<a name="999875"> </a>The Corel Painter computed airbrushes are so realistic, you feel as though you're using the real thing. Taking advantage of computed dab type technology, most airbrush functionality is now available. For more about computed brushes, refer to <a href="06-Painting4.html#999102">"Using Computed Brushes"</a>.
</p>
<p id="999882" class="Body">
<a name="999882"> </a>The best way to get used to the Corel Painter airbrushes is to play with them. Select each variant and spray paint onto the Canvas, without worrying about running out of compressed air. Computed airbrushes can paint with color, patterns, or variants. There's a variant that blows hair-like strokes, as well as a variant that just blows existing paint around on the Canvas, like using the hose without an airbrush attached.
</p>
<p id="1013790" class="Body">
<a name="1013790"> </a>Try out the Fine Spray variant in the Airbrushes category for an example of how Bearing and Flow settings combine to give realistic airbrush results.
</p>
<p id="1019544" class="Body">
<a name="1019544"> </a>For information about the Airbrush controls in the Brush Creator, refer to <a href="10-Brushes21.html#1022391">"Setting Airbrush Controls"</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="999894" class="Heading2">
<a name="999894"> </a>Conic Sections
</h3>
<p id="999895" class="Body">
<a name="999895"> </a>Previously, digital airbrushes projected a thin mist of dots (or paint dabs) onto the Canvas. The Digital Airbrush variant (named Fat Stroke in previous versions of Corel Painter) is included in the default brush library. With a digital airbrush, dots are laid down, or sprayed, within a circular area, like the circle thrown by a flashlight that is perfectly perpendicular to a piece of paper. The area of application remains circular, regardless of tilt, bearing, or stylus pressure. Density, or flow, adjustments can be mimicked with adjustments to the Opacity setting.
<a name="1003138"> </a><i>Previous airbrushes sprayed a thin layer of dots within an area that was always circular, like a circle of light from a flashlight that's perpendicular to a piece of paper.
</i></p>
<p id="1003087" class="Body">
<a name="1003087"> </a>Now, airbrushes respond to angle (tilt), bearing (direction), and flow (wheel setting) data from a stylus, allowing for a truly realistic brush stroke. For example, as you tilt your stylus, specks of media land on the paper in a way that reflects that tilt. Imagine, again, the circle of light thrown by a flashlight. The moment the flashlight is no longer perpendicular to the paper, the shape of the cone of light changes, creating a "conic-section." In the same manner, Corel Painter airbrushes create conic-sections that mirror your stylus movements.
<a name="1003858"> </a><i>Angle and tilt determine the shape and size of the conic-section created by Corel Painter airbrushes, like a circle of light from a flashlight that is no longer perpendicular to the paper.
</i></p>
<p id="1013750" class="Body">
<a name="1013750"> </a>Extreme tilt angles affect large areas of the canvas. This can slow the brush down, as it tries to squirt paint too far from the stylus.
</p>
<h3 id="999978" class="Heading2">
<a name="999978"> </a>Adjusting Spread
</h3>
<p id="999979" class="Body">
<a name="999979"> </a>You can adjust airbrush spread in the Brush Creator. Airbrush spread controls affect how paint spreads out as it is applied. In other words, it sets the size of the cone of spread from the tip of the airbrush or spray can.
</p>
<p id="999980" class="Body">
<a name="999980"> </a>A good range for the Spread setting is 30-40%. Narrow Spread and Angle settings can cause problems. Narrow Spread combined with a very tilted stylus can cause paint to be deposited away from the cursor.
</p>
<h3 id="999982" class="Heading2">
<a name="999982"> </a>Varying Edges
</h3>
<p id="1013659" class="Body">
<a name="1013659"> </a>You can vary the edges of the paint sprayed from an airbrush to achieve desired softness. You do this by selecting a brush tip or "profile" in the Brush Creator. Each profile gives you a different edge to the paint you spray. For more information, refer to <a href="10-Brushes9.html#999306">"Brush Tips"</a>.
<a name="1013643"> </a><i>Airbrush edges created with the Water Color profile (top) and the Medium profile (bottom).
</i></p>
<h3 id="1017042" class="Heading2">
<a name="1017042"> </a>Adjusting Flow
</h3>
<p id="1017043" class="Body">
<a name="1017043"> </a>Although you can still adjust Opacity to apply fainter or darker dots of media, some Corel Painter airbrushes, for example, the Fine Wheel Airbrush variant, take advantage of stylus wheel controls. Like the needle control on real airbrushes, the wheel control adjusts airbrush flow, or how much media is applied.
<a name="1017052"> </a><i>Adjust airbrush flow with the wheel control on many airbrush styluses.
</i></p>
<h5 id="1017053" class="ToDoHead">
<a name="1017053"> </a>To increase or decrease media flow from an airbrush
</h5>
<ul>
<li class="SmartList1"><a name="1017054"> </a>Do one of the following:</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li class="Bulleted2"><a name="1017055"> </a>Move the stylus wheel toward the tip, or forward, to decrease flow. Move it away from the tip, or backward, to increase flow.</li>
<li class="Bulleted2"><a name="1017056"> </a>On the Stroke Designer page of the Brush Creator, click Airbrush, and adjust the Flow and Min Flow sliders. Flow sets the maximum flow. Min Flow sets the minimum amount of flow as a percentage of Flow.</li>
<li class="SmartList1"><a name="1017058"> </a>You can reverse the effect of moving the airbrush wheel by enabling the Invert check box on the Color Expression palette, or by enabling the Invert Flow Expression check box on the Stroke Designer page of the Brush Creator.</li>
<li class="SmartList1"><a name="1017059"> </a>In the Brush Creator, you can also determine flow based on stylus information, such as velocity or pressure, by choosing an expression from the Flow Expression pop-up menu.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="1003392" class="Heading2">
<a name="1003392"> </a>Controlling Droplet Size
</h3>
<p id="1017070" class="Body">
<a name="1017070"> </a>You can control the size of the airbrush droplets. This is not the same as adjusting the size of the brush. The larger the brush, the more droplets are sprayed.
</p>
<h5 id="1000010" class="ToDoHead">
<a name="1000010"> </a>To change the size of airbrush droplets
</h5>
<ol type="1">
<li class="SmartList1" value="1"><a name="1013687"> </a>On the Stroke Designer page of the Brush Creator, click General.</li>
<li class="SmartList1" value="2"><a name="1013688"> </a>Choose Airbrush from the Dab Type pop-up menu.</li>
<li class="SmartList1"><a name="1013711"> </a>Very large droplets may produce unexpected results.</li>
<li class="SmartList1"><a name="1017646"> </a>The Feature setting is not available for variants using the Pixel Airbrush or Line Airbrush dab types.</li>
