Have you searched for and downloaded multiple Photoshop brush sets, but it was still not exactly what you wanted?
Instead of settling for what you have, you can learn how to make a custom Photoshop brush. The process isn’t that complicated and will save you endless scrolling through Photoshop forums looking for the right brush.
In this article, we’ll go through the steps of how to create a brush from scratch, how to change the settings of an existing brush, and how to keep your brushes neatly organized.
How to Create a Brush From Scratch
If you’re struggling to get the desired effect using the default Photoshop brushes, or can’t find the right one to download, follow the instructions below to create a custom brush in no time.
Step 1: Choose Your Brush Size
The first step when making a Photoshop brush from scratch is to create a new document. Photoshop allows you to create a brush as large as 2500 x 2500 pixels, but having a brush of these dimensions will make using it a bit difficult. Additionally, using a big brush will use more of your system resources, leading Photoshop to freeze or crash.
Of course, you can resize your new brush while using it, but keep in mind that increasing the brush size too much will make it sluggish.
So, pick a proportionate brush size for your future designs. For this example, we’ll create a 300 x 300 pixels brush.
Go to New > Document and set its size. Also, make sure you set Background Contents to White.
Step 2: Create the Brush Pattern
You can turn any shape or element into a Photoshop brush. For this example, we’ll create a brush that will help us achieve a cracked and shattered text effect. You can use pen, shapes, text, logos, images, or even an already-existing brush to set up your template.
Keep in mind that all the elements should be black.
Step 3: Save the Brush
Once you’re done creating a new brush pattern, open the Edit menu and select Define Brush Preset. In the popup window, you can preview your brush and give it a custom name. Once you’re done, click OK.
How to Edit a Photoshop Brush
If you’re a beginner when it comes to Photoshop brushes, you might not get the best results on your first try. However, you can edit your brush settings instead of creating a new one from scratch.
Select the brush and press F5 or go to Window > Brush Settings. The available settings might be a bit intimidating, especially for a Photoshop beginner. However, there are a few settings such as brush size, spacing, or texture that will allow you to better control your brush.
It will take a few tries to get the best brush settings, but as you gain more Photoshop experience, the easier the process will be.
How to Access Your Custom Brush
As you keep editing your design, you’ll constantly change brushes, so your custom brush will no longer be accessible just by pressing B. To look for one of the custom brushes, go to Window > Brushes. There, you’ll see the entire list of available brushes.
How to Keep Your Photoshop Brushes Organized
If you have created or installed a lot of Photoshop brushes, you should organize your brush library so you can easily find them when necessary.
Go to Window and select Brushes. In the Brushes window, click the Create new group icon. To add one of the brushes to a specific folder, simply drag it over that folder. Also, you can rearrange the folders by clicking and dragging them.
If you want to delete one of the folders, right-click it and select Delete Group.
Make the Perfect Photoshop Brush
The brush is one of the most used Photoshop tools, so having the right ones will save you time when editing your designs. And once you create a new brush, you can use it at any time.
If you’re new to Photoshop, learning to use it might be a steep process. Fortunately, there are a few techniques to help you.