12 Replies Latest reply: Mar 12, 2013 8:23 AM by Mattmcquiff RSS

    turn a (small) layer into a brush?

    Mattmcquiff Community Member

      Difficult to explain this in the title hense I haven't found an answer with a google search.

       

      What it is, is  that I have an image (a stud of an earring) that needs to be repeativly added to each image by hand at the moment I leave the image of the stud open and cut and paste it.

       

      There must be an easier way to do this?

       

      I was thinking I could turn it into a brush?  I found the clone pattern but in the way I am using it, it doesn't work as I can't see is what my brush is to get it to line up.

        • 1. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
          conroy Community Member

          Mattmcquiff wrote:

           

          I found the clone pattern but in the way I am using it, it doesn't work as I can't see is what my brush is to get it to line up.

           

          Try the Clone Stamp Tool instead of Pattern Stamp Tool. It has a panel (accessed via little button in Options bar - see first image) with options such as an overlay of the pixels that'll be placed by its brush so you can precisely line things up.

           

          Screen shot 2013-03-11 at 13.12.21.png

           

          Screen shot 2013-03-11 at 13.10.22.png

          • 2. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
            c.pfaffenbichler Community Member

            I would recommend using an Action (or better yet a Script) that places the image (File > Place) (edited) and maybe aligns it.

            • 3. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
              Mattmcquiff Community Member

              Thats certainly more like what I need the end result to look like, but still means I need to load the image and clone from it.

              A colour brush is kind of what I need? (they are always monotoned brushes are they not?)

              • 4. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                c.pfaffenbichler Community Member

                A colour brush is kind of what I need?

                At current that is not an option in Photoshop.

                There are work-arounds, for example you could define a Pattern of the element (preferably with plenty of empty space around it).

                • 5. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                  c.pfaffenbichler Community Member

                  But like I said I think a Script (or Action) would be more convenient.

                  If the image remains at a fixed position placing it and aligning it (to a certain corner of the receiving image for example) could be automated thus.

                  • 6. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                    Mattmcquiff Community Member

                    That makes sense although I can't see what the brush/pattern is until i use it is there an overlay like mentioned before?

                    Script wouldn't work as it is never is in the same place, although maybe to open image sample the clone tool then back to image so that the overlay works.

                    • 7. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                      c.pfaffenbichler Community Member

                      If you use a Pattern Layer you can move the Pattern about and scale it (and later apply a Layer Mask or Vector Path to hide superfluous instances).

                       

                      Edit:

                      patternWatermarkScr.jpg

                      • 8. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                        Mattmcquiff Community Member

                        When I do the pattern fill

                         

                        it looks like thisScreen shot 2013-03-12 at 13.24.05.png

                         

                        I'm sure I do go about the wrong but how do I turn it into a normal layer? at the moment I 'm sure I take the long winded way and I convert to smart object and then Rasterize the layer.

                         

                        By the way thanks for your help so far as it is almost working for me!

                        • 9. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                          c.pfaffenbichler Community Member

                          The Pattern looks empty.

                          Could you post a screenshot with the Layers Panel of the file in which you defined the Pattern?

                          • 10. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                            Mattmcquiff Community Member

                            Screen shot 2013-03-12 at 13.33.33.png

                             

                            not empty I just put lots of space around it the pattern is from a repeating pattern of 3744 x 5616, so its there, I was attempting to turn it into a script but when I do the Rasterize layer I get an error

                             

                             

                            - The command “Rasterize” is not currently available.

                            Line: 68

                            ->      executeAction(cTID('Rstr'), desc1, dialogMode);

                             

                             

                            #target photoshop

                            //

                            // SilverStud.jsx

                            //

                             

                             

                            //

                            // Generated Tue Mar 12 2013 13:19:33 GMT-0000

                            //

                             

                             

                            cTID = function(s) { return app.charIDToTypeID(s); };

                            sTID = function(s) { return app.stringIDToTypeID(s); };

                             

                             

                            //

                            //==================== Silver Stud ==============

                            //

                            function SilverStud() {

                              // Select

                              function step1(enabled, withDialog) {

                                if (enabled != undefined && !enabled)

                                  return;

                                var dialogMode = (withDialog ? DialogModes.ALL : DialogModes.NO);

                                var desc1 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                var ref1 = new ActionReference();

                                ref1.putName(cTID('Lyr '), "Main Image");

                                desc1.putReference(cTID('null'), ref1);

                                desc1.putBoolean(cTID('MkVs'), false);

                                executeAction(cTID('slct'), desc1, dialogMode);

                              };

                             

                             

                              // Make

                              function step2(enabled, withDialog) {

                                if (enabled != undefined && !enabled)

                                  return;

                                var dialogMode = (withDialog ? DialogModes.ALL : DialogModes.NO);

                                var desc1 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                var ref1 = new ActionReference();

                                ref1.putClass(sTID("contentLayer"));

                                desc1.putReference(cTID('null'), ref1);

                                var desc2 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                desc2.putEnumerated(cTID('Clr '), cTID('Clr '), cTID('Rd  '));

                                var desc3 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                var desc4 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                desc4.putString(cTID('Nm  '), "SilverStud");

                                desc4.putString(cTID('Idnt'), "87fbf98c-cb9c-1175-9748-b7a0e8073d1f");

                                desc3.putObject(cTID('Ptrn'), cTID('Ptrn'), desc4);

                                desc2.putObject(cTID('Type'), sTID("patternLayer"), desc3);

                                desc1.putObject(cTID('Usng'), sTID("contentLayer"), desc2);

                                executeAction(cTID('Mk  '), desc1, dialogMode);

                              };

                             

                             

                              // Convert to Smart Object

                              function step3(enabled, withDialog) {

                                if (enabled != undefined && !enabled)

                                  return;

                                var dialogMode = (withDialog ? DialogModes.ALL : DialogModes.NO);

                                executeAction(sTID('newPlacedLayer'), undefined, dialogMode);

                              };

                             

                             

                              // Rasterize

                              function step4(enabled, withDialog) {

                                if (enabled != undefined && !enabled)

                                  return;

                                var dialogMode = (withDialog ? DialogModes.ALL : DialogModes.NO);

                                var desc1 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                var ref1 = new ActionReference();

                                ref1.putEnumerated(cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt'));

                                desc1.putReference(cTID('null'), ref1);

                                executeAction(cTID('Rstr'), desc1, dialogMode);

                              };

                             

                             

                              // Move

                              function step5(enabled, withDialog) {

                                if (enabled != undefined && !enabled)

                                  return;

                                var dialogMode = (withDialog ? DialogModes.ALL : DialogModes.NO);

                                var desc1 = new ActionDescriptor();

                                var ref1 = new ActionReference();

                                ref1.putEnumerated(cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt'));

                                desc1.putReference(cTID('null'), ref1);

                                var ref2 = new ActionReference();

                                ref2.putIndex(cTID('Lyr '), 2);

                                desc1.putReference(cTID('T   '), ref2);

                                desc1.putBoolean(cTID('Adjs'), false);

                                desc1.putInteger(cTID('Vrsn'), 5);

                                executeAction(cTID('move'), desc1, dialogMode);

                              };

                             

                             

                              step1();      // Select

                              step2();      // Make

                              step3();      // Convert to Smart Object

                              step4();      // Rasterize

                              step5();      // Move

                            };

                             

                             

                             

                             

                             

                             

                            //=========================================

                            //                    SilverStud.main

                            //=========================================

                            //

                             

                             

                            SilverStud.main = function () {

                              SilverStud();

                            };

                             

                             

                            SilverStud.main();

                             

                             

                            // EOF

                             

                             

                            "SilverStud.jsx"

                            // EOF

                            • 11. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                              JJMack Community Member

                              Mattmcquiff wrote:

                               

                              Thats certainly more like what I need the end result to look like, but still means I need to load the image and clone from it.

                              A colour brush is kind of what I need? (they are always monotoned brushes are they not?)

                              Yes brush are one color. Have you thought about extracting it and saving it as a PNG-24 with a transparent background and using file Place to get it into other images with and action.

                               

                              Brushes are one color but can have different levels of opacity like this one.

                              DifineBrush.jpg

                              • 12. Re: turn a (small) layer into a brush?
                                Mattmcquiff Community Member

                                Actually all I have done now is use the regular fill pattern on a new layer and save is as an action.

                                Many Thanks for your help.