10 Steps for Making Cloud Brushes in Photoshop

Step 1: Start by opening a photograph of a cloud. It is important to select an image with good contrast.

I am using a photograph I download from the Morgue File Archive. Once I open the file, I duplicate the background layer by dragging the layer to the create new layer icon shown in the circle below.

Step 2: Use the Select>Color Range command to remove the cloud from the sky.

In order to make our cloud brush, we need to isolate the cloud image from the sky background. We do this by using the Select>Color Range command. Once you have selected the color range command, place the eye dropper within the blue region of the sky. Fuzziness should be set to 200 and the you should select the invert option as shown below.

Step 3: Once the cloud is selected, we need to copy the cloud onto its own layer.

Once you hit OK, the cloud will be selected. You will see the marching ant pattern around the cloud as shown in the picture below. Now we need to copy the cloud onto its own layer.

Step 4: Copy the cloud selection onto its own layer using the CTRL-C command. Paste the image onto the new layer using the CTRL-V command.

Create a new layer for the cloud. Use CTRL-C (Command-C on the Mac) to copy the selection and use CTRL-V (Command-V on Mac) to paste the cloud image onto a new layer. Once the cloud is on its own layer, we can delete the background and background copy layers. We will not need them to create our brush. The next step is to desaturate the image.

Step 5: Desaturate the image.

Desaturate the image using the Image>Adjustments>Desaturate command. We desaturate the image because Photoshop brushes are made up of grey tones. Any parts of the image that are white will become transparent when you create the brush. Desaturating the image makes it easier to visualize what the brush will look like.

Step 6: Invert the image.

Next we invert the image by selecting the Image>Adjustments>Invert command. We do this because white is treated as transparent when we create the brush. Since we want the white cloud to be the brush, we need to change the white to black. This is done by inverting the image.

Step 7: Erase any excess areas of the cloud image that you want excluded from your brush.

We need to erase any extra portions of the cloud that we do not want. Use a large diameter soft round brush to erase these area. A soft brush will keep the edges of the cloud wispy. You want to avoid straight, smooth edges because they will not look natural.

Step 8: Save the cloud brush using Edit>Define Brush Preset command and name the brush and store it in the brush pallet.

Select the Edit>Define Brush Preset command. You will see a dialog box where you can name your new brush as shown below. This will load the brush into the brush pallet so you can use it later.

Step 9: Open a new file and create a blue gradient background representing the sky.

I used a reverse gradient that moved from white (#FFFFFF) to deep blue (#006699) to represent the sky background.

Step 10: Make sure you set the foreground color to white and apply your cloud brush to the blue gradient backgroud.

Now for the fun part. Select white as your foreground color and place your cloud brush onto the blue gradient background. It’s as easy as that to create a realistic looking sky. Use this same technique to make cloud brushes of different sizes and shapes. Using various sized clouds helps create a more realistic sky. You can see what the brush looks like applied to the blue background in the image below.

And there you have it. 10 easy to follow steps to create a set of Photoshop cloud brushes.

You can download a complete set of 13 high resolution Photoshop cloud brushes at HERE. Happy Creating!