How to Make the Paint Cursor More Visible in Photoshop

Cursors display the brushes for several of Photoshop's graphics tools.

Adobe Photoshop offers a number of cursors for its brush tool. The standard brush cursor is an icon of a paintbrush. It clearly identifies your tool but isn't particularly useful while you're painting. The normal brush tip, by comparison, displays your brush's size and shape. The full-size brush tip increases the brush's visibility with a larger cursor that encompasses the whole brush, including parts with limited opacity. Cross hairs within the cursor make the brush and its center-point even clearer.

Instructions

1. Click "Edit" from Photoshop's menu bar.

2. Click "Preferences" from the menu that opens. A submenu will slide open to the right.

3. Click "Cursors." The Preferences window will open on to the Cursors pane.

4. Click the "Full Size Brush Tip" option button.

5. Check the box next to "Show Crosshair in Brush Tip."

6. Click "OK."

References

• Adobe Photoshop: Retouch with the Clone Stamp Tool

Resources

• Univ. of Wisconsin LTS; Using Preset Brushes; April Pierson; Feb 2011
• Louisiana State University Grok Knowledge Base: Change a Crosshair to a Brush Tip; Feb 2011