GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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I can't resize standard brushes (pencil, brush, etc.) The brush edit information shows but all the controls are locked -- I can't change the size, hardness, or anything. As I recall this worked in previous versions of Gimp. (I'm using 2.10). My brush size is stuck at one pixel. Is there anyway to change the brush size?

My "fix" has been to revert to GIMP 2.8.22. Brush resizing works on that version. I will avoid upgrading GIMP until and unless unlocked brush editing comes back.

I was originally at 2.10.8. I tried 2.10.4 but it still has the frozen brush problem. 2.8.22 is as far as I can go.

BTW, the header for my first post said I was using GIMP 2.8.14. I don't know where it got that information, at the time I was at 2.10.8, and am now reverted to 2.8.22.

Can you show a screenshot?

I don't want to bother installing the broken version of GIMP again. It just has the usual brush edit panel with the sliders for varying radius, hardness, etc. But you can't move the sliders, and the up and down arrows at the right side of the boxes do nothing. You can't enter a number directly either. It's just locked up. I don't understand why this was seen as an improvement.

Because it works for many other people. And since 2.10 is out you are the first one to report this problem so it is likely that the problem is with your setup. And the problem won't be solved by miracle, you have to report it or at least help investigate it.

You can have both 2.8 and 2.10, if you install 2.8 after 2.10

I doubt it works for many people on Windows 10, because that's what I have, and there's nothing unusual about my installation. I just downloaded that latest stable Gimp for Windows 10 install and ran it with the default installation.

Then the users of this forum, the users of my own forum, and the users on Reddit are all very, very lucky because AFAIK nobody else reported the problem.

Been painting with 2.10 for a long time now and haven't experienced any problems myself. The default brush isn't one pixel so maybe try a different brush.

I had a similar problem in GIMP 2.8.22, now solved (skip ahead if you like). I am an occasional user of GIMP. Last time I used it I could change the brush size. Googled this problem and found a hint. Double clicked the brush in the Layers-brushes window and obtained the Brush Editor window but the options were all greyed out. Clicked an icon below with the tooltip "Create a new brush". This allowed me to edit the brush size, but it did NOT change the effective brush size in the image window. In Preferences I clicked to Reset Saved Tool Options to Default Values. Now the cursor is no longer a circle showing the brush size, it is a little cross (but not a crosshair). Grrr. Went through all the preferences. Decided that "Show Brush Outline" probably should fix it but does not. Wondered if my original brush size problem was due to permissions. Logged out and in as another user. No joy. Logged back in and opened the original file.

This time I got a Tool Options window which had all the brush parameters open for edit and I could change the effective brush size. I am fairly sure I looked for the Tool Options window last time and it did not have the brush parameters. Cannot be 100% sure of course. As I suspected it is probably "not a bug but a feature".

(The cursor not showing the brush size is also a feature - when the brush gets very small the brush outline switches to a cross.)

The lesson is clear - as you pack features into a user interface it is not easy to retain ease of use for occasional and naive users. Frequent users will learn the use-model and remember (or keep notes) on how to drive it. Anyone designing a user interface would benefit from sitting behind the one way mirror, watching a naive user spend an hour or two puzzling out how to accomplish a 5 minute task. A bit cruel to the UI designer, maybe.

Same issue!

I have just downloaded GIMP 2.10.20 (revision 1) onto my Windows 10 PC. After using PhotoShop and having read that GIMP was similar, I was surprised to find such a strange (or what I assume is) default appearance - everything pale grey and wishy washy. I thought at first that tools were greyed out but I could click on them to activate the tool, so that was just plain odd as a default option.

Anyway, I finally worked out how to make the tool icons coloured and a bit larger. So to my next issue which mirrors the original poster's problem. On the right hand side of the screen at the very top there is an 'brush editor' but none of the edit options can be changed - all locked. There is no option to resize the brush on the right hand side or on the left.

Can anyone post a link(s) to any video tutorials that are for this version so that I can find my way around a bit please? Most online tutorials use older versions of the program and the desktop layouts look completely different from what I am faced with, so not hugely helpful.

You might find this helpful

Just updated Gimp to the 2.10 today and my painbrush tools are also locked. Afew other issues are with the text box also locked in strange ways, and when I try to scale images it moves it instead? Im on Windows 10 and a beginer user but didn't have any the issues im having now in the old build. Please let me know if someone has found a solution other than downloading the old version again.

Those tools are availble to me in the old build but in the new build they are greyed out and unresponsive.

The tools have all been put in groups now. You can change it in preferences so that they all show up again.
Any way you can take some screen shots to show us what is wrong?
Oh, you won't be able to post a picture until you do 5 posts but you may be able to add it as an attachment

i did post an attachment of a screen shot right above your reply but here it is again

Oh, do you mean they are "locked '" because they look greyed out? That is another one of the tool themes now. You can have two different themes in colour. If you want to change it back to the old style go for legacy in preferences

I am calling it locked because i can not select or adjust anything, the paint brush size is set and unchangeable. not just because the "colors are diffrent"

Most of the problem is the way you have set up the Gimp interface.

The place to change the brush size .. is in the tool options NOT the brush editor

Why is the brush editor settings greyed out? It is a default brush in a non-editable folder. Duplicate it and you can then edit it. (but why would you want to do that?)