First off, lets do a simple set up. Open a new document with a white background. For the sake of simplicity let’s keep this document in Grayscale mode. (Though you can always use any other color mode).
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Take a small brush and do a simple doodle with it. Doesn’t have to be anything spectacular. Next, use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select the drawn image.
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With the doodle selected, select Define Brush from the Edit menu in your menu toolbar. When prompted, give your new brush a name. Click OK.
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Now when you select your Brush tool, this new brush can be found in the Brush Menu bar. Select it.
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Now you can stamp and move this design all over your canvas. If you want you can even change the master size.
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OK, so that’s a simple use. Now lets get a little more fancy.
Open up a picture and convert it to Grayscale. Using the same steps as above, select an area and make it into a brush.
Now when you select this brush, it will look exactly like the area you selected… shading and all! Play around with the size and change up the colors. This is a fast and easy way to stamp out a design in Photoshop. No hassle with creating a new layer for each image.
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So what is the professional use for this feature? Many pro Photoshopers will take pictures of different textures, drawings, and patterns. Then scan them in and make one-of-a-kind blending brushes and pattern stamps. These type brushes save on time and can give your artwork a natural look and feel. An excellent photoshop painter is Craig Mullins. Check out his website for some great inspiration.
Some patterns I would recommend taking pictures of are: Clouds, Wood grains, Trees and bushes, liquid spills and drips, light reflections, holes, scrapes, and pencil drawings. Below are some examples from my archive.
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That’s all for today. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a shoutout.
--Ben
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