P: Make the brush cursor easier to see (too thin, not enough contrast with some colors)

[michal_j]

In last updates I'm having problem seeing brush (paint and healing) cursor when working with colors similar to cursor grey (grey or brown midtones for expamle).

Sometimes cursor changes to white, but for very short time and very randomly.

So it's really hard to see where I'm just gonna paint or heal. It is really annoying and tiring.

[lambiloon]

Hi check the following link hope it helps you....regards

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-and-macos-catalina.html

[Mary0052!]

Thank you very much.  Guess it is just an Adobe and a Mac Catalina thing.  I will have to wait for Adobe to catch with all the Mac OS changes.  At least I will not be spending so much time trying to search for the fix.  I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my "problem".

Mary

[melissapiccone]

I keep the + turned on in the middle of my brush - you can find it in the preferences. That might help. I teach PS online and use something called cursor pro. It creates a big obnoxious colored circle around my cursor - you won't lose it. Maybe that will help. 

[Mary0052!]

Thank you so much!  I tried the crosshair in my cursor as you suggested but I dont' think that will help my problem.  The crosshair is very small.  I am interested in Cursor Pro, however I can't find enough information about how it works and what it works with.  Does it work with Photoshop brushes?  If so it is just what I am looking for.  What about when you are typing in Pages.  I often go back and edit a line in what I am typing and then I can't find the cursor. Would it work in that instant?  It looks like a lot of people use it for presentions and teaching.  I would not be using it for that.  I really couldn't find much information on how it works.  Most of what I read was as a magnifier and for teaching/presetnations.  I do appreciate your replies; thank you very much, in advance.

[melissapiccone]

I use it for teaching. It's just there so you can see your cursor. I can't screenshot it for you because the cursor hides for a screenshot. It's literally just a big circle around your cursor so you and/or others can see it on your screen. 

[sam_s]

I've recently switched to HiDPI monitor and having the same issue. Possibly made worse by using MacOS scaled display mode. Perhaps having the option of making the brush cursor circle 2 or 3x thicker would be a fix to this?

[674654]

I have the exact issue!
I'm using 32 inch 4k monitor, Mac/Catalina.
This is driving me crazy!

[TinCanGoat]

Thanks for the answer. I have been searching for a resolution to this exact issue. I can't believe it's not been fixed if it has been going on for a while as it adds a huge level of difficulty with my older eyes.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Got the same issue - hard to see when making edits. Also seems clicking on things doesn't often take in the first try - have to double/triple click on things to make sure layers and masks get properly selected before I start working on them.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Or a red one. 

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I'm tossing my hat in on this one as well. I can't see the brush circle when editing (reading glasses aren't helping either). 

Someone once mentioned using a fill layer to show where you have already edited with the brush, but I can't figure out what they mean or find it on Google. Can someone explain it to me like I'm 5, please?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Please address this issue asap! It is super frustrating to hunt where my cursor all the time.
Not sure if you are aware of this but I found out that when I go into Liquify mode, cursor works properly!!
I'm on Mac OS Catalina with 32inch 4k monitor.
 

[travism17987517]

Adobe doesn't seem to care about these little issues that would help us out so much.  That's very sad!!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

5 months ago "It's on our radar. Many of the on canvas controls are being refactored to make them more visible/friendly on high density monitors."

... is it still on your radar?  Just make it thicker so we can see it!!!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Can’t believe they haven’t fixed this yet. This should be a major priority for adobe. 

[Andre Schneider]

*anand_4jrz7qkdr8o8 yeah, apparently user needs is not a priority at all for Adobe. Getting Instagram like filters is way more fun for them. 

[Pete Prue]

This problem is just ridiculous, come on Adobe, get your act together please, do you not care about your professional customers using 4k monitors? Surely it's an easy fix considering all these complex new features we're seeing in the new neural filters just released in PS 2021!?

[Pete Prue]

So the problem is that the cursor circle (brush tool) is hardly visible with 4K screens. With the release of PS 2021 I thought that this would be sorted, but it hasn't and it's still a bug after years of complaints. And this problem is just ridiculous, it's as if Adobe doesn't care about their customers who use 4k monitors? Surely it's an easy fix considering all these complex new features we're seeing in the new neural filters just released in PS 2021.

Does anyone have a work around please?

[sam_s]

Still the same in 22.0? I haven't checked it out yet for fear of .0 bugs interrupting work.

Been using the workaround of pressing Command when I lose sight of the brush, not ideal but helps finding where it is.

[igor_salomatin]

Привет всем! У меня такая проблема: курсор инструментов brush tool, healing brush tool, eraser и других очень плохо виден на сером и любом близком к нейтральному цвете. Когда курсор находится на темной или светлой области изображения, он хорошо виден, если переместить его в нейтральную цветовую область, курсор становится почти невидимым, даже если вы внимательно смотрите на монитор. Абсолютно невозможно сделать ретушь и цветокоррекцию фотографий. Пожалуйста, помогите мне!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yeah. Still the same unfortunately 😞 

[MscottM]

I am working with PS2021, and well? I didn't realize this issue existed before now!  HOWEVER, the issue still is apparently still there! I just walked one of the tech support guys so that he could duplicate the issue and see for himself. 

Placed a black to white gradient on a new document and then had him place the cursor on the black are and tell me what he saw, then the white area and do the same... Then had him go to the 50% grey area.

Poor guy, he probably thought I was crazy, but he finally saw what happens when you put a grey brush outline on a grey background!

It dismays me to see this issue in PS2021 after being present (based on the posts here) for a lot longer than 2 weeks! 

Adobe? You just created some amazing new features (sky replacement, neural filters, etc.)! Surely you can address the invisible cursor issue!!! 

So get it done! Don't turn Photoshop an inferior product when things are going so well !

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hello!  I have very poor visibility of the cursor of the drawing tools (brush, stamp, eraser, mixer brush) on a gray or close to neutral background.  On a dark and light background, the cursor is visible normally, if you move it to a neutral area - visibility drops sharply, the cursor merges with the picture.  It is impossible to retouch on a gray layer, sometimes you cannot even find the cursor in the image.  Help me please!

[Carol_Picard]

I've been hassling with invisible cursor for over a year.   I have to click on command (on a mac) to see where the cursor is, ALL THE TIME.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

The prerequisite is that "Normal brush tip" is selected as the tool preset.

This preview works by combining a circle of white pixels with a circle of black pixels as a preview. That always worked well as long as the screens had normal resolutions.

This is now becoming a problem with the retina displays, because the resolution is so fine that under certain conditions the tool preview can no longer be seen.

You can easily reproduce this:

1. Fill the work area with gray: RGB 128 128 128
2. Set the tool appearance to "Normal brush tip". (In my german interface "Normale Pinselspitze")
3. You can no longer see the circle or circles on retina displays.

It is the same effect as looking at a checkerboard pattern from a distance.
The brush preview, consisting of RGB 0 0 0 and RGB 255 255 255 becomes optically blurred
on fine screens to RGB 128 128 128.

One solution would be to represent 4 or 8 for each individual pixel. Or to make it possible to define the color of the tool preview yourself. So with b / w motifs, which it mainly concerns, e.g. switch to red or green.

Other Software-Tools like MochaPro or Silhouette from BorisFX do it that way.