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lil cactus

How to use Paint Bucket, Fill and Stroke

Beginner8 minutesUpdated

Quick answer

In Lil Cactus, choose Layer then New then New Layer, then right-click the Gradient button in the toolbar and choose Paint Bucket to replace areas of similar color. For the sample, use foreground color #F7F1E5, Tolerance 32, Contiguous off and Sample all layers on, then click the white background. To fill a selection, choose Edit then Fill with Foreground or Edit then Fill with Background. Choose Edit then Stroke (2 px) to outline a selection in the foreground color.

The white coffee logo card recolored cream, with a black accent bar and a thin black frame
Paint Bucket changes the paper color. Fill makes the bar, and Stroke adds the 2 px frame. Drag the handle to compare.
Time
8 minutes
Level
Beginner
You need
A logo, drawing or flat graphic with a plain background
Works with
Image layers from JPEG, PNG, WebP and other files
Open the sample in Lil CactusUse your own photo

Free, no sign-up. Your photo stays on your computer.

Paint Bucket finds pixels by color. Fill with Foreground covers a selection, an area marked by a moving dotted outline. Stroke (2 px) follows that outline. Put these edits on empty layers above the logo so its original pixels remain available.

Recolor and frame the graphic in seven steps

  1. Open the graphic and add a Paper layer

    Open the sample from this page, or choose File then Open… Choose Layer then New then New Layer. In Layers, double-click the new layer’s name, type Paper and press Enter.

    Keep Paper selected above Background.

    Layers panel showing an empty Paper layer selected above the original Background graphic
    Paint on Paper; the original stays on Background.

  2. Choose a cream foreground color

    Press D to reset the color squares. Click the front black square near the bottom of the toolbar. In Foreground Color, type F7F1E5 in the # field (the hex code), then click OK.

    The color squares at the bottom of the toolbar with the front black square ringed
    Click the front square to choose the foreground color; enlarged view.
    Foreground Color dialog with the # field set to F7F1E5 and ringed, showing a cream new color
    F7F1E5 is the light cream used for this card.

  3. Fill the white areas with Paint Bucket

    Right-click the button above the text tool in the left toolbar, or press and hold it, then choose Paint Bucket. Tolerance (how far a color can differ from the pixel you click and still fill) stays at 32 and Opacity at 100%. Turn Contiguous off so enclosed white areas, such as the holes in letters, fill too, and turn Sample all layers on.

    Sample all layers reads the visible graphic beneath the empty Paper layer. Click any white area away from the logo, such as the upper-left corner: the new color goes onto Paper.

    The gradient toolbar group with its button and Paint Bucket choice ringed, alongside neighboring tools
    Paint Bucket shares the button above the text tool with Gradient; enlarged view.
    Paint Bucket options showing Tolerance 32 and Opacity 100%
    Keep Tolerance at 32 for the sample’s white areas.
    Paint Bucket options with Contiguous unchecked and Sample all layers checked, both ringed
    Contiguous off; Sample all layers on.

  4. Fill a rectangular accent bar

    Choose Layer then New then New Layer again and name it Details. Press D for black. Right-click the rectangular selection button below Move and choose Marquee Select.

    Draw a shallow rectangle centered below COFFEE ROASTERS, about as wide as that line. Leave a gap of about twice the height of the letters and keep the rectangle shorter than the capitals. Choose Edit then Fill with Foreground to make the bar black.

    The Marquee Select toolbar button and its Marquee Select choice ringed, with neighboring Move and Lasso buttons visible
    Choose Marquee Select from the button below Move; enlarged view.
    A shallow rectangular selection ringed below the gold COFFEE ROASTERS lettering
    Make a shallow selection in the empty space below the lettering.
    The Edit menu with Fill with Foreground and Stroke 2 px ringed, and Fill with Background and Content-Aware Fill between them
    Fill with Foreground and Stroke (2 px) both apply immediately.

  5. Stroke a thin frame

    Choose Select then All, then Select then Modify then Contract… Set Amount to 48 px and click Contract. This moves the selection edges in from the canvas edges.

    Choose Edit then Stroke (2 px), shown in step 4’s menu figure. It uses the current foreground color, still black. Choose Select then Deselect to remove the moving selection outline.

    Contract Selection dialog with Amount 48 px and the Contract button ringed
    Contract by 48 px to give the frame an even margin.
    The upper-left corner of the black 2 px frame on cream paper
    The 2 px frame, shown at 2×.

  6. Compare the edges and the original

    Choose View then Actual Size (100%). The paper should be cream, including the holes in the letters and cup handle. The solid green and gold ink should keep its colors.

    Hide Details and Paper with their eye buttons to see the original Background. Show both again to restore the finished card.

    Layers panel showing Details and Paper above Background, with the two upper eye buttons ringed
    Hide the two edited layers to compare with the original graphic below.

  7. Export the card and keep the layers

    Choose File then Export then PNG… for the finished graphic, or File then Export then JPEG… if you need JPEG, then click Export. Export writes a separate file.

    Choose File then Save As then Lil Cactus Project… to keep Paper, Details and the original as separate layers. After that, File then Save updates the project. If you choose File then Save before saving a project, it keeps the opened image’s format: this sample becomes a flat JPEG, with Save Image settings on the first save.

Fix common fill problems

The edges look pale on a dark background

A JPEG’s edge pixels are already mixed with its old background. Paint Bucket replaces matching pixels without rebuilding that soft edge. For a dark replacement behind a logo, isolate the ink with Color Range and a mask first, then put the new color behind it.

Fill or Stroke is unavailable

Select an unlocked image layer, such as Paper or Details, rather than a text, shape or fill layer. Stroke also needs an active selection.

What to do next

Fills and strokes: questions and answers

What does Paint Bucket Tolerance control?

In Lil Cactus, Tolerance runs from 0 to 255. It controls how different a pixel can be from the pixel you click and still be filled. A higher value includes more colors.

What does Contiguous mean for Paint Bucket?

In Lil Cactus, Contiguous on fills matching pixels connected to the click. With it off, matching pixels anywhere in the image can fill, including enclosed letter holes.

What happens if I use Fill without a selection?

In Lil Cactus, Fill with Foreground or Fill with Background covers the unlocked image layer across the canvas. With a selection active, only that selection is filled.

Can I choose a different width for Edit › Stroke?

No. In Lil Cactus, the Edit menu’s Stroke (2 px) command has a fixed 2 px width. For another width, use a shape with an adjustable outline.

Can I undo a fill or a stroke?

Yes. In Lil Cactus, choose Edit › Undo after the operation completes. Edit › Redo reapplies it.

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