|
You can use rough lines to divide your pages, or even as design elements.
The mock menu at the left was created with a simple Airbrush line. (Brush:
default PhotoShop 5.5 brush shown here, Pressure: 8.) I created one
swash and then copied and pasted for the other two.
Experiment with the brushes included with PhotoShop, or search the
Web for brushes. You can also create your own very easily.
Choose Window>Show Brushes from the Main Menu to open the Brushes
window. Click on the menu fly-out at the top right of the window and
choose Define Brush. That's it. Your new brush will appear in the Brushes
listing (you will probably have to scroll down to see it).
I created
one shown here with three clicks of the 13 pixel feathered brush from
the PhotoShop 5.5 default brushes (magnified to 400% here). For most
brushes you will want to use black as the foreground color. If you wish
to have strong color or well-defined shapes, use the Pencil tool or
a non- feathering brush to create your new brush.
Select the area you wish to have included for the brush. This is an
elliptical selection with transform selection used for fine tuning the
selection. Note that I have left some of the feathering outside the
selection area. I did not want any pure white areas in my brush.
Your
brush now appears in the Brushes window. Choose the Brush from the Toolbox.
Note: You can have your cursor reflect the size and shape of
the selected brush by choosing File>Preferences>Display and Cursors
window from the Main Menu. Choose Brush Size from the Painting Cursors
section. See the illustration at the left which shows the new brush
as selected and the cursor reflecting the size and shape of the brush
we just created.
The sample at the left shows several variations using the brush we
created.
To delete a brush, simply select it in the Brushes window and choose
Delete from the fly-out menu (or right click on the brush).
Try your hand at creating the perfect brush for your project. It may
take a little time, but you will have total design freedom to achieve
the look you desire. As with Actions, custom brushes provide consistent
results even when months pass between uses.
|