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How to Make a Copyright Brush in Photoshop Adding a Signature or Copyright using a custom brush in Photoshop Article rating: 8.46

Here’s an easy way to customize your photos by adding a signature. Or you could use this same technique to add a logo or a copyright notice. It’s a simple matter of turning your text into a brush in Photoshop (CS or Elements).

First let's look at adding a copyright notice. Create a new document that’s bigger than you think you’ll need. We used 3 inches by 1 inch at a resolution of 300 ppi.

Using your Type tool with black as your foreground color, enter the text you want to use as your copyright notice. To add the copyright symbol, press Option g on the Mac or Alt 0169 on the PC. (Whatever is black will become the brush shape, whatever is white will become see-through)

Then go to the Edit menu and choose Define Brush Preset (Photoshop CS) or Define Brush (Elements). Name the brush and click OK. Close the document without saving changes (unless you want to keep the original text file for when you need to update it).

Now open the image you want to work with and add a new layer. Choose the Brush tool and use the Brushes palette to choose your copyright brush. Pick the foreground color you’d like to use for your copyright notice.

If it’s too big, press the left bracket key to make the size smaller.

Click once to add one brush shape. (Or, add it at the full size and use Free Transform to make it smaller).

Since it’s on a separate layer you can use the Move tool to reposition it or change the Opacity to make the copyright semi-see-through. Once you’re sure you like the position and opacity, flatten the image and save it (personally, I would save it as a copy using a different name than the original).

Of course the same theory applies for any text you’d like to add: enter the text in a new document, define it as a brush and add it with the Brush tool.

It takes just a bit more effort to add a signature. Using a nice dark pen (or Sharpie), sign a piece of white paper. Then you’ll need to scan that in, or take a close up (macro) photo with your camera.

From then on, the steps are the same: from the Edit menu choose Define Brush and name the brush, Then use the Brush tool with one click to add your signature.

Regardless of the color you eventually want your logo, signature or copyright notice to become, always define the brush using black. That way, you’ll get a nice solid-looking design (if you used gray or a color your brush would always be semi-opaque)

The best news of all? Your custom brushes will be available from then on, every time you launch Photoshop. One last thing to consider, as a backup plan, just in case you rest you brushes palette by mistake. Under the Edit menu choose Preset Manager. Holding down Command (Mac)/Control (PC), click on each of your custom brush shapes and then choose Save Set. Name this set of brushes and you’ll be always be able to load them back in (or onto a different machine).

Dave Cross works for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) where he writes for Photoshop User Magazine, creates videos for the member’s web site, is featured on a series on instructional DVDs and is Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop Elements Techniques Newsletter. He is also co-author of the Photoshop World Dream Team Book.

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	Just what I was looking for! Posted by: Richard Griffin Jan 23, 2007 @ 9:43 AM EST
	Mike - excellent article and great instructions. one thing you might want to add on the defining of brushes - you might want to point out that the total size of the file can't be greater than 2500x2500 or PS won't allow definition. I scanned in a signature at 600 dpi and it was a little big - "define brush" was grayed out on the Edit menu until I downsampled the file to 300 dpi . . just something that might help an occasional schmoe from getting confused! thanks! Posted by: Ty ler Zundel Apr 28, 2007 @ 1:24 AM EST
	Great straight forward instructions. Very helpful. Thanks! Posted by: David May 19, 2007 @ 8:44 PM EST
	I've written and scanned my signature but for some reason my PC won't let me define brush it will only let me define patteren. What am I doing wrong.... HELP! Thanks, Danielle Posted by: Danielle O'Brien Jun 21, 2007 @ 1:24 PM EST
	Your a genius the size of my document was the problem. Thanks MIKE Posted by: Danielle O'Brien Jun 21, 2007 @ 1:28 PM EST
	this is great, however my file size is 2400 and dpi 300 and define brushes is still greyed out. It will only let me select a portion of the image. This was a file I downloaded of worn brushes on different layers and I was instructed to define the brush from each layer. The background is white and the brushes are black/white/grayscale. What's the problem? Posted by: tia Oct 22, 2007 @ 11:2 AM EST
	Great! Just what I was looking for!!! Posted by: Angela Nov 20, 2007 @ 11:15 AM EST
	This was a great tutorial. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you! Posted by: Sylvia Duncan Jan 2, 2008 @ 1:38 PM EST
	I knew it had to be that easy... Thanks so much! Posted by: Sherry Mar 21, 2008 @ 10:14 AM EST
	Great tutorial as always Dave. You can also check out his stuff on "photoshopusertv" podcast which is very informative. N.B. This is NOT a paid advertisement, just a helpful hint! Posted by: Fraser Young Sep 30, 2008 @ 9:58 PM EST

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