Have you ever wondered how to change your brush size in Photoshop using key commands and your mouse or wand?
Here’s how to adjust your brush size without using the Brush Options Panel.
Option 1) With the brush tool active, adjust the size using the left and right brackets and hardness with the curly brackets.
[ ] to decrease/increase size
{ } to decrease /increase brush hardness
Option 2) With the brush tool active, use a combo of keyboard and mouse clicks.
Ensure the brush tool (click B on your keyboard) is active, and a layer for painting is selected/active.
On Mac:
Control + Option and Click + Drag to the left or right: Changes the size of the brush
Control + Option and Click + Drag up or down: Changes the hardness/softness of the brush
On PC:
ALT + Right Click and Drag to the left or right: Changes the size of the brush
ALT + Right Click and Drag up or down: Changes the hardness/softness of the brush
Tip: If your brush shows a target symbol rather than a circle indicating your brush size, you can change the view in Preferences.
Go to Photoshop > Settings > Cursors. Choose the view that you prefer.
