Custom brushes
A custom brush is a saved set of brush-engine settings. Making a copy of an existing preset gives you a starting point and an unchanged version to compare against. This page covers keeping that variant and checking what happens when you import a brush from another app.
These draft guides describe the intended workflow and include features that are still in development.
What you'll learn
- Copy and name a preset before changing its settings.
- Test a new tip or texture in both short and long strokes.
- Check imported brushes for differences in pressure, paint buildup, and texture.
Make a variant of an existing brush
Duplicate the preset closest to the brush you want. Give the copy a name that describes its use, such as a softer pencil or a wider ink brush. Keep the original available so you can compare the marks or return to its settings.
Change one part of the preset at a time and test it at the size you actually draw with. Once the result is useful, save the changes to the copied preset. The brush engine reference explains which settings control spacing, buildup, and pressure response.
Change a tip or texture
The tip image defines the shape and transparency of each impression of the brush tip; a texture adds variation to the deposited mark. First test a new tip without additional scatter or texture so you can see its shape clearly. Then add the other settings back as needed.
Check both short and long strokes. A texture that looks convincing in a small patch may repeat visibly along a long stroke. Fix the relevant texture or spacing setting rather than adding unrelated variation to hide the problem.
Evaluate an imported preset
Brush importing is planned; supported formats have not been published yet. The comparisons below describe how to evaluate a brush once importing is available. Brushes from another app may rely on engine behavior without an exact equivalent in Capy Canvas.
Compare a light-to-heavy stroke, an overlapping stroke, and a broad painted area. These reveal differences in pressure response, paint buildup, and texture. Keep the source brush file and save any adjustments as a separate Capy Canvas preset rather than replacing your only copy.