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How do I brush presets in Photoshop?

Published in Photoshop Brushes 3 mins read

Brushing with presets in Photoshop involves selecting and customizing pre-defined brush settings to achieve specific effects. Here's how you do it:

1. Accessing the Brush Panel:

  • Open the Brush Panel: Go to Window > Brush or Window > Brush Settings. This panel is where you'll manage and modify your brush presets.

2. Selecting a Brush Preset:

  • Brush Tool: First, make sure you have the Brush Tool selected (shortcut: B).
  • Brush Preset Picker: In the Options bar (at the top of the screen) or in the Brush Panel, click the brush icon to open the Brush Preset picker. This displays a list of available brushes.
  • Choose a Brush: Scroll through the list of brush presets and click on the one you want to use. Photoshop comes with a variety of brushes, and you can also download and import more.

3. Customizing the Brush Preset:

  • Brush Settings Panel: This is where the magic happens! The Brush Settings panel (linked above) allows you to fine-tune every aspect of your selected brush.

  • Key Settings:

    • Brush Tip Shape: Control the size, roundness, hardness, angle, and spacing of the brush.
    • Shape Dynamics: Vary the size, angle, roundness, and flip of the brush based on pen pressure, pen tilt, or other factors. This is excellent for creating organic, varied strokes.
    • Scattering: Randomly scatter brush marks. Control the amount of scattering, the count (number of brush marks per stroke), and jitter.
    • Texture: Apply a texture to the brush. Choose a texture pattern, adjust the scale, and set the mode.
    • Dual Brush: Combine two brushes for complex effects.
    • Color Dynamics: Change the color of the brush as you paint. Control the hue, saturation, brightness, and purity.
    • Transfer: Control the opacity and flow of the brush based on pen pressure or other factors.

4. Painting with the Preset:

  • Adjust Size and Opacity: Use the [ and ] keys to adjust the brush size quickly. You can also adjust the Opacity and Flow in the Options bar.
  • Apply to Your Image: Click and drag on your image to paint with the selected and customized brush preset.

5. Saving Your Customized Brush:

  • New Brush Preset: Once you've created a brush you love, you can save it as a new preset. In the Brush Panel menu (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner), choose "New Brush Preset."
  • Name Your Brush: Give your new brush a descriptive name.
  • Include Color: Choose whether to include the current foreground color in the saved preset.
  • Click OK: Your brush is now saved and available in the Brush Preset picker.

In summary, brushing with presets in Photoshop involves selecting a pre-defined brush, customizing its settings in the Brush Settings panel to achieve the desired effect, and then painting with the modified brush. You can also save your custom brushes for future use.

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