You can create brushes that apply paint to images in a variety of ways. You select an existing preset brush, a brush tip shape, or create a unique brush tip from part of an image. You choose options from the Brush panel to specify how the paint is applied.
In the Brush panel, you can select preset brushes from the Brush Presets panel, but you can also modify existing brushes and design new custom brushes. The Brush panel contains the brush tip options that determine how paint is applied to an image.
The brush stroke preview at the bottom of the panel shows how paint strokes look with the current brush options.
Brush panel with Brush Tip Shape options displayed
A. Locked B. Unlocked C. Selected brush tip D. Brush settings E. Brush stroke preview F. pop‑up menu G. Brush tip shapes (available when Brush Tip Shape option is selected) H. Brush options
on
the left side of the options bar.
- Using any selection tool, select the image area you want to use as a custom brush. The brush shape can be up to 2500 pixels by 2500 pixels in size.
When painting, you can’t adjust the hardness of sampled brushes. To create a brush with sharp edges, set Feather to zero pixels. To create a brush with soft edges, increase the Feather setting.
Note:
If you select a color image, the brush tip image is converted to grayscale. Any layer mask applied to the image doesn’t affect the definition of the brush tip.
Note:
To save your new brush permanently or distribute it to other users, you must save the brush as part of a set of brushes. Choose Save Brushes from the Brush Presets panel menu, and then save to a new set or overwrite an existing set. If you reset or replace the brushes in the Brush Presets panel without saving it in a set, you could lose your new brush.
. To
unlock the tip, click the lock icon 
.
Brush strokes with different diameter values
Use Sample Size
Resets the brush to its original diameter. This option is available only if the brush tip shape was created by sampling pixels in an image.
Flipping a brush tip on its x axis.
A. Brush tip in its default position B. Flip X selected C. Flip X and Flip Y selected
Flipping a brush tip on its y axis.
A. Brush tip in its default position B. Flip Y selected C. Flip Y and Flip X selected
Angle
Specifies the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from horizontal. Type a value in degrees, or drag the horizontal axis in the preview box.
Angled brushes create a chiseled stroke
Roundness
Specifies the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. Enter a percentage value, or drag the points in the preview box. A value of 100% indicates a circular brush, a value of 0% indicates a linear brush, and intermediate values indicate elliptical brushes.
Adjusting roundness to compress a brush tip shape
Hardness
Controls the size of the brush’s hard center. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter. You can’t change the hardness of sampled brushes.
Brush strokes with different hardness values
Spacing
Controls the distance between the brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter. When this option is deselected, the speed of the cursor determines the spacing.
Increasing the spacing makes the brush skip
While using a preset brush, press the [ key to decrease the brush width; press the ] key to increase the width. For hard round, soft round, and calligraphic brushes, press Shift+[ to decrease the brush hardness; press Shift+] to increase the brush hardness.
For a video about bristle tips, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid5009_ps_en
Bristle tips let you specify precise bristle characteristics, creating highly realistic, natural-looking strokes. Set the following brush tip shape options in the Brush panel:
To vary stroke creation when using a mouse, adjust the stiffness setting.
Spacing
Controls the distance between the brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number or use the slider to specify a percentage of the brush diameter. When this option is deselected, the speed of the cursor determines the spacing.
Brush preview
Shows brush tip that reflects changes to settings above, as well as current pressure and stroke angle. Click the preview window to see the brush from different sides.
Note:
Bristle Brush previews require OpenGL. (See Enable OpenGL and optimize GPU settings.)
Erodible tip brushes behave similar to pencils and crayons, and wear down naturally as you draw. You can see the amount of wear with the Live Brush Tip Preview to the upper left of the image.
Spacing
Controls the distance between the brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number or use the slider to specify a percentage of the brush diameter. When this option is deselected, the speed of the cursor determines the spacing.
Brush preview
Shows brush tip that reflects changes to settings above, as well as current pressure and stroke angle. Click the preview window to see the brush from different sides.
Airbrush tips replicate spray cans with a 3D conical spray. With a stylus, you can alter the spread of sprayed strokes by changing pen pressure.
Spacing
Controls the distance between the droplets. If this option is deselected, the speed of the cursor determines the spacing.
Brush preview
Shows brush tip that reflects changes to settings above, as well as current pressure and stroke angle. Click the preview window to see the brush from different sides.
Brush pose options let you achieve stylus-like effects and let you control the angle and position of the brush.
Noise
Adds additional randomness to individual brush tips. This option is most effective when applied to soft brush tips (brush tips that contain gray values).
Wet Edges
Causes paint to build up along the edges of the brush stroke, creating a watercolor effect.
Airbrush/Build-up
Applies gradual tones to an image, simulating traditional airbrush techniques. The Airbrush option in the Brush panel corresponds to the Airbrush option in the options bar.
Smoothing
Produces smoother curves in brush strokes. This option is most effective when you are painting quickly with a stylus; however, it may produce a slight lag time in stroke rendering.
Protect Texture
Applies the same pattern and scale to all brush presets that have a texture. Select this option to simulate a consistent canvas texture when painting with multiple, textured brush tips.
Brush strokes without scattering (left) and with scattering (right)
Scatter and Control
Specifies how brush marks are distributed in a stroke. When Both Axes is selected, brush marks are distributed in a radial direction. When Both Axes is deselected, brush marks are distributed perpendicular to the stroke path.
To specify the maximum percentage of scattering, enter a value. To specify how you want to control the scattering variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop‑up menu:
Note:
If you increase the count without increasing the spacing or scattering values, painting performance may decrease.
Count Jitter and Control
Specifies how the number of brush marks varies for each spacing interval. To specify the maximum percentage of brush marks applied at each spacing interval, enter a value. To specify how you want to control the count variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop‑up menu:
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