Brushes in Photoshop are basically stamp shapes that you can drag throughout your image. Brushes are not only used to create lines or duplicate images, but are also used to create lighting effects, textures, digital paint, and so on. Brushes allow you to add depth and beautiful flow to your artwork. However, this cannot be done if the brush has not been installed.
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Method 1 of 3: Downloading New Brush
Step 1. Look for new brush patterns for free on the internet
If you don't know what pattern you want, search for " Photoshop Brush Packs " with a search engine in your browser. There are many options, from sets for painting, to special brushes for shading or drawing grass. For now, look for the basic brush set and pick the one you like. Here are some trusted sites to look for brushes:
- DeviantArt
- Creative Market
- Design Cuts
Step 2. Download the. ZIP file to your computer
Most brush files are saved in a. ZIP format, which is more or less a folder to hold all the brushes. Download the brushes you like onto your computer. The. ZIP file will need to be opened, but almost all modern computers already have software to open ZIPs.
To make it easier for you to find your downloaded brush at a later date, click and drag the file to your desktop
Step 3. Open the. ZIP file
You'll need a ZIP file extracting program, but it usually comes pre-installed on your computer. To open it, double-click on the. ZIP file. If it doesn't meet, check your “Downloads” folder.
If you're not sure if you can open the ZIP file, right-click it and select " Extract " or " Open With ". Commonly used programs to open ZIP files are ZIP Archive or WinRAR
Step 4. Make sure there is an.abr file in the folder
Once opened, you will find several files in the folder. However, only one file is relevant to you, namely the.abr format file. If it's not there, delete the folder and find a new brush set.
Method 2 of 3: Adding a New Brush to Photoshop
Step 1. Open Photoshop
You don't need to open the image. Just open the program to install your brushes.
Opening a Finder or Windows Explorer window showing the brushes will also help because you'll have to find them again
Step 2. Press B, or click the Brush tool to open the brush bar at the top of the screen
The bar at the top of this screen will change depending on the tool you have open. Just press B to switch to the brush tool.
Step 3. Click the small, downward-pointing arrow on the brush bar
This arrow is usually next to the small dot icon and is in the upper-left corner of the screen. This icon will open the " Brushes Preset Menu ".
Step 4. Click the gear symbol, then find "Load Brushes
" A window will open to find your brush. Go back to the ZIP file and look for the.abr file (new brushes).
Step 5. Double click on the.abr file to install the brushes
This way, your brushes will be added automatically to the preset menu. The brushes will always be found by going to the Brushes Preset Menu. Just click the gear symbol and find your new brush at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 6. Alternatively, add new brushes by clicking and dragging your brushes into the Photoshop window
This method is very easy. Just click the.abr file in a folder or desktop, then drag and drop the file in the Photoshop window. The program will arrange your new brushes automatically. If these two methods don't work, try one more method:
- Click " Edit " (Edit) from the top bar
- Click "Presets", then "Preset Manager."
- Make sure " Preset Type: " is set as " Brushes."
- Click "Load" and find your brush, double click it to install it.
Method 3 of 3: Adding Multiple Brushes at Once
Step 1. Add multiple brush packs into Photoshop's system files to save time
If you want to add a lot of new brushes, you can save a lot of time by dragging and dropping them in the correct folders. This method is compatible with Windows and Mac.
Make sure Photoshop is closed before starting
Step 2. Open your Photoshop file using the following address
There are two different ways which are given below. However, Mac users can simply Cmd-Click on the Photoshop icon to open the folder.
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Windows:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop
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Macs:
/Users/{YOUR USERNAME}/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop _/
Step 3. Click " Presets," then " Brushes " to open all your brushes
At this point Adobe will sort out all your brushes and where Photoshop looks for new brushes.
Step 4. Click and drag the new brushes into this folder
If you've already opened the. ZIP file, click and drag the.abr file into the Brushes folder. The next time you open Photoshop, new brushes will be available and ready to use.
