Brushes Panel - 1

Brushes Panel - 1

An introduction to the Brushes Panel beginning with the basic brushes. 

When to use

The Brush Panel is very useful any time that you want to access a brush or set of brushes in Photoshop.

Instructions

Getting Started with General Brushes

• Begin by setting up a new 1920 x 1080 document.
• Create a New Layer.
• Go to the Window Menu and choose 'Brushes' or use the shortcut key F5 to open the Brushes Panel and click on the 'Brushes' tab.
• You will now see some preset brush folders in the dialog box. 
• Click on the small arrow to expand the 'General Brushes' folder, revealing the brushes inside.
• Here you will see a few types of basic brushes including airbrushes and hard-edged brushes both with and without tapered edges.
• Select the 'Scattered Dot Brush' from the presets.
• Make sure you have a solid black foreground color selected.
• Use your Brush Tool (B) to begin painting on your empty layer to see how the scattered brush looks. 
• Adjust the size of your brush using the left and right bracket keys.
• Also, try adjusting the opacity of your brush using the sliders along the top of the toolbar, or by entering the numerical value using the number keys on your keyboard.

Legacy Brushes

• Click on the small arrow to expand the 'Legacy Brushes' folder.
• Within this folder, you will see a wide array of different brushes to choose from.
• Using this Brushes Panel will allow you to preview all of the brushes inside of the preset folder.
• Try out some of the folders inside of the Legacy Brush set by selecting a brush and then painting on your New Layer.
• You can choose from different brushes like the crayon, charcoal, watercolor, and pencil brushes.

Hints & tips

• Third-party brushes can be a great way to create even more custom looks with your brushes.
• Using Brushes with a drawing tablet gives you the ability to use pressure sensitivity when painting, giving you even more control over your brush strokes in Photoshop.
• Use the keyboard shortcut 'F5' to open the Brushes Panel.