Options of Mixer Brush Tool

Now having learned how to use the mixer brush tool, let’s understand the options of the brush tool. With the help of these options, it becomes an extremely powerful tool.  When we select the mixer brush tool, we can see the option bar as shown below:

1. Brush Size 

This option is the same in all brush tools. This option lets us adjust the brush size and the angle of the brush and the sharpness.  

2. Current Brush Load 

This option shows the current loaded color of the brush. Now this option has interesting features. If we click on it, there are other different options available as given below:

• Load brush: This option reloads the brush with color.
• Clean brush: This option cleans the brush.
• Load Solid Color only: This option is checked then the brush only loads solid colors.  

Now a question may arise, whether the brush can pick anything other than the solid color? The answer is Yes.  

3. Load the brush after each stroke  

If this option is kept checked, the brush automatically reloads itself with the same color after each stroke.

4. Clean the brush after each stroke 

If this option is kept checked, the brush automatically cleans itself after each stroke.

5. Presets

These options have several pre-defined functions created by setting different values of Wet, load, and mix. By default, it set to custom, where we can make our own preset. If you click on the option, you will see something like this:

6. Wet

This option has a value within the range of 0-100%. This option tells us how much paint your brush picks from the canvas and also we get the mix option enabled when we make wet value >0. Lower the wet and mix, lesser the color that will mix.  

7. Load 

This option also has a value within the range of 0-100%. This option tells how much paint we have taken on our brush. Higher the value, the larger the amount of paint on the brush. As like a real brush, the load color gets exhausted as we paint with the brush. If we set the load to 100% and set Wet and Mix to 0, we get a brush like a normal paint brush.

8. Mix

This option also has a value within the range of  0-100%. This option tells us how much mixing of the color will occur with the colors of the canvas when we paint with the brush. This option gets only enabled when wet has a value >0 because we already know if the wet is set to 0, then the brush will not pick any color from the brush.

9. Flow 

This option also has a value within the range of 0-100%. This option controls the flow rate of the color with each stroke. More the flow rate, more color with the flow at the stroke. By default, the flow is set to 100%.

10. Smoothing 

The higher the value it is set to, the more it will reduce the shakiness in the stroke of the brush.

11. Sample all layers 

If this option is checked then the brush will behave as if it is painting in a single layer canvas although there may be different layers. The tool combines all the layers to one and paints according to it through multiple layers are present in it. By default, the sample all layers option is kept checked.

The Mixer Brush Tool in Photoshop is a cool feature that lets you blend colors like real paint. It’s great for artists who want to create natural, painted looks in their digital artwork. You can use Photoshop to create or edit images, posters, banners, logos, invitation cards, and various types of graphic designing work. It provides various tools for designing and editing and the Mixer Brush tool is one of them.