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Adobe Photoshop Eraser Tool
![Eraser Tool [E]](files/eraser_tool.gif)
The eraser tool changes pixels in the image as you drag through them. If you're working in the background or in a layer with transparency locked, the pixels change to the background color; otherwise, the pixels are erased to transparency. You can also use the eraser to return the affected area to a state selected in the History palette.
The first option in the eraser toolbar is the option for tool pre-sets. With this option you
can choose the settings that you want and save them as a pre-set and load them when you need them.
The next option allows you change the brush and size of the brush that is used for the eraser.
You can use any brush shape that you have, including custom brushes.
The next option allows you to choose the mode of the brush. The choices are brush, pencil and block.
You can then change the opacity to define the strength of the eraser. An opacity of 100% erases pixels completely. A lower opacity erases pixels partially.
If the mode of the tool is set to brush, you can control the flow rate of the eraser.
The flow rate specifies how quickly paint is applied by the brush. Or in this case, erased by the brush.
![Background Eraser Tool [E]](files/background_eraser_tool.gif)
The background eraser tool lets you erase pixels on a layer to transparency as you drag; this allows you to erase the background while maintaining the edges of an object in the foreground. By specifying different sampling and tolerance options, you can control the range of the transparency and the sharpness of the boundaries. The background eraser samples the color in the center of the brush, also called the hot spot, and deletes that color wherever it appears inside the brush. It also performs color extraction at the edges of any foreground objects, so that color halos are not visible if the foreground object is later pasted into another image.
Click the brush sample in the options bar and set brush options in the pop-up palette.
From this palette you can set the Diameter, Hardness, Spacing, Angle, and Roundness options.
Choose a Limits mode for erasing: Discontiguous to erase the sampled color wherever it occurs under the brush; Contiguous to erase areas that contain the sampled color and are connected to one another; Find Edges to erase connected areas containing the sampled color while better preserving the sharpness of shape edges.
For Tolerance, enter a value or drag the slider. A low tolerance limits erasure to areas that are very similar to the sampled color. A high tolerance erases a broader range of colors.
Select Protect Foreground Color to prevent the erasure of areas that match the foreground color in the toolbox.
Choose a Sampling option: Continuous to sample colors continuously as you drag; Once to erase only areas containing the color that you first click; Background Swatch to erase only areas containing the current background color.
Drag through the area you want to erase. The background eraser tool pointer appears as a brush shape with a cross hair indicating the tool's hot spot.
![Magic Eraser Tool [E]](files/magic_eraser.gif)
When you click in a layer with the magic eraser tool, the tool automatically changes all similar pixels. If you're working in the background, or in a layer with locked transparency, the pixels change to the background color; otherwise, the pixels are erased to transparency. You can choose to erase contiguous pixels only or all similar pixels on the current layer.
Enter a tolerance value to define the range of colors that can be erased. A low tolerance erases pixels within a range of color values very similar to the pixel you click. A high tolerance erases pixels within a broader range.
Select Anti-aliased to smooth the edges of the area you erase.
Select Contiguous to erase only pixels contiguous to the one you click, or deselect to erase all similar pixels in the image.
Select Use All Layers to sample the erased color using combined data from all visible layers.
Specify an opacity to define the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels completely. A lower opacity erases pixels partially.
Next...The Fill Tools
| Author: AB |
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| Date created: February 15, 2003 |
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