How to Make a Cloud Brush in Photoshop

Creating your own custom brushes in Photoshop may sound difficult. The good news is it’s actually as simple as turning an image grayscale and exporting it as a brush.

Anything can be turned into a brush, but one of the most useful brushes a photographer, designer, or artist can own is a cloud brush.

Learning how to make a cloud brush in Photoshop will save you time, and give you the creative freedom to create your own dynamic and dramatic landscapes.

In this cloud brush Photoshop tutorial, we will be creating four different brushes, let’s get started!

How to Make a Cloud Brush in Photoshop Using an Image
How to Make a Cloud Brush in Photoshop using a Default Brush
How to Use a Cloud Brush in Photoshop

How to Make a Cloud Brush in Photoshop Using an Image

Step 1: Import a Photo of a Cloud

Let’s start by creating a custom cloud brush Photoshop preset from an already existing photo.

Open a new large Document in Photoshop, ensuring it has a black background.

Drag and drop an image of a cloud on a darker blue sky onto the canvas. Any cloud type and sky color will work, as long as the clouds have a significant amount of contrast from the background.

Step 2: Turn the Cloud Grayscale

Next, create a white-to-black Gradient Map adjustment layer above the Clouds layer.

We want the clouds to appear black and the sky to appear white. When creating a brush, the portion of the image that is black will determine the shape of the brush. Everything that is white will appear transparent.

Step 3: Adjust Brightness and Contrast

Now, create a Levels adjustment layer above the Gradient Map adjustment layer. We want to increase the contrast of the image, turning the clouds a deeper black and the sky a whiter white.

Balance the contrast so that the clouds are black, but still have noticeable detail, and the sky appears almost solid white.

My exact settings were 0 Black,1.43 Gray, and 158 White. However, these settings will change from image to image.

Step 4: Mask Away the Leftover Background

You’ll likely still have some leftover darkness in the sky. Go back to the Cloud layer and add a Layer Mask.

Use a soft, round, black brush to mask away any leftover dark spots in the sky. Be careful not to leave any harsh edges or sudden changes in colors. I suggest masking out the edges of the canvas, even if there is no noticeable darkness, just to be safe.

Also, mask out any areas of the cloud that you don’t want to appear on the brush.

Step 5: Save and Export the Brush

Crop any excess canvas using the Crop tool, if necessary.

Now go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name your new brush.

If you only want a single, solid cloud brush, you’re done. However, if you want a brush you can use more dynamically, then we will need to adjust the brush settings. In this cloud brush Photoshop guide, we will be creating two static cloud brushes and two dynamic brushes.

Below is our brush with no settings applied.

Step 6: Edit the Brush Settings

Open up a new, black canvas to test your brush on, and open the Window > Brush Settings panel.

Brush settings can be changed to create a variety of different looks and effects. However, these settings are a good, jumping-off point for most cloud effect brushes. Input the following brush settings.

Brush Tip Shape

Spacing: 125%

Shape Dynamics

Size Jitter: 50%
Roundness Jitter: 50%

Scattering

Scatter: 15%
Count: 2

Dual Brush

Mode: Multiply
Choose your custom cloud brush from the Brush options

Size: 5000%
Spacing: 196%
Scatter: 0%
Count: 1

Transfer

Opacity Jitter: 100%

Step 7: Save the New Settings

Finally, save these settings as a New Brush by clicking the icon of a Square and Plus Sign located in the bottom, right-hand corner of the Brush Settings panel. Below is our brush with the settings applied.

How to Make a Cloud Brush in Photoshop using a Default Brush

Step 1: Paint a Basic Soft Shape

Painting your own cloud brush is just as easy, and you can create as simple, or as detailed, of a shape as you need. You don’t even need a tablet.

First, create a New Canvas that is at least 2000px by 2000px. You can go up to 5000px before reaching Photoshop’s brush size limit.

Select a default soft, round Brush, and change its Hardness to 65%. Bring the Flow down to 1%.

Next, using circular motions, paint in soft blobs of black onto the white canvas. Slowly build up color, creating interesting but soft shapes within the cloud. How much detail you give the cloud is ultimately up to you. The cloud below was made using a mouse.

Use a soft, round Eraser brush to adjust the shape of the cloud, and make sure there are no harsh edges. This includes making sure none of the color bleeds off of the canvas.

Step 2: Adjust the Brightness and Contrast

You can adjust the shape of the cloud even further using Levels.

Increase or decrease the contrast depending on how thick you want your cloud to appear. Increasing the contrast will also make the edges of the cloud harder and more defined. Try not to create too solid or dark of a shape. It’s always best to create a brush you can build transparency up with, as opposed to a brush that is overly opaque.

The Levels settings I used to lighten my cloud were as follows: 0 White, 1.30 Gray, and 252 Black.

Step 3: Save and Export the Brush

Just like before, crop any excess canvas using the Crop tool. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name your new brush. I suggest naming your brush by whether or not it’s static. Ie. “Cloud Static” or “Cloud Dynamic.”