I would like some help with brushes. I can't seem to get them to stay on my page. I make my background , choose my brushes and set that up, but when I try to put photos on my page my brushes disappear. I can't seem to figure this out. I have tried everything I can think of. It is probably something very simple but I don't know what it is! I have read everything I can find to help me but I am not getting the answers I need. I am hoping someone here can help me. I use pse 2. Thanks in advance.
ps I love everyones work. it is all so inspiring!!!!

Welcome, Jill! Let's see if we can puzzle this out.

Have you actually used your brushes on their own layer above the background layer of your LO? Or did you just open the brush tool and pick out a brush to use? Did you actually manage to get your photos into your LO?

I'm just getting a little more information on the issue so we can figure out what's going wrong.

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Stacy
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avatar photo by Marja Flick-Buijs downloaded at sxc.hu

Hi Stacy,

I have used my brushes straight onto my background page, but I have also tried making another layer also. Neither seemed to work. I can add photos to my layout no problem. When I use selection mode with my brushes I get the brush on the page but with "marching ants" and then when I use another tool my brush disappears. When I use mask mode with my brush I have no "marching ants" but as soon as I try to add a photo my brush disappers.

I must be doing something wrong!!!

Thanks so much for such a quick reply.

Kind regards Jill

The selection mode for brushes is selecting an area of your image using the brushes that you picked and drew with. Depending on what tools you open next your selection (i.e. the marching ants) may be perserved or not.

If you're really trying to digitally stamp or draw on your background you need to use the brush tool. Its icon looks really similar to the selection brush icon but it does NOT have the dashed outline in the background. You can always just hit B and the brush tool will open. This brush tool should be leaving color on your layer not just marching ants.

Does that help?

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Stacy
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avatar photo by Marja Flick-Buijs downloaded at sxc.hu

Hi Stacy,

IT WORKS!!!!!!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!! You can tell I'm new at this. A lot of what I have done has been learning as I go and I've done great up to now. But I just couldn't get past this. And when I asked for help someone great helped me so quickly. Now I can do all the things I have been trying to do and wanting to do. And yes, I knew it would be something simple, but I didn't know what.

I am so excited now and can't wait to get going.

Once again thank you so much. You are great.

Kindest regards Jill

You're very welcome! I'm just glad to help. Here's a tut I wrote about using brushes in PSE

Have fun learning PSE and don't be afraid to post with more questions!

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Stacy
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avatar photo by Marja Flick-Buijs downloaded at sxc.hu