Using the tool pointers

When you select most tools, the mouse pointer matches the tool's icon. The marquee pointer appears by default as cross hairs, the text tool pointer as an I-beam, and painting tools default to the Brush Size icon.

Each default pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action in the image begins. With all tools except the move tool, annotation tools, and the type tool, you can switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot.

To set the tool pointer appearance:

1. Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
• (Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
• (ImageReady) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors.
• (ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Cursors.
2. Choose a tool pointer setting:
• Click Standard under Painting Cursors, Other Cursors, or both to display pointers as tool icons.
• Click Precise under Painting Cursors, Other Cursors, or both to display pointers as cross hairs.
• Click Brush Size under Painting Cursors to display the painting tool cursors as brush shapes representing the size of the current brush. Brush Size cursors may not display for very large brushes.
3. Click OK.

The Painting Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:

• (Photoshop) Eraser, pencil, paintbrush, healing brush, rubber stamp, pattern stamp, smudge, blur, sharpen, dodge, burn, and sponge tools.
• (ImageReady) Paintbrush, pencil, and eraser tools.

The Other Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:

• (Photoshop) Marquee, lasso, polygon lasso, magic wand, crop, slice, patch, eyedropper, pen, gradient, line, paint bucket, magnetic lasso, magnetic pen, measure, and color sampler tools.
• (ImageReady) Marquee, lasso, magic wand, eyedropper, paint bucket, and slice tools.

To toggle between standard and precise cursors in some tool pointers, press Caps Lock. Press Caps Lock again to return to your original setting.