P: Constrained Draw Is Reset By Brush Parameter Changes (Size or Color)

[mvarney82]

Version: Photoshop 23.2.2 (but has probably been this way for many years)

OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 21H1

Steps to reproduce:

Choose the Brush tool. Click once. Change the brush size or foreground color. Hold down Shift and click again.

Expected result: Photoshop draws a straight line between the two points, with the new brush size and foreground color.

Actual result: Photoshop draws a single brush shape in the second location.

It appears that Photoshop forgets the previously clicked location when brush parameters are changed. I haven't tested farther, but there are probably other parameters that cause the same behavior.

Why it matters: I edit a lot of architectural interiors, and frequently draw narrow, straight lines when masking window dividers, etc. I often change brush size and color (black or white) on the fly. The current behavior often requires me to go back and click a second time, after I've already lined up the mouse on the second endpoint. This isn't a big deal, but does slow me down somewhat.

I think that Photoshop has been this way for years, so this may not be a "bug" per se, but it would be very useful to me if it were changed to match the behavior in, e.g., Capture One Pro, where changing the brush parameters does not cause the software to forget the last clicked location. I can't think of a good reason, from the user's perspective, to keep the current behavior.

[J453]

Thanks for the detailed steps and explaination. I'll see if it's something we can improve.

[chad.rolfs]

Yes, this is as designed and has been this way for a long time.  Switching colors resets the Shift-connecting-straight-line functionality.  Making this work would be a new feature request.  We would also need to specify what happens to that line if this worked; would it be a gradient from foreground to background of that straight line or just a solid line using the current foreground color?  Should there be options to specify what happens and if so, where do those options live and what's the UI/UX?