How do I select an object in Photoshop and paint a solid color over it?

[AG054]

I recently started using Photoshop for the first time in a couple years. I have a png image that I just need to select an use the brush to paint it solid black. I have done this thousands of time in the past, but now when I do it seems like the selectec area is being subjected to some kind of content awareness. I just want to paint it solid, but random areas that are feathered a little bit are affecting the brush tool based on the built in information. Same thing when I invert selection to delete everything outside of the object, it actually starts to mess up the inner image. It almost seems like the feather or flow are set solid, but they are. I can't google this because I don't know what to call it. Any help would be amazing.

[Todd_Morgan]

Just use an overlay of black? 

[AG054]

Bummer... That was a good thought, but it does the same thing. Parts of the image that are slightly transparent will only fill to the level of that transparency. I expect that on a color overlay, but not when using a solid paint brush. The workaound I've found is to select the outside of the image with the magic wand then invert selection. Then I can fill it solid. At this point, I just want to know why the way I was initially trying (that worked a certain way for years) suddenly is behaving differently. Anyone who has used Adobe software for enough years knows it's going to end up being some random checkbox I had selected/deselected. 😛

[Todd_Morgan]

You could just select the outside of the popsicle and then use that as the mask for a new layer and fill?

[AG054]

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing, I'm just curious why it didn't work the way I was doing it at first. More of an educational pursuit at this point.

[mglush]

I think you hit the nail on the head--the answer probably is in your brush settings. It would be really helpful to see a screenshot of your document window with all the panels open.

The other thing you mentioned is that the brush only filled in your image to the level of transparency in the image--or to say it a different way, the brush only affected the pixels in your image. Did you possibly have "Lock Transparency" checked in the Layers panel?

This will give you the effect you are talking about. It is difficult to give you a better answer without seeing your workspace. Let us know if that helps explain it or if you still have a question.

Michelle