[Guide] How to use Brushes - Updated 17 Nov.

Chief Snake · **Posted:** November 11th, 2005, 4:02 pm

This is a short Guide I posted on my forums at http://devoted.to/graphicdesign explaining how to use brushes, for people new to Photoshop. If you have anything to add, post it as a reply below.

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Updates.

- 17/11/05
- Added Overview, and Brush types. Next I will be giving links to example brushes.

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Overview.

Different types of brushes are used for different things around Photoshop. That's why there are different brushes for different things. Background Brushes are the brushes obviously used in Backgrounds. Overlay brushes are brushes used on top of the background brushes to add effect. And lastly, Prop brushes are brushes used usually out to the side of everything else, to add something to whatever you are making. There are examples of each brush below. Some brushes are specific to exactly what type they are meant for - as an example, I have a brush that just seems like it is specifically made for Desktop Backgrounds, and looks pretty bad in a sig unless accompanied by other background or overlay brushes.

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Background Brushes.

- Grunge (Great for people new to Photoshop)
- Abstract (For more advanced users)
- Fractal
- Destiny
- Astronomy, or Stars (Also used as Overlay)
- Tech (Also used as Overlay, or Props)

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Overlay Brushes.

- Astronomy, or Stars (Also used as Background)
- Tech (Also used as Background, or Props)
- Various Prop Brushes (With these you usually need to lower the Opacity of the layer you put them on)

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Prop Brushes.

- Waves
- Water (Droplets, Ripples, etc)
- Umbrellas
- Trees
- Leaves (There are already a few leaf brushes installed on Photoshop)
Yes, they are strange examples, but that's what is commonly around on Deviantart.

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Using the Brushes.

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First, you need to visit http://deviantart.com. Go to the "Browse" section, the link is located near the top of the page.

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In your search Settings, select "Resources", and then "Photoshop Brushes".

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Download a brush you think looks good.

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When the brush is downloaded, open Photoshop, and create a new document. The settings do not matter.

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Find the Brushes button, which should be located at the top-right corner of your screen...

Click on it, then click on the arrow next to it. Go down to "Load Brushes", and select the brush you downloaded.

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If the brush is in a ZIP file, (Compressed Folder) you need to extract the brush(es) from that into another folder in order to load them.

Now you are ready to start using them! Select the Brush tool and change to the Brush you want. You may want to experiment with them first, or just go straight into making a new document with them.

Adbot · **Posted:** November 11th, 2005, 4:02 pm

Amv · **Posted:** November 12th, 2005, 2:43 pm

nice guide.i bet it will help new people.
may i sugest a few brushes?
go to deviant art.com and in the search box type in grunge brushes
click on grunge brushes 5 by keren r and download them

Dave · **Posted:** November 12th, 2005, 4:51 pm

Good guide. That will prove useful to new people. I remember when I firt got photoshop I needed help getting the brushes to work.

You might want to add a section on how to use the brushes to make a sig. Main thing to remember is not the drag the brushes.

Pooba49 · **Posted:** November 12th, 2005, 6:29 pm

When did they get Grunge Brushes 5? Destiny is a Good one too. Add something about the flow of the Brushes would be a good idea too.

Chief Snake · **Posted:** November 13th, 2005, 12:45 am

1.Wizard.1 wrote:

Good guide. That will prove useful to new people. I remember when I firt got photoshop I needed help getting the brushes to work.

You might want to add a section on how to use the brushes to make a sig. Main thing to remember is not the drag the brushes.

Hehe, I remember when I first got Photoshop and I had no idea what people meant when they talked about brushes, and it took me ages to figure out how to get them, where to get them and how to use them. Then when I first got the brushes I thought you were supposed to drag them.

Anyway I will add a section on that soon, thanks for the comments guys.

Also...

Pooba49 wrote:

Add something about the flow of the Brushes would be a good idea too.

What do you mean by the flow of the brushes?

And can anyone tell me what type of brushes are used in this sig? It was made for me when I used to play DF2, but since then the guy who made it has moved on, and I can't track him down. :wink:

Kronic · **Posted:** November 13th, 2005, 8:02 am

Pretty good guide

Maybe add types of brushes and how to brush into it :wink:

Adbot · **Posted:** November 13th, 2005, 8:02 am

Chief Snake · **Posted:** November 16th, 2005, 9:04 pm

Updated, but I still need more Info, and if you can suggest any brush types, it would be a great help.

Edit: Colour added.

Crysala · **Posted:** November 18th, 2005, 7:50 am

This is pretty decent. I think you should give an example of a brush then have an example sig or piece of work using that brush to show what it looks like. I dunno, could work. Picutres are a must tho. Nice job.