Brush tool in Photo is not working

[vmarques]

Having the same problem (Mac), tried everything, no success, Brush tools just do nothing!

[Dan C]

Hi @vmarques,

Welcome to the forums

Firstly, I have split your post into a new thread as the issue described there was rather specific and I don't believe your issue is related. This does however mean that you're no longer 'following' the thread - meaning you won't be notified of replies here. I recommend changing your 'Follow' settings in the top right corner of this thread, to make sure you don't miss out on any replies.

In regards to the issue you're having, please create a new blank document, then add a Pixel layer to the document using the icon beneath the Layers Studio.

Now, select the Paint Brush Tool and make sure you have a colour active (such as black) that will show on your canvas. You should see your brush settings in the Context Toolbar at the top of the canvas. Please make sure your Opacity & Flow are set to 100%, as well as your brush size being large enough to be visible at your zoom level.

With these settings confirmed, please try painting on the canvas - does the brush tool work as expected? If not, what are you seeing please?

Could you please expand on the other tools you've used, and how they aren't working please?

Many thanks in advance!

[gw_westdale]

I have something related in Designer .

New document, create pixel layer, try to draw with brush tool ... nothing.

Flood fill with a colour different from the brush tool;  now the brush strokes are visible.

Alternatively, if I start with a new document and draw a vector rectangle; switch to pixel ; brush tool only appears on the vector item.

I've looked for help on this - clearly i am missing something.

[GarryP]

This sounds like it could be something simple.
Some things to check (some from Dan's notes above):
* Have you selected a Stroke colour – rather than None or White?
* Have you got the brush Opacity (in the Context Toolbar) set to something other than 0%?
* Is the layer Opacity set to something other then 0%?
* Is the layer Blend Mode set to Normal?
When you have a layer selected, switch to the Pixel Persona, and start to use the Brush Tool, the brush will only be applied to that layer as a new pixel layer will be created inside that layer (by the assistant) for you to draw on.
If none of this helps, it will be better if you can list the exact steps needed to reproduce the problem or attach a full-screen screen-cast showing what happens.

[Patlem]

I have the exact same problem, the brush tool only works on the background layer. On a new pixelated layer it doesn't work. Still, all settings are correct. If I use the paint bucket to make a background on a new layer, then it will work. It's as if the brush didn't want to paint on transparency .... Help!

I have this problem only on Windows (1.8.5), on Ipad everything is OK.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Patlem

[walt.farrell]

23 minutes ago, Patlem said:

I have the exact same problem, the brush tool only works on the background layer. On a new pixelated layer it doesn't work. Still, all settings are correct. If I use the paint bucket to make a background on a new layer, then it will work. It's as if the brush didn't want to paint on transparency .... Help!

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

With the Brush Tool selected, you might want to look at the "Protect Alpha" setting on the right side of the Context Toolbar:

 

[Patlem]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

With the Brush Tool selected, you might want to look at the "Protect Alpha" setting on the right side of the Context Toolbar:

 

Ho yes! That was it, thank you very much!!

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome.

[CoolMoomin]

Hello everyone! Have a problem with brushes after update to 1.9 version. No brushes except basic don't work! (Protect alpha is turned off) I've bought some packs from affinity store, but they don't draw. Help me please🙏

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, CoolMoomin said:

Hello everyone! Have a problem with brushes after update to 1.9 version. No brushes except basic don't work! (Protect alpha is turned off) I've bought some packs from affinity store, but they don't draw. Help me please🙏

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

Please provide a screenshot of your complete workspace, including the Layers panel.

[Dan C]

Hi @CoolMoomin,

Welcome to the Affinity Forums

As above, it would be very helpful to see a screenshot of your full workspace so we can look into this further for you.

If you're using Windows it would also be helpful to know if you are using Hardware Acceleration currently?

If you're unsure, you can open Edit > Preferences > Performance and you will find the Hardware Acceleration checkbox at the bottom of the dialog.

Many thanks in advance!

[Chris 1081]

I have experienced all the above problems.
i have checked all the settings are correct GPU acceleration Etc. 
Nothing solved the problem.
However Try this it works for me even if its a little long winded.
1.Create new document.
2.Flood Fill in White and reduce opacity.
3.Rasterise and then use the Paint Brush tool.
I tried making various new brushes and they all worked using this method.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, Chris 1081 said:

i have checked all the settings are correct GPU acceleration Etc. 

Are you using a Mac or Windows computer? What specifically do you consider the correct settings for hardware acceleration for your system? The options are different for each of them & depend in part on the GPU in your computer & the driver installed for it. For this & other reasons, there is no "one size fits all" setting that works for all of them, so it may help if you try changing them from whatever they are now to something else, but without knowing anything more about your system there is not much more to suggest than that.

[DennisBear]

Hate to be negative but this is one of the worst programs I've seen in a long time and I've been on the Internet since 1995. The moderators don't help much at all.

For example they tell you to look at Protect Alpha but don't tell you if it should be on or off when you're having trouble using the brush tools. 

"With the Brush Tool selected, you might want to look at the "Protect Alpha" setting on the right side of the Context Toolbar"  Yeah that was helpful.  Now I know why a lot of my friends go back to Photoshop.  I've tried everything to get the brushes working but absolutely nothing happens no matter if I put a transparent pixel layer on top of what I want to paint.  And I'm not going to go into the other things that this program can do. In Photoshop you could take, and by the way I'm not a big fan of Photoshop, but it was intuitive. Again you could outline a piece of a photo copy it and paste it in another photo without any problems. Anyway I can go on forever about the problems here never really get a good answer. I do wish good luck to all the people that I have to use this program. Take care

[thomaso]

One aspect that appears not to be mentioned above: The colour opacity (in the Colours panel).

Especially when painting on a layer of type "(Mask)" it may happen to be set to 0, or may have set its Gray intensity different than expected (while the colour wells do not always display the set brush colour).

[Dan C]

Hi @DennisBear,

Welcome to the Affinity Forums - we're certainly sorry to hear you feel this way.

4 hours ago, DennisBear said:

The moderators don't help much at all

Just to inform you, moderators here on the Affinity Forums have the red Moderators tag beneath their profile picture on the left, as can be seen from my posts above -

If this tag is not present, they are another Affinity user simply trying to help others.

4 hours ago, DennisBear said:

For example they tell you to look at Protect Alpha but don't tell you if it should be on or off when you're having trouble using the brush tools. 

You can find more information regarding 'Protect Alpha' in our helpfiles, here - https://affinity.help/photo2/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Painting/painting.html?title=Painting brush strokes ;

Quote

If the selected brush tool does not paint anything, check for a Protect alpha option on the context toolbar. When that is enabled, the brush will not paint on the current layer’s transparent regions, only those that are opaque.

In regards to the issue you're reporting:

4 hours ago, DennisBear said:

I've tried everything to get the brushes working but absolutely nothing happens no matter if I put a transparent pixel layer on top of what I want to paint. 

As above, I'm certain we can resolve this issue for you with screenshots of the Affinity workspace, with the Paint Brush tool selected as it's likely caused by a brush setting etc - but I also understand if you do not wish to work further to solve this with our team.

If not, then we appreciate you trying Affinity and we're sorry to hear it's not right for you.

[DennisBear]

Well unfortunately I already paid my money for this piece of garbage.  

I hope I didn't hurt your feelings but I call it the way it is. I just tried to use another brush, the inpainting brush tool, which is also totally worthless. I can't see screenshots doing a thing other than wasting my time.

You should be able to click on a brush use it the way I see it used in many videos but my case nothing works. I choose the proper layer and things still don't work.

You people should be ashamed of yourself taking the money from a disabled veteran who hopes that this program could be a useful tool which of course it's NOT.  And yes I have purchased tutorials etc. which of course work in the hands of the so-called experts but not mine. Again shame on you.

[Ron P.]

5 hours ago, DennisBear said:

Well unfortunately I already paid my money for this piece of garbage.  

I hope I didn't hurt your feelings but I call it the way it is. I just tried to use another brush, the inpainting brush tool, which is also totally worthless. I can't see screenshots doing a thing other than wasting my time.

You should be able to click on a brush use it the way I see it used in many videos but my case nothing works. I choose the proper layer and things still don't work.

You people should be ashamed of yourself taking the money from a disabled veteran who hopes that this program could be a useful tool which of course it's NOT.  And yes I have purchased tutorials etc. which of course work in the hands of the so-called experts but not mine. Again shame on you.

You make it (and I think intentionally) sound like they stole from you. That is shameful. No one forced you to buy without trying it first. You make it a point, underlining that your a disabled veteran. Well thank you for your service. I am too, and I don't go around throwing it in people's face, which is asking for, or demanding, they feel sorry for you.

You've been on the internet since 1995, so you have no, none, nada, excuse for not knowing there are trial versions so you can see if it is what you want. I've been around that long too, and I've lost count of how many programs I have tried, using their trials. Not working, can't figure it, too steep a learning curve, then just uninstall and move on.

I'm a hobbyist, not a professional (don't get paid to play), and I've managed to learn how to use Affinity apps. There is a somewhat steep learning curve. It takes puttin' your head down and keep gettin' after it. I've viewed more video tutorials than I can count, read about the same. I didn't know how to use the apps at all, in 2017. That's when I started gluing myself to this forum. Sound nuts? Maybe, but I wanted to figure it out, I still don't have it all figured out, but I've gained enough knowledge now, and been using their apps enough since then, I want to give what I was given.

Coming on here, and posting that the apps are garbage just because you can't figure it out is just rude and wrong!!!

[thomaso]

@DennisBear, instead of discriminating against disabled people as incapable, it would make more sense to upload a screencast video in which you demonstrate your way of using brushes. Since the majority of users seem to be able to use brushes successfully, chances are good that you can be helped here and a possible user error can easily be avoided in the future. – No need to waste your investment.

[David Rich]

Was working on an illustration yesterday in Affinity Photo V2, using the paint brush, all fine. Today it has decided not to work. The brush icon has changed, gone transparent with a black border and white glow. All the opacity settings, flow etc are 100%, selected colour 100% opacity. Tried both with and without Protect Alpha. So when I start to paint it creates a new pixel layer? I'm a Mac user. Can anyone help? Tried taking a screenshot, but you can't see the brush. Sure it's something simple

[walt.farrell]

14 minutes ago, David Rich said:

Was working on an illustration yesterday in Affinity Photo V2, using the paint brush, all fine. Today it has decided not to work. The brush icon has changed, gone transparent with a black border and white glow. All the opacity settings, flow etc are 100%, selected colour 100% opacity. Tried both with and without Protect Alpha. So when I start to paint it creates a new pixel layer? I'm a Mac user. Can anyone help? Tried taking a screenshot, but you can't see the brush. Sure it's something simple

A screenshot of the complete application window would be useful, so we can see what you're seeing. Also, what version of macOS do you have?

[David Rich]

As I said the screenshot doesn't show the brush icon

[David Rich]

MacBook Pro, very latest OS version Sonoma

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, David Rich said:

As I said the screenshot doesn't show the brush icon

But it does show that you're painting on a layer below two other layers (one named Background and a Recolor adjustment).

Is that the layer you intended to be painting on? Does your painting work if you hide the top layer?

[David Rich]

The top layer is just a drop in and is not where near where I want to paint. Tried all layers and new, no brush strokes appear. This is about the paint brush which has changed its screen persona, as well as not painting. Something has been checked/clicked on?