In this short tutorial, I'll show you how to change brush size in Photoshop—both with a shortcut and manually.
And if you need custom Photoshop brushes, make sure to visit Envato Elements. One subscription gives you access to millions of assets, such as an amazing pack of shading brushes.
What You'll Learn in This Brush Size Shortcut Photoshop Tutorial
- How to change the size of a brush in Photoshop
- How to change the brush size with a shortcut in Photoshop
- How to enlarge brush size in Photoshop
- How to change brush size in Photoshop manually
1. How to Change Brush Size in Photoshop With a Shortcut
If you want to change the size of a brush in Photoshop, it's easiest and fastest to use a shortcut. Here are the default hotkeys for it:
- You can make the brush bigger by pressing ]
- You can make the brush smaller by pressing [
Fun fact: if you hold the Shift key while using these shortcuts, you can make the current brush softer and harder, respectively!
2. How to Change the Size of a Brush in Photoshop Manually
So now you know how to quickly change the brush size in Photoshop, but what if you care more about precision? What if you have a specific number in mind, and you don't want to press the shortcut button 100 times? Here's an alternative method:
Once you take the Brush Tool (B), look up—in the upper bar, on the left, you can see a thumbnail of your brush, with a number indicating its current size. Click the small arrow next to it.
Now you can change the brush size manually in two ways: by dragging the slider, or by typing the number.
You can also change the brush size the same way in the Brushes panel.
3. How to Change the Brush Size in Photoshop Permanently
If you want a brush to always have a specific size every time you select it, here's how you can achieve it.
Go to the Brush Settings panel and adjust the size to your liking. Then click the plus icon on the bottom.
Once the new window appears, make sure that Capture Brush Size in Preset is checked. A new brush will be created, and it will always reset to the default size when you pick it!
That's All!
Now you know how to change the size of a brush in Photoshop—with a shortcut, manually, and even permanently!
Recommended Tutorials
Don't stop here—we have many more tutorials for Photoshop beginners:
