Make your own cloud brushes

It may seem obvious - but first you need to take a few photos of isolated clouds!
Here is one of mine (you could download it and try with this photo if you have none!)

Step 1. Convert to black and white.

In Photoshop Elements there are a few options you can scroll through. Select the one that will give you the blackest looking sky.
In Photoshop the treatment is a little different, Click on Image>Black and white and use the sliders for Cyan to darken the blue sky to jet black.
Step 2. Clean up the sky using a soft edged brush and black. Get as close to the cloud as you can without obliterating any part of it.

Even though my blue sky looks smooth and even, when it was converted there was quite a lot of white through the black of the sky. That would show if the brush was created without painting over with black.
Step 3. Take a look at the default brush panel. Are the brushes white on black?

Absolutely not! So the next thing to do is invert the colours.

Click on Filter > Adjustments>Invert  Now you have a black cloud on a white background.
Step 4. Crop the cloud as close as you can

Take care that you do not cut any of the faded edges of the cloud or a hard line will show when you apply it in a picture. Leave a little space around the cloud.
 Step 5. If the cloud image is too large you will not be able to turn it into a brush so we need to resize it. If you follow these steps and find that your longest side is 1000 pixels or less you will not need to do any resizing.

All the steps for resizing are illustrated here. Follow the numbers sequentially.
Now we are ready to change this baby into a brush.
Step 6. Click on Edit>Define Brush.

Step 6. In the pop-up box, write a name for your brush.

 Done!
Now you are ready to use your new brush.
Open a picture that needs a cloud and click to add a new layer - the button on the extreme left of the Layers Palette.
Change you color swatches from what ever colors they are to black and white (I prefer to use cream and black because I find white to be too dazzly)
Click on the brush tool and scroll to the bottom of the brushes and click on the very last one - it is the one you have just created.

Now give one click on the sky to apply the brush.
If you do not like it, undo and resize the brush and click again.
The cloud can be moved once it is applied because it is on a layer. It can also be made less bright by sliding the Opacity from 100% to a smaller percentage.
Here is my cloud.

If you find any of these images too difficult to read, click on them and they will open larger.
There may not be many times you need home made clouds but for those few occasions when Nature does not provide the best backdrop, you are ready!
AJ    joanren@gmail.com