One of the most used tools in Photoshop is the brush tool. The best thing about this tool is that it comes in a variety of different shapes and can be any size or colour. However many people don’t use this tool to its full potential. Almost any image can become a custom brush.

First of all chose an image you wish to become a brush. Patterns and shapes are the best to use for this but other, more detailed images can be used as well. You don’t have to but I recommend decreasing the colour depth of the image to two colours so that it is easier to edit. After doing this you need to select the background colour of the two colours, this will usually be white, and use the eraser tool to delete it so that the background is transparent.  

You now have an image that can become a custom brush. You can use the eraser tool to rub out some unwanted areas if you wish. Finally you are ready to make the image a brush by going to Edit and then Define Brush Preset. You will then need to name your brush. Sometimes the image may be too large so you might have to resize it before doing this. Simply go to image and then resize and pick the correct size (usually about 500 pixels).

You’re custom brush can now be accessed in the brush tab in the tool menu bar. It is customisable just like the preset brushes. You can alter the colour of your brush by simply click on the desired colour at the side. You can also alter the hardness of your brush and the opacity. You can also rotate your brush using the tool options. This can be very useful for creating patterns.