CustomBrushesMini v2.2

[wprather42]

If this is the wrong place to post this how-to I apologize, just let me know where I should go instead!

Just installed CBM and find it wonderful but lacking in help.

The right frame that shows the custom bruses to choose from has a dropdown for "all categories", which seems to be the default.

Is there a way to add categories?

Thanks!

[null54]

Is there a way to add categories?

 

To add categories you need to create sub-folders in the custom brushes folder with an _ before the desired category name.

[Hypure]

I need to remove brushes because I have some that look identical in the window to those I have upgraded, but are very different.  If the brushes had a label I wouldn't have this problem, but their not....  Not to mention I have a bunch of unused brushes... Thank you!

Edited January 24, 2016 by Hypure

[toe_head2001]

So what's stopping you from removing them?

 

Go back into the same directory where you added the custom Brushes, and simply delete the ones you don't want.

[Hypure]

Highlighting them then pressing DEL doesn't work, there is not  RMB drop down menu when you click on them, there is no button in the tools' window that specifies delete. I don't know what you mean by "directory"  you ad brushes in brushes mini window on the right of the tool.....If by directory you mean the folder where I have my brushes, it doesn't matter if I delete them from there....  I looked in program files for brushes, or a link to where "brushes mini" is caching but I can't find it.

[toe_head2001]

The brushes are in this directory:

%UserProfile%\Documents\paint.net User Files\Custom Brushes

Simply copy & paste that into Run or your Explorer Window

[Hypure]

Thank you Toehead! That solves my problem.  

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Previous five posts merged from a separate thread into this one.

[JaneBlue]

I'm sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I couldn't find any newer ones about the custombrushesmini plugin. I installed the plugin and added an .abr brush, but it just paints black blotches. Would I be correct in assuming that's because it's painting with all the brushes in the .abr file? I think there were 10 brushes in this set.

 

Also, in another thread there was a tutorial on installing the plugin. In it, the member said to move three files to the effects folder, but only two of them were in the download. Since I have the plugin available in the tools menu, I wondered if the missing file is the problem with all the brushes being shown as one?

 

Thanks.

[AndrewDavid]

Hi @JaneBlue

Welcome to the forum 

 

Yes your assumptions are correct. 

First of all when dealing with .arb files there are two ways to handle them. Paint has a plugin that will read them, import them and show you all the layers.

There is also a small app out there (ARBViewer) that will read and convert them as well.

 

Brush mini only needs 1 layer of the file to work with. Selecting that layer and saving it as a .png will allow you to import the brush into the plugin properly.

 

Hope this helps 

[JaneBlue]

Hi Andrew,

 

Thank you for the welcome and the reply. I had installed the ABR viewer but didn't see it anywhere. I figured out I could use it to open the .abr file, but only if I selected that file type in the "Open" dialog box. It wouldn't see the abr files if I had "all files" selected. You say the standalone app will convert the abr files to png? Do you have to do it one brush (layer) at a time, or will it convert an abr file with multiple brushes into individual files in one operation?

 

I was surprised to see, when I tried to fill the brush with a color, that it filled the entire brush selection, transparent part included. I found if I switched the fill to "overlay" I could fill the pattern, but any disconnected parts would have to be filled individually. That's a tedious process for a grunge pattern as there are many, many scratches and texture areas that are not connected. Do you know if there's a way to fill the entire paint area of the brush all at once without filling the transparent areas, too?

 

Lastly, do you know if the team behind PDN is planning to incorporate a better custom brush system? It's a great program, but the brush system is rather primitive (from a user perspective, I know nothing about programming). Are suggestions welcomed/encouraged at all?

 

Thanks for your time, Andrew!

Edited July 17, 2017 by JaneBlue

[AndrewDavid]

Hello again @JaneBlue

 

abrViewer.net 1.0.2 is the app I was referring to. It did put a shortcut on my desktop when installed. It will export thumbnails of the brushes all at once into the folder you specify. I keep all my abr files in one folder then double click on the specific file to see a preview. Import the thumbnail into custombrushesmini and size as required. Brush sizes are usually over 2000 px and you would do bettter to import them into paint using the ARBfiletype plugin. Thats where you get them in layers and have to save them individually as .pngs

 

BrushFactory is another plugin that does the same thing as custombrushmini but with a few more options. You should have a look at that one too. 

 

As for coloring - I'm not sure they are meant for that. They are brushes. In the BrushMini app you select the color you want to use. Or use the brush as grey-scale then color the canvas in paint. Creating duplicate layers and coloring the bottom layer works well for me. You can use the shape of the top layer to remove any overages.

 

50 minutes ago, JaneBlue said:

Lastly, do you know if the team behind PDN is planning to incorporate a better custom brush system?

Might be on Ricks long todo list.

 

Hope this all helps you get the most out of your grunge brushes 

 

 

[MJW]

18 hours ago, JaneBlue said:

I'm sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I couldn't find any newer ones about the custombrushesmini plugin.

 

Posting to plugin threads is always proper, no matter how old the thread is.

 

Quote

11) Don't reply to very old threads. Also known as "reviving" or "resusitating" old/dead threads. Also called "necroposting" (eww). If there has been no discussion in a thread for, say, 3 months ... then it is dead. Do not reply to it -- pretend like it is locked. If you reply to it, then the thread will be immediately locked and your post may be deleted. Please just create a new thread if you have something to say about that subject. However, this rule does not apply to The Overflow, Tutorials, Pictorium, or Plugins sections of the forum.

 

[JaneBlue]

@AndrewDavid

 

Thanks again, Andrew. Yeah, I figured out the "coloring" thing later on. I'm used to another program where you can make a selection that doesn't include the transparent part of the brush. You can create some interested effects using gradients to color the brush that way.

 

I'll check out Brush Factory, too. Appreciate the tip and your time.

 

Edited to add: Just tried Brush Factory. It's closer to what I'm used to so I like it. Now to check out the abrviewer you mentioned. Thanks again!

 

Thanks @MJW. I've been a moderator before, and in my experience, some folks just don't like old threads being revived. Haven't seen enough of this forum (yet) to know how friendly it is so I was just playing it safe. Appreciate the time you spent to clarify the rules.

 

Edited again to add: Andrew, I tried version abrViewer 1.0.2, then tried 2.0, which came out a few months later. Not that much difference but I thought I'd mention it to you in case you didn't know about the newer version. It just adds an Options item to the file menu with a couple of settings, and adds a "folders" and "favorites" tab to the interface, with button to "load brushes" - otherwise there seems to be no difference. I'll probably use the newer version since the load brushed button is handy. 

Edited July 18, 2017 by JaneBlue
Add info.

[AndrewDavid]

@JaneBlue ! 

Thanks for the heads up about 2.0 

[Zyst]

This is a great solution for a problem I was having! I hope more people are aware of this plugin's availability!

 

It's a little tricky because it doesn't work with layers very nicely. But if I load up the brush, and then modify the underlying layer, and then *undo that*, it is easy enough to just use the "Repeat Effect" option to apply it to the layer I did want to use a custom brush on. Not super elegant, but it works great! Thanks!

Edited September 27, 2021 by Zyst