Create and Save Multiple Types of Brushes - Four Parts
 Suitable for Adobe Photoshop CS CS2 & CS3
Skill Level - Intermediate

This lesson demonstrates how to create four different types of brushes, and you will find the Puma and 2 CV images Here. Unzip the file and open the images onto Photoshop’s workspace ready to use.

Create A Curved And A Straight Dotted Line From A Brush

Lesson 1 - Create a Brush From a Photo Object - 2 CV

Lesson 2 - Create a Brush From Part of an Image - Puma’s Eyes

Lesson 3 - Create a Brush From a Photograph

Lesson 4 - Make a Starburst Brush Using The Polygon Tool

Colour Popping - Suitable For Brush Tool Beginners

Saving, Loading, Renaming, Deleting, And Loading Multiple Brushes

Applying Brushes - Tutorial

Copy And Paste (Downloaded) Brushes Into Photoshop’s Brushes Folder

Access the Hidden Brush Tool Palette

Create, Modify, then Apply Scratchy Border Brushes

Create a Personalised Handwriting Brush

Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.

Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,

or the Zoom Tool.

Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way.

Note
Brushes are automatically converted into monochrome, and they cannot be saved in their original coloured state; however, once created, you can choose a solid colour of your choice. 

Image Resolution
When creating brushes, the higher the image’s resolution the better quality the brush will be; therefore, choose a photograph (or image) with a high resolution. When scanning objects, set your scanner to 300 DPI.

Tip
To save space in your brushes menu, create multiple brushes, and save them as a set.

OK, Cancel or Append?
When you click the following arrow to change your brush library.



You will see a dialogue box that has three tabs. The Cancel tab is self explanatory, and you click this when you no longer wish to change your brushes. Click OK if you wish to change your current brushes, and add a completely different set. However, if you wish to add a new set to your present library, click Append. Your choice of brushes will then be added to the end of your current library.



1/ Part 1 - Create a 2 CV brush tip
Open the 2 CV (or your own photo object image) onto Photoshop’s workspace, then from the top menu, choose Adjustments then choose Desaturate.

2/
Now, to increase the 2 CV’s contrast, click Adjustments then Levels, and adjust the Black, Grey and White Point sliders of the Level’s command - then click OK.  



Moving just Grey Point has suitably improved the contrast of the 2 CV.

3/
Now, from the toolbar, activate the Magic Wand Tool with the following settings.

Additionally, if the marquee transcends the headlight.

Activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

And set the following attributes. 

Then draw a marquee around the shiny white metalwork.

This removes the erroneous marquee from within the headlight.

5/
From the top menu, choose Select then choose Inverse, the selection marquee now isolates just the 2 CV, as shown below.


6/
Temporarily save your brush to apply immediately
Now the 2CV has been isolated, you are ready to save it as a brush tip. Therefore, from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Define Brush Preset. In the subsequent Brush Name dialogue box, type a name for your brush - then click OK.

7/
You have created your (2 CV) brush tip, and it is ready to apply.

8/
Open a New image, and set the Foreground Colour to Black, or a solid colour you wish your 2 CV to be.

9/
Then from the toolbar, activate the Brush Tool.

Scroll the brush tip menu, below left, locate then double-left-click to set your new 2 CV brush.


10/
Now you have activated the 2 CV brush, it is ready to apply.
 
11/
For the following examples I reduced the brush’s Opacity and changed its Colour - additionally, I experimented with different Brush Presets, including Noise and Rotate, found in the Brush Tool’s hidden palette. To access the hidden palette, click the Brush tab, found within the Palette Well - top right corner of Photoshop.

You can have lots of fun isolating photo objects with a marquee, and saving them as brushes.

Part two creating brush tips from eyes Top - Home.
1/
Activate the puma image, then from the top menu, choose Adjustments then choose Desaturate. Now, increase the contrast exactly as described in my 2 CV lesson Here. You will find a screen capture of my (puma) Levels settings Here.


2/
Activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

And set the following Add to selection attributes. 


Note
The Feather setting determines the amount of fade around the puma’s eyes, deciding how much it will fade into a background - therefore, for personal results, experiment with this setting.

Now, Zoom into the puma’s eyes, and left-click and stretch (bit-by-bit) a lasso line around the left eye, then pass your cursor over the point where you began, and left-click. The lasso line will change to a selection marquee (moving dotted lines). Click and stretch a lasso line around the right eye, then again pass your cursor over the area where you began, and left-click. A selection marquee will surround both eyes, as shown below.


Tip
To reposition a selection marquee, ensure the Polygonal Tool is active, then left-click inside the marquee, and drag it to another area.

You are ready to save the selected eyes as a brush tip - instructions for saving selected areas as brushes, can be be found here.

Part 3 - Create a brush tip from a photograph
1/
Open your photograph onto Photoshop’s workspace.

2/
Then from the top menu, choose Adjustments then choose Desaturate. Now, increase the contrast exactly as described in my 2 CV lesson Here. 


3/
Activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool, as described in part two (the puma’s eyes).

And stretch a lasso line around the area you want to save as a brush. It is very important that you experiment, and set the correct Feather setting.

I set a Feather setting of 15, which created a suitable fade to Sacha’s brush tip. However, experiment with the Feather setting and find a fade that works best for you.
 

To move the selection marquee, (ensure the Polygonal Tool is active), then left-click inside the marquee, and drag it to another area.

4/
When you are happy with the area you have selected, it is time to save your brush tip. From the top menu, choose Edit then choose Define Brush Preset.

Your brush tip is ready to apply, and save, as described Here!

After the brush application - you can fade the edges further by activating the Blur tool (or Eraser tools) and with a very low Opacity, blend away hard lines, as demonstrated below.

        

Save your brush as an abr brush
To permanently save your 2CV and puma eyes (and other newly created brushes) as an abr (Photoshop brush file), from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Preset Manager. In the following Preset Manager dialogue box, scroll to where your newly saved brushes reside - this is usually at the bottom. Now, to save discontinuous brushes, Ctrl-left-Click (to highlight) individual brushes you want to save as a set - then click Save Set. (To save a line of contiguous brushes, Shift-left-click).

    

A Save dialogue box will appear, and by default, it displays Photoshop’s Preset/Brushes folder, as shown in my screen capture here. Clear the File Name tab and enter a name for your new brush set - by default, Photoshop saves your brush set as abr file. Now (in the Preset Manager) box, click Done and your brush set is saved.

When you next open Photoshop, your new brush set will be available from the brush palette, with your original sets - demonstrated by my screen capture here.

Saving a single brush
To save an individual brush, after you create it, scroll the library and left-click to highlight your brush, then click the tiny black arrow head, highlighted below.



From the subsequent drop-down menu, click Save Brushes, circled above right. A Save dialogue box will appear, and by default, (as mentioned earlier) it displays Photoshop’s Preset/Brushes folder, shown in my screen capture Here. In the File Name tab, type a name for your brush - Photoshop automatically saves it as an abr file.
 
Now you have saved your brush as an abr file, you can back it, if you wish.



Note
Regardless of where you initiate the save, Photoshop takes you to the Save dialogue box where you can name your brush, or set of brushes. By default, brushes are saved in the Presets/Brushes folder.

Found in Programme Files.

Locate and load a new brush set
To locate and load your new brush - or set, activate the Brush Tool, then click open the following drop-down menu. Now, click Load Brushes, and Photoshop’s Brushes folder will open. Locate your (newly created) brush file, and click to load it - your brush is available to use, as usual.


Load brushes, manually
If, like myself, you have far too many brushes, and your brush menu runs out of screen - Screen Capture. (Brushes after the letter i are not displayed). You need to manually load brushes that run off the screen.
Load multiple brushes
If you want to, you can keep more than one brush set active. To do so, load your first set as normal, then click Load Brushes - alternatively, click Load in the Presets Manager dialogue box. Photoshop automatically appends the second brush set onto the first. If you wish, you can save both brush sets, as one!

Delete or rename a brush
To delete a brush, right-click it, then choose either Delete, or Rename Brush.



Alternatively, access Photoshop’s Brushes folder, and delete individual brushes you have created, or downloaded. Naturally, don’t delete Photoshop’s default brushes!

Install - or delete - downloaded brushes
Close Photoshop, then If necessary, unzip your brushes. Now, press the Ctrl key of your keyboard, and left-click to highlight one or more (brush) files. Then right-click and choose Copy from the drop-down list. Now, locate and double-left-click to open Photoshop’s Presets file (in Programme Files). Then locate it’s Brushes folder, and right-click it.

From the drop-down menu, choose Paste. Open Photoshop, and load your new brushes as usual. To delete a brush you have created, or downloaded, right-click it, and from the drop-down list, choose Delete.

Create a Starburst Brush
1/
Open a New document, with a White background - and set the dimensions of your choice - ensuring the Resolution is 300 dpi - these are my settings here!


2/
Now, press the D key, to set the Foreground to Black.
3/
Then from the toolbar, activate the Polygon Tool.



And set the following attributes into its Options Bar. Notes: I am choosing a five sided star; (Sides = 5), however, enter the amount of sides (spikes), you prefer - bearing in mind they are naturally between 2 and 8. Additionally, ensure you are drawing a black starburst onto a white canvas.





Now, left-click and draw your starburst onto the white canvas.



Then release your mouse button.

Notes
Whilst drawing your starburst, you can enlarge, or reduce its size, or spin it anywhere between 0 and 190 degrees - using your mouse. Additionally, if your starburst is positioned off the canvas - as demonstrated below. Before releasing the mouse button - press your space bar, and with the mouse button pressed, simultaneously drag your starburst to a central position.



After you have applied, and repositioned, your starburst, you are ready for the next step.

       
4/
To edit the five spikes, from the toolbar, activate the Direct Selection Tool.



Then left-click over a spike, and Anchor Points (white squares), will be added to your starburst - as illustrated below.

Now, left-click an anchor point, and drag it in any direction, and the spike will follow.



To adjust the width of the spikes, left-click an edge, and drag it outwards - bearing in mind, starburst spikes are usually very slender.


Note
If the anchor points disappear, click anywhere on the black sunburst to return them.

Continue repositioning and adjusting the spikes, until you are happy with your starburst. You are now ready for the next step.


Tip
Disable the Direct Selection Tool by left-clicking another tool in the toolbar - perhaps the Move Tool. Additionally, your starburst can be repositioned with the Move Tool.

5/
From the top menu, choose Filter then choose Blur then choose Gaussian Blur. Reply OK to the Rasterise Shape prompt! In the subsequent Gaussian Blur dialogue box, set the Radius to 1.5. Note: If your image is larger, the Radius should be increased, accordingly.


6/
Crop away the wasted white area, and it is time to save your brush.
  7/
From top menu, choose Edit then choose Define Brush Preset. Now, enter a suitable name into the Brush Name dialogue box, then click OK. Note: Brushes need to be Rasterised, before they can be saved - Layer then Rasterise.



Your starburst brush has been temporarily saved to Photoshop’s Brush Tool, and will be positioned at the end of your current brush library. Link Here to learn how to permanently save your brush tip.


8/
To test your brush, open a suitable photograph, and ensure Foreground is set to White. Then, on a new layer, apply your starburst brush.
 


Applying your starburst brush onto its own layer facilitates easy repositioning; to reposition and rotate your starburst, from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Transform - or Free Transform. To change the starburst’s colour, press Ctrl then U to display the Hue/Saturation command box, place a tick into the Colourise box, and experiment with the sliders - alternatively, ensure the Foreground is set to your desired colour, prior to applying your starburst brush. Additionally, because it is applied to its own layer, you can reduce its opacity by reducing it Layers Opacity. To brighten your starburst, Duplicate its layer. Familiarise yourself with the Polygon Tool, and create different starburst brushes, perhaps with more, or less, spikes - Sides.

Accessing The Hidden Brush Palette
Photoshop’s brush palette is the largest tool palette, and to save workspace, (by default), a large number of Presets are hidden. To access the hidden palette, press F5, at the top of your keyboard. Alternatively, from the top menu’s Palette Well, click the following Brushes tab.




Clicking Brushes displays the following Brush Presets dialogue box.



Within the Brush Presets menu on the left-side, you will notice various settings that can be altered; for example, to change the direction of the brush, left-click Brush Tip Shape. You are then presented with a menu, shown above right. Amongst other settings, you can change the brush’s Angle and Spacing. Take a little time to explore the hidden brush settings, and see how they can effect the appearance and position of your brushes. This is especially important when creating photographic edges.

Creating your own brushes is very rewarding, and lots of fun, and depending on your source, can be very quick - or take a little time and practise.

Wendi E. M. Scarth. Top of Page - Home.