Rather than a
texture like those applied with the filter Texture> Texturizer,
the Texture option in the Brushes palette applies a pattern to your
stroke. Any pattern available in the Pattern picker for the command
Edit > Fill or for the Paint Bucket is also available as a brush
texture. 
The Pattern
picker menu enables you to load sets of patterns. Some of the
patterns found in the set Artist Surfaces are especially
appropriate for use as brush textures. You can invert the pattern
by checking the box to the right of the pattern sample. Inverting
reverses the grayscale values of the pattern. The next image shows
the additional options available for texturing a brush. At the
bottom are samples of the pattern Dark Coarse Weave at a variety of
scale factors. From the left, the pattern is scaled to 15%, 30%,
50%, 100%, 150%, and 200%. The maximum scale factor is 1000%.
The
Mode and the various Depth options are only available when Texture
Each Tip is selected. The Texture Each Tip option applies the
pattern individually to each instance of the brush tip. Rather than
treating the brush stroke as a whole, this option treats each
application of the brush tip separately. In this image, a single
instance of the brush tip is shown to the upper-right. The pattern
for the brush texture is Burlap. 
The upper
example show how Photoshop applies a pattern to a stroke as a
whole. Below, Texture Each Tip is activated. Note the areas of
overlap from instance to instance. The pattern is applied over
itself. There are several options available for Texture Each Tip:
MODE - The blending modes available for Texture are
Multiply, Subtract, Darken, Overlay, Color Dodge, Color Burn,
Linear Burn, Hard Mix. The blending mode affects how the
overlapping brush instances interact, as well as how the brush
itself interacts with other colors already on the layer. Note that
the Hard Mix blending mode is only available in the Texture and
Dual Brush panes of the Brushes palette. Each of the brush's
component color values is compared to the existing color on the
layer. If the brush's component color is darker, the existing color
is darkened. If it's lighter, the existing color is lightened.
DEPTH - Depth looks at the texture as a three dimensional
object, with the light and dark areas representing high and low
points. Changing the Depth setting alters what grayscale values are
affected. At 0%, the pattern is completely eliminated. At 100%
Depth, the texture is reproduced normally. MINIMUM DEPTH -
Used in conjunction with Depth Jitter, this slider restricts the
lowest jitter value. DEPTH JITTER - This slider regulates
the amount of variation in depth over the course of the stroke. At
0%, there is no variation and the Depth slider determines the
appearance of the brush. The Control options are discussed here.
DUAL BRUSH 
The Dual Brush
option adds another brush tip to the tip selected in Brush Presets
or Brush Tip Shape. The second tip is overlaid using the blending
mode at the top of the Dual Brush pane of the Brushes palette. The
Dual Brush pane is a cross between the Brush Tip Shape and
Scattering panes. In addition to selecting the second brush tip and
blending mode, you adjust the second tip for diameter, spacing,
scatter, and count. You can use Dual Brush to add a texture to a
brush (upper example) or to add a custom brush within a shape
defined by the initial brush tip (lower example). 
Previously featured Planet Photoshop articles, including the other Brushes Palette tutorials, are archived under Featured Columns. Special thanks to www.planetphotoshop.com for allowing us to reprint their Photoshop tutorials here at Renderosity. You can e-mail Pete Bauer, the author of this article, at peterbauer@columbus.rr.com.
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