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Draw and paint with brushes

  1. Photoshop User Guide
  2. Introduction to Photoshop
    1. Dream it. Make it.
    2. What's new in Photoshop
    3. Edit your first photo
    4. Create documents
    5. Photoshop | Common Questions
    6. Photoshop system requirements
    7. Get to know Photoshop
    8. Keep Photoshop up to date
  3. Photoshop and other Adobe products and services
    1. Work with Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
    2. Work with Photoshop files in InDesign
    3. Substance 3D Materials for Photoshop
    4. Use the Capture in-app extension in Photoshop
  4. Photoshop on the iPad (not available in mainland China)
    1. Photoshop on the iPad | Common questions
    2. Get to know the workspace
    3. System requirements | Photoshop on the iPad
    4. Create, open, and export documents
    5. Add photos
    6. Work with layers
    7. Draw and paint with brushes
    8. Make selections and add masks
    9. Retouch your composites
    10. Work with adjustment layers
    11. Adjust the tonality of your composite with Curves
    12. Apply transform operations
    13. Crop and rotate your composites
    14. Rotate, pan, zoom, and reset the canvas
    15. Work with Type layers
    16. Work with Photoshop and Lightroom
    17. Get missing fonts in Photoshop on the iPad
    18. Japanese Text in Photoshop on the iPad
    19. Manage app settings
    20. Touch shortcuts and gestures
    21. Keyboard shortcuts
    22. Edit your image size
    23. Livestream as you create in Photoshop on the iPad
    24. Correct imperfections with the Healing Brush
    25. Create brushes in Capture and use them in Photoshop on the iPad
    26. Work with Camera Raw files
    27. Create and work with Smart Objects
    28. Adjust exposure in your images with Dodge and Burn
    29. Auto adjustment commands in Photoshop on the iPad
    30. Smudge areas in your images with Photoshop on the iPad
    31. Saturate or desaturate your images using Sponge tool
    32. Content aware fill for iPad
  5. Photoshop on the web (not available in mainland China)
    1. Common questions
    2. System requirements
    3. Keyboard shortcuts
    4. Supported file types
    5. Introduction to the workspace
    6. Open and work with cloud documents
    7. Generative AI features
    8. Basic concepts of editing
    9. Quick Actions
    10. Work with layers
    11. Retouch images and remove imperfections
    12. Make quick selections
    13. Image improvements with Adjustment Layers
    14. Add a fill layer
    15. Move, transform, and crop images
    16. Draw and paint
    17. Draw and edit Shapes
    18. Work with Type layers
    19. Work with anyone on the web
    20. Manage app settings
    21. Generate Image
    22. Generate Background
    23. Reference Image
  6. Photoshop (beta) (not available in mainland China)
    1. Get started with Creative Cloud Beta apps
    2. Photoshop (beta) on the desktop
    3. Reference Image
  7. Generative AI (not available in mainland China) 
    1. Common questions on generative AI in Photoshop
    2. Generative Fill in Photoshop on the desktop
    3. Generate Image with descriptive text prompts
    4. Generative Expand in Photoshop on the desktop
    5. Replace background with Generate background
    6. Get new variations with Generate Similar
    7. Generative Fill in Photoshop on the iPad
    8. Generative Expand in Photoshop on the iPad
    9. Generative AI features in Photoshop on the web
  8. Content authenticity (not available in mainland China)
    1. Content credentials in Photoshop
    2. Identity and provenance for NFTs
    3. Connect accounts for creative attribution
  9. Cloud documents (not available in mainland China)
    1. Photoshop cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Photoshop cloud documents | Workflow questions
    3. Manage and work with cloud documents in Photoshop
    4. Upgrade cloud storage for Photoshop
    5. Unable to create or save a cloud document
    6. Solve Photoshop cloud document errors
    7. Collect cloud document sync logs
    8. Invite others to edit your cloud documents
    9. Share files and comment in-app
  10. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Preferences
    3. Learn faster with the Photoshop Discover Panel
    4. Create documents
    5. Place files
    6. Default keyboard shortcuts
    7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
    8. Tool galleries
    9. Performance preferences
    10. Use tools
    11. Presets
    12. Grid and guides
    13. Touch gestures
    14. Use the Touch Bar with Photoshop
    15. Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
    16. Technology previews
    17. Metadata and notes
    18. Place Photoshop images in other applications
    19. Rulers
    20. Show or hide non-printing Extras
    21. Specify columns for an image
    22. Undo and history
    23. Panels and menus
    24. Position elements with snapping
    25. Position with the Ruler tool
  11. Web, screen, and app design
    1. Photoshop for design
    2. Artboards
    3. Device Preview
    4. Copy CSS from layers
    5. Slice web pages
    6. HTML options for slices
    7. Modify slice layout
    8. Work with web graphics
    9. Create web photo galleries
  12. Image and color basics
    1. How to resize images
    2. Work with raster and vector images
    3. Image size and resolution
    4. Acquire images from cameras and scanners
    5. Create, open, and import images
    6. View images
    7. Invalid JPEG Marker error | Opening images
    8. Viewing multiple images
    9. Customize color pickers and swatches
    10. High dynamic range images
    11. Match colors in your image
    12. Convert between color modes
    13. Color modes
    14. Erase parts of an image
    15. Blending modes
    16. Choose colors
    17. Customize indexed color tables
    18. Image information
    19. Distort filters are unavailable
    20. About color
    21. Color and monochrome adjustments using channels
    22. Choose colors in the Color and Swatches panels
    23. Sample
    24. Color mode or Image mode
    25. Color cast
    26. Add a conditional mode change to an action
    27. Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG
    28. Bit depth and preferences
  13. Layers
    1. Layer basics
    2. Nondestructive editing
    3. Create and manage layers and groups
    4. Select, group, and link layers
    5. Place images into frames
    6. Layer opacity and blending
    7. Mask layers
    8. Apply Smart Filters
    9. Layer comps
    10. Move, stack, and lock layers
    11. Mask layers with vector masks
    12. Manage layers and groups
    13. Layer effects and styles
    14. Edit layer masks
    15. Extract assets
    16. Reveal layers with clipping masks
    17. Generate image assets from layers
    18. Work with Smart Objects
    19. Blending modes
    20. Combine multiple images into a group portrait
    21. Combine images with Auto-Blend Layers
    22. Align and distribute layers
    23. Copy CSS from layers
    24. Load selections from a layer or layer mask's boundaries
    25. Knockout to reveal content from other layers
  14. Selections
    1. Get started with selections
    2. Make selections in your composite
    3. Select and Mask workspace
    4. Select with the marquee tools
    5. Select with the lasso tools
    6. Adjust pixel selections
    7. Move, copy, and delete selected pixels
    8. Create a temporary quick mask
    9. Select a color range in an image
    10. Convert between paths and selection borders
    11. Channel basics
    12. Save selections and alpha channel masks
    13. Select the image areas in focus
    14. Duplicate, split, and merge channels
    15. Channel calculations
  15. Image adjustments
    1. Replace object colors
    2. Perspective warp
    3. Reduce camera shake blurring
    4. Healing brush examples
    5. Export color lookup tables
    6. Adjust image sharpness and blur
    7. Understand color adjustments
    8. Apply a Brightness/Contrast adjustment
    9. Adjust shadow and highlight detail
    10. Levels adjustment
    11. Adjust hue and saturation
    12. Adjust vibrance
    13. Adjust color saturation in image areas
    14. Make quick tonal adjustments
    15. Apply special color effects to images
    16. Enhance your image with color balance adjustments
    17. High dynamic range images
    18. View histograms and pixel values
    19. Match colors in your image
    20. Crop and straighten photos
    21. Convert a color image to black and white
    22. Adjustment and fill layers
    23. Curves adjustment
    24. Blending modes
    25. Target images for press
    26. Adjust color and tone with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
    27. Adjust HDR exposure and toning
    28. Dodge or burn image areas
    29. Make selective color adjustments
  16. Adobe Camera Raw
    1. Camera Raw system requirements
    2. What's new in Camera Raw
    3. Introduction to Camera Raw
    4. Create panoramas
    5. Supported lenses
    6. Vignette, grain, and dehaze effects in Camera Raw
    7. Default keyboard shortcuts
    8. Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
    9. Radial Filter in Camera Raw
    10. Manage Camera Raw settings
    11. Open, process, and save images in Camera Raw
    12. Repair images with the Enhanced Spot Removal tool in Camera Raw
    13. Rotate, crop, and adjust images
    14. Adjust color rendering in Camera Raw
    15. Process versions in Camera Raw
    16. Make local adjustments in Camera Raw
  17. Image repair and restoration
    1. Remove Tool
    2. Remove objects from your photos with Content-Aware Fill
    3. Content-Aware Patch and Move
    4. Retouch and repair photos
    5. Correct image distortion and noise
    6. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix most issues
  18. Image enhancement and transformation
    1. Replace sky in your images
    2. Transform objects
    3. Adjust crop, rotation, and canvas size
    4. How to crop and straighten photos
    5. Create and edit panoramic images
    6. Warp images, shapes, and paths
    7. Vanishing Point
    8. Content-aware scaling
    9. Transform images, shapes, and paths
  19. Drawing and painting
    1. Paint symmetrical patterns
    2. Draw rectangles and modify stroke options
    3. About drawing
    4. Draw and edit shapes
    5. Painting tools
    6. Create and modify brushes
    7. Blending modes
    8. Add color to paths
    9. Edit paths
    10. Paint with the Mixer Brush
    11. Brush presets
    12. Gradients
    13. Gradient interpolation
    14. Fill and stroke selections, layers, and paths
    15. Draw with the Pen tools
    16. Create patterns
    17. Generate a pattern using the Pattern Maker
    18. Manage paths
    19. Manage pattern libraries and presets
    20. Draw or paint with a graphics tablet
    21. Create textured brushes
    22. Add dynamic elements to brushes
    23. Gradient
    24. Paint stylized strokes with the Art History Brush
    25. Paint with a pattern
    26. Sync presets on multiple devices
    27. Migrate presets, actions, and settings
  20. Text
    1. Add and edit the text
    2. Unified Text Engine
    3. Work with OpenType SVG fonts
    4. Format characters
    5. Format paragraphs
    6. How to create type effects
    7. Edit text
    8. Line and character spacing
    9. Arabic and Hebrew type
    10. Fonts
    11. Troubleshoot fonts
    12. Asian type
    13. Create type
  21. Filters and effects
    1. Use the Blur Gallery
    2. Filter basics
    3. Filter effects reference
    4. Add Lighting Effects
    5. Use the Adaptive Wide Angle filter
    6. Use the Oil Paint filter
    7. Use the Liquify filter
    8. Layer effects and styles
    9. Apply specific filters
    10. Smudge image areas
  22. Saving and exporting
    1. Save your files in Photoshop
    2. Export your files in Photoshop
    3. Supported file formats
    4. Save files in graphics formats
    5. Move designs between Photoshop and Illustrator
    6. Save and export video and animations
    7. Save PDF files
    8. Digimarc copyright protection
  23. Color Management
    1. Understanding color management
    2. Keeping colors consistent
    3. Color settings
    4. Duotones
    5. Work with color profiles
    6. Color-managing documents for online viewing
    7. Color-managing documents when printing
    8. Color-managing imported images
    9. Proofing colors
  24. Web, screen, and app design
    1. Photoshop for design
    2. Artboards
    3. Device Preview
    4. Copy CSS from layers
    5. Slice web pages
    6. HTML options for slices
    7. Modify slice layout
    8. Work with web graphics
    9. Create web photo galleries
  25. Video and animation
    1. Video editing in Photoshop
    2. Edit video and animation layers
    3. Video and animation overview
    4. Preview video and animations
    5. Paint frames in video layers
    6. Import video files and image sequences
    7. Create frame animations
    8. Creative Cloud 3D Animation (Preview)
    9. Create timeline animations
    10. Create images for video
  26. Printing
    1. Print 3D objects
    2. Print from Photoshop
    3. Print with color management
    4. Contact Sheets and PDF Presentations
    5. Print photos in a picture package layout
    6. Print spot colors
    7. Print images to a commercial printing press
    8. Improve color prints from Photoshop
    9. Troubleshoot printing problems | Photoshop
  27. Automation
    1. Creating actions
    2. Create data-driven graphics
    3. Scripting
    4. Process a batch of files
    5. Play and manage actions
    6. Add conditional actions
    7. About actions and the Actions panel
    8. Record tools in actions
    9. Add a conditional mode change to an action
    10. Photoshop UI toolkit for plug-ins and scripts
  28. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues 
    2. Known issues
    3. Optimize Photoshop performance
    4. Basic troubleshooting
    5. Troubleshoot crash or freeze
    6. Troubleshoot program errors
    7. Troubleshoot scratch disk full errors
    8. Troubleshoot GPU and graphics driver issues
    9. Find missing tools
    10. Photoshop 3D | Common questions around discontinued features

Learn how to use default brushes to draw and paint with Photoshop on the iPad.

With Photoshop on the iPad, you can draw and paint with brushes — whenever, wherever inspiration strikes.

Not sure where to begin? Start with selecting a brush type to create your composite.

How to choose a brush type

1. Tap  from the toolbar to select the brush tool.

2. A small triangle in the lower right corner of the brush icon represents hidden tool options. Long press the brush icon to reveal the Brushes panel.

3. In the Brushes panel that opens, you can scroll through a list of default brush types. Tap to select the desired brush type and apply to the canvas.

Note: The brush type used in your previous session remains selected when you use the brush tool again. You can always come back to the Brushes panel and change your brush.

Select from various brush options

Quickly adjust brush properties

Tool options corresponding to the Brush tool in Photoshop on the iPad
Tool options corresponding to the Brush tool in Photoshop on the iPad

Swipe the Color chip vertically to switch between the two colors.
Swipe the color chip vertically to switch between the two colors in the tool options.

You can adjust brush properties from the floating options panel to suit your creative work.

To bring up the tool options, simply tap the brush icon from the toolbar.

From the tool options, tap an icon to select the attribute and modify:
  • Color chip: The color chip allows you to choose a color from the color picker, enter a hex color code, or enter numbers for HSB, RGB, Lab, or CMYK colors. You can swipe the color chip vertically to easily switch between the foreground and background colors.
  • Brush size: The brush size option allows you to choose the diameter of your brush, which can vary in size from 1 to 1000 pixels. As you vary the brush size, you can also see the brush tip preview beside the tool options bar. 
  • Opacity: The opacity option sets the maximum transparency of the color you apply per brush stroke. 100% opacity represents opaqueness. As you paint over an area, the opacity doesn't exceed the set level until you complete the stroke (even when you paint over an area several times).
  • Hardness: The hardness setting controls the size of the brush’s hard center. Select a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter. 
  • More brush settings: Tap the three dots icon to bring up the settings panel. To learn more about brush settings, see More brush settings.

Apply more brush settings

To access more Brush settings, tap the three dots () icon at the bottom of the tool options bar. You can modify more brush settings as desired:

  • Blend mode: The blend mode determines how the active layer blends with the layers below it. Tap the blend mode icon to see a list of available modes. For more information, see Blending modes.
  • Roundness: The roundness setting specifies the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. Select a percentage value. A value of 100% indicates a circular brush, a value of 0% indicates a linear brush, and intermediate values indicate elliptical brushes.
  • Angle: The angle setting specifies the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from horizontal. Select a value in degrees.
  • Flow: Flow sets the rate at which color is applied on your canvas as you move your finger or stylus over an area in your document.
  • Smoothing: Smoothing produces smoother curves in brush strokes. Higher values apply increasing amounts of intelligent smoothing to your 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.
  • Use pressure for size: Selecting Use pressure for size varies the diameter of the brush based on the brush pressure applied while painting.
  • Use pressure for opacity: Selecting Use pressure for opacity varies the opacity of the brush based on the brush pressure applied while painting.
Brush settings in Photoshop on mobile
Modify brush settings.

Load your brushes

You can now bring all your custom brushes into Photoshop on the iPad. Follow these simple steps to load your favorite brushes in Photoshop on the iPad: 

  1. Tap and hold the brush  icon from the toolbar to bring up the Brushes panel.

  2. In the Brushes panel, tap the '+' icon at the bottom to load more custom brushes while you work:

    Discover new brushes: Use this option to discover and download hundreds of free brushes to work with.

    On selecting Discover new brushes, you are taken to the Kyle Webster page in your web browser. You need to be signed in to see the brushes. Once you download an ABR brush file, you can simply tap and open it in Photoshop on your iPad from the iOS files app directly. You can also add it by tapping the '+' icon from within the Photoshop app.

    Discover new brushes to work with Photoshop on the iPad

    Import from files: Add any supported ABR brush file by tapping the brush file saved on your device.

    Import new brush from files

  3. Select the brush you want to import and work with. You can find it at the bottom of the Brushes panel in Photoshop on the iPad. 

    Brush loaded to Photoshop on the iPad

  4. In the Brushes panel, tap the three dots () icon at the upper right corner to manage your brushes:

    Manage brushes: Opens the Manage brushes panel.

    Reset to default brushes: Resets your Brushes panel to show the default brushes only.

    Learn More: Leads you to the Helpx article that describes all of the features that are part of the Brushes panel in Photoshop on the iPad.

  5. Additionally, in the Manage brushes panel:

    • You can tap the three dots () icon at the upper right corner to Import from files and Reset to default brushes.
    • You can tap the three dots () icon beside a brush category to see the following options — Rename brush group and Delete brush group. You can also rename or delete specific brushes within a category. 
    • You can control the visibility of your brushes with the hide/show toggle button, present beside a brush. Turn on the brushes that you want to view and use on the go. Disabling a brush doesn’t delete the brush but only turns off its visibility. 
    Manage loaded brushes in Photoshop on the iPad

    Tap Done to save your changes.

You can now use a brush you wish in any of your Photoshop documents and unleash your creativity.

You can also create your own brush in Adobe Capture and import it in Photoshop on your iPad. To learn more, see Create brushes in Capture and use them in Photoshop.

Adjust Pencil pressure sensitivity

In Photoshop on the iPad, you can adjust the pressure sensitivity of your Apple Pencil for a more precise brushing experience while compositing. To manage Apple pencil settings, do the following:

  1. Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the home screen.
  2. In the App settings dialog, choose Input > Apple Pencil.
  3. Under Apple Pencil, set the Pressure sensitivity slider to make your brushing experience perfect while working in Photoshop on the iPad.
    At the Light end of the slider range, you get dense brush strokes with soft pressure applied on the Pencil, while at the Heavy end of the slider range you need to apply firm pressure on the Pencil to achieve dense brush strokes. It is easier to obtain fine brush strokes when the slider is set toward the Heavy end and bold brush strokes when the slider is set toward the Light end.
  4. Choose the appropriate amount of sensitivity to get the desired effect. Close the App Settings dialog when done and start using brushes on your composite.
Fine-tune your Apple Pencil sensitivity on a scale from Light to Heavy.
Fine-tune your Apple Pencil sensitivity on a scale from Light to Heavy.

Use touch shortcuts

Touch shortcuts for Brush tool
Left: Primary touch shortcut. Right: Secondary touch shortcut.

While using the Brush tool you can activate the primary touch shortcut to access the Eraser version of your Brush, and activate the secondary touch shortcut to switch to the Eyedropper tool.

To know more about how to use the touch shortcut, see Touch shortcuts and gestures.

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The Creativity Conference

Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online

Adobe MAX 2024

Adobe MAX
The Creativity Conference

Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online

Adobe MAX

The Creativity Conference

Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online