texture position. The texture orientation always stays the same.