Please note that I am no longer answering questions about
Paint Shop Pro or custom brushes in general. Only questions regarding my brushes - that aren't already answered in the FAQ
and this tutorial - will be answered. You can email me here.
This tutorial is written specifically for Paint Shop Pro version 7. You can make custom brushes in PSP
versions 5 and 6 also, and most of the instructions below will work in those versions too, but not all. If you're using version 5 or 6
and need some help, feel free to drop me a note. I'll do my
best to answer your questions, or I can direct you to other tutorials based on those versions.
The tools that can access and use custom brushes are: paintbrush tool clone tool color replacer tool retouch tool eraser air brush
Paint Shop Pro is able to use most Photoshop brush files, which have an .abr extension. I've never seen any official documentation
(from Jasc or Adobe) on this, so these instructions are based purely on my own experience. Your experiences may be different (if they are -
drop me a note so I can look into it further and possibly update
this page).
First of all - you don't need the change the file extension from .abr to .jbr to use Photoshop brushes in PSP. I know many of the
brush sites and tutorials out there say that you do, but you don't. I'm guessing that idea started because the opposite is true - to use
PSP brushes in Photoshop, you must change the extension from .jbr to .abr. PSP is built to be compatable with many types of files from
other programs. For instance, PSP can open .psd files (Photoshop's native file format), but Photoshop cannot open .psp files
(PaintShop Pro's native file format). In addition, most Photoshop compatible plug-in filters can be used with PSP.
Brush Compatibility
Program you're using:
PaintShop Pro 5-7
PaintShop Pro 8
Photoshop 5.5 or earlier
Photoshop 6- 7
brush
file
type
.jbr made
in PSP 5-7
works as is
convert via File > Import > Custom Brush
works when extension
is changed
works when extension
is changed
.jbr made
in PSP 8
doesn't work
works as is
unknown
unknown
.abr made
in PS 5.5
or earlier
works as is if brushes are 255x255 pixels or smaller
same as PSP 5-7, but convert via File > Import > Custom Brush
works as is
works as is
.abr made
in PS 6-7
doesn't work
doesn't work
doesn't work
works as is
I actually can't be 100% sure about what works in versions of Photoshop earlier than 5, as I don't have any experience with that. But I think
it's fairly safe to assume that any earlier version of Photoshop that supports custom brushes will work like the "Photoshop 5.5 and earlier"
category above. PaintShop Pro added custom brushes with version 5, so anything earlier than that cannot make or use custom brushes.
So if you use Photoshop 6, you can use anybody's brushes. But if you make brushes, only people with PS 6 can use them. Photoshop 5.5 and
PaintShop Pro are similar in what brushes they can use, with one limitation: size. Luckily, PSP will load the brush tips that are within the
size restrictions, even if there are other brush tips in that file that are too large. Hey - it's better than getting some error message or not
being able to use any of the brush tips, right? As an example, I loaded brush set #24 from Nocturna.net
(fantastic grunge brushes) in PS 6 and in PSP 7. In the Photoshop 6 screen shot, the number underneath each brush is its size - you'll notice
that PSP simply ignored the two brush tips that were too large.
Nocturna set 24 loaded in Photoshop 6
Nocturna set 24 loaded in PSP 7
As I stated above, if you want to use PSP brush files in Photoshop (any version), simply change the file extension (by renaming the file)
from .jbr to .abr and put it in your Photoshop brushes folder.
These are just a few of the more unusual ways you can use custom brushes. Stuff you might not normally think of using them for.
Tip 1: You can get some really cool effects by using a grungy custom brush with the retouch tool set to smudge. Play around
with the step setting to get an interesting repeat effect too. Obviously for this to work you must already have something on your image to smear -
something as simple as a few painted lines or some text in an unusual font can take on a whole new life after smearing them with a grunge brush tip.
Just a black squiggle:
After smudging it with a grungy brush (step=25):
Some text - font is Velvet:
Smudged with step=50:
The brush I used for both examples:
Tip 2: Remember - in Paint Shop Pro you can paint with both your foreground and background colors easily - the left mouse
button paints with the foreground color, right mouse button with the background color. You can easily get a simple embossed or drop shadow effect
by 'stamping' a custom brush once in one color, then carefully moving your brush tip any direction by 1 or 2 pixels, and stamping again in a
contrasting color. This works best with brushes that have at least some fairly defined edges.
Stamped first in black, then up 1 pixel and left 1 pixel and stamped in green.
See how flat this one looks in comparison?
Stamped in white, then down 1 pixel and right 1 pixel and stamped in green.
Just the green stamp, for comparison.
Tip 3: I'm sure if you have PSP 7 that you already know this, but just in case: you can resize custom brushes in the
Tool Options palatte the same way you would resize a standard brush! This is incredibly handy, and Photoshop can't do it -
not even version 6! hehehe However, if you're using a brush with text, and you want that text readable, it's best to use it at
its original size. You do lose some detail when resizing a brush the same way you would if you resized any image.
This section is written with Vered's incredibly fantastic brush images in mind. If you don't know what I mean, go to
VBrush and when you get to the archives, click on the "Photoshop 5.5 Image"
links to the right of each brush sample.
By the way, if you make something with Vered's (or anyone else's) brushes and put it up on the web, don't forget to give credit.
It's not difficult to include a small note on your webpage saying "I used some of Vered's cool brushes" and add a link to VBrush.
But if you don't do it, it basically amounts to copyright infringement. Plus it'd just be rude. I'm sure an email telling her how
and where you used them would be much appreciated too. Feedback works the same way for artists as it does for fanfic writers, as
I'm sure you all know. ;-)
Well, there I go ranting again. hehe Seriously though, I think people in general are extremely generous and kind as long as they're
shown simple courtesy and consideration. But it only takes a few people abusing that generosity to ruin it for everyone else. If we all
just took a minute to consider other people's feelings... well, now I just sound like a cliché, so...
We now return you to your regularly scheduled tutorial. Thank you for your patience. ::grin::
So Vered has been kind enough to make the source images for her brushes available for the benefit of anyone who doesn't have access to
Photoshop 6. The images that are small enough can be easily converted into brushes for PSP. But as for the larger ones... well, we could
resize them, but we'd lose a lot of the detail and qualities that make them so great! Here are a few other ways you can use them in
Paint Shop Pro.
#1: The most obvious use, of course, is simply to add the image as a new layer and play with the layer blend modes. In the
examples below, I didn't even have to remove the white part of the brush image. The layer blend mode hides it for me.
Blend mode: normal
Blend mode: darken
Blend mode: multiply
Blend mode: burn
#2: The next idea is a bit more involved. We're going to turn the brush images into textures. This works
best for the really large images that have a fairly consistent, all over pattern - but you can use it with anything. I'm going to use
Vered's DashGrid as an example. You could make it a texture as it is, but if you want it to simulate the look you'd get from using it
as a brush in Photoshop 6, you'll need to apply Colors | Negative Image first. Now save the image as a .bmp file to your PSP Textures
folder (probably C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 7\Textures). Now open a new image (or add a new raster layer to the
image you want to paint it on) - any background color you choose. Select a contrasting color for your foreground color. Now activate
your foreground texture by clicking and holding the foreground texture button and choosing the textured square, then click and release
on the foreground texture button to bring up the Textures dialogue box. Scroll through your available textures and select the one you
just saved (if it isn't there, you either didn't save it as a .bmp file or you saved it to the wrong folder). Select your preferred
paint tool, and paint away.
Flood fill with black on white background
Paintbrush with black on white background
When you're painting with a texture, think of the texture as being a drapery or curtain, and the paint as being sunlight.
A dark curtain doesn't let much light through, right? But a light, sheer curtain lets a lot of light through. And a lace curtain like
grandma had lets the light through in a pattern. Does that make sense? ;-) So very dark textures will apply very little paint to your image,
while very light textures apply a lot of paint.
The one drawback to using the brush images this way is that you don't have much control over the placement. Of course, that's easily solved -
you just paint the texture onto its own raster layer. Then grab the mover tool and put it wherever you want it.
#3: Use the image as a mask. Yeah - I know. Masks in PSP are confusing. Everybody says so. I thought so too
until I took the time to learn them - now I couldn't do without them. Though I had planned on doing a mask tutorial, I don't see that
happening anytime soon. Instead, I suggest doing a search for 'PSP Mask Tutorial' on Google.
paintbrush tool
clone tool
color replacer tool
retouch tool
eraser
air brush
