How to Create a Custom Brush from Metal Chips for Texture Work in Photoshop

Question

Hello!I’m a product photographer / Graphic designer specializing in end mills and other milling/turning tools. For some of my compositions, I like to incorporate the metal shavings (also known as chips) that are produced when these tools machine a part. I often use them as a textured background element in my photos.I’ve always wanted to create a custom Photoshop brush from an image of these chips. The goal is to make it easier to remove and then selectively paint the chips back in where needed during post-processing.In the reference image I’ve linked, I want to clear out the center area to make room for a logo, then use a brush to paint some chips back in around the edges to maintain a natural look.Could someone walk me through the best method for turning a detailed image like this into a clean, usable brush? Any tips on isolating the chips, cleaning up the image, and setting up the brush would be really helpful. Also, if you know of any how-to videos you've found helpful creating a brush.Thanks so much!

Chuck Uebele · Answer

Actually, it's a bit harder than I originally thought, as a brush can only have one color, and you want from black to white for the shades of the chips. The only thing I could think of is using the pattern stamp brush, but that is pretty limited for rotation. You could use a scripted fill along a path, but that's still limited. The only other option I could think of is using a special script that I wrote that allows you to define a area to fill then uses the scripted fill to randomly fill that area. And that is getting more involved than I think you want. Maybe someone will have a better idea.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded