Brush tool doesn't work

Can anyone suggest a reason why the brush tool doesn't work from time to time in Photoshop. This has happened to me several times now and usually when I close Photoshop and open it again it starts working, but this time that isn't happening. I have checked that I do not have a small area selected and have tried it on a new image and several saved ones, but no luck! Mode is normal, opacity and flow 100%. Have tried the brush at all sizes. I have also opened an older version of photoshop and the same is currently happening with it. This is driving me crazy! Very grateful for any suggestions as to what is happening here.

Do you use a tablet with a mouse/pen because I was having similar problems when using the mouse but the pen worked OK. Hope it helps

"Anne" wrote in message

Can anyone suggest a reason why the brush tool doesn't work from time to time in Photoshop. This has happened to me several times now and usually when I close Photoshop and open it again it starts working, but this time that isn't happening. I have checked that I do not have a small area selected and have tried it on a new image and several saved ones, but no luck! Mode is normal, opacity and flow 100%. Have tried the brush at all sizes. I have also opened an older version of photoshop and the same is currently happening with it. This is driving me crazy! Very grateful for any suggestions as to what is happening here.

Hi Clive

Yes, I do use a tablet with mouse and pen and was using the mouse when I had this problem. It's working again now, so I can't check if it's OK with the pen, but will try that next time it happens. Thanks for your help.

"clive" < SPAMoxenwood.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message

Do you use a tablet with a mouse/pen because I was having similar problems when using the mouse but the pen worked OK. Hope it helps

"Anne" wrote in message

Can anyone suggest a reason why the brush tool doesn't work from time to time in Photoshop. This has happened to me several times now and

usually

when I close Photoshop and open it again it starts working, but this

time

that isn't happening. I have checked that I do not have a small area selected and have tried it on a new image and several saved ones, but no luck! Mode is normal, opacity and flow 100%. Have tried the brush at

all

sizes. I have also opened an older version of photoshop and the same is currently happening with it. This is driving me crazy! Very grateful

for

any suggestions as to what is happening here.

In article , says...

Can anyone suggest a reason why the brush tool doesn't work from time to time in Photoshop. This has happened to me several times now and usually when I close Photoshop and open it again it starts working, but this time that isn't happening. I have checked that I do not have a small area selected and have tried it on a new image and several saved ones, but no luck! Mode is normal, opacity and flow 100%. Have tried the brush at all sizes. I have also opened an older version of photoshop and the same is currently happening with it. This is driving me crazy! Very grateful for any suggestions as to what is happening here.

OK, I looked over your settings, and the lack of a "hidden" Selection. From later posts, I see you are on tablet, and it's the mouse that doesn't work, but you have not yet tried the stylus. Initially, sounds like a whacked out mouse on the tablet. Stylus test should confirm/deny this. If both do not work, then I'd look at the driver, then possibly the I/O of the system. One test to run, do you have maybe a USB/PC mouse in use too? Can you borrow one, if you don't and try it, when the problem exists?

Back in PS, what happens? Is there any sort of cursor change, like to a little circle with diagonal line? Are you working in an active Layer/Channel? On laptop, with tight monitor real estate, I've made the mistake of trying to work on an "active" Layer, that had its little eyeball turned off - got the circle in place of the cursor. Only took a second to make the correction, but for a few strokes, my Brush wouldn't work either. If the mechanics/driver seem OK, you might want to check all of the various settings on Layers/Channels, just to make sure that they are setup to accept the Brush.

Just thinking here,
Hunt

On 11 Dec 2005 20:15:32 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

it's the mouse that doesn't work,
but you have not yet tried the stylus.

I have got a Wacom tablet and I had that problem for a while. For some reason as soon as I used the pen once then the mouse would start to work too. The problem just went away I am not sure what it was.

Thanks for your responses Hunt and Fred. The problem hasn't come back again, but next time it happens I'll try using the pen - it sounds like that must be the problem. It is a Wacom tablet I'm using too.

"Fred Athearn" wrote in message

On 11 Dec 2005 20:15:32 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

it's the mouse that doesn't work,
but you have not yet tried the stylus.

I have got a Wacom tablet and I had that problem for a while. For some reason as soon as I used the pen once then the mouse would start to work too. The problem just went away I am not sure what it was.

In article , says...

Thanks for your responses Hunt and Fred. The problem hasn't come back again, but next time it happens I'll try using the pen - it sounds like that must be the problem. It is a Wacom tablet I'm using too.
"Fred Athearn" wrote in message

On 11 Dec 2005 20:15:32 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

it's the mouse that doesn't work,
but you have not yet tried the stylus.

I have got a Wacom tablet and I had that problem for a while. For some reason as soon as I used the pen once then the mouse would start to work too. The problem just went away I am not sure what it was.

One tiny "aside." Recently, I had replaced my pen (stylus) into the little holder UPSIDE DOWN. I was so involved in my edit, that when I grabbed the pen, I was using the eraser. I couldn't understand why the Brush size was so large, when I had been using an oblong, slanted Brush! Well, duh!

Also, since I posted my reply to you, I had a bit of problem with an Intuos II. I have USB MS wheel-mouse, plus stylus and puck on Wacom. I usually use the wheel-mouse for all general pointing work. I had moved it to the side of the tablet, and grabbed my stylus - it didn't work. The puck (Wacom mouse) didin't do much better. I thought, oh sh*t, what's going on here? The wheel- mouse is an optical model, and it was very slowly sliding down the pad, interfering with the Wacom. As soon as I placed it on a flat surface, all was back to normal.

I only mention these things, to offer some "off-the-cuff" ideas, that might help you solve your problem, should it ever arise again.

Hunt