brushes...need help.

[SyrunX]

So I just installed elements 5 on my computer today, and I downloaded a set of brushes from the internet. First of all, how do you change it so that all of the brushes on the computer are displayed at once instead of groups? And also, how do you keep the brushes you download on the menu. I really don't under stand this so any help on how to make the brush selection like it is in photoshop cs2, would be nice. Thanks.

[AngelicKim]

Hi SyrunX and welcome to the forum. The only way I know of to be able to see all your brushes in one category is to move them all to the default folder. As for the downloaded ones, to keep them in the list you have to copy them to the main folders such as the default folder or create their own folder/category. Hope this helps. Maybe someone else will be along with some other ideas soon.

[Wendy]

Hi ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

I'm really not sure what you mean ...

Wendy

[SyrunX]

Not to sound stupid or anything, I'm just really new at this, how do you move the brushes into the default folder? Do you just drag them or is there a special way? Thanks.

[AngelicKim]

SyrunX, in this forum we don't believe in stupid questions. You can drag them into the brushes folder located at c:/program file/adobe/photoshop elements 5/presets/brushes or copy them and paste them to that folder.

[SyrunX]

Alright, all of the brushes I have that come with photoshop and the ones that I downloaded are in there, but still they are not all displayed at one time in the brush menu. Also, the downloaded one dissapears each time I choose another set, is there a way to prevent that from happening?

[AngelicKim]

Did you have Elements running when you installed the new brushes? Elements should always be shut down when you install anything new. Try shutting it down and restarting. If that does not work try resetting the brushes. Beyond that I do not know what else to suggest. Hopefully someone else will be able to help out more if this doesn't work. Good luck and do post back if this helps or not.

[Diana]

The brush palette is not like the custom shape palette where you have the option to see all the brushes at once. Once you get a lot of new brushes added, it would be pretty confusing if they were all in one big list rather than be organized in sets. If you have certain brushes you use a lot and want to put them in a set by themselves, that can be done.

Go to Edit > Preset Manager
From Preset Type, select Brushes
Click the flyout menu where it indicates More >
From the list select a set that includes a brush you wish to put in your custom set
When the message "Save changes to current brushes..." click No
When the grid of brushes in your selected set comes up, then click Load and from the list select the next set of brushes containing a brush you wish to include in your custom set
Repeat using the Load to add all the sets including brushes you wish to put in your custom set
Now, from the grid containing all the brushes you loaded, while holding the Control key down, click on each brush you want to keep in your custom set. The border of each brush selected should become bolder. If you want to include ALL of the brushes you've loaded, use Ctrl-A to select all.
Then click the Save Set button
From the Save dialog box that comes up, give your custom set a filename, such as My Favorites or something
Make sure the Save In location at the top of the box shows the path where the brushes are located C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Elements [version]/Presets/Brushes
Then click Save. All brushes that you did not select will be excluded from the new saved set.
Click Done to close the Preset Manager
Now restart Elements and you should see your own custom set listed in the brushes palette, in alphabetical order.
Later, if you wish to add another brush from another set to your custom set, select the Brush tool and select your custom set from the brushes palette
From the menu...Edit > Preset Manager, click the Load button and repeat the steps above, always making sure you select all brushes you want to remain in your custom set, including the original ones, before clicking Save Set. Then give the set the same filename you used for your custom set. When you click Save, it will ask if you wish to replace the existing file, answer OK. Then click the Done button to clost preset manager and restart Elements.

A tip: If you wish to have your custom set at the top of the list in the brush palette, put an underline before the name, such as _My Favorites.

This is a chore, but if you want certain brushes all in one set, this will do it. There may be another easier way to do it, but I don't know of it yet. Maybe someone else will know of an easier way.

Diana

[SyrunX]

Alright, I lost you here:

Click the flyout menu where it indicates More >
From the list select a set that includes a brush you wish to put in your custom set

When I click the thing that says more, the list I get is as follows:
Text Only
Small thumbnail
Large thumbnail
small list
large list
stroke thumbnail
reset brushes
replace brushes


So what do I do once I get there?

[Wendy]

Hi there ...

Are you trying to get all the brushes (not the brush sets) to show when you open up the brushes palette??

If so then the only way o do that would be to create one hugh brush set from all the indivual sets ... and that really would slow things down when you tried to choose one.

The main thing that confuses me is that you said "how to make the brush selection like it is in photoshop cs2" but with CS2 the brushes are displayed in sets too??

Maybe you could explain what you mean just a little more :)

Wendy

[graficalicus]

I *think* I know what you're asking- -

Each brush set that you download might have any number of brush footprints in it. One "brush" might have 10 or 12 or more "brushes" in it.

For simplicity, I'll call what you downloaded a collection, and the individual brushes inside it footprints.

At the top of the brushes options bar (choose the brush tool, and the options bar appears across the top of the workspace) you'll see the footprint representation of the current brush - beside it is a drop menu arrow - click the drop menu, and you'll see all the footprints in that collection and another drop menu at the top that allows you to see all the collections stored in the photoshop elements 5.0\presets\brushes folder.

To gather together all the footprints from various collections and combine them into one is not really easy to do - but it is doable. Basically, one-by-one, adjust the individual footprint you want to add and save it into a collection.

If you just want to be able to see the various collections you've downloaded without having to load them into PSE first, I really recommend the freeware abrViewer (http://abrviewer.sourceforge.net) (Windows-only) - it lets you view the footprints of as many collections as you can load -

...or maybe I just completely missed what the question was - - the toughest thing for new users, I think, is knowing WHAT to ask - "that thing that does that trick with the bending thing" - but don't stop asking! Otherwise this forum & others like it wouldn't exist!

[Diana]

Alright, I lost you here:

Click the flyout menu where it indicates More >
From the list select a set that includes a brush you wish to put in your custom set

When I click the thing that says more, the list I get is as follows:
Text Only
Small thumbnail
Large thumbnail
small list
large list
stroke thumbnail
reset brushes
replace brushes


So what do I do once I get there?

When I click on the More> my flyout menu has those items as well as a whole long list of all the brush sets I've installed in Elements. Here's what it looks like (a portion of my list):

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1ynLKdWL4saE3xdGjF91zGhVm88N0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1ynLKdWL4saE3xdGjF91zGhVm88N0)

Does anyone know if there is an Option that has to be set for SyrunX to see all his brush sets?

Diana

[SyrunX]

Well my friend has photoshop cs2, and all of the brushes she has loaded in there all are displayed at once. That's the default, atleast what I know of anyway. It's just annoying for me to have to open sets, I'd prefer everything to be in one place so I can get to it. I wouldn't mind the sets thing, if only someone could tell me how to upload downloadable brushes so that they don't get erased once i choose another set.

[Wendy]

Hi ...

CS2 and Elements handle brush set is a very similar way ... so I am totally at a los as to what difference you are seeing.

You say that "all of the brushes she has loaded in there all are displayed at once". Where exactly are all these brushes displayed ?? is it the preset manage the brshes palette ???

Ir you really want all the brushes displayed all at once then you can do it ... Try this:

Select the brush tool
then click on the brush stroke thumbnail at the top of the screen and a menu will pop up.
Now click on the small triangle on the top right hand side
... then select Load Brushes.

Do that for each of your brush sets and all your brushes will then appear in the brushes palette ..

Wendy :)

[Diana]

SyrunX,
When you download a brush set, are you putting them in the Brushes folder within the Elements program...at this path...?
C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Elements [vers]/Presets/Brushes

Then restart Elements. If you are storing them in a different location and loading them through the preset manager, I believe you still must save them to that path before selecting another brush set, or they will be gone if you look for them again.

Diana

[SyrunX]

Do you need to download them into that folder, or is it ok if you download them to the desktop then move them into that folder? Because that's what I did.

[Wendy]

Hi ...

Either way will work just fine ... as long as the file is unzipped :)

Wendy