Holding shift key with brush/eraser - NOT WORKING!

[gnubler]

When I'm using a brush or eraser in PS, I often will hold the Shift key down as I'm brushing/erasing to generate a straight line from one click point to the next. Suddenly, it's just not working anymore. Why? Can anyone help?

[David]

what version of PS?
are you using a mouse or a pen (Wacom tablet)?

[gnubler]

PS CS1, Win-doze. Using a Kensington wireless mouse (same mouse I've been using for months without issues).

[Joe]

Did you try shutting down the PC and then restarting? (Not a re-start from windows but actually powering it off and waiting 10 seconds and then turning it back on. A PC doesn't flush all the bad stuff with just a re-start) Works wonders sometimes for all kinds of strange issues.

[G_Town]

I had something like this happen in CS2 on a mac, I was trying to adjust an adjustment layer and after making my selection the option delete or Apple/command delete would not fill.

Thought I was losing it until I tried it on another mac and it work fine, rebooted, threw salt over my shoulder and nothing worked finally deleted the PS prefs and it worked fine after that.

[gnubler]

This started about a week ago, and I shut my PC down nightly. I'll try trashing the prefs...BTW, where will I find the prefs file on XP? (I'm a Macaroo)

EDIT: This is happening when I'm using the Brush tool only, either for painting or erasing. When I use the block eraser or the pencil tool, holding down shift from click-point to click-point DOES paint or erase a straight line. Weird!

[jezza]

I'm a Macaroo too! Not sure where prefs are stored on a windows box, but check your PS 'Settings' I think that's what they're called. Change something, then change it back after a bit of usage. Best I can think of right now...

[G_Town]

This started about a week ago, and I shut my PC down nightly. I'll try trashing the prefs...BTW, where will I find the prefs file on XP? (I'm a Macaroo)

EDIT: This is happening when I'm using the Brush tool only, either for painting or erasing. When I use the block eraser or the pencil tool, holding down shift from click-point to click-point DOES paint or erase a straight line. Weird!

Yea every thing else worked fine thats why I thought the problem was me.

Eek another Macaroo to, dunno where in it's murkey depths where you might find the prefs. Sorry

[gnubler]

Looks like someone else had/has the exact same issue: Shift plus brush does not draw line

But no real solution other than a stroked path workaround...

LAST EDIT: Looks like this is only happening with SOME brushes. I'm going through and trying different brush sets - some draw the line, some don't (I only load one set at a time, not append). I've added a handful a new brush sets in the past few weeks - maybe one of them isn't playing nice with PS?

[Joe]

Windows preferences are stored in the Windows registry. Start | Run | type in regedit32.exe. Good luck finding them for a particular app. You'll need it. Funny how Windows used to use ".inf" files for preferences and then some genius at Microsoft decided it would be better off putting them in a cryptic database than having simple text files to store them in.

[gnubler]

I reset my brushes to the default PS set, and the click/shift thing is working now. For whatever reason, some of the brush sets I had installed were causing some mischief.

Any thoughts on that? Isn't a PS brush just a grayscale graphic saved as an .abr file?

[David]

did you make these brushes yourself or did you download them?

(I was wondering if the brushes you are using might work on a Mac and not on a PC)

[gnubler]

I didn't make any of my brushes - they're just sets I find here and there on design sites around the Intertube, most of them from Deviant Art.

This morning I did read something about some brushes not working in different versions of PS. I'm running CS1, so maybe that's it.