Home » Tips & Tricks: Design

Using The History Brush In PhotoShop

Posted By: BioTecK on Wednesday 14 May 2008 with 11 Comments

The history brush is one of my favorite Photoshop brushes. You can use the History Brush to selectively restore color, detail, smoothness, saturation from an earlier point in a picture’s history.

The most popular and my favorite use is to take a color picture, convert it to black & white, then brush the original color back into a particular selection. The artistic effect can be amazing!

Using the history brush is very easy and once you know how to work with it, you’ll use it more often! Just follow the steps and see how easy it is!

1. Take a colour picture like this below.

2. Convert the picture to black & white by Images – Adjust – Desaturate

3. Choose the History Brush from the toolbar or just press Y.
4. Now with the history brush you can paint back the color in the selected areas. Off course you can adjust the brush size and opacity to your need and be as creative as you want! :mrgreen:

Your only limit is your imagination! :wink:

Photo credit: michel01

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11 Comments so far, be the next one! »

  • Jenny said:
    15 May 2008 at 08:12

    Thanks a lot for this tute. I’ll give it a go.

    Jennys last blog post..Entrecard droppers

  • Margaret said:
    15 May 2008 at 11:02

    I use PSP rather than Photoshop, but so many of the tools that are in Photoshop are in PSP, too and work the same. I’ll have to see if there is a history brush as this looks like a technique that would be very dramatic for certain photos.

    ê¿ê

    Margarets last blog post..Real Estate Agents Are Not All Alike

  • tazdog said:
    15 May 2008 at 18:37

    I have always wanted to figure that out but never could.. awesome..!!

    tazdogs last blog post..What a gloomy gray morning

  • BioTecK (Author) said:
    15 May 2008 at 19:28

    @ Jenny: No problem! It’s very easy to use the brush! :D

    @ Margaret: I actually can’t remember if I’ve used Paint Shop Pro but I bet that it looks like Photoshop. The effect can be dramatic if you want too.. It can be very cute also! ;)

    @ Tazdog: Yeah, Give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the effects! :D

  • shaxx said:
    16 May 2008 at 08:50

    great tips. i m going to try that :)

    shaxxs last blog post..Molested, Raped and Abducted

  • tazdog said:
    16 May 2008 at 16:52

    Ok
    Here is my go at it:
    http://tinyurl.com/6ybzco

    ~tazdog

    tazdogs last blog post..Opening Night

  • BioTecK (Author) said:
    16 May 2008 at 18:19

    2 Shaxx:
    Cool!! :D

    2 Tazdog:
    Cool..Now I can put a face behind the name! :D It’s very nice!

  • nicole said:
    16 May 2008 at 18:59

    Oh, wow….. THAT’s how it works.
    Thanks a million :D !

    nicoles last blog post..Long walk Tuesday

  • BioTecK (Author) said:
    17 May 2008 at 20:34

    Yep, It’s that easy, Nicole!
    For a good photographer like you it can be a very great tool!

  • Popular Wealth said:
    3 June 2008 at 03:16

    Wow, thats a great way to add emphasis to exactly the part of the image you want people to notice. A+

    Popular Wealths last blog post..15 Free Photoshop Image Editing Alternatives

  • BioTecK (Author) said:
    4 June 2008 at 13:34

    Thank you Popular Wealth! :D

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