I use a larger pointer size on my Mac which makes the Brush pointer larger than its real size

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
February 12, 2025
3 replies
521 views

So in the accessibility settings on my Mac, I use a larger mouse pointer to make things easier, especially since I have a large monitor. However, when I use Photoshop, this setting also affects the pointer within the app. As a result, when I select the Brush Tool, Eraser, etc, the circle indicating the brush size is much larger than the actual size of the brush's mark.

Is there a way to override this behavior when I use Photoshop? Maybe a script, use a plug in, something? I don't want to have to revert the accessibility feature back to normal every time I'm using tools like the Brush, Eraser, or others in Photoshop just to see the true size of a brush.

E

Erik5ECA

Inspiring

I had a thread reporting the same issue. I consider this to be a fairly big accessibility bug that needs to be fixed. I just now made a Bug Report, hoping to get more traction.

My Discussion Thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/photoshop-brush-preview-doesn-t-match-actual-size-macos/m-p/15182202

My Bug Report Thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-bugs/accessibility-bug-brush-tool-size-and-macos-pointer-settings/idi-p/15182235#M119555

If you can upvote bug reports it might help to do so.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

I think that is the 'Normal' cursor. Without knowing the zoom ratio, we can't say for sure how hard the brush is set to, but the three circles certainly look to be fully hard. With those settings the brush should match the cursor size, but that is not even close to being the case here, so it seems likely that your accessibility settings are causing the mismatch. I am mostly a Windows user, but I think I have seen regular poster @Stephen Marsh reference Mac settings in relation to Photoshop cursor size. Stephen will hopefully be along with more information later.

My gut, though, is that it can't be fixed while you are using that accessibility setting.

In case it helps, I always use Full Size with Show Cross Hairs. The latter is especially useful when you need to precisely place the brush stroke.

L

LAMY2017

Legend

Did the other brush settings work better for you?

Preferences>Cursors>Painting Cursors

Standard
Precise
Normal brush tip
Full Size brush tip
Brush tip outline
Show crosshair
Show only crosshair while painting

Preferences>Cursors>Other Cursors

Standard
Precise

Larry

A

alexmodeeAuthor

Participant

If I use the "Precise" cursor it still looks equaly large but much much better since it's a crosshair. Still, I only use the "Normal brush tip" for my workflow. Thanks though, might switch.

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