How to Make a Heart Brush in Photoshop

If you want to learn how to make a heart in Photoshop, in this tutorial I'll show you a method of drawing a perfectly symmetrical heart shape. This method will allow you to make corrections to the shape of the heart on one half, and automatically apply them to the other side. And then I'll show you how to make a heart brush in Photoshop using this shape!

And if you need some professional heart graphics, you should check out Envato Elements. One subscription gives you access to millions of creative assets, including this Valentine's Day Photoshop Action:

What You'll Learn in This Heart Brush Photoshop Tutorial

• How to make a heart in Photoshop
• How to draw a heart shape in Photoshop
• How to draw symmetrical shapes in Photoshop
• How to make a symmetrical heart in Photoshop
• How to create a heart shape brush in Photoshop
• How to create heart bokeh overlay

What You'll Need

We're going to draw the heart from scratch, but you're going to need a photo to apply the brush to. If you want to achieve the same effect as me, here is the photo I've used:

• A cute puppy

1. How to Make a Heart in Photoshop

Step 1

Create a New File with dimensions of 200 x 400 px.

Step 2

Take the Rectangle Tool (U), click the canvas, and create a 200 x 400 px rectangle. This will be our placeholder for one half of the heart.

Step 3

Press Control-T and set X to 100 px, and Y to 200 px. This will center the shape. You can also use the Move Tool (V) to do it manually.

Step 4

Right-click the layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Press Control-J to duplicate the layer. Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.

Go to Image > Canvas Size. Put the Anchor on the left, and set the Width to 400 px.

Step 5

Hold the Control key and select both the copy and the Background layer. Select Align Right Edges in the top bar. Now our two halves of the heart are perfectly symmetrical—we just need to draw the actual heart inside one of the halves.

Step 6

Now, double-click the thumbnail of the original rectangle layer to open it as a separate file. Hide the rectangle layer and create a New Layer.

Step 7

Time to draw the half of the heart! Take the Curvature Pen Tool (P), and make sure it's set to Shape.

Then, click four times: first in the lower right corner...

... then on the left edge, slightly above halfway up...

... then halfway along the upper edge...

... and then on the right edge, exactly between the two last points.

Step 8

Add one more point between the two first ones and drag it towards the center to make a nicer shape.

Step 9

Make sure that neither the left point nor the upper point actually touches the edge of the canvas. You can click them and then use the arrow keys to move them very precisely.

Step 10

Press Control-S and go back to the previous file. The heart will be there! It probably won't be perfect on the first try, but since you can see its whole shape now, it will be easier for you to see what corrections you need to make. You just need to use the Curvature Pen Tool (P) to move the points you have, or add more points. Experiment with them to see what improvements you can make. Use the Control-Tab shortcut to quickly move between the two files.

2. How to Create a Heart Brush in Photoshop

Step 1

Now, simply go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and give your brush a name.

Step 2

This brush will allow you to draw hearts just by clicking, but if you want a brush that creates a whole pattern of hearts, here are the settings you can use. Feel free to adjust them to your liking!

Brush Tip Shape:

• Spacing: 165%

Shape Dynamics:

• Size Jitter: 55%
• Minimum Diameter: 0%
• Angle Jitter: 5%

Scattering:

• Scatter: 300%
• Count: 1

Color Dynamics:

• Apply Per Tip: on
• Foreground/Background Jitter: 0%
• Hue Jitter: 5%
• Saturation Jitter: 20%
• Brightness Jitter: 10%
• Purity: 100%

Transfer:

• Opacity Jitter: 60%
• Flow Jitter: 0%

Here's my end result (you have to change your color, of course):

3. How to Create a Heart Shape Overlay

Step 1

Now, let's see how to use this brush to create a heart overlay. Open a photo that you want to apply this effect to (I've used this photo of a cute puppy), open the Adjustments menu, and select Solid Color. Use the color #ff59ea, or any other shade of pink/red.

Step 2

Press D and take the Gradient Tool (G). Select Radial Gradient in the upper bar, and apply it to the mask of the Color Fill layer. Lower its Opacity to 40%.

Step 3

Create a New Layer and draw some hearts with your new brush. You can draw them one by one, or with a long, scattered stroke. Use the same color as in the Solid Fill.

Step 4

Add a Layer Mask, and fill it with a Linear Gradient.

Step 5

Add a New Layer and drag it under the previous one. Draw another series of hearts—make them smaller this time.

Step 6

Change their Blend Mode to Screen, and lower the Opacity to 50%.

Step 7

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and set the Radius to 20 px.

Step 8

Add a New Layer and draw a series of even smaller hearts.

Step 9

Change their Blend Mode to Overlay and the Opacity to 40%.

Step 10

Add Gaussian Blur to them as well—this time stronger, with 45 px Radius.

Good Job!

Now you know how to draw a heart shape in Photoshop, how to turn it into a Photoshop heart brush, and how to use it to create a heart overlay!

Photoshop Heart Brushes and Actions

Do you need to add some love to your photos? Check out these options from Envato Elements and GraphicRiver:

Valentine's Day Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR)

If you want to make the photo more romantic, you'll love this action! It gives you unique results every time you run it, and you can adjust the colors to any color scheme you need!

Hearts Action (ABR, ATN)

This action will add some real magic to your photos! Just draw simple curves over your photo, and the action will turn these strokes into shiny hearts.

Romantic Photoshop Action (ABR, PAT, ATN)

Do you want an even more dramatic effect? This action will fill your photo with realistic red hearts, and optionally it will add a background with a blue sky behind your subject.

Love Spread Photoshop Action (ABR, ATN)

Fill your photo with love using this action! Just select your subject and let the action create a nice border with hearts in different styles and sizes.

Valentine's Brushes Pack (ABR)

Do you need heart shape brushes for Photoshop? This set contains 45 high-resolution hearts in many different styles that you can apply to your photo just by using the Brush tool!

More Photoshop Brushes Tutorials

If you want to learn more about creating Photoshop brushes, check out these tutorials as well:

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