Exporting brush folders in Photoshop allows you to back up your custom brush organizations and share collections of brushes easily. While a provided reference shows how to export a single brush preset with its settings, the process for exporting entire folders of brushes involves using the Brushes panel menu.
Here’s how to export brush folders from Photoshop:
Exporting Brush Folders
The standard method for exporting entire brush sets or folders in Photoshop involves accessing the brush management features directly from the Brushes panel.
-
Open the Brushes Panel:
- Navigate to the menu bar at the top of Photoshop.
- Click on Window > Brushes. This will open the Brushes panel.
-
Access the Panel Menu:
- In the top-right corner of the Brushes panel, you will see a small icon with three horizontal lines (the panel menu).
- Click this icon to open the panel menu options.
-
Select Export:
- From the dropdown menu that appears, choose Export Selected Brushes.
-
Choose Brushes/Folders to Export:
- A dialog box will open showing all your currently loaded brushes and folders.
- Click on the specific folders or individual brushes you wish to export. You can select multiple items by holding down the Ctrl (Windows) / Cmd (Mac) key while clicking, or select a range by clicking the first item, holding down the Shift key, and clicking the last item.
-
Export and Save:
- Once your selection is made, click the Export button in the dialog box.
- Choose a location on your computer to save the brush file.
- Enter a name for your brush file (it will be saved as an
.abrfile). - Click Save.
This .abr file contains the exported brushes and their organization within the selected folders, ready to be imported into Photoshop on another computer or at a later time.
Note on Exporting Single Brush Presets with Settings
The provided reference ([0:01-1:20] from "Exporting Brush With Settings | Photoshop Tips 1 MIN - YouTube") demonstrates a different method, specifically for exporting a single brush preset along with its currently adjusted settings.
According to this reference, if you have adjusted the settings for a specific brush and want to save it as a new preset:
- Go to the Brush Settings area (often accessible from the Options bar when a brush tool is active, or via the Brush Settings panel).
- Click on the Settings menu icon within that panel (as indicated visually in the video).
- From the menu, select New Brush Preset.
This process saves the individual brush tip shape and its dynamic settings (like scattering, shape dynamics, etc.) as a single, new brush preset within your current brush list. It is a useful feature for saving variations of a brush but does not export entire folders or existing brush sets as a shareable .abr file in the same way the Brushes Panel export function does. The video snippet shows this specific workflow for capturing a single brush with its custom properties.
Understanding the difference between saving/exporting a single preset with settings and exporting entire sets/folders as an .abr file is key to managing your Photoshop brushes effectively.
