Can't draw dots or very small things with brush without moving the pen
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
My problem is basically this : https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/photoshop-brush-only-draws-after-movi...
You can't draw a single point with the brush or the pencil tool without moving the pen : when your pen touch your screen/cintiq or tablet, there's no dot, you have to move the pen for something to appear (we're talking about very small point), whereas the problem doesn't appear when you check the "airbrush" option. For months I use this turnaround (checking the airbrush option, which means the "build-up" option is checked in the brush settings panel, except that I now realize that the "build-up" option changes the behavior of your brush quite a bit (the fatness of the line vary more) and so is not an acceptable solution. So is there some option to check somewhere that I didn't think of or is it a bug that will have to be fixed in the software ? Thank you for your time.
Explore related tutorials & articles
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
To help visualize the problem, here are 2 videos I filmed on my phone. I'm drawing on a wacom cintiq pro 16 with a wacom pro pen slim.
I'm using the same brush at a size 35 px and working on a file with a zoom of 71%.
With airbrush/build-up option OFF :
With airbrush/build-up option ON :
I think that this bug appeared many versions ago but I don't think it existed on Photoshop CS (I'm not particularly sure about that, though)...
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
@Chad RolfsSorry Chad, have you seen this ? It seems that I'm not the only one experiencing it.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
It may depend on the brush preset you are using. There are so many variables at play when you consider all the options/settings in Brush Settings (Shape Dynamics, tilt, pressure, scatter, etc). Depending on what brush preset you use, it may take a more aggressive tap to get a dot or you may need to adjust a particular setting. Do you experience this if you use the Hard Round preset from the default General Brushes?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Actually I experience it also with the general brushes when they're pressure sensitive (see the one highlighted there : )
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Using that brush, I see different size dots depending on how hard I tap down but I can still easily create dots without having to move the stylus. Have you changed your wacom stylus tip sensitivity/pressure curve? Also, are you using WinTab (UseSystemStylus 0 in PSUserConfig.txt) or just WinInk?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
My first message was from 2023 and I changed tablets since then (still wacom though) but I still experience the same problem.
I tried with WinTab and WinInk and there's no difference. The problem is not being able to create dots it's the different response time between the brush with the airbrush option and without : without you have to press harder and longer whereas with the airbrush option the brush "connect" to the screen right when you put the pen nib to the screen. Try with or without the option and see if you experience a difference in response.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
@Chad Rolfs Here is another video from this morning to maybe help better visualize the problem. I'm using the brush from the general brushes highlighted in my previous message, at 250 px. Notice especially the last dot (with airbrush option off) : I'm pressing on the screen with the pen and the dot just appears at the end, not when I start pressing, whereas it appears right when I'm pressing on the screen when the airbrush option is checked at the beginning :
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Any news on that ? I tried tthose "fixes" but it made no difference. Anyway if there's no lag when the airbrush option is on it means that there's not a lag "by default" which would be due to the GPU, yes ?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Anybody from Adobe to provide an answer ??
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
hello, have you fixed the problem since then ? if not, ADOBE PLEAAASE
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Well, I asked the support service and they said it was supposed to act like this (sounds weird)... I just use my brush with the airbrush option on from now on.
![](/skins/images/FC087885B0C83B45128AF5065A4AB513/responsive_peak/images/icon_anonymous_message.png)
![](/skins/images/FC087885B0C83B45128AF5065A4AB513/responsive_peak/images/icon_anonymous_message.png)