Importing ABR, GIMP and MyPaint brushes into Paint by Zaweba

Most digital artists collect brushes over the years: packs bought from favourite illustrators, free sets downloaded long ago, brushes made for one project and kept for the next. Moving to a new editor shouldn't mean leaving them behind. Paint by Zaweba reads brushes from the main formats you are likely to have, and it can write a set back out for use elsewhere.

What it can import

Edit > Painting > Import Brushes is the command to use. It reads Photoshop-format .abr files, which is by far the most common format for brush packs online. Versions 1 and 2 are supported, and for version 6 and later it reads the sampled tips and the presets, including their dynamics. Dynamics are the settings that make a brush respond to pressure, scatter its dabs or vary size and angle as you paint, so imported brushes behave much more like they did in their original home than a bare tip would.

It also reads the GIMP brush formats. .gbr is a single brush tip, .gih is an image hose, a brush that cycles through several tips as you paint, and .vbr is GIMP's simple shape-based brush. And it reads MyPaint .myb brushes, so painters who have used MyPaint's large library of natural media brushes can bring those across too.

What it can export

Edit > Presets > Export Brushes as .abr writes your brushes as a version 2 .abr set. Version 2 is an old and widely read form of the format, so the file is easy to share with someone using another program. It is a good way to back up a collection of tips you have made, or to hand a set of stamps to a colleague.

Making imports useful

Import in batches rather than all at once. A folder of fifty packs will flood the brush list, and you will spend more time scrolling than painting. Bring in the sets you actually use, try them, and delete the ones you don't.

Test imported brushes at several sizes. Sampled tips are images, and a small tip enlarged a lot will look soft. If a brush looks blurry at large sizes, it was probably made small, and you will get better results using it smaller.

Check the dynamics. Some brushes depend heavily on pen pressure or tilt. With a mouse they may look very different from the preview. If you work with a mouse, consider adjusting the brush so it doesn't rely on pressure.

Name and save your favourites as tool presets. A tool preset keeps the brush together with the tool's options, so your favourite imported inking brush, with the right stabiliser and size, is one click away.

Brushes you make yourself

You don't need a pack to have a custom brush. Define Brush from Selection turns any selected area into a brush tip, which is handy for stamps, textures and quick effects. The Brushes panel lets you change the tip's shape and behaviour, including erodible tips that wear down like a pencil or chalk.

When you have built up a set you like, export it as .abr so it is safe outside the app and easy to share.

A note on licences

Brush packs come with their own licences. Many free brushes allow personal and commercial use; some don't. Importing a pack into Paint by Zaweba doesn't change its licence, so check the terms before using a paid or free pack in client work.

Being able to bring old brushes across is one of the things that makes switching editors painless, and with these import options most of what you have collected will feel at home straight away.