The Image Hose is a special brush that applies images instead of color. The images it paints with come from special image files called nozzles. A nozzle file can contain any number of images. Usually, the images are similar and have a common theme.

In this example, there are 10 different but related images from the same nozzle, sprayed with the Image Hose.

You can change the opacity, size, and spacing of nozzle images and determine the placement of images in the stroke.

Getting Started with the Image Hose
As with other Corel® Painter™ brushes, the Image Hose has several variants. Variants are divided into two types—Spray and Linear—according to the placement of images in relation to the stroke. Spray variants scatter images, while linear variants place images directly on the stroke path.

A brush stroke with a linear variant.

The same brush stroke with a spray variant.

Variants also differ in the way they link the size and angle of images to stylus attributes such as tilt, pressure, and position. For example, the variant Linear-Size-P Angle-D indicates that this is a linear variant that links the size of the images you paint to the stylus pressure (P) and places them at an angle based on the direction (D) of the stroke. The letters R, W, and B in variants' names signify Random, Wheel, and Bearing.

You can use these variants as a starting point and then learn to adjust more advanced nozzle controls to deliver the images just as you want them, or create your own nozzle files.

Nozzles can be selected from the Nozzle Selector in the toolbox.

1. Choose the Brush tool from the toolbox.
   
   
2. On the Brush Selector bar, choose the Image Hose from the Brush Category selector.
   
   
   
3. Click the Brush Variant selector, and choose a variant.
   
   
4. In the toolbox, click the Nozzle Selector, and choose a nozzle.
   
   
5. Make a brush stroke on the canvas.
   
   

Adjusting opacity
You can use the Opacity slider on the property bar to adjust the opacity of nozzle images.

Brush strokes at 100% opacity and 30% opacity.

Adjusting color
The Grain slider on the property bar lets you mix an additional color with the nozzle images. The color you mix in is the Additional color from the toolbox.

Double-click the Additional color to select another color.

If the slider is set to 100%, no additional color is mixed in. As you reduce the percentage of the original color, more of the additional color appears in the images.

A brush stroke with 100% original color (left) and a brush stroke with 30% original color and 70% additional color (right). The additional color is a shade of black.

If the additional color coincides with the background color, the images will appear transparent.

The original brush stroke (left) and a brush stroke with the Grain slider at 30%. The additional color is white.

Scaling images
The Set Nozzle Scale command in the Nozzle Selector menu lets you control the size of the images delivered by the Image Hose.

1. In the toolbox, click the Nozzle Selector.
   
   
2. Click the selector menu arrow, and choose Set Nozzle Scale.
   
   
   
3. Type a value in the New Scale box.
   At 100%, the images are the same size as they are in the nozzle file.
   
   

You can also use the Size slider on the property bar to change the size of the images.

Spacing images
You can control the space between images with the Spacing settings in the Brush Creator.

1. Choose Window > Show Brush Creator to open the Brush Creator.
   
   
   
2. Choose Spacing from the list of controls.
   
   
   
3. Move the Spacing slider to adjust the spacing between images.
   
   Brush strokes with a spacing of 38 (left) and 138 (right).
   
   

Because spacing is based on the diameter of the brush, the Size settings also affect image spacing. Increasing the brush size adds space between the images applied with the hose.

Placing images randomly
You can randomize the proximity of images to the stroke path with the Jitter slider on the property bar.

Lower values position images directly in the stroke path. Higher values increase the scattering of the images.