How to Make a Photoshop Brush

Learning how to make a photoshop brush is one of those skills every graphic designer should have. Sadly, there are many that don’t know how to do it. Learning how to make a photoshop brush is not a complicated skill to master. All it takes is a few minutes of your time and some basic knowledge of Photoshop.

Getting Started
In order to make a “hi-res” photoshop brush you need CS2 or higher. In these versions of photoshop you can make a brush up to 2500×2500 pixels.

That said, the larger the image you use to make your photoshop brush from, the better.

How to Make a Photoshop Brush

Step 1 - Create a new file with these specifications:

Step 2 - Paste your image into the newly created file.

Step 3 - Tweaking the image.

Your image will automatically be turned into a greyscale image once its converted to a brush. By converting it to a greyscale image your self, you will get a better idea of what the brush will look like.

You’ll need to tweak you image a bit. Try playing with contrast setting, curves, and other adjustments.

Tip - The higher contrast your image is the better.

Step 4 - Control + A. Now go to Edit > define Brush Preset.

Step 4 - Name your brush.

A dialog box will appear asking you to name the brush. Once you have done this, your new brush shoulad appear at the bottom of your brush list.

Thats all there is to the basic principle of making a photoshop brush. If you would like a more detailed explanation of the process, I recommend checking out the Bitt Box tutorial.