Photoshop CS4 brush resize with mouse - how to map hotkey to Wacom button?

[Tonic]

Hey, the CS4 version allows to resize brush size with Alt+Right Mouse Button+drag, just like as Painter do. This method allows to switch fastly between large and small sizes, not like repeating [ and ] buttons. But the problem is I have no idea how to map this hotkey to Intuos3 button (stylus or tablet), since Wacom settings focuses on keyboard and mouse buttons separately (with exception of Any key button+Left Mouse Button combination).

I've tried to change hotkey in Keyboard Shortcuts menu, but I couldn't find it - well, it seems that feature wasn't made up properly.. anyway, any ideas?

Perhaps there are another ways to change Photoshop hotkeys? You know, secret files or something, hehe :P

[AveOfSpades]

You can try assigning the [ and ] to the touchstrip of your intuos3. Just slide up or down to change the size of the brush.

If you still wanna use the Alt+Right mouse button, try assigning the expresskey to keystroke and press on " Alt+Shift+F10". Not sure if this works, but as far as I remember shift+F10 is similar to a right click.

cheers

[Cok3]

if someone finds a way to remap this I'd be really grateful. I wanna change it into S+Left click drag. I use zbrush alot and get really disoriented when I switch back to photoshop thats why.

[JohnMalcolm1970]

The keys on my Intuos are mapped to all the modifiers (ALT, SHIFT and CTRL) as well as pan/space. The front of the button on the pen is ALT also (for sampling colour) and the rear of it is right-click (for bring up brushes typically). So all I'd have to do is press a button on my tablet + a button on my pen at the same time..... Can't think of a way to do it with one button as it would appear to be one of those hard-wired things like space for pan, left click to paint, etc.

What I'm more amazed about is that this feature wasn't mentioned more in their promotion of CS4.... it's right up there with canvas rotation IMHO.

[Palomar]

Cok3,

I've made a script for you using AutoHotkey.
It will toggle the brush resize when you hold down "s" and left click.

Follow these steps....


1. Make sure “s” isn’t bound to any tools within Photoshop (i.e., stamp tool)

2. Download AutoHotkey (http://www.autohotkey.com/download/)and install.

3. Right click on your Desktop and select: new>AutoHotkey Script.

4. Name it resize.ahk (or whatever).

5. Right click the script and choose “Edit Script”.

6. Delete the default text and paste the following (also see my edit below):

#ifWinActive ahk_class Photoshop
{
~s & Lbutton::
{
send {alt down}
mouseclick, right,,, 1, 0, d
Loop
{
sleep, 10
GetKeyState, state, s, p
if state = u
break
}
mouseclick, right,,, 1, 0, U
send {alt up}
return
}
}

7. Save and double click the script to run.

8. Open Photoshop and try it out.

This will only function while Photoshop is your active window--so it shouldn't effect your hotkeys in other programs.

Tell me if this works for you.




EDIT::

I was trying to recreate what Cok3 asked for. However, a more useful script would omit the Lbutton.

#ifWinActive ahk_class Photoshop
{
s::
{
send {alt down}
mouseclick, right,,, 1, 0, d
Loop
{
sleep, 10
GetKeyState, state, s, p
if state = u
break
}
mouseclick, right,,, 1, 0, U
send {alt up}
return
}
}


If you hold down "s" with this script, you can simply move the mouse (or pen) left or right to resize, rather than clicking either mouse button. Much better. (Although if you do click, you will activate the eyedropper tool)

If you don't wish to use the "s" key, simply replace the two instances above with the key of your choice.

[AlexTooth]

awesome just set up your script and it's marvelous!

[George Abraham]

Niiice.

Now we just need a brush flipping function. Where you hold down a key and drag to flip through your set, showing a preview of the brush on screen as you flip, it has to move around from your current brush either left or right.

Do I get a free copy yet(In my dreams)?

[Cok3]

thank you so much!!!!!!! :) :)

[eobet]

I Googled on this, because that solution with the script sounded way, way too complicated.

Here's a better way:

Assign "ctrl + opt/alt" as a modifier key, then drag your pen to resize. Done!

[jfrancis]

In CS4:

Press alt. (on a pc)

Put your Wacom pen onto the tablet and press the button on your pen.

Drag the pen to change brush size.

[Datameister]

I have the opposite issue...being a Photoshop native, I'm so used to the [ and ] mapped to the touchstrip that I went crazy when I started using Painter! :P I had to increase the brush size increment in the preferences so that [ and ] acted more or less like in Photoshop, and now I NEVER use the click-and-drag method. It always seems clunky to me. Interesting how different people work so differently!

[Ferentz]

Click and drag works like a charm, even better I had them allready mapped for other purposes. Thanks guys for this one! I've searched quite a lot for it.

[Sharkcellar]

I'm not sure what planet eobet and jfrancis live on, but the one I'm on has had the ALT key temporarily pull up the eyedropper, and CTRL+ALT = drag copy, forever. I'm dying to have this functionality, and I don't like to use Autohotkey, it always feels dodgy whenever I've used it. I guess I'm stuck using [+] on the sliders until there is a way to map right-click + the ALT key to the tablet without it taking two keys to do it. If someone does figure it out, please provide a link to where you found it on the net. Thanks.

[jfrancis]

I'm not sure what planet eobet and jfrancis live on, but the one I'm on has had the ALT key temporarily pull up the eyedropper, and CTRL+ALT = drag copy, forever. I'm dying to have this functionality, and I don't like to use Autohotkey, it always feels dodgy whenever I've used it. I guess I'm stuck using [+] on the sliders until there is a way to map right-click + the ALT key to the tablet without it taking two keys to do it. If someone does figure it out, please provide a link to where you found it on the net. Thanks.

Have the brush enabled in CS4.

Press ALT. The eyedropper will pop up.

With ALT still pressed, press the button on your wacom pen. The eyedropper will vanish and the brush re-size function will kick in.

[Sharkcellar]

Ah,

I see what you're saying. I haven't had my stylus set up in its default mode since I first got it. I have my stylus buttons set to "step back and step forward" in the history (essentially undo/redo). I guess if I set it back to default your suggestion would be very handy indeed, though to be honest, overcoming the now ingrained twitch response to use those buttons as undo/redo would be more trouble than it's worth, but thanks. I'm sure this will be handy to a lot of other people.

[funshark]

I have some issues with the autohotkey script you posted, Palomar.
At the beginning, it works half the time, then, it tends to not working at all.

Instead of that, the stamp tool is still working ( S hotkey ).