The options bar, which lies just beneath the menu bar, provides additional features corresponding to the particular tool that is chosen from the toolbox. If you select the clone stamp tool, for example, the options bar will appear as shown below.

 

 

Although the options bar layout will change from tool to tool, there are some options that appear for several tools, with similar behaviour for all the tools to which they apply. For example, you will often see several small arrows next to the icons and function headings. These arrows can reveal menu options and slider switches when you click on them depending on what tool is selected.

 

Many of the painting and retouching tools will have headings for Flow and Opacity in the options bar. Clicking the arrows corresponding to the headings Flow and Opacity will reveal slider switches that you can use to adjust these features. You can also enter numeric values directly into the small text fields provided if you wish. Clicking the arrow next to the word Mode displays a series of several options that influence how the pixels you add with a brush or stamp tool interact with the underlying image pixels.

 

You can adjust the brush thickness of any tool that is painted or applied in strokes, by clicking the small down pointing arrow next to the brush thickness indicator.

 

 

Here you can see the slider switch for adjusting the master diameter (brush thickness), and the slider switch for brush Hardness (how sharp the edges of the brushstroke are). If you now the precise values that you need for these brush qualities, you can enter them directly into the text fields that contain the specific diameter and hardness figures.

 

If you click the right pointing arrow at the top right of this brush options panel, a menu will be displayed with options for different styles of brushes, and tool presets.

 

 

No matter what tool you choose from the toolbox, the options bar will always display the chosen tool’s icon, with a small arrow beside it at the far left.

 

  If you click on the tool’s icon at the left of the options bar, you will display the tool preset picker (shown here). The preset picker box contains all of the presets currently available for the selected tool.

 

If you have made several adjustments to a tool and are finished with it and want to return to the default settings, click the right pointing arrow in the upper right of the tool preset box.

 

This will display a list of tool and preset options. To return the tool to its default state, click the reset tool option from this list. To return all tools to their default state, click Reset all Tools.

 

 

Remember, when ever you choose a tool from the tool box, it is a good idea to check over and adjust the options for the tool in the options bar, to ensure that the tool gives you the results that you are looking for.