How to Use Photoshop Brushes in GIMP

Brushes are a great tool. From drawing simple lines to applying complex effects, a good set of brushes are a digital artist's best friend. Many users within the Photoshop community share their best brushes. Just because you use Gimp doesn't mean you have to miss out. By following a few simple steps you can use Photoshop brushes in Gimp.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Gimp (Version 2.4 or higher)
• One or more Photoshop brush files

1. 

   Check the Gimp version you are using. Before you can use Photoshop brushes in Gimp, you will need to make sure you have a version of Gimp that supports the Photoshop brush format. This means making sure you using version 2.4 or higher. To check this, open Gimp and choose "Help" from the top tool bar. Now click the About option.

2. 

   Find the brush directory. You will be putting the new Photoshop brushes in the same place as your native Gimp brushes. To find out where that is click the "File" menu and choose the "Preferences" option. Near the bottom of the list you will find the option labeled “Folders.” Click the plus sign next to the folders. This will reveal a whole list options. One of the first (if not the very first) will “Brushes.” Click on the "Brushes" icon and make note of what directory Gimp is storing your brushes in.

3. Install the Photoshop brush file. Now that you know where to put them, you can load your Photoshop brushes into Gimp. This is simply a matter of copying the ABR brush file into the folder your identified in Step 2.

4. 

   Refresh the brush list. In order to make your new brushes usable, you will need to refresh the brush list. Go to the brushes within Gimp. Click on the small paintbrush to bring up the “brush selection” dialog. From here, you will see a button marked with two arrows. Click this button and your Photoshop brushes are now ready to use in Gimp.

Tips & Warnings

• Many of the Photoshop brush files found online are packed in zip files. You will need to unzip them and use the actual ABR files in order to use these brushes in Gimp.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Get the latest version of Gimp
• Excellent Photoshop brushes from deviant art