Dab Profile

The Dab Profile panel allows you to preview dabs and brushstrokes as you modify brush control options. It also allows you to choose a dab profile.

The Gap Profile panel includes a Brush Dab Preview Window to show how your changes affect the brush dab. For example, if you change the brush size (Size panel) or dab type (General panel), you can preview the impact of the changes on the dab.

The preview window lets you toggle between Size and Shape, Hard Media, and Brush Dab views.

In the Size and Shape view, concentric circles show the minimum and maximum sizes of a brush. The inner (black) circle shows the minimum dab width. The outer (gray) circle shows the maximum dab width. Remember that some brushes vary the line width based on pressure or stroke speed. The difference between the diameter of the two circles shows the range in which the stroke width can vary.

In the Hard Media view, you can preview what a Hard Media, such as a Pencil variant, will look like at various angles. This is useful when modifying the settings in the Hard Media brush control panel. The dab appears in the Brush Dab Preview Window at the corresponding angle.

In the Brush Dab view, shading shows the density distribution of the brush tip. The density distribution describes how much of the medium is conveyed by a given point on the brush dab. For example, an individual dab made by an airbrush produces a soft-edged circular mark with minimum density at the outer edge of the dab. Density increases inward to a maximum value at the exact center of the dab. The Brush Dab view cannot be used for the Image Hose or rendered dab types.

Brush Tip Profiles

The brush tip profile shows a cross-section of density distribution across the diameter of the dab. You can think of a brush tip profile as a bell-curve graph representing the density spread across the brush dab.

Different media have different density distributions. Changes in the density distribution produce different marking qualities in a brushstroke. For rendered airbrush dab types, the brush tip profile controls the concentration of the spray.


Profile	Description
Pointed Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with rapid falloff to the edge.
Medium Profile	Has a wide area of greater density at the center, with rapid falloff to the edge.
Linear Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with even falloff to the edge.
Dull Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with high density weighting to the edge.
Watercolor Profile	Provides maximum density at the outer edge in a ringlike fashion, with medium internal density. This tip may be used with the rendered dab types to yield a hollow dab or a spray concentration.
1-Pixel Edge	Provides maximum density throughout, with rapid falloff at the edge, producing a 1-pixel, anti-aliased edge.

Artists’ Oils Brush Tip Profiles

There are six brush tips designed specifically for Artists’ Oils brushes. You can also use any brush tip, listed in the table above, with Artists’ Oils brushes.


Artists’ Oils profile	Description
Soft Round	Provides maximum density throughout, with rapid falloff at the edge.
Pointed Rake	Provides a range of bristle lengths, with bristles longer in the center and tapering in length toward the edge.
Flat Rake	Provides a range of bristle lengths and maximum density throughout, producing pronounced, even bristling.
Flat	Designed for Artists’ Oils palette knives, it provides maximum density throughout, with rapid falloff at the edge.
Chisel	Designed for Artists’ Oils palette knives, its maximum density is off-center, with uneven falloff.
Wedge	Designed for Artists’ Oils palette knives, it provides maximum density at one edge, with consistent falloff to the other edge.

Hard Media Profiles


Hard Media profile	Description
Pencil Profile	Provides a sharper tip when perpendicular to the tablet and a wider, softer tip when at an angle.
Medium Profile	Has a wide area of greater density at the center, with rapid falloff toward the edge.
Linear Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with even falloff toward the edge.
Pointed Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with rapid falloff toward the edge.
Dull Profile	Provides maximum density at the center, with high-density weighting toward the edge.
1-Pixel Edge	1-Pixel Edge provides maximum density throughout, with rapid falloff toward the edge, producing a 1-pixel, anti-aliased edge.