How to Make Custom Brushes in Photoshop With a Brush Pen

In addition to thousands of free brushes available for download on the Internet, Photoshop ships with such a wide variety of brushes and tools, you may never need to design a custom brush yourself. However, if you want to add more versatility to your designs or create a custom logo or avatar to use repeatedly, Photoshop gives you the option to make a brush from any stroke, shape or image.

Instructions

1. From a Stroke or Shape

   • 1
     Select "New" from the "File" menu to open a new Photoshop document. Name your brush, then enter the height and width of your custom brush in pixels; a smaller size, such as 300 pixels for each dimension, use less memory and render an image that is sharp and crisp. Select the pull-down menu for "Background Contents" and select "White." Click "OK."
   • 2
     Open the "Tool" palette from the "Window" menu if it is not already loaded in your workspace. Click the "Brush" tool in the upper right of the palette, then right-click on the blank document to display the Brush Picker. Click on a brush thumbnail to select it. Enter a value for the Master Diameter and the Hardness percentage.
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     Click on the palette again, then select the "Foreground" color box near the bottom. Set the foreground to black.
   • 4
     Click your brush on the Photoshop document and paint some small strokes or squiggles, or whatever pattern you want to use as the image for your custom brush. Alternatively, select the "Shapes" tool from the palette, then select a shape. Click the cursor on the document to paint the shape. Select the rectangular "Marquee" tool from the "Tool" palette, then crop the shape closely.
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     Select "Edit" from the main menu, then scroll to "Define Brush Preset." Enter a name for your brush in the text field. Click "OK." The custom brush loads in the "Brush Presets" palette.

   From an Image

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     Select "New" from the "File" menu to open a new Photoshop document. Select "New Layer" from the "Layer" menu.
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     Open any image. Select the rectangular Marquee tool and drag the cursor around the image to select the portion from which you want to create the brush.
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     Select "Edit" from the main menu, then scroll to "Define Brush Preset." Enter a name for your brush in the text field. Click "OK." The custom brush loads in the "Brush Presets" palette.