Brush Class
Defines objects used to paint graphical objects. Classes that derive from Brush describe how the area is painted.
System.Windows.Threading::DispatcherObject
System.Windows::DependencyObject
System.Windows::Freezable
System.Windows.Media.Animation::Animatable
System.Windows.Media::Brush
System.Windows.Media::BitmapCacheBrush
System.Windows.Media::GradientBrush
System.Windows.Media::SolidColorBrush
System.Windows.Media::TileBrush
Assembly: PresentationCore (in PresentationCore.dll)
XMLNS for XAML: http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netfx/2007/xaml/presentation
The Brush type exposes the following members.
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | CanFreeze | Gets a value that indicates whether the object can be made unmodifiable. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | DependencyObjectType | Gets the DependencyObjectType that wraps the CLR type of this instance. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | Dispatcher | Gets the Dispatcher this DispatcherObject is associated with. (Inherited from DispatcherObject.) |
![]() | HasAnimatedProperties | Gets a value that indicates whether one or more AnimationClock objects is associated with any of this object's dependency properties. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | IsFrozen | Gets a value that indicates whether the object is currently modifiable. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | IsSealed | Gets a value that indicates whether this instance is currently sealed (read-only). (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | Opacity | Gets or sets the degree of opacity of a Brush. |
![]() | RelativeTransform | Gets or sets the transformation that is applied to the brush using relative coordinates. |
![]() | Transform | Gets or sets the transformation that is applied to the brush. This transformation is applied after the brush's output has been mapped and positioned. |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | ApplyAnimationClock(DependencyProperty, AnimationClock) | Applies an AnimationClock to the specified DependencyProperty. If the property is already animated, the SnapshotAndReplace handoff behavior is used. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | ApplyAnimationClock(DependencyProperty, AnimationClock, HandoffBehavior) | Applies an AnimationClock to the specified DependencyProperty. If the property is already animated, the specified HandoffBehavior is used. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | BeginAnimation(DependencyProperty, AnimationTimeline) | Applies an animation to the specified DependencyProperty. The animation is started when the next frame is rendered. If the specified property is already animated, the SnapshotAndReplace handoff behavior is used. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | BeginAnimation(DependencyProperty, AnimationTimeline, HandoffBehavior) | Applies an animation to the specified DependencyProperty. The animation is started when the next frame is rendered. If the specified property is already animated, the specified HandoffBehavior is used. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | CheckAccess | Determines whether the calling thread has access to this DispatcherObject. (Inherited from DispatcherObject.) |
![]() | ClearValue(DependencyProperty) | Clears the local value of a property. The property to be cleared is specified by a DependencyProperty identifier. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | ClearValue(DependencyPropertyKey) | Clears the local value of a read-only property. The property to be cleared is specified by a DependencyPropertyKey. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | Clone | Creates a modifiable clone of this Brush, making deep copies of this object's values. When copying dependency properties, this method copies resource references and data bindings (but they might no longer resolve) but not animations or their current values. |
![]() | CloneCore | Makes the instance a clone (deep copy) of the specified Freezable using base (non-animated) property values. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | CloneCurrentValue | Creates a modifiable clone of this Brush object, making deep copies of this object's current values. Resource references, data bindings, and animations are not copied, but their current values are. |
![]() | CloneCurrentValueCore | Makes the instance a modifiable clone (deep copy) of the specified Freezable using current property values. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | CoerceValue | Coerces the value of the specified dependency property. This is accomplished by invoking any CoerceValueCallback function specified in property metadata for the dependency property as it exists on the calling DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | CreateInstance | Initializes a new instance of the Freezable class. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | CreateInstanceCore | When implemented in a derived class, creates a new instance of the Freezable derived class. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | Equals | Determines whether a provided DependencyObject is equivalent to the current DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | Finalize | Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | Freeze() | Makes the current object unmodifiable and sets its IsFrozen property to true. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | FreezeCore | Makes this Animatable object unmodifiable or determines whether it can be made unmodifiable. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | GetAnimationBaseValue | Returns the non-animated value of the specified DependencyProperty. (Inherited from Animatable.) |
![]() | GetAsFrozen | Creates a frozen copy of the Freezable, using base (non-animated) property values. Because the copy is frozen, any frozen sub-objects are copied by reference. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | GetAsFrozenCore | Makes the instance a frozen clone of the specified Freezable using base (non-animated) property values. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | GetCurrentValueAsFrozen | Creates a frozen copy of the Freezable using current property values. Because the copy is frozen, any frozen sub-objects are copied by reference. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | GetCurrentValueAsFrozenCore | Makes the current instance a frozen clone of the specified Freezable. If the object has animated dependency properties, their current animated values are copied. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | GetHashCode | Gets a hash code for this DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | GetLocalValueEnumerator | Creates a specialized enumerator for determining which dependency properties have locally set values on this DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | GetType | Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | GetValue | Returns the current effective value of a dependency property on this instance of a DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | InvalidateProperty | Re-evaluates the effective value for the specified dependency property (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | MemberwiseClone | Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | OnChanged | Called when the current Freezable object is modified. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | OnFreezablePropertyChanged(DependencyObject, DependencyObject) | Ensures that appropriate context pointers are established for a DependencyObjectType data member that has just been set. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | OnFreezablePropertyChanged(DependencyObject, DependencyObject, DependencyProperty) | This member supports the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | OnPropertyChanged | Overrides the DependencyObject implementation of OnPropertyChanged to also invoke any Changed handlers in response to a changing dependency property of type Freezable. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | ReadLocalValue | Returns the local value of a dependency property, if it exists. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | ReadPreamble | Ensures that the Freezable is being accessed from a valid thread. Inheritors of Freezable must call this method at the beginning of any API that reads data members that are not dependency properties. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | SetCurrentValue | Sets the value of a dependency property without changing its value source. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | SetValue(DependencyProperty, Object) | Sets the local value of a dependency property, specified by its dependency property identifier. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | SetValue(DependencyPropertyKey, Object) | Sets the local value of a read-only dependency property, specified by the DependencyPropertyKey identifier of the dependency property. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | ShouldSerializeProperty | Returns a value that indicates whether serialization processes should serialize the value for the provided dependency property. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
![]() | ToString() | Return string representation of this Brush. (Overrides Object::ToString().) |
![]() | ToString(IFormatProvider) | Creates a string representation of this object based on the specified culture-specific formatting information. |
![]() | VerifyAccess | Enforces that the calling thread has access to this DispatcherObject. (Inherited from DispatcherObject.) |
![]() | WritePostscript | Raises the Changed event for the Freezable and invokes its OnChanged method. Classes that derive from Freezable should call this method at the end of any API that modifies class members that are not stored as dependency properties. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
![]() | WritePreamble | Verifies that the Freezable is not frozen and that it is being accessed from a valid threading context. Freezable inheritors should call this method at the beginning of any API that writes to data members that are not dependency properties. (Inherited from Freezable.) |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() | OpacityProperty | Identifies the Opacity dependency property. |
![]() ![]() | RelativeTransformProperty | Identifies the RelativeTransform dependency property. |
![]() ![]() | TransformProperty | Identifies the Transform dependency property. |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() | IFormattable::ToString | Formats the value of the current instance using the specified format. |
A Brush "paints" or "fills" an area with its output. Different brushes have different types of output. Some brushes paint an area with a solid color, others with a gradient, pattern, image, or drawing. The following list describes the different types of WPF brushes:
SolidColorBrush: Paints an area with a solid Color.
LinearGradientBrush: Paints an area with a linear gradient.
RadialGradientBrush: Paints an area with a radial gradient.
ImageBrush: Paints an area with an image (represented by an ImageSource object).
DrawingBrush: Paints an area with a Drawing. The drawing may include vector and bitmap objects.
VisualBrush: Paints an area with a Visual object. A VisualBrush enables you to duplicate content from one portion of your application into another area; it's very useful for creating reflection effects and magnifying portions of the screen.
Predefined Brushes
Brushes in XAML
The following table lists the different Brush types that can be used in XAML and the syntax they support. For detailed syntax information for a specific brush, see that brush's type page.
Class | Attribute Syntax | Object Element Syntax |
|---|---|---|
Yes | Yes | |
No | Yes | |
No | Yes | |
No | Yes | |
No | Yes | |
No | Yes |
For an example showing how to quickly paint an area with a solid color, see How to: Paint an Area with a Solid Color.
Freezable Features
A brush is a type of Freezable object. For information about Freezable features, such as freezing and cloning, see the Freezable Objects Overview.
When you inherit from the Brush class, you must override the CreateInstanceCore method. Depending on whether your class must perform additional initialization work or contains non-dependency property data members, you might need to override additional Freezable methods. For more information about inheriting from Freezable types, see the Freezable Objects Overview.
To paint an area with a solid color, you can use a predefined system brush, such as Red or Blue, or you can create a new SolidColorBrush and describe its Color using alpha, red, green, and blue values. In XAML, you may also paint an area with a solid color by using hexidecimal notation.
The following examples uses each of these techniques to paint a Rectangle blue.
Using a Predefined Brush
In the following example uses the predefined brush Blue to paint a rectangle blue.
<Rectangle Width="50" Height="50" Fill="Blue" />
Using Hexadecimal Notation
The next example uses 8-digit hexadecimal notation to paint a rectangle blue.
<!-- Note that the first two characters "FF" of the 8-digit value is the alpha which controls the transparency of the color. Therefore, to make a completely transparent color (invisible), use "00" for those digits (e.g. #000000FF). --> <Rectangle Width="50" Height="50" Fill="#FF0000FF" />
Using ARGB Values
The next example creates a SolidColorBrush and describes its Color using the ARGB values for the color blue.
<Rectangle Width="50" Height="50"> <Rectangle.Fill> <SolidColorBrush> <SolidColorBrush.Color> <!-- Describes the brush's color using RGB values. Each value has a range of 0-255. R is for red, G is for green, and B is for blue. A is for alpha which controls transparency of the color. Therefore, to make a completely transparent color (invisible), use a value of 0 for Alpha. --> <Color A="255" R="0" G="0" B="255" /> </SolidColorBrush.Color> </SolidColorBrush> </Rectangle.Fill> </Rectangle>
For other ways of describing color, see the Color structure.
Related Topics
For more information about SolidColorBrush and additional examples, see the Painting with Solid Colors and Gradients Overview overview.
This code example is part of a larger example provided for the SolidColorBrush class. For the complete sample, see the Brushes Sample.
More Code
| How to: Make a UIElement Transparent or Semi-Transparent | This example shows how to make a UIElement transparent or semi-transparent. To make an element transparent or semi-transparent, you set its Opacity property. A value of 0.0 makes the element completely transparent, while a value of 1.0 makes the element completely opaque. A value of 0.5 makes the element 50% opaque, and so on. An element's Opacity is set to 1.0 by default. |
| How to: Paint an Area with a Linear Gradient | This example shows how to use the LinearGradientBrush class to paint an area with a linear gradient. In the following example, the Fill of a Rectangle is painted with a diagonal linear gradient that transitions from yellow to red to blue to lime green. |
| How to: Paint an Area with a Radial Gradient | This example shows how to use the RadialGradientBrush class to paint an area with a radial gradient. |
| How to: Paint an Area with an Image | This example shows how to use the ImageBrush class to paint an area with an image. An ImageBrush displays a single image, which is specified by its ImageSource property. |
| How to: Paint an Area with a System Brush | The SystemColors class provides access to system brushes and colors, such as ControlBrush, ControlBrushKey, and DesktopBrush. A system brush is a SolidColorBrush object that paints an area with the specified system color. A system brush always produces a solid fill; it can't be used to create a gradient. |
| How to: Paint an Area with a Visual | This example shows how to use the VisualBrush class to paint an area with a Visual. |
Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.







