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Brushes + Threshold + Different Colors?


TommyS

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Howdy folks!

My first time here at these forums. I'm a print/textile/graphic designer and I haven't seen an answer to this question anywhere on the webs.
This is sort of a complicated question. I'll do my best to ask it in a comprehensible way.

I love the hard edges and visual effect of the threshold adjustment layer when I paint on a layer below it, I just want to control what color it uses instead of black. Is there a way I can preserve the adjustment layer, and recolor only the black?
I know I can pull the black out of the channels, make a new layer with that selection, and recolor it from there, but I'd like to see if there's a way to do that without going through those steps.

I appreciate the help!
 

colleague

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when you make a top layer filled with the color you want , then put this layer on mode "lighter color"
the color will be lighter then the black , but never lighter then white
 

IamSam

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Easy.

Original.
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.40.12 PM.png

Threshold.........
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.40.21 PM.png

Solid Color adjustment layer set to screen and clipped to the threshold layer.
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.40.30 PM.png

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.40.38 PM.png
 

TommyS

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Ahh! Lovely. That's exactly the effect I was looking for. Though, I'd like to use fewer layers if possible. I'm planning on having a lot of other layers both on top and below with this effect.

Thanks for the reply!
 

TommyS

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The "ligher color" layer works well. The color fill adjustment layer doesn't. I forgot to mention that I am not painting directly onto a white ground. The brush layer is separate from any other layer, i.e. a black brushstroke on a layer above the white ground. I'd ideally have multiple brushstroke layers in different colors above and below.
 

IamSam

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Can you post a screen shot example of what your talking about?
 

TommyS

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Here is the lighter color method working:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 1.03.05 PM.png

But, it doesn't work when there are multiple brushstroke layers:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 1.03.21 PM copy.jpg
As you can see, the cyan layer is now hidden due to the second threshold.

This is the effect I'm looking for but using non destructive methods/ adjustment layers:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 1.11.59 PM.png
 

IamSam

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Works great with solid color fill adjustment layer set to screen and clipped to a black brush stroke.

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 3.25.09 PM.png

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 3.25.31 PM.png
 

IamSam

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Are you clipping the solid color fill layers to the brushstroke layers?

Right click the solid color fill layer and choose "create clipping mask".

Same amount of layers with absolute adjustability.
 

TommyS

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I really appreciate your help! Unfortunately, I was looking for the hard edges of the threshold adjustment layer as well.

As you can see the fill layer has a lot of opacities:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 1.29.31 PM.png

I was hoping for something like this with a threshold adjustment layer:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 1.30.01 PM.png

I got that image from selecting that layer's pixels, going into quick mask, threshold, exit quick mask, and fill the resulting selection on a new layer.
I'm getting the feeling that it might not be possible with non destructive methods.
 

MrToM

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...I was looking for the hard edges of the threshold adjustment layer as well...
You wont get the effect you desire by using a Threshold adjustment layer because each 'coloured' layer needs its own 'background' in order to work.

If you want a 'hard edged' effect why not just use the 'Pencil' tool?

You can still use the brushes you use with the 'Brush' tool but you'll get a hard, non-aliased edge to the strokes.

You can colour it as you originally intended.

Regards.
MrToM.
 

TommyS

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Thank you Mr. Tom! That's as close as I've gotten to what I was hoping for. I'm probably being picky here (sorry if I am haha) but it still isn't quite what I was looking for.

Here is my original brush stroke (normal brush tool):
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.31.30 PM.png

Here is that same brush stroke with my quick mask, threshold technique:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.31.36 PM.png
This is what I was looking for, but without having to deal with the cumbersome steps. I also have made an action which does the five or six steps for me, but doing it on every new brushstroke is tedious.

Here is the pencil brush approximation:
Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 2.32.35 PM.png
It's pretty close to what I was looking for, but it doesn't have quite the same look as the threshold method. I fooled around with the pencil brush presets and, it might just be my lack of experience with the intricacies of the brush panel, but I couldn't get those pretty edges the threshold method gives me.

I originally thought using the threshold adjustment layer would give me what I was looking for, but I don't think it's going to be the solution.

Again, sorry for being such a pain. I feel like I'm getting closer to the answer with your guy's help though!
 

MrToM

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...Can I somehow import a brush preset as a pencil brush preset?...
Not sure I follow you....they are one and the same.

Any 'brush' presets loaded can be used by both the 'Brush' tool and the 'Pencil' tool....if you change the 'Presets' by resetting, loading or appending a different brush set then it makes no odds as to which tool you use....they both have access to whatever brushes you have loaded at the time.

You can of course make your own custom brush too if needed.

Regards.
MrToM.
 

TommyS

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From my understanding, each type of brush preset (at least in CS6) is exclusive. For instance:

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 3.06.33 PM.png
This is the brush preset I am using with the brush tool.

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 3.06.42 PM.png
This is the brush preset panel for the pencil tool which doesn't have my brush tool's presets.

And the "Current Tool Only" checkbox doesn't really help; if I click on the brush preset I want, my tool switches over to a regular brush, not the pencil tool.
 

MrToM

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Those are Tool presets, not brush presets.

Regards.
MrToM.
 

TommyS

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Those are Tool presets, not brush presets.

Quite right! Sorry, mean Tool Presets then. I'm guessing there's no way to use a brush's Tool Preset in the pencil tool.

Anyways, I found the fastest way to get the results I wanted was to modify my threshold action a little, and set it up as a hotkey on F6. So now after every stroke I hit F6, wait a second and keep going.

I appreciate your guys' help!
 

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