[mandomama]

I downloaded a digital date brush "Beyond Measure" from somewhere else. I use PSE 4. I am not having problems loading, finding, etc. the brush, and I have read lots of tutorials, but am still having problems. This is my first attempt with a downloaded brush. Once I "stamp" the image, it is blurry. I have checked that I'm on a new layer, that I have the correct brush tool, that the opacity slider is correct. When I choose the pull down menu "other options" which includes hardness, jitter, etc. -- the hardness slider is gray and will not let me enter a number/use it. I don't even know if this is the problem, but hardness seems to be the best description of what is wrong with the image. I'm at my wits end and have spent hours trying to figure this out. Any ideas?

[sprinklz]

Check the size of your brush.

In ps & pse, a brush can be from 1 - 2500 pixels. If for instance, you use a brush with the default size of 500, it will be the most crisp and clear at that size - and the more you enlarge it, the more blurry it will become. If you continue to enlarge a 500 pixel brush to the max size of 2500, it will be quite fuzzy in appearance.

[PBarnes]

It probably is the size that is making blurry as Marnie has said. I downloaded a free set from somewhere else awhile ago and they were HORRIBLY small. Totally unusable. There are a lot of free brushes out there but I'll bet a lot of them aren't very good. You get what you pay for.

[Tina M]

could she do a resize like in cs2 Marnie, or doesn't it matter in those programs?

[sprinklz]

You can resize in pse & ps cs2, cs3, etc., but there will still be a blur if you make the brush larger than the default size. Think of it like a photo... if you use the photo at the size it was taken, you will get a crisp image. If you continue to make that photo larger, it will blur the image.

Also, if the brush was made at a lower resolution than the file you are working on, it will give you a blur (a brush created at 72dpi, will be blurry on a 300dpi layout). Which is one of the wonderful things about the Scrap Girls brushes - they were all created and saved at 300 dpi. Actually, all SG products are 300 dpi - great for scrapgging and printing!

[Tina M]

Thanks Marnie, so depending what it's made in really says it all ! got it

[mandomama]

Thanks!  When I open it up, it is sized at 2100 pixels.  I am trying to make it MUCH smaller.  Would making it smaller cause distortion?  It's not really very usable at the size it is opening, because it covers the entire page or more.  What do you think...?

[sprinklz]

Smaller should still give you a crisp image, but again, I have no way of knowing if the brush was created at 300 or 72 or what. Or it could be it was purposely designed to be grungy.

Wish I could give you a conclusive answer, but I'm basically giving you my best guess.


What if you brush it onto a blank file at the default size, then make it smaller (control+t or command+t on mac) and drag it onto your layout? Maybe it will be a bit crisper that way.

[mandomama]

I read the description of the brush set, which states that it is designed so that it can be used at any size, color, etc. Is there a certain way you have to resize?

[sprinklz]

Normally, you would resize the brush before you stamp it through the Option Bar brush size slider (slide it to the smaller size).

But, since you are having problems with this brush, I thought you might try stamping the brush on it's own layer on a new file & resize it that way. In pse 4, use Image> Transform> Free Transform or Control+T (command+t on a mac) to resize. You will see a bounding box around the brushed image with anchor squares in the corners. Hold down the shift as you drag the corner to make it smaller so you can maintain proportions. When you are done resizing, click on the giant check mark on the Option Bar (above the workspace on the right).

With the resized brush layer highlighted (blue in the layer palette), drag it onto your layout.

Or you could stamp it full size on your layout, then resize it as described above.

Not sure if it will make the brush less fuzzy, but it is worth a try!

[mandomama]

I finally solved the problem--thanks to some help from a genius!!! I didn't realize the resolution was set too low. I'm still figuring all this out, but when I changed it to 300 everything looked perfect! Thanks for the help!

[sprinklz]

Glad you figured it out.