# Adjustment Brush Not Working



## Erno Goldfinger

The adjustment brush has no effect when I use it. I have used it successfully before but think I may have pressed something by mistake.I have tried using brush A/B and trying all the different changes that are available. This includes the rest button at the bottom etc. Would appreciate any advice. Thank you.


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## Ian.B

are the buttons showing up on the image?

done a turn off/on

I'm sure someone will have the answer but it's way past bed time for me


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## Erno Goldfinger

Ian.B said:


> are the buttons showing up on the image?
> 
> done a turn off/on
> 
> I'm sure someone will have the answer but it's way past bed time for me



Hi Ian,

Yes the buttons show up and it appears like I would expect it to. The buttons get placed in the picture the sliders are in full view in the panel on the right and when I move them nothing.

If you mean the on/off switch by the 'reset and close' yes I have tried this and it is still not working.

Thank you for trying to help.


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## Johan Elzenga

Press the 'O' key (from 'Overlay'). Do you see something turning red in the image? Overlay colors the mask red, so you see what you've painted. If nothing is red, you didn't paint anything somehow.


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## Erno Goldfinger

Hi Johan 

Previously I have see the red mask that you are talking about but I don't get that anymore. I have obviously changed something.
When I use the adjustment brush described as above nothing I have pressed the 'O' key and there is no red mask or anything to indicate it has any effect.
Is that what you meant?
Thanks.


JohanElzenga said:


> Press the 'O' key (from 'Overlay'). Do you see something turning red in the image? Overlay colors the mask red, so you see what you've painted. If nothing is red, you didn't paint anything somehow.


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## Erno Goldfinger

Dear Johan/Ian

I had the density turned all the way down and it is now working! Thank you for your help maybe I should buy one of your books Johan.

Nick


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## Johan Elzenga

Glad to be of help. I thought you had either density or flow at zero. If you can read Dutch, I can certainly advise my Lightroom book!


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## Ian.B

Erno Goldfinger said:


> Dear Johan/Ian
> 
> I had the density turned all the way down and it is now working! Thank you for your help maybe I should buy one of your books Johan.
> 
> Nick



Been there done also but usually with the flow slider however I was damn too tired think about _that _last night. 

TIP for those learning; _like me_: double click on "effects" will zero all sliders....double click on the slide name will zero that slider


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## Joan Piaget

I'm having the same problem with adjustment brush not working.  When I press K I get the little circles on the image but any adjustment I do is applied to the whole image.  It was working properly before and just stopped.  My density slider is all the way up.  Any ideas what may be the problem?


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## Johan Elzenga

Sound like you are using the global sliders. Pressing K doesn't make to sliders change to brush slkders. You have to select one of those circles to get the adjustment brush sliders.


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## Ian.B

Joan Piaget said:


> I'm having the same problem with adjustment brush not working.  When I press K I get the little circles on the image but any adjustment I do is applied to the whole image.  It was working properly before and just stopped.  My density slider is all the way up.  Any ideas what may be the problem?


 have you used the mouse to click on the brush instead of using "K". As I type and fiddle in LR looking for the answer I think Johan has the given the correct answer; _global adjustments. 
_
try doing this as I do: click on the adjustment brush> zero all brush settings (double click on 'effect'; top lhs of panel)> brush roughly over the area to be adjusted > with the brush still active move the sliders to suit your adjustments required > then brush with more detail. A thought while typing: Hit "H" if the adjustment brush button/s are not showing ...... I always have them visible  
Now the reason I do it that way is a new brush will not be loaded with any adjustments which sort of annoys me at times.  yep; cranky old bugga lol 
Let me know if that is not making sense. So easy to show if we were on the same computer.


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## Joan Piaget

JohanElzenga said:


> Sound like you are using the global sliders. Pressing K doesn't make to sliders change to brush slkders. You have to select one of those circles to get the adjustment brush sliders.




I don't use K


JohanElzenga said:


> Sound like you are using the global sliders. Pressing K doesn't make to sliders change to brush slkders. You have to select one of those circles to get the adjustment brush sliders.



You're right.  I realize that now, but the problem is that the adjustment sliders no longer come up.  I clicked on the button


Joan Piaget said:


> I'm having the same problem with adjustment brush not working.  When I press K I get the little circles on the image but any adjustment I do is applied to the whole image.  It was working properly before and just stopped.  My density slider is all the way up.  Any ideas what may be the problem?


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## Jim Wilde

Joan Piaget said:


> I realize that now, but the problem is that the adjustment sliders no longer come up.  I clicked on the button



Have you (inadvertently) collapsed the sliders panel? See the attached screenshot, the small arrow at the right-hand side of the "Effects" line should be pointing down to expose the Adjustment Brush sliders. If it's pointing left as in my screenshot, the sliders are collapsed, in which case clicking on it will expand the panel to expose the sliders.


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## Joan Piaget

Jim Wilde said:


> Have you (inadvertently) collapsed the sliders panel? See the attached screenshot, the small arrow at the right-hand side of the "Effects" line should be pointing down to expose the Adjustment Brush sliders. If it's pointing left as in my screenshot, the sliders are collapsed, in which case clicking on it will expand the panel to expose the sliders.
> View attachment 7342




Yea!!! That did it.  Thank you so much.


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## Ian.B

well done Jim; so often with lr it's just the smallest thing that can beat us.


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## Gina

I have the same issue, but none of the above solutions seem the fix.  I know I've clicked something to put the adjustment brush in a different mode, but don't know what.  I used to be able to glide around the photo and the brush would paint white around the edges of the subject.

I've closed out Lightroom, deleted the preference file & reset the sliders numerous times to no avail.  This happened after I unsuccessfully tried changing the brush color to black.  There is no change or effect noticeable when I move around the photo.  If I click "O" I see reddish pink where the brush has been, but don't see the change in the actual photo after clicking off "O".  Individual sliders work.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you.


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## Johan Elzenga

In order to see what you've done wrong, we need to see the adjustment part of the brush too. That is probably where you need to change something, not in the brush settings shown in your screenshot.


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## Gina

Thanks, Johan.  I'd love to show that, where would I find it?


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## Gina

Don't know if this is the adjustment part you're referring to.  These are the same values I've been using.


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## Johan Elzenga

Well, as everything is set to zero, and color is set to no color, I'm not surprised you do not see any effect...


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## Gina

Ok color is back to white, but I believe the rest of the values are as they've always been when it's worked.  Tried blue, no difference.  The overlay works, but doesn't make any change to the photo.


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## Johan Elzenga

You can't paint with white and expect a white egde to appear. It's a color overlay, not a solid color. If you want to paint a white edge with the brush, then set Exposure to maximum (I believe you can set it to +5 stops).


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## Johan Elzenga

BTW, a more traditional way of making a white edge around your photo is by using Vignetting in the Effects block.


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## Gina

You've made my day, Johan!  I appreciate your patience.  Thank you sooo much.  I obviously changed that setting at some point, but didn't know which one needed adjusting.  Thank you for the vignette suggestion, but just trying to clean up dark edges that I want white - want the subject to pop, but lighting didn't accomplish that, not wanting any vignette effect.  I'm sure I'm not using LightRoom to the best of its features.  I've just found little videos here and there to accomplish what I need.


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