Photoshop ® / PSP : Cross Brushes

Cross Brush Strokes for Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, Elements and others

Applying a gradient to a cross brush stroke for Photoshop

Most of the graphicxtras brushes are solid color brushes so if you wish to create a more interesting gradient filled brush (such as adding a gradient to the cross brush) you can do that by using the layer command.

1) Open a document

2) Create a new layer (layer menu and new layer command)

3) Apply brush stroke to the new layer

4) Layer menu and layer style sub menu and gradient overlay

5) Select the gradient

6) Set the gradient type for the brush such as radial

You can also change the gradient stops as well to create a new unique brush stroke

7) Click OK

8) Flatten layer

9) edit menu followed by define brush (or use the brush palette) to save a brush preset with all the settings

Stroke is also a useful setting in the layer style dialog combined with the brush layer - especially if you use the shapeburst setting.

Cross brushes as smart brushes in Photoshop

Sadly, there is no feature in Photoshop for smart brushes as yet, where all the brush strokes are still modifiable at some later point in the creative process but you can always create your own albeit slower way of creating smart brushes for Photoshop.

Create a new layer via the layer menu and then apply a cross brush to that layer (set the color beforehand) - you can apply multiple brushes but avoid the edges. You cannot apply brushes to smart layers so you have to apply the brushes before the conversion to a smart object. Go to the layers menu and select smart objects and convert to smart object.

Apply a smart filter such as blur (the smart filter can be altered at a later stage for each of the brush strokes)

Now you have a smart brush layer - duplicate that layer multiple times and then shift the brush strokes throughout the document or in a line (as you would with the brush spacing).

You will see all the smart brush strokes in the layers palette (it could run to 100s of layers - of course you could always use an action to apply this)

It would be wonderful if Photoshop offered a library to add the brush layer for permanent use - one way would be to store the design as a PSD file and access the design via Bridge.

You can now select an individual smart brush and modify the applied effect as below such as removing some of the blur. All the blurred brushes behind can also be modified.

Stroke cross brushes in Photoshop

You can apply the brush using styles in Photoshop - this is a quick way of creating a stroke based cross brush. Select the brush tool. Set the color to black. Load the cross brushes via the brushes palette (brushes pack 155 in this case). Select a brush stroke. Go to the layer menu and create a new layer. Go to the layer menu and layer style menu and set the stroke to black and size for the stroke. Go to the blending options and set the fill opacity to 0 percent.

Apply brush strokes and the black fill will be ignored and all you will see is a black line for the edge of the brush. Re-apply the cross brush stroke and this can be used to create a complex (fractal like) edge design in seconds as below. Set the brush sizes to different sizes and apply to the edge (applying inside the design will just be ignored. Added: January 1st 2012

Opening cross brushes in Photoshop

Access the ABR cross files via the edit menu preset manager or the brushes tool / palette right side menu load and replace commands.

Accessing the eps brushes as layers in Photoshop

Load the eps designs via the file open command in Photoshop and via the file place command, adding the cross brush design as a layer. The eps files are vectors so the cross brush can be set to any size so 2500 x 2500 brush size or more depending on the version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements

Once added, the design can be defined as a brush or just used as a layer within Photoshop

In the example below it shows the duplication of the vector layer (which is a smart object - so smart filters etc can be applied and modified at any point in the creative process)

Opening cross brushes in PaintShop Pro

The ABR format cannot be opened in PSP (be wonderful if it could - that is not strictly true as the older ABR format files could be opened in PSP, just not the current ones after version Photoshop 5). Use the EPS or PNG files instead. The designs are vectors so the crosses can be used to any size allowed by PSP (in version 8 this was less than 500) You might have to resize the brush in PSP by using the image resize command.

Once you have opened the cross brush, select one of the brush tools such as Paint Brush and go to the tool options and select the brush palette. Click the create brush tip from selection button on the right side of the PSP to save the cross custom brush.

Apply the brush in PSP. Set the color via the materials palette as below

examples above of some of the brushes in the pack 154 crosses set

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Date modified: April 17th, 2012

Creating plugins and presets since 1995. Privacy - no details sent to third parties. After buying the cross brushes, you receive the download link to the zip file containing the cross brush strokes - the set also includes documentation and a gallery of all the cross brushes. Unique items, commercial use, royalty-free.