Installing brushes in Photoshop Elements

I've used Photoshop for years and am constantly learning new and exciting features. One great feature that you may not be aware of is the ability to load in new brushes. There are a wide variety of free and commercial brush sets available.

Step 1 - Downloading your brushes

The first thing you need to do is download you brush set. We offer several free brush sets, as do other sites. Here are some of our favorite links.

 Pixels and Icecream, Brusheezy, Trendy Robot

Once you've found a brush you like. Simply click the image or download link ( this will vary depending on the site) to start your download. When your download has completed you may need to un-zip the file. To do this double click on the icon and choose the Extract All option, select a location and click save.

Step 2 - Placing your brush in the proper location

Now you can place your brush, this will be the .abr file from your zip packet, in the appropriate Photoshop folder. This file will generally be located on your harddrive in Program Files > Adobe > Photoshop Elements 7.0 (or what ever your version of Photoshop maybe)  > Presets > Brushes. Once you've found the appropriate folder, simply drag and drop the *.abr file.

If you have trouble locating this folder try searching your hard drive for Brushes.

Step 3 - Loading you new brushes in Photoshop Elements

You can now open up your version of Photoshop Elements and select the Brush Tool. Click on the drop down menu. To the left of this menu you will find an arrow. Click it and your screen should look like this.

Then click Load Brushes ....

Just double on the brush set you would like to open and ta da you are finished.

Your new brushes should now appear in the Brush drop down menu. Good luck and happy painting!

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