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Erase with the eraser tool, Change similar pixels with the magic eraser tool – Adobe Photoshop CS4 User Manual

Page 342

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335

USING PHOTOSHOP CS4

Painting

Last updated 1/10/2010

For Area, enter a value to specify the area covered by the paint strokes. The greater the size, the larger the covered
area and the more numerous the strokes.

For Tolerance, enter a value to limit the regions where paint strokes can be applied. A low tolerance lets you paint
unlimited strokes anywhere in the image. A high tolerance limits paint strokes to areas that differ considerably from
the color in the source state or snapshot.

4

Click and drag in the image to paint.

Erase with the Eraser tool

The Eraser tool changes pixels to either the background color or to transparent. If you’re working on a background or
in a layer with transparency locked, the pixels change to the background color; otherwise, the pixels are erased to
transparency.

You can also use the eraser to return the affected area to a state selected in the History panel.

1

Select the Eraser tool

.

2

Set the background color you want to apply if you are erasing in the background or a layer with locked transparency.

3

Choose a mode for the eraser. Brush and Pencil set the eraser to act like those tools. Block is a hard-edged, fixed-
sized square with no options for changing the opacity or flow.

4

For Brush and Pencil modes, choose a brush preset, and set Opacity and Flow in the options bar.

An opacity of 100% erases pixels completely. A lower opacity erases pixels partially. See “

Paint tool options

” on

page 333.

5

To erase to a saved state or snapshot of the image, click the left column of the state or snapshot in the History panel,
and then select Erase To History in the options bar.

(Photoshop) To temporarily use the Eraser tool in Erase to History mode, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac OS) as you drag in the image.

6

Drag through the area you want to erase.

Change similar pixels with the Magic Eraser tool

When you click in a layer with the Magic Eraser tool, the tool changes all similar pixels to transparent. If you’re
working in a layer with locked transparency, the pixels change to the background color. If you click in the background,
it is converted to a layer and all similar pixels change to transparent.

You can choose to erase contiguous pixels only or all similar pixels on the current layer.

Example of erasing similar pixels

1

Select the Magic Eraser tool

.