Adobe Animate Brush Cant Draw Over

Adobe Animate

Adobe Animate tools

This is a basic tutorial that covers the most common tools in Adobe Animate.

Basic Introduction to Adobe Animate

To start, let me give you a brief rundown of Adobe Animate if you don't already know the program. When you open Adobe Animate, your screen should look something like this:

The large white area in the center is your stage. This is where you draw your animations, or set up your interactive website or game/app.

Timeline

The timeline up at the top is a whole beast on its own. There is a list of quick commands and tools for it as well. We'll tackle this section of Adobe Animate in detail in a different tutorial, but for the purposes of understanding some of the tools, I'll give you a basic rundown.

It works a lot like layers in Photoshop, but across time. Each little rectangle is a frame, and that little red bar indicates your current frame. Each frame can be treated like a blank canvas. Draw enough images and play the timeline, and you'll have an animation. The menu at the bottom of the timeline has a number of icons, including your playback controls. There is also an icon that looks like a checkered square behind a solid one. This is the onion skinning options. Onion skinning shows the content of your previous few frames at a low opacity, making it easier to see how your action will flow.

To add and take away keyframes (indicated by a frame with a black dot) and blank frames you can right click on any point in the timeline to bring up a menu for that keyframe. Remember that you can "hold" an image on screen by inserting blank frames; the content won't change until you add another keyframe.

Selection Tools

Let's start running through the tools on the right hand side of the screen.

I'm using the Classic workspace mode in Adobe Animate. If you want to switch yours to that as well, go to Window > Workspaces > Classic.

Note: Make sure to have your properties window open at all times to see the extra features that are available with each tool as you select them.

At the very top you have the Selection Tool (Shortcut: V).

This tool allows you to select different parts of your drawing. If you click and drag, you can select a square area. You can select a set of connected lines by clicking on them as well. Once selected, you can delete, transform, or simply move whatever it is you selected as a single image.

Make sure that you're on the correct layer and frame that holds whatever lines or shapes you want to select. The selected layer and keyframe are highlighted in the timeline.

Now is probably a good time to explain that, in Adobe Animate, fill and stroke are treated separately. You can, for example, select just the fill of an object by clicking once with the Selection Tool. Double clicking a fill will select both the fill and the stroke. Clicking once on a line will select that segment. Double clicking a line will select the entire set of connected lines. You can delete the fill while leaving the stroke, or delete the stroke while leaving the filled shape.

Below the Selection Tool is the Subselection Tool (Shortcut: A).

This tool is similar to the Selection Tool in that it allows you to select and move objects on the canvas, however, this tool allows you to select anchor points. When an object is selected with this tool, you will notice a string of colored line around it with points dotting its length (the color of this line is the same as your layer color, which can be changed by clicking in the colored square next to the layer in the layer panel). This tool lets you adjust anchor points and handles to manipulate the shape. It is similar to using the pen tool in Illustrator or Photoshop. I suggest using your zoom tool to get in real close when using the tool this way so you can see the points you're working with better.

Transform Tool

Below the Subselection Tool is the Free Transform Tool (Shortcut: Q).

This tool will put a transform box around anything you select with it. Click once to select an object, or click and drag to select a square area. You'll notice as you hover your cursor over the different points of the box, your cursor changes to several different arrows. Hovering inside the box will allow you to move the selection, indicated by the four-headed arrow. The double sided arrows when you hover over one of the small black boxes will scale the selection (hold Shift to constrain proportions). Hover slightly outside the corners of the box to see the circular arrow, which will rotate the image. Finally, hovering over the edge of the box will give you an odd, horizontal or vertical arrow (depending on the side of the box) that is the skew option. Skewing will drag just that edge of the box in whichever direction. After you're finished transforming your selection, click any blank spot on the stage to deselect it.

Lasso Tool

We will skip the 3D Rotation Tool, and move on to the Lasso Tool (Shortcut: L).

The Lasso Tool allows you to draw a selection on your canvas to select individual areas of your lines or shapes that you can't select with a selection box (Like with the Selection, or Subselection tool.) After Selecting an area, you can switch to another tool (like the Subselection Tool or Free Transform Tool) to edit it.

Pen Tool

Next is the Pen Tool (Shortcut: P).

The Pen tool works in Adobe Animate the same way it does in Illustrator or Photoshop. It works using the same anchor points and handles that are shown when you use the Subselection Tool. Each time you click on your stage with the Pen Tool, you create an anchor point. A series of anchor points will create a line or shape. Click and release to create sharp corners. Click and drag to create curve anchor points. Click on the first anchor point to close the shape. Remember you can go back and adjust any of your anchor points or curves with the Subselection Tool.

The Pen Tool creates lines of whatever color your Stroke Color is set to (of course, you can go back and change the color later). If you want to fill the shape you created, use the Paint Bucket Tool (the color will be whatever your Fill Color is selected to).

Click and hold the Pen Tool icon to get its flyout menu. This will give you access to other tools for modifying the line.

Type Tool

Below the Pen Tool is the Type (Shortcut: T).

The Type tool works the same as the Type tools in other Adobe programs. Click and drag to create a text box. Note that your text options are available in the Properties panel. Text can be transformed using the Free Transform Tool.

Line Tool

Below the Type Tool is the Line Tool (Shortcut: N).

This tool does exactly what you would expect: it makes lines. The line color will vary depending on your Stroke Color. It can do little else but make lines from point A to point B, but it can be useful when making quick and simple perspective grids. Hold Shift to confine it to 45º angles.

Shape Tools

Below the Line tool is the Rectangle Tool (Shortcut: R).

Click and hold the Rectangle Tool icon to access the other shape tools: the Oval Tool (Shortcut: O) and the Polystar Too (no shortcut key). These tools all work in a similar manner. With these tools you can draw the different shapes simply by clicking and dragging on your canvas. Their stroke and fill colors will be whichever colors your Stroke Color and Fill Color are set to.These tools can be useful for quickly laying out shapes on your canvas, like a ball. You can also use them as carving blocks to create interesting new shapes, or even full illustrations, with the help of the Subselection Tool and Pen Tool.

Drawing Tools

Below the Rectangle Tool is the Pencil Tool (Shortcut: Y)

The Pencil Tool draws a line with the current Stroke color. You'll notice with the default settings that it Auto-snaps into perfectly straight lines if the line you created was fairly straight already.

At the very bottom of your Tool panel, you will see an icon with a stepped line. When you hover over it, it will be labeled "Pencil Mode." By default, it is set to straighten (which will create perfectly straight lines out of fairly straight lines). It also has two other modes: Smoothing (the smoothing setting can be set in the Properties panel) and Ink.

Below the Pencil tool is the Brush Tool (Shortcut: B)

The Brush tool is your basic tool for drawing in Adobe Animate. Notice that its color is determined by the Fill Color, not the Stroke Color. In the Properties panel, you can adjust several settings, including Smoothing. When you draw a line, Adobe Animate balances the number of points it creates and how complicated the line is. A smoother, simpler line means fewer points, a more detailed line with need more points. Smoothing is one way you can control how much Adobe Animate adjusts the line you drew.

find fast single strokes work well with the brush tool rather than slowly trying to crafting a line. A quick Command+Z can undo any line you create that didn't work for you, and you can then quickly lay down a new fast stroke in its place. The brush tool also has a drop down menu you access by holding down on the brush button, similar to others. The spray paint tool works much the same as the brush, except it produces a spray paint effect.

Color Tools

Next is the Paint Bucket Tool ( Shortcut: K).

The Paint Bucket Tool works much like the Paint Bucket Tool for all Adobe programs. A simple click will fill whatever enclosed area you choose with the color selected in the Fill Color area. If you use this tool outside any enclosed area it will fill the entire canvas with the selected color. Unless you want your entire canvas to be a deep maroon blue, keep you selections in an enclosed area.

The next tool, the Ink Bottle Tool (Shortcut: S), works the same way as the Paint Bucket Tool, except it will color strokes instead of fills.

Below the Ink Bottle Tool is the Eyedropper Tool (Shortcut: I).

The Eyedropper Tool is used for picking a Stroke and Fill Color from an object already on your stage. Notice that once you pick up a color, the tool automatically changes to the Paint Bucket Tool (if you picked up a fill color) or the Ink Bottle Tool (if you picked up a stroke color).

Eraser Tool

Below the Eyedropper Tool is the Eraser Tool (Shortcut: E)

The Eraser tool does exactly what it says. It erases lines, shapes, and fills in your canvas. Make sure you are on the correct layer and keyframe. You can change its size using the tool options at the bottom of the Tool panel. There you can also change its mode to erase stroke and fill, just stroke, just fill, just selected fill or just inside.

View Tools

Below the Eraser Tool is the Hand Tool (Shortcut: H OR Hold Spacebar).

Typing H will switch to the tool, while holding spacebar will temporarily toggle to the tool The Hand Tool pans your view, moving the canvas around in your viewport. You won't always have enough space on you screen to see all of your canvas, especially if you are zoomed in. If you're in the middle of trying to create a line with the Pen Tool and you've reached the edge of your screen, you can simply hold down the spacebar to move the area over. Once you let it go it will flip back to your pen tool so you won't lose your spot. It's a very "handy" tool when used that way. Remember, all the Hand Tool does is change your view. It doesn't actually affect anything on your stage.

Below the Hand Tool is the Zoom (Shortcut: Z).

The Zoom Tool is simple enough. To zoom into your canvas to get a better look, just click the area you wish to zoom in on. You'll see the percentile in the top right hand corner of the canvas increase past 100%. You can also use that percentile button to zoom in and out. You can zoom in a specific area by clicking and dragging with the Zoom Tool to make a selection. To zoom out, hold the Option/Alt key. You'll see the plus symbol in the magnifying glass change to a minus sign. Then, just click to zoom out.

You can also switch between zooming in and zooming out using the buttons at the bottom of the Tool panel.

Stroke and Fill Colors

Below the Zoom Tool are the Stroke and Fill areas that should look like this:

The Stroke is the one with the pencil over it and the Fill is the one with the paint bucket over it. Both have menus that pop out when you click on them that should look like this:

You can take from any of the swatches you see here as a color or you can click the color wheel button up in the top right hand corner of this mini menu to open another mini menu that will allow you more freedom. The two symbols below the Fill Color do some neat little things. The first one returns there colors to default, Stroke to black and Fill to white. The button below that flips the two colors no matter what they are. This can be useful for storing a color.

So that's the run down of basic tools in Adobe Animate. Check out our other tutorials to learn more about the different things you can do in Adobe Animate.

Adobe Animate Brush Cant Draw Over

Source: https://sites.google.com/view/kcaddlc/software-tutorials/adobe-suite/adobe-animate/adobe-animate-tools

Share this post