7 Easy Ways To Troubleshoot The Brush Tool In Photoshop

If the brush tool suddenly stops working, it can really slow down your editing process. Luckily, you can troubleshoot and fix the problem in just a few seconds using any of these 7 troubleshooting methods outlined in this tutorial. If your brush tool isn't working because:
- The brush tool cursor has disappeared
- Your brush tool isn't visible
- The brush tool won't paint your selected color
- Your layer isn't editable
- You can only select white, grey, or black
Or other possibilities, then this tutorial will have you covered. Now you can learn how to fix the brush tool in less than a minute the next time it stops working.
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[@OjanMusic]

In my case you just had to quit and re-open photoshop. You missed that one, bro ;)

[@celia4698]

Thank you for addressing brush issues... Twice now I have had to reset the brush tool... when I was teaching this subject several years ago I never had this problem, so I'm very glad I found you.

[@YonnBurgos]

Wow man! I'm glad I found your tutorial! Thank you very much! It helped me to get my brush work back again :)

[@indyaudrey1361]

Thank you for your clear explanations. I have a problem with my brush when using the layer mask. It erases at an angle. I would really like some help with this if you can. Thank you so much.

[@DanielaBunu]

Hi Brendan, thank you for this tutorial. I am very good with photoshop, but suddenly today I had unknown problems with the brush tool and it drives me crazy… Alone for the Reset Tool option was worth it to watch the video till the end. Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@raphaela7881]

You are a freaking life saver!!! Thank you so much! My issue was not having the mode in normal

[@soknarith5722]

I watch your video only 5 second and I solve my problem. It mean a lots to me. Thank you so much Brendan

[@rapanui5230]

So simple ... Many thanks!!

[@qormi1000]

Well explained. Thank you Brendan.

[@bre8383]

YESSS thank youu it was driving me crazy!

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

Glad I could help!

[@wolfmanj3]

Thank you!!! Great Job. You got a new Subscriber. This is what all tutorials should be like. Straight to the point, clear, concise and with great instructions! This should be template for all UA-cam problem solving videos! Thank you once again!

[@kirajou]

That was super helpful! Thank you very much!

[@Karna.Tjahyana_ID]

Thanks for the tutorials, really helpful. 👍

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

No problem!

[@duncanleonard6266]

Solved the problem very quickly. Thank you Brendan!

[@backiyamurugesan6730]

Thank you so much. Now cleared. Working properly

[@anne-sophiecafmeyer1749]

THANK YOU!!!!! You've helped me a lot!

[@sofiaotz6183]

So helpfuuuull thank you!!!!

[@kipcombat1195]

Thank you!! this helped a lot.

[@user-el6ou9tv2p]

so helpful thank u very much

[@zebeddy]

Bloody genius. I'm new to PS and have spent a day trying to work out why my brush suddenly stopped working. Looked ay dozen of videos you yours finally gave me the answer clearly and concisely. Thank you :)

[@IllusionSmile1]

Hi Brandon, thank you for the tips, but I am still facing problems with using the brush in Quick mode for changing the background. When I select a solid colour very often you can see where the brush painted over the initially selected background area by Photoshop, because the background becomes lighter there. The application of the brush over that area is visible then. How do I solve this?

[@zackpotter9670]

Bro same

[@rizzfiesta123]

Thanks. Resetting helped

[@mdsakibullah4527]

Thank you so much for this video...

[@basmamagdy9314]

thank you so much 🥰

[@NathanHacker]

Thank you reset tool helped!

[@cindyhamilton3081]

It worked .. Thank you!! Been dealing with this issue for a week now!!

[@nategrady]

This has been driving me nuts learning PS, you explained everything exactly how I needed to hear it thank you! Great video still 2 years later

[@wildnaiem6423]

its helped me, thanks!

[@Tweet01j]

Thanks so much. I spent 2 hrs trying to figure out why my brush was not working with my layer masks and all I had to do was reset the Brush tool. SMDH!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

[@purnamstudiobali]

Thanks...its just help me out...

[@san520823]

Brendan great tutorial on brushes... i was hoping to find a solution of my problem with brushes. I can't get the stroke thumbnail in the options bar to appear after having chosen the brush. Any suggestions? thanks

[@tomaandrei3488]

My man here just saved me so much time, thx

[@humzahahmad2818]

I appreciate the help in this video!

[@itstaemonson]

thank you so much I had it set to color mode and not normal so I couldn't blend at all

[@Jazzadrin]

Thank you for the video. The solutions didn't work per se, but learning about using a different layer to paint on was a good alternative. Thanks!

[@izumi627]

The reset tools definitely helped ... Thnks

[@algylongworth]

Thank you for the tutorials. Unfortunatly I have tried all of your sugestions including reseting all tools. Since they upgraded to 2022 my brush will not work at all. Any idea why?

[@beasttransformation6030]

thanks bro for helping

[@unusualmaster5275]

Ty so much!

[@mohammedmangad4278]

Thank you bro. It solved my problem.

[@user-mp5yz8yi9d]

Thank you very much...a thousand thanks.. I searched for this information for a long time and finally found it.. I am very very grateful to you

[@touchofsound88]

Thank you, great job, keep it up bro.

[@farideahmad6059]

thank you. you are the best

[@AtoZinfo407]

thankeyou so much bro good job keep it up

[@ralphwatson7036]

I've experienced most of these problems. If only I could remember the fixes for next time! 👍👍

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

Well now you have a video to reference next time ;)

[@chinthakawijebahu8388]

Helped me a lot

[@dhruvpandey3642]

Thanks buddy 👍

[@alstroemeria1031]

Thank you Brendon. Your very last tip worked for my issue.

[@tanhimdhrubo8128]

Thank you 💕

[@ritaophelia]

Thank you so much. I had the caps on

[@hebasalah875]

thnx alot it worked ,hope u do more ✌

[@poopojaws1216]

THANK YOU !😊

[@chuckmoorehead875]

You answered my question on the very first example. Great Video.

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

Glad to hear it!

[@DavidJoseph-co5zq]

Thanks bro it really helped

[@littletgaming3687]

when i click on the paint brush and try to paint on the image the entire image highlights in the color that i selected for the foreground how do i change it so im actually painting the image

[@vikramdas7136]

Thanks mate.. Thanks a lot.. tomorrow is my submission and I was so stressed due to the issue.. you saved the day 🥰🙏🏻

[@yogeshsaxena4205]

very informative.

[@farouk1790]

Thank you bro

[@leniehulse1621]

Thank you! Thank you!!

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

You are welcome!

[@troylaxamana1650]

thank you so much life saver
❤

[@pestiforous3418]

Hi Brenden
I watched your video but I didnt see a solution to my brush issue. Maybe you can help? My heeling brush tool puts a copy of the image I'm working on top of the image and when the cursor is on the image and my mouse button depressed it just moves the image around the screen. If I do the Alt plus click it just locks the cursor on the image. It changes the original image while its underneath the copy. this of course gives me know idea of what the effect is until I close the tool and look at the original image. No one I have talked to can duplicate the issue. Tool resets and preference resets do nothing to fix this issue.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[@galipotefilms4970]

Thanks 🙏

[@Pentoleskrim]

tq u somuch broooo im respect for you

[@joshlinemathew8174]

Thank you so much the video is really helpful

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

glad it helped!

[@jamnighttv9942]

The reset worked a treat for me. Thanks.

[@PonchoTrooper]

Thanks a lot! I was about to open a whole new project and see if the brush reset itself just like that, you saved me some time!

[@larryholdercoolsolutionsllc]

Thank you so much. It’s been driving me crazy.

[@hyper_live]

damn, this is exactly what i needed! i was changing the background brush colour instead of foreground.

[@uniquesuccessstory7861]

tnks bro

[@brianbetz7753]

I was going nuts! Resetting did the trick...thanks a million!

[@DisplayingWays]

I’m using a gradient map layer to change a color shirt and I use the mixer brush to color it in- my problem “ could not use the mixer tool because the content of the layer is not directly editable” what am I doing wrong?

[@aneelkarim2121]

Hi Brandon many thanks for all the tips wish I can train with you in person

[@zak6749]

if i click and hold my brush on the canvas, it just moves in upward left direction, i am facing same issue while using quick selection tool, may be i messed up the settings but even after doing reset tool its not resolved.

[@987nadine]

thank you so much

[@iraklyormotsadze]

Thanks man

[@onesimesanhiri27]

Thank you

[@nicolegreazel9612]

Great tips! However, my brush tool still isn't working. I have a new hue/saturation level created and usually I can change the color of things with that. But for some reason, it still isn't working after resetting and checking the opacity.

[@eyenmaiden5885]

I have the sam problem. Have you figured the solution yet?

[@abdulrahmanal-droubi8696]

thank you .. my proplem finish with the end way

[@sketch-viewswithkarenlittl9505]

After using Photoshop for a while, when I select a tool, I cannot change the brush tip to a newly selected brush tip. It seems like the "previous" tip is cached in memory. No matter how many times I select a tool, when I go to use it, the tip reverts to the one I wanted replaced. I see "solutions" for older versions of PS, but not the most recent. To solve, I have to close PS. When I restart it, I have no problem until time passes and the problem reappears.

[@abdelrahmanjamal9327]

thank u sooooooo much

[@SadmanHossain24]

Good job!!🙂🙂

[@richardcroft8046]

At 3:10 the black brush appears to be a rough-edged solid black surrounded by airbrushed black. I'm experiencing that and can't figure out why (just downloaded PS 24). Colors seem to be fine. Any idea what's up?

[@relearningarchitecture]

you saved my day. THANKYOU...

[@tatianafurdui3805]

You saved my day man!!!! Thanks a whole Bunch!!!!! That caps lock thou 😂😂🙈

[@sanjayrokade6530]

Nice tutorial.......thanks

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

No problem!

[@sureshchavan9520]

You are nice Tutor.

[@ngawangdolma2257]

Thanks

[@SD-yo7gs]

I'm not able to figure out why when painting inside a selected areas often end up with faded areas near the edge of the selection. It seems the painted edges somehow fades out foer sme reason.. When I try to fill in the selected area, the paint is not dense. I can't seem to fill it in. Another issue, sometimes when painting inside a selected area, the paint oversprays outside the selection. I run into these issues often.

[@qualinseler]

The last tip helped!

[@MarkReategui]

My brush cursor looks like the path selection tool/regular Windows cursor and is not working at all. Anyone know a fix for this? Windows 10, Photoshop 2021 using Wacom Intuos. I'm not having this issue in macOS so I think it may be a windows related bug, or a Photoshop bug/issue in windows. My only workaround is saving my work, quitting, and reopening photoshop, super frustrating because it happens very frequently, like every few seconds when I am brushing stuff.

[@YoungDeanTheOne]

I'm having an issue with the brush tool: when I click and hold the mouse, it only registers the first click. So if I want to use the brush tool, I have to keep clicking individually and it's basically not usable... I just updated to PS v 23.1 and it fixed it!

[@Checkmate_Two_Zero]

Thanks for the tip bro! I've been trying to troubleshoot my cursor for already an hour now! I didn't realize that I have my Caps Lock on ^_^
Sheeesh. Thanks man!

[@michaelculhane3058]

You the MAN!

[@good2btheking]

I love you. Thanks

[@BrendanWilliamsTutorials]

love you too

[@jarjishasanbiswas1509]

thanks

[@tiffanysanchz2189]

What about the remove tool if that is not working right and just doing a solid gray spot?

[@wiktoriazapiec2958]

I thought I had messed something up in photoshop, I got help very quickly. Thank you so much !!

[@nae_nae2743]

I’m new to photoshop and mines is saying “Could not use the history brush because the history state does not contain a corresponding layer” ... I’m trying to do a double exposure effect project for school. Any help please

[@rbayu7363]

Hi,
I have a problem with my brush stroke..
For example, I have 1 brush that strokes strong and smooth line that i've used it for a years.
But now it only strokes like 50% opacity and if i press it harder it only got bigger instead if 100% stroke.
This problem affected all my brushes and it really frustating.
I've tried to solve it from internet tips.
Still didn't work.
My photoshop is PS2020 on W10

[@margueritelahaye7457]

Thank you for this quick fix tutorial. It solved the question of why my inverted layer masks weren't working.