This document describes the changes between version 8 and version 9 of the tools, and it also contains the version 9 change history.
Three versions of the tools are available:
Note: If you purchase the wg or cp set and then purchase the other set, the new download file will include both sets.
There is online help available at Online Help
The following actions have been modified:
The following actions have been added:
The following papers have been added:
When you use the Make Watercolor/Gouache Paper action, the Langton paper is automatically chosen as in Version 8. When you use the Make Charcoal/Pastel Paper, the Canson Mi-Teintes #1 paper is automatically chosen.The following actions have been added to Version 9 to allow you to change the paper:
You can change the paper at any time (after having made the paper layers with the Make Watercolor Paper action). However you should normally change the paper before painting, especially if you use DOD, charcoal or pastels as these brushes have a texture that should correspond to the paper texture (see Brush Texture below).
Note 1: the last action, 'Change Paper to Pattern', allows you to create a paper based on your own pattern or on one of the Photoshop built-in patterns. See Help or follow the instructions in the action for information on how to do this.
Note 2: the paper color and lightness can easily be changed by unlocking the 'Background Locked' layer and applying a Hue/Saturation and/or a Levels adjustment to it. So, for example, the Canson Mi-Teintes #1 could be changed to a slate gray color or to a deep blue by applying a Hue/Saturation adjustment to the 'Background Locked' layer. This will not affect the brushes or tools.
All brushes that have a texture (for example the DOD, charcoal and pastel brushes) use the current paper texture. In the example shown, the same brush gives two different textures depending on which paper has been selected (the upper stroke is with the Laid Vertical paper and the lower stroke with the Strathmore 500 paper). The brush texture corresponds exactly to the paper texture: this makes a very close emulation of dry on dry, charcoal and pastel brush strokes possible.
Photoshop does not have a facility to implement this feature automatically. Normally the user will change each brush to the required texture during use; of course this is a very time-consuming and difficult thing to do. To get over this problem, the current release of the tools has a mechanism to automate the changeover of brushes to the new paper texture: a new set of brushes and tool presets is loaded whenever the paper is changed. Note: the current set of brushes and tool presets will normally be replaced, so you should save any brush or tool presets of your own before changing paper. However you will be given the option not to replace the brushes and tool presets: if you choose that option then you should load the brushes and tool presets manually, otherwise the brush and paper textures will no longer match.
The Make Deckled Edge action may be used to apply a deckled edge to the paper.
The effect is as shown (on The Langton paper).
The Reveal Paper action may be used to reveal the paper using the paper's texture.
At the top left I show some strokes onto Daler Rowney Ingres Vertical Laid paper with a Pastel stick so that the hollows of the paper is still visible. The top right image is smudged so that the pigment has gone into the hollows of the paper and the paper no longer shows through (which is what would normally happen when smudging pastels on paper).
Sometimes we wish to show more of the paper through and this can be accomplished using the Reveal Paper action. On the bottom right I have applied the effect in some areas. The effect is non-destructive; it can be controlled very precisely, or it can be applied loosely. The paper is revealed in the hollows, which is what would happen with pastels (and dry brush) on a textured paper if the blending was light in places.
In this example I have hidden the paper by blending, but the same effect would occur if a lot of pigment was applied to the paper (or if a very soft pastel was used). The Reveal Paper action can of course be used in this case also.
This effect will usually be used for Charcoal and Pastels, but it can of course also be used to good effect for Watercolors and Gouache (to give a dry brush effect retrospectively).
Watercolor/Gouache (wg): The Version 8 Watercolor swatches have been replaced by two new swatches: the Winsor Newton sRGB swatch and the Winsor Newton Adobe RGB swatch. These swatches were made directly from a hand-painted Winsor & Newton color swatch and form a complete set of Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor paints.
Pastels (cp): Two new swatches are available, the Unison sRGB swatch and the Unison Adobe RGB swatch. Unison pastels are one of the best soft pastels and the color swatches are made directly from the Unison color chart. Unlike watercolors, pastels cannot be mixed to produce different colors (at least not easily or well) and for this reason pastels come in hundreds of colors, with quite small shade differences between adjacent colors. In Photoshop it's quite easy to adjust colors and so the color swatches cover the principle colors only (so that intermediate colors can be obtained using the color picker).The brushes marked with (.) are available for Photoshop CS5 onwards.
The brushes marked with (..) are available for Photoshop CS6 onwards.
Brushes with no trailing period are available for Photoshop CS onwards. Note that if two brushes have the same name but one has a trailing period (or two trailing periods), the brushes will be approximately the same. If you prefer one over the other then simply delete the one you don't want.
For example, 'Pencil Charcoal' is available for Photoshop CS onwards, while 'Pencil Charcoal..' is available only for Photoshop CS6 onwards.
Note: All brushes that were available in Version 8 are also available in Version 9, with the exception of a few redundant ones which have been removed. However, if you have already purchased Version 8 and you particularly want these brushes, you can restore them from your Version 8 release.
These are the new watercolor brushes in Version 9.
Dry on Dry brushes:
Wet on Dry Brushes:
Wash Brushes:
These are the new watercolor erasers in Version 9.
These are the new watercolor blenders in Version 9.
These are the new Gouache brushes, erasers and blenders in Version 9.
These are the new gouache brushes in Version 9.
These are the new gouache erasers in Version 9.
These are the new gouache blenders in Version 9.
These are the new charcoal brushes in Version 9.
These are the new charcoal erasers in Version 9.
NOTE: All the watercolor erasers from Version 8 are available as Charcoal erasers.
These are the new charcoal blenders in Version 9.
These are the new pastel brushes in Version 9.
These are the new pastel erasers in Version 9.
NOTE: All the watercolor erasers from Version 8 are available as Pastel erasers.
These are the new pastel blenders in Version 9.
These are the new Ink (Pen) brushes in Version 9:
These are the new Pencil brushes in Version 9:
These are the new miscellaneous brushes in Version 9.
Miscellaneous Brushes:
Mask Brushes:
All brushes, erasers and blenders have been checked and corrected where necessary. The tool settings have also been adjusted. As mentioned above, new brushes and tool presets are loaded when the paper is changed to ensure that the brush texture continues to match the new paper texture.
I hope you like Version 9 of the Tools!