4 Replies Latest reply: Oct 22, 2012 4:13 AM by sandeecohen RSS

    How to create a "category" for brushes?

    *Rich* Community Member

      I have collected a ton of brushes for various types of painting. To keep them all in my active brush panel seems to slow down Photoshop and my computer, and it's hard to sort through them all when looking for a particular brush.

       

      Is there a way I can create a category for certain types of brushes, like the default categories that appear at the bottom of the Brush Panel flyout menu (Calligraphic Brushes, Faux Finish Brushes...)? An example would be a category for all my foliage brushes (leaves, grasses, moss, trees, etc.).

       

      Or is there a better way to keep similar brushes orgainized together and accessible in PS brush panel? Thanks

        • 1. Re: How to create a "category" for brushes?
          sandeecohen CommunityMVP

          Hi Rich,

           

          Yes, you can get your brushes to appear in the panel menu under all the built-in brushes. But it's a few steps, so follow me.

           

          Start by creating your brush presets. It sounds like you already know how to do that but I'll repeat the steps for anyone else.

           

          Click the Create Preset icon in the brushes panel.

           

          Create preset icon.png

           

          Name the brush.

           

          Brush name.png

           

          Create as many other brush presets as you want.

           

          When you have all your brushes. Choose Preset Manager from the Brushes panel menu.

           

          Preset manager.png

           

           

           

          This opens the Preset Manager.

           

          Preset manager save set.png

           

          Shift-click or Cmd/Ctrl-click to select the brushes you want to have in their own set. Then click the Save Set button. This opens the Save Set dialog box.

           

          Save brush in.png

          This should open in the Brushes folder which is in the Presets for Photoshop. Don't navigate anywhere else. This is where you want to be.

           

          Name your set (such as Foliage) and click Save.

           

          You can now delete those brushes from the Preset Manager.

           

          Restart Photoshop.

           

          Your custom brushes will appear at the bottom of the Preset Brushes panel.

           

          Brushes at bottom of preset panel menu.png

           

          At any time you can choose those brushes. An alert will ask you if you want to replace (throw out all your other brushes and insert the custom ones) or append (add the brushes to the ones you already have). I usually append.

           

          Append or replace brushes.png

          Let us know if this helps.

          • 2. Re: How to create a "category" for brushes?
            *Rich* Community Member

            Wow, thanks Sandee. Very thorough -- a picture is worth a thousand words. I would have never figured this out on my own. PS's "help(less)" utility apparently doesn't cover it.

            • 3. Re: How to create a "category" for brushes?
              *Rich* Community Member

              I have one more question, concerning when you "Append" the current brush set with a set of special brushes.

               

              Once you append the current brush set with these brushes, will the added brush set stay there forever or do they go away after you restart PS the next time?

               

              Also, can you edit brush categories (add & delete brushes) after they are created? Thanks again.

              • 4. Re: How to create a "category" for brushes?
                sandeecohen CommunityMVP

                Once you Append, the added brushes stay around "forever" during multiple sessions of Photoshop.

                 

                You can edit brush categories by using the Preset Manager and saving new sets under old names. Let me know if you need these answers spelled out.