The Deposition Tool for an Airbrush Effect

The "Continuous Time Deposition" controls in Corel Photo-Paint allow artists to imitate the airbrush, or spray techniques used in graffiti.

The Corel Paint program, also known as Corel Photo-Paint, allows graphic artists to control the flow of paint dabs by applying "Continuous Time Deposition" controls. Typically, when you create a stroke on Corel Paint, the paint dabs are evenly spaced along a stroke, according to the "Minimum Spacing Slider" controls. In other words, no matter how long you linger on a particular area, the paint dabs will be evenly spaced as the stroke advances. With the "Continuous Time Deposition" controls enabled, the dabs will accumulate according to time rather than space, just as an airbrush or spray paint is applied in real life.

Airbrush Tool

Select the airbrush tool and adjust its settings by clicking the main pull-down menu, then "View" > "Rollups" > "Tool Settings." You can adjust the rate of flow and transparency. Subtle shading can be achieved by lowering the transparency and rate of flow. Practice with this tool at various settings to find the right balance.

Airbrush Stroke Styles

There are three types of airbrush strokes available in Corel Painter X: coarse spray, fine spray and the digital airbrush. All airbrush strokes are compatible with the Wacom airbrush stylus, which can detect hard or soft applications of pressure. The digital airbrush softens the paint dabs, whereas the other tools appear gritty and granulated.

Enable Continuous Time Deposition

Select "ALT + Shift" in Windows or "Option + Shift" on a Mac to access the "Spacing" panel, where you can "Enable" the "Continuous Time Deposition" controls. If you're using a pressure-sensitive stylus, set the "Damping" values at 50 percent. The "Damping" slider is also located in the "Spacing" panel, and helps to correct jittery brush strokes. However, if you're using a mouse, you should increase the "Damping" values to compensate for the jerky mouse controls.

Droplet Size

In Corel Paint, overlapping droplets will pool and run, so if you use larger droplets at a high rate of flow, you will see many drips. However, if you want smooth, even strokes from your airbrush, use smaller droplets and keep your brush moving continuously to avoid pooling. Although a lower transparency will thin the appearance of your airbrush strokes, the paint dabs will still pool and run.

References

• Design Prize; Spacing Controls for Corel Painter; June 19, 2011
• Design Prize; Spacing Controls for Corel Painter, Part 2; Sept. 3, 2011
• Rpsoft2000.com: Corel Photo Paint Tips
• Corel.com: Corel Painter X: Brushes Guide