Photoshop Brushes 101: From Beginner to Pro in One Tutorial

Learn what the brush tool is, when to to use it, and how to create a custom brush.

Watch the video for a step-by-step breakdown in Photoshop ⬆️

What are Brushes?

Brushes are exactly like they sound like- they’re a digital paintbrush that you can be used to apply specific effects to an image.

They’re probably the most used tool in all of Photoshop, as they allow you to hone in effects to very specific parts of an image. And you don’t even need a good drawing hand- Masks can be used like stencils to help you paint.

I’d recommend picking up some kind of tablet/pen that you can connect to your laptop, as they’ll make the brush tool significantly easier.

Practical Uses of Brushes

• Painting in color, highlights, or shadows to specific parts of an image (also known as Dodging and Burning)

• Creating atmospheric effects like fog or mist

• Making and saving your own brushes to paint in original clouds, plants, stars, or moons

How to Work with Brushes

Watch the video tutorial above for a step-by-step breakdown in Photoshop.