Live Paint Bucket tool options

Last updated on Sep 11, 2025

Learn about Live Paint Bucket tool options in Adobe Illustrator..

The Live Paint Bucket tool options allow you to select how the tool works. You can set it to paint only fills, only strokes, or both. You can also select how it highlights faces and edges as you move the tool over them. To see these options, double-click the Live Paint Bucket tool.

Options

Function

Paint Fills

Paints the faces of Live Paint groups.

Paint Strokes

Paints the edges of Live Paint groups.

Cursor Swatch Preview

Previews the selected color in Swatches panel. The Live Paint Bucket tool pointer appears as three color swatches: the selected fill or stroke color plus the color closest to the left and right of it in the Swatches panel.

Highlight

Outlines the face or edge that the cursor is currently over. Faces are highlighted with a thick line, and edges are highlighted with a thin line.

Color

Sets the color for the highlight. You can select a color from the dropdown menu or select the paint swatch to specify a custom color.

Width

Specifies the thickness of the highlight.

Tips

Displays tips to how to use the Live Paint Bucket tool.