This spring, Adobe introduced new tools for digital painting in Photoshop CS5. The new Mixer Brush goes a long way towards creating a realistic simulation of how paints mix and blend with each other on a canvas and with textures on the document canvas. The other side of the equation is the new Bristle Tips, which simulate the physics of real paintbrushes. While it is impossible to cover every facet of these impressive tools in the span of a single article, I can focus on how to quickly get started with these tools, so that you can begin experimenting with your own photos.
One benefit of using the new Mixer Brush workflow is that it can breathe new life into shots we may have otherwise discarded. Good composition, good light, but maybe the exposure was off or the focus too soft in spots to be recovered. Those photos make an excellent foundation for digital paintings in Photoshop CS5.
