Posts Tagged ‘brush’
Automatically Define Photoshop Brushes by Using Actions
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In this tutorial we’ll see how to automatically define a Photoshop Brush through an Action. Using a shortcut we’ll be able to Save a Layer and/or a PSD document into a perfect and clean brush ready to be used in our projects. This Action is useful because it allows you to save time during the definition of a Photoshop Brush and put together a versatile brush collection. Let’s see how!
Source FilesWant access to the full source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. Included with this tutorial is the “Auto_Brush.atn” file and downloadable version of this tutorial.  IntroductionBrushes are incredibly useful when it comes to grunge effects, silhouettes, paint effects, bubbles, stars and more uses. Sometime ago a friend of mine asked me how can I have such a huge collection of Brushes and Shapes in my Photoshop. I thought of the time I spend in saving a PSD or a Layer as a Brush. Well I don’t spend much time on this. This is because I created an Action which transforms a Layer into a Brush and does the job for me, which saves a lot of time. First, I’ll explain to you how to create the Action we’re talking about through an example and then I’ll show you another sweet application. For this tutorial I used this nice photo of a set of buttons (thanks nkzs), and some really cool silhouettes uploaded by a mzacha at sxc.hu. Let’s start by opening the buttons set in Photoshop and visualize the Actions Panel via Window > Actions (Alt + F9). This panel allows you to record some events and then to apply them by pressing a Shortcut: that’s what is called Action (IMO that’s awesome). Think of all the work you must do frequently: you can record that process and repeat it…the software does the job for you. Let’s see how the Actions Panel works (look at the image below):
There are some Default Actions in Photoshop: if you never opened this Panel do some experiments by just pressing the Play button on an Action. Notice that everything the Action does is also recorded in the History Panel. That could be dangerous because if the Action is very long and includes numerous events, then it’s possible that you can’t restore your original PSD file to the previous status. Just some suggestions to avoid this:
These last ones are just useful suggestions to know about Actions, but not really necessary for this particular tutorial.  Step 1After this short introduction to the Actions Panel, let’s begin the real tutorial. Let’s suppose that we have a document with many Layers or, such in this case, an image on which we want to create new Brushes. Now, rarely would we need these buttons as Brushes, but I thought this source image was perfect for the exercise and as a demonstration. In this situation the usual path which should allow you to create a New Brush Preset is:
Well, let’s say you need about one minute to do this procedure for every single Layer that you want to Save as a Brush: it’s too much time! In the next steps we will record this definition of a new Brush and we’ll be able to apply it to every Layer we’ll want now and in the future.  Step 2Before recording our Action we need to isolate one button, just as a dummy object, nothing more (you could also use a white Layer). Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool select one button, then Command + J to duplicate it here in this document directly on a New Layer.  Step 3Now in the Actions Panel create a New Set (Special Actions) click on New Action, name it Auto-Brush and choose your favorite shortcut (I choose F11) and then click Record in this Dialog Box. From now on take care with what you’re doing since everything is being recorded: if you make a mistake press the Stop button, Delete the unwanted step(s) and then click the Record button again to restart recording the Action. Proceed carefully!  Step 4Right-click on the Layer’s thumbnail (button) and Convert it To Smart Object. Yes that is a Smart Object: we can Open it a New Document which is the exact Size and Resolution of the button’s Layer by Double-Clicking on its thumbnail. The opened document is “button.psb”. Often check if you’re really recording!  Step 5Now this step is optional: apply an Auto Levels adjustment to adjust the contrast pressing Command + Shift + L. Since the Brush will be in greyscale, it’s important to have the maximum contrast to obtain a better definition of the stroke and the image details.  Step 6Now go to Edit > Define Brush Preset… and call it Auto Brush, then click OK. Why Auto Brush? Because we’re recording an Action which is generic so also the name of the Brush has to work with that. Finally close “button.psb” without saving (Just click NO in the Dialog Box). If you applied the Auto Levels it’s very important not to Save because we don’t want to modify the original Layer.  Step 7Right-Click on the Layer’s name and choose Rasterize Layer. The Layer is exactly as it was before. Finally Click on the Stop button in the Actions palette.  Step 8We have a new Brush in our set! Now imagine a normal situation which you’re working on a document full of dozens of Layers. Let’s imagine that we want to Save as Brushes some of those Layers. Now with this Action it becomes quick and easy. |
Photoshop’s Brush Tool – Basic Guide
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This time I’ve got for you a really basic guide, which is useful for beginners and people interested in learning a little bit more deeply the power of Photoshop’s Brush Tool. Every single Photoshop user has dealt with the brush tool at least once, but not everyone knows how to explode its full potential. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use the brush presets, create your own brush from scratch and modify its properties, play with blend modes and pressure controls, besides some useful tricks. How much do you know about Photoshop’s Brushes?
Psd Plus MembershipWant access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. Below is one of the brushes we’ll be creating in this tutorial.  What is it?The Brush tool is a basic painting tool. It works like a traditional drawing tool by applying the color using strokes. It’s located in the standard Tool Bar and its default shortcut is the letter B. The Brush Tool works by adding a shaped mark on a layer, and if you continue pressing the mouse button or the pen on a tablet, several marks will be added creating a stroke until you release the pressure. The essentials options for the brush tool are: Brush Tip Shape, Blending Mode, Opacity and Flow. You must understand those concepts before moving forward with the advanced settings. Photoshop includes several built-in presets, that are in fact pre-made brushes ready to use.  Part 1 – BasicsBrush TipThis is the most basic option for any Photoshop User, the Brush Tip settings allow you to modify the way to add colors on a Photoshop document using the Brush Tool. By clicking on the Brush Preset Picker in the default Options Panel you will see several built-in presets. On many of the presets you can easily adjust two very important values:
You can even combine Foreground and Background colors (we will see this feature forward). Most of the time the color that is applied by using the brush tip is the Foreground Color.  Preset Picker Contextual MenuThere are many useful tools at the Brush Preset Picker menu including Create a New Preset, Edit it, and Delete. Then there are some options to display the list of brushes in the Preset Picker panel, below there are several examples of this. Besides, you can easily Manage the Brush list by loading, saving and replacing brushes in the list, or Append one of the existing Brush collections. We will see more about preset creation shortly.  Brush Blending ModesEach time you paint something using the Brush Tool you can chose a Blending Mode for the stroke. A Blending Mode is a way to mix the colors with the object(s) behind them using several mathematical formulas working over the RGB values of each pixel. Let’s try some of them.  Modes: Normal, Dissolve, Behind and ClearLet’s review some of the basic Blending Modes.
 More Blending ModesThe Following Blending modes are just the same that can be applied to the Layers, below you can see some examples of blending modes, and some applications. They are fairly useful for adding color to objects (Darken, Multiply, Overlay) or add some lights (Lighten, Color Dodge). You have a lot to experiment with here, no matter how many years you have been using Photoshop, you never stop learning about Blending Modes.  OpacityThe Opacity Value is a percentage of transparency, 100% means a full color stroke, a small percentage means a more transparent painting.  3. FlowThe Flow value is a percentage that sets the rate of color applied. Each time you press the mouse button the amount of color applied is controlled by the Flow percentage, besides it cannot exceed the Opacity percentage unless you click again in the same place.  Brushes PanelThe Brushes Panel is the right place to create, edit, save and load a particular brush behavior or Brush Preset. You can customize several things here like the brush tip shape, scattering, opacity jitter, flow jitter, Background/Foreground jitter, configure controls for each variation and more. To show the Brushes Panel go to Window > Brushes, or press the F5 key. You need to select the Brush Tool on the Tools Panel to enable the Brush Preset options. As you can see, as soon as you show the Brushes Panel you can click over the Brush Presets option on the left and then in the main area a list of all the active brushes. Try them before moving forward in this guide, paint some random strokes using different presets and see what happens. Next we’ll create a Custom Brush, and apply several variations to it.  Creating a Brush Tip from an ImageOne of the most powerful features of Photoshop is the ability to create custom brushes from scratch using any image as a source. This time we’ll make a brush using this image of a nice leaf. Step 1Open your image in Photoshop, and double-click on the "Background" Layer in the layers palette to make it editable. Then Go to the Channels panel (go to Window > Channel) and duplicate any of them (you can duplicate a channel by dragging the layer over the Create New Channel button at the bottom). I’m choosing the Green this time, then hide the other channels for awhile. Then, With the "Green copy" channel selected hit Command + I to invert the colors, Then adjust the levels a little bit to make the leaf whiter. Finally, hit Command (Ctrl) + A to select the entire image, hit command (Ctrl) + C to copy the "Green copy" channel to the clipboard and then delete it. Remember to turn on the visibility of the RGB channel before moving forward. |
How to Create a Climbing Rope Pattern Brush
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A simple 2-point-path can be transformed into a powerful Pattern Brush. The virtual Climbing Rope may not save your life, but the technique behind this tutorial may help save a lot of time. Let’s get started!
Final Image PreviewBelow is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month. Tutorial Details
 Step 1Use the Pen Tool (P) to create a 2-point-path. The handle of the lower anchor point has to be horizontal and the handle of the upper anchor point 45°. Activating the Magnetic Guidelines (Command + U) will help you during this tutorial. The length of the handles affects the look of the rope and can be varied.  Step 2Duplicate the path, rotate it 180°, and move it until the two paths connect. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the two overlapping anchor points, and join them (Command + J).  Step 3Duplicate the complete path again, but this time it has to be mirrored (either horizontally or vertically). Connect the two paths and join the overlapping anchor points as you did in Step 2.  Step 4Duplicate the complete path again to extend your rope even more. Connect and join the anchor points. This curve will be the basic element for the climbing rope.  Step 5Duplicate the complete path again, but this time the two paths have to overlap 50%. These two paths will be essential for the correct distribution and alignment in Step 6.  Step 6Paste the basic path several times in-between the two existing ones. Don’t worry about the horizontal alignment. The number of curves will affect the look of the climbing rope and more curves will make it look thicker. I used a total of 13 curves in this tutorial.  Step 7Select All and distribute horizontally centered. It almost looks like a rope now!  Step 8Convert all the outlines to filled objects (Object > Path > Outline Stroke), create one shape from it (Pathfinder – Add to Shape Area), and release the compound path (Object > Compound Path > Release or press Alt + Shift + Command + 8). You might use the Outline View (Command + Y) to check the result.  Step 9Remove the outline and everything but 2 rows. Now it’s time to connect certain squares to get the typical look of a climbing rope. |
Create a Gold Chain Pattern Brush with Illustrator
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In this tutorial I will explain pattern brushes in Illustrator. Creating pattern brushes can save time and is a great technique to add to your design skills. After this tutorial you will be able to create great pattern brushes to add to your design arsenal. Lets get started!
Final Image PreviewBelow is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month. Tutorial Details
 Reference ImagesFirst we need to find some reference images. Search though image web sites for a nice gold chain reference. It can be any size, all we’re doing is looking for a chain to reference for its shape and shadows. This chain image is a good reference, it clearly has shadows and highlights that we can duplicate. Step 1Place your reference image, File > Place. Double-click layer one in the layers palette, then name the layer "chain reference." Check Template and Dim Images To: 70%. You can chose to dim your image to any percent, this is just my personal preference.  Step 2Create three new layers and name them: “Highlight,” “Shadow,” and “Midtone.” Make sure they are in the same order as below. Keeping your layers well organized is a great habit to have, it tends to make things run smoother.  Step 3We’re going start with our midtone layer. Select the Pen Tool (P) Then select a yellow #EFD225 fill and deep brown #332E15 stroke. We are going to trace the chain in two sections. With a fill and stroke selected we won’t be able to see what we are doing so we need to switch to outline view. Select View > Outlines (Command + Y). Now trace two paths. Make sure you trace the two sections of chain that meet in the middle. Where the two paths meet keep them on the same path or as close as possible.  Step 4Now we can look at what we have so far. Select View > Outlines (Command + Y). Select the two sections hold Alt + drag to duplicate. Make sure to hold Shift so the sections don’t move up or down. Select the right bottom section and send to back (Command + Shift + Left Bracket key).  Step 5We need to separate our fill and stroke. Select all four sections of the chain, then go Object > Expand > Stroke. While the four objects are still selected, apply Object > Ungroup (Command + Shift + G).  Step 6Now we need to place the fill and stroke on separate layers. Select all the expanded strokes. Make sure not to select the fills. Copy the expanded strokes Edit > Copy (Command + C). Delete the expanded strokes after they have been copied.  Step 7Create a new layer, name it “Trapping.” Select the “Trapping” layer and Edit > Paste in Front (Command + F).  Step 8We need to get rid of the excess brown that is over lapping. There area a number of ways to do this, but in this case the Knife Tool will be the quickest. Select one section at a time and use your Knife Tool to break apart the excess brown.  Step 9Now the excess brown can be selected on its own. Select the excess brown sections and delete them.  Step 10Now you should have an image similar to this. A midtone layer containing only the yellow fill. A trapping layer containing the expanded stroke. Make sure you are saving after major steps.  Step 11Lets add some detail. Only focus on the middle link. The two side links are place holders, we will be deleting them later. Using your reference image as a guide, add some details to the “Trapping” layer, as I have done below. You can add more or less depending on your image. |
An Introduction to Livebrush – the Vector Motion Brush Program
Livebrush is a new and innovative drawing program. It’s not a full vector application like Illustrator®, nor does it have the myriad features of Painter® or Photoshop®. Livebrush creates graphics with a simple stroke of a “motion-enabled” brush, which means it responds to your mouse’s movement to modify the line and apply different styles. That’s the “live” part — no two strokes are the same, and each can have infinite variations. This unique brush is what makes Livebrush fun — and addictive.
Downloading Livebrush
Livebrush is better understood once you jump right in and try it. It’s a free download and will run on most modern computers and operating systems. Livebrush is an Adobe AIR application. It’s not made by Adobe, but rather runs in Adobe’s AIR framework. When you install Livebrush, AIR will be installed as well (if you don’t already have it).
The Interface
When you first open Livebrush, a new “project” is started by default. The Livebrush interface contains six basic elements: The “paper,” or drawing area, the Project Bar and Tool Bar, plus three panels: Styles, Tool Settings and Layers.
Drawing
Let’s get right to the fun part — drawing. Make sure the Brush tool is selected, then choose a style from the pre-sets in the Styles panel. Here, I’ve used the Floral Basic style. Paint a line with the brush to get a feel of it.
As you can see, Livebrush adds a new layer in the Layers panel for each stroke. These layers can be turned off and/or deleted. You can also change the color of the locked background layer by clicking on the swatch at the top right corner of the panel.
Tool Settings
Take a look at the Tool Settings panel. Under the Behavior tab, there are settings for Velocity and Friction. These are the two basic settings which determine the behavior of the live brush
Velocity: Adjust this slider to set the “speed” of the brush when drawing. A higher setting will let the brush keep moving after you’ve stopped drawing.
Friction: Sets the “resistance” of the brush. A higher setting slows the brush while drawing. With no friction at all, the brush would keep moving indefinitely. Try different combinations of velocity and friction to see how they interact.
Mouse Up Complete: When checked, the brush will stop immediately (regardless of the velocity or friction settings) when you release the mouse click.
To get a sense of how each brush will behave, you can click the Preview icon (an eyeball) at the bottom of the Styles panel. Click through the styles to see a demonstration of each. You can change the color of the preview background, by clicking on the swatches menu in the upper left corner, or you can just delete it.
While in preview mode, you can change the settings of each style and get live, updated previews. You could spend all day doing this! For example, preview a simple smooth brush, then as it’s previewing, change the color, the opacity, the line type, etc.,
Decos
You’ll notice that some brushes add swirls, leaves or other flourishes to the line as you draw. These are called decorations, or “decos,” for short. The decos are not part of the line, but are small graphic files that are added to it, based on the settings of the given style. Decos can be GIF, JPG, PNG or SWF files.
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