When is "White" not white?

PS
Posted By
Peter_Spier
May 3, 2005
Views
491
Replies
8
Status
Closed
I’m working on an image with a "star field" effect created by adding noise to a black field and then running the grain filter with both sliders set to 100. The effect is actually pretty good on screen, but when I went to press it just looked like the image was dusty.

I think I’ve got it fixed, but I noticed something weird while I was playing around. Setting the brush tool to 1 pixel diameter and 100% hardness and clicking to get a white spot actually gave me several altered pixels in various shades of gray, some quite dark. I had expected the result to be a single white pixel as if I had used the pencil tool instead.

Is this normal? And if it is, is there a way to control just how light or dark the color actually will be? I presume this must have something to do with anti-aliasing, maybe?

Thanks,
Peter
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DM
dave_milbut
May 3, 2005
I think it’s normal. use the pencil tool instead of the brush tool.

I remember there was a discussion like that when version 7 came out.
PS
Peter_Spier
May 3, 2005
Thanks. Just thought it was odd enough that I went looking for causes like an adjustment layer I’d forgotten about, or bad prefs, but none of the above had any effect.

Peter
C
Corey
May 4, 2005
You might also play with the flow percentage to reduce the degree of the effect.

Peadge 🙂

wrote in message
I’m working on an image with a "star field" effect created by adding noise
to a black field and then running the grain filter with both sliders set to 100. The effect is actually pretty good on screen, but when I went to press it just looked like the image was dusty.
I think I’ve got it fixed, but I noticed something weird while I was
playing around. Setting the brush tool to 1 pixel diameter and 100% hardness and clicking to get a white spot actually gave me several altered pixels in various shades of gray, some quite dark. I had expected the result to be a single white pixel as if I had used the pencil tool instead.
Is this normal? And if it is, is there a way to control just how light or
dark the color actually will be? I presume this must have something to do with anti-aliasing, maybe?
Thanks,
Peter
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 4, 2005
You should try the paintbrush at 1 pixel and 100% opacity with 100% zoom. Working at other zoom levels interpolates the preview, and makes the brush fall ‘between pixels’ resulting in antialiased dot. (Or something to that effect…)
DM
dave_milbut
May 4, 2005
iirc mat, didn’t matter. chris and (scott i think?) confirmed it was a bug at the time. it was exactly as pete describes it.

use the pencil tool.

pete what version of ps are you using?
DM
dave_milbut
May 4, 2005
and how do you interopolate 1 pixel? 1px is one px. zoom in and set a 1×1 grid and see what happens. use a square 1px brush if you want. just tested on cs2 and seems to still do the same…

works ok with the pencil though. 🙂
PS
Peter_Spier
May 4, 2005
Dave,

I’m currently using PSCS, waiting a few weeks before upgrading for some of the new bugs to get discovered <g>.

Mathias,

I’ve actually been working at 100% and sometimes even as much as 400% in order to even see one pixel. At the 100% view the color "white is often so dark it doesn’t even show up. If I zoom in and click Photoshop usually paints anywhere from 2 to 4 pixels (at least that is what it looks like) in various shades of gray.

Think I’ll have to try to remember to use the pencil. And I’ll pass this along to my friends.

Peter
DM
dave_milbut
May 4, 2005
Photoshop usually paints anywhere from 2 to 4 pixels (at least that is what it looks like) in various shades of gray.

agreed. even with a 1 px square brush at 100% hardness and 100% flow and opacity.

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