How To Export Photoshop Brushes

How to Install Brushes in Photoshop

Ane of the most powerful features of Photoshop is the power to download and install custom brushes. Like shooting fish in a barrel to employ, Photoshop brushes let you apply instant texture, draw freehand, or create elementary details.

Allow'due south look at what Photoshop brushes are, how to install brushes in Photoshop, how to edit those brushes, and how to use them.

What Are Brushes in Photoshop?

Photoshop brushes are used to paint in Photoshop and are the digital equivalent to a paintbrush. Using a series of strokes with your mouse, you can create lines and shapes. You can also modify their color and basic settings to suit whatever y'all describe.

The Brush tool in Photoshop is raster or pixel-based. Resizing or transforming a stroke made by the Castor tool will permanently alter the pixels.

Saved Brush files in Photoshop will export as .ABR files. When downloading custom brushes only, .ABR files will be compatible with Photoshop.

Now that we have this bones agreement, permit's wait at how to install new brushes in Photoshop, so you lot have more than the default brushes that come preinstalled.

How to Install Brushes in Photoshop

Step 1: Download a Custom Brush

Allow's get-go with how to install brushes in Photoshop from different websites.

Find a site that offers custom Photoshop brushes. Thousands of sites offer both free and premium custom brush packs. Today, I will exist downloading and using this prepare of Gratuitous Lens Flares Photoshop Brushes from Brusheezy.

Locate the Download prompt on whatever site you lot choose to utilize. The castor will download as a .Aught file.

Pace 2: Export the Castor

Once finished, click the downloaded .Aught file to open it. Drag the .ABR brush file either onto your desktop or a dedicated brush folder.

Once a brush is installed, you no longer need the .ABR file. However, if you reset your Photoshop preferences or delete the brushes, you volition need the .ABR file to re-install the brushes.

It's a good thought to store all downloaded brushes into their binder so yous can hands access them in the time to come.

Step 3: Import the Brush into Photoshop

Open Photoshop, and select the Brush tool in the Tools toolbar.

Select the Brush Tip > Settings (Cog Icon) > Import Brushes

Now locate and select the downloaded .ABR file. The new brush tips will populate the castor tip panel. The new brushes will announced below the originals if yous already accept preinstalled brushes.

While most custom brushes comprise multiple castor tips, some may accept only one.

Step 4: Use Your New Brush

Select one of the new brush tips, create a new layer, and either stamp or drag using your mouse to use your new castor.

You can change the colour of your castor using the Background and Foreground colors at the bottom of the Tools toolbar.

How to Create Custom Brushes in Photoshop

Step 1: Create a Shape or Pattern

At present that we know how to install new brushes in Photoshop, let's look at how nosotros can create our own. Let's create a new brush from an image of a flower. Y'all can also draw or create your shape or blueprint from scratch.

To create custom brushes, open a new large Document in Photoshop, ensuring it has a white groundwork.

Elevate and drop an image of a flower onto the canvas. Use the Lasso tool to create a quick selection around the flower.

Add together a layer mask to remove the excess background.

Stride 2: Turn the Paradigm Black and White

Go to Image > Adjustment > Black and White to turn the image grayscale. You must catechumen all images, shapes, or patterns to grayscale earlier being exported as a Custom Brush.

Yous may also demand to add contrast to the image. I similar to use a Levels adjustment layer, but you lot can likewise apply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast or Curves.

The darker the expanse on the brush, the more opaque those areas will be on the brush. White will result in consummate transparency.

Pace three: Consign the Image equally a Castor

Ingather any excess canvas using the Crop tool and become to Edit > Define Brush Preset.

Finally, proper noun your new brush.

Step 4: Save and Consign the Brush

If you'd like to share this castor with other people, select the Brush tool, select the new brush tip, and go to Settings (Cog Icon) > Consign Selected Brushes. Your brush volition export as an .ABR file that you tin can share or re-install.

If yous want to export multiple brushes into the same .ABR file, make certain they are also selected when exporting. Select multiple brushes by belongings Ctrl or Command and selecting all of the brushes you want to export.

How to Edit Brush Settings in Photoshop

Step 1: Open up Castor Settings

Open the Brush Settings panel by going to Window > Castor Settings.

Step 2: Edit Brush Settings

Let's look at some of the most common brush settings you may want to modify.

Size — The Size will command how big or pocket-size your castor is. You lot can change the Size in Brush Settings and Brush panel past using the given sliders. You tin can too change the Size of the Castor by using the [ and ] keys.

Hardness — Hardness dictates how hard or soft a brush's edge will be. 100% hardness will give yous a precipitous edge, while 0% will upshot in a soft, feathered edge. Y'all tin't change the Hardness on custom brushes that are non based on a default circular shape.

Opacity — Opacity changes how opaque the brush is. The lower the Opacity, the more transparent the brush will exist. You can change the Opacity of a brush in Brush Settings, the Brush console, and in the upper Options bar when the Brush tool is active.

Spacing — Spacing changes how far away each brush stamp volition exist from the other. If you desire to create a solid line, you should set the Spacing no higher than 10% and equally low as 1%.

Shape Dynamics — Shape Dynamics holds all of the settings regarding the shape of your brush tip, including Jitter options. Adding a Jitter to a castor volition crusade the castor to paint inconsistently, changing size, angle, and shape depending on the settings. You volition likewise find Pen Pressure options if you have a drawing tablet. Pen force per unit area is not available if simply a mouse is being used.

Scattering — Handful will spread the brush tip. A Scatter of 0% volition cause the brush tip to postage one directly one after the other. The higher the besprinkle, the larger the spread volition exist between stamps. Count will give you the option to add more than i postage stamp at a time. Count Jitter will randomize how many stamps are placed at in one case.

Color Dynamics — Colour Dynamics will give you Color Jitter options. These settings requite your stamps the power to be multiple colors without manually irresolute the Foreground Color. The Foreground/Background Jitter setting will innovate the Background colour into the stamps depending on the settings chosen.

Smoothing — Smoothing is plant in the Upper Options bar when the Brush tool is selected. It smooths out your strokes, making it easier to create curved shapes. By default, it is set to 20%. The higher the percentage, the smoother or steadier the stroke. A stroke of 0% will selection up all movements from the mouse.

Pace iii: Save the New Brush

Now that we have added some custom settings to our brush, nosotros'll want to relieve it using the Save Castor icon found in the bottom-right corner of the Castor Settings panel. Expect for it as a square with a plus sign in the eye.

The brush volition appear at the bottom of your brush tips. If you do not save a brush with custom settings and switch to a new brush, you will lose those custom settings.

How to Organize your Brushes in Photoshop

Moving and Renaming Brushes

You can move effectually brushes but by clicking and dragging on the brush tips in the Brush console. To rename a brush, Right-click > Rename Brush.

Creating Castor Groups

To further organize your brushes, you can create groups. Create a brush group by going to the Brush Panel > Settings (Cog Icon) > New Brush Group.

Searching for Brushes

It'south easy to have hundreds of brushes installed in Photoshop at whatsoever given time. To quickly find a brush by proper name, you tin can use the Search bar in the Brush panel.

The search bar works on keywords, then the proper noun does not need to be exact. It will pull up all brushes with the keyword in the brush proper noun.

Conclusion

And that is how to install brushes in Photoshop! Brushes are ane of Photoshop's near powerful features cheers to the robust community of custom brush makers and sellers. This includes anything from premium brush packs containing hundreds of brushes to free brush packs that anyone can use.

If there is a brush shape, pattern, or type you need, I can guarantee yous'll be able to find it. Luckily, if not, you can always make a set of your own custom brushes in just a few clicks!