Basically, I was thinking it might be interesting if you could tie different presets to different image regions/Hue ranges/Luminosity Ranges/Edge Proximity etc. I realize that I could build a PASeq to do these things in steps with masks, but that well... requires more steps and doesn't help achieve the same sort of effects when using assisted or manual painting. Masks also often produce less "natural" looking transitions than would a simple switch to another preset depending on the effect you are looking to acheive of course. So this idea would automate the switching of paint presets based on the location of the beginning of a stroke within the image using auto, assisted, or manual painting based on selected ways of dividing the image into regions.
This also ties in with the idea of auto bush sizing based on edge proximity, distance from image borders or a selected horizon line which are things we have talked about before. this is just a way of automating more dramatic changes. I generally like more control than autopainting seems to allow with my level of expertise save for underpaintings. Which is why I think of ways to increase the automated variety of manual or assisted strokes.
I suppose this is a tall order, but you do like to hear ideas even if they send you in entirely different directions.
I also wouldn't mind a way to quick switch between say 5 or so source images... perhaps a dropdown?
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You can use the selection to inhibit path start points in the paint synthesizer. There are options in the Inhibitor and Probability parameters in the path start control panel that let you use the selection to influence where start points for auto-painting occur. So that's a way to use masking to just mask path start points, which gives a much more natural look than hard masking the paint.
Studio Artist also lets you use paint or path masking when you turn on the Mask checkbox to mask painting with the current selection mask. Path masking allows the complete brush nib to draw, while paint masking masks the brush nib. So, path masking is a way to generate a more natural look as well for masking painting.
The things you are asking for regarding more extensive auto-brush sizing in the second paragraph are in V5.
Great to hear those made it into V5, and thank you for reminding me about the different mask modes. Oh... for a photographic memmory.