Resources: Patterns, Brushes, Custom Shapes, etc.

Post links to goodies!

Hey Maccers!
Have some fun exploring some of Chris Cox's early work.
HERE
are the original Chris's Filters, from 1995. I don't find them all useful, but I still use "Hairy Noise" and "Fractal Noise" all the time to generate organic textures. And "Checkers" comes in handy as well. I could locate a link to Chris's filters on some obscure FTP somewhere, but it's too much trouble, so I'm hosting the files on my Comcast space. He's given me written permission to redistribute the filters as long as everything included in the original folder from 1995 was intact.
And I have to wonder...screen grabs I've seen of the new "Fibre" effect in Photoshop 8 looks a LOT like "Hairy Noise."

Similar Messages

PS CS3: How to load all (Styles, Brushes, Custom Shapes, etc.)

Is there something I'm missing regarding the loading of Styles, Brushes, Gradients, whatever... - en masse?
In CS2 you could load all Styles at once, or brushes, or any other "Preset". Now in CS3, when I'm in (for example) the Styles palette and click on "Load Styles", a panel flies open to show that you are in fact looking into the directory where the Styles "live" - but there is nothing actually there to select.
Do I really have to click on one, load it, append it, repeat, repeat, repeat? I'd love to know that I'm missing something. But I've tried every means I can think of to load Presets in bulk, to no avail.
Thanks for any tips!

Yep, that was it. When you drive it to the proper directory, in the PS folder, then you can select them all and load them in one fell swoop.
Thanks so much for your time!
All the best, Kevin

Brush, Pattern, Font, Custom Shape Tool, gradient, etc organization

On record, I have over 1,000 brushes, over 1,000 fonts, and I'm making other resources on the fly. I have an issue here: I can't find anything!!
(I also have a second issue with resources and crashes, but I'll get to that later.)
Is it that hard to ask Adobe to put in some font organization, tags for brushes and a search engine for them? Sometimes it's a pain trying to find the right font, but say, I think, "Hmm.. I want a font that is remotely Western, probably serif" there is no way in Adobe Photoshop to get through all of those fonts in a timely manner which means I'm spending about 2 hours shuffling through the fonts trying to find the right one. Sure there is a panel where you can select your favorite ones, but that's not by category... there is no sane way to find the font just for you.
Same thing for brushes. Often the problem with brushes is that people lose where they've come from, meaning no credit to the brush maker and when you want, say, fairies because you need some, you can't remember where the hell they are. And if you do, you have tons of brushes to sort through. People have a compulsion to not label their brush sets properly, which drives me nuts because they also expect you to give them credit. How about Adobe gives them a leg up? Give them a space not only to name the brush, but give it tags, a name and a website where it was found at. (Not required, but can be used or even expanded down.) And give it search capability. (So I type in birds, then the brushes menu retrofits to show all brushes with the tag of birds, I delete the search line, all the brushes come back, I type in standard. All of the round brushes come up, etc. I type in spiritsighs and all of her brushes come up... and so on). Gradients, etc should be the same.
Sure you can clear your brushes, but do you know how many brush packs I have to sort through, then load to get the right one? --;; A pain. (Plus brush packs are often lost in computer crashes, harddrive wipes, etc.)
So I'm asking for a way to organize and find these resources more easily, with better searching abilities, because while the guys on Photoshop TV can afford to dump their probably thousands of brushes for a demo, isn't it kind of odd that they often say, "Where is it? "Ah there it is" in their tutorials? They've apologized at least a dozen times for the "ah there it is" and the "I'm sorry Adobe doesn't give a font organizer", but here is a crappier alternative.
I'd like this in other programs in the CS suite too. Especially the Historyless Illustrator (Illustrator needs History) and InDesign. InDesign should have had font management a long time ago--most of it is about type setting anyway.
Second part:
Crashes. You've spent 2 hours making the right brush, stayed past your bedtime, made the brush, and voila, Photoshop crashes. You've just lost 2 hours of work, your files, which in your artistic daze you forgot to save and any chance of getting that brush file back.
So I propose three fixes which are already out there in Computer land that Photoshop hasn't implemented. (And other Adobe products should also implement).
1. The auto save. When the user isn't using the screen, or at x intervals it will ask the user if they want to save, which is settable by the user (prompting and the auto-saving). Microsoft has it, Most Mac programs have it, Adobe Photoshop should also have it.
2. Generated back up files. At some intervals, instead of a full save, in case of a crash, Adobe Photoshop, when prompted will create back up files.
3. A way for Photoshop and Illustrator when creating brushes, etc to auto-save said brush when the brush is created, rather than generating a pack. Like it updates a file in Photoshop when one creates a brush. This means it will hard save to the computer and one doesn't have to make a brush pack or shut down photoshop to get the brush to save. I think this would save a lot of people heartbreak.
Minor peeve, but when I hit undo often it jumps to the previous layer I was at. I'd like an option to turn this "feature" off.

not sure if anybody mentioned this.
tumasoft.com has a product for viewing and organizing your brushes patterns etc. 25 bucks.
This should be native to Photoshop rather than from an external program. It's in many other programs,so I don't understand why Photoshop doesn't have a system native to it.
To be blunt: If that has happened more than once to you and you still don’t save useful, newly created brushes regularly you should, in my opinion, improve your workflow.
Saving a brush into a set should be doable in something like 15 seconds, less if you use Keyboard Shortcuts.
Even less than that if one automates the task with a Script (which could then be invoked either via a Keyboard Shortcut or Configurator Panel).
Let me know if you want to give it a try.
You misunderstand me. I save the brush into the brush panel, and I may have the brush in up and working, but to save the brush permanently, you have one of these options:
1. Quit Photoshop between each brush made. The Save Brush Preset was NOT a permanent solution. It should be automatically saved to a file. Such as "all". Illustrator has a similar feature, though this really needs to be streamlined for Illustrator as well.
2. Save as a brush pack. However, if you have a bunch of brushes planned, this becomes a pain to do. This means out of say the 100 brush packs you have to find it every single time and add it and even if Photoshop crashes, the brushes you saved won't show up in the brush menu, because Photoshop doesn't remember any of the brushes you made until you quit Photoshop. This means then, if you're in the middle of making a brush and Photoshop crashes, you have to bring up said brush pack.
Do you really make brushes? 'cause I do. I make lots of brushes and it annoys me to no end that when I save the brush to the brush panel it's not a permanent save, but temporary. It should be permanent and I shouldn't have to shut down Photoshop to get it to save automatically to the Photoshop Brush palette.
I spend a lot of time refining my brushes by testing them, making them, and then testing them again. When I get the brush perfect, and find that something big has happened, I expect the brushes I saved to the brush palate should have saved permanently. But test it... You can force quit Photoshop, after saving to a brush to the brush palate and find that it's not at the end of the brush palate anymore. This is wacky and should be fixed. I view it as an internal bug rather than a "feature" i.e. something they didn't think about when they gave users the ability to create their own brushes. This is very programable as other programs can do it and as you pointed out it, it is minor. Especially with the advent of workable backup files, it has become ten times easier. Since Photoshop remembers on shut down, it may be even more minor--just shifting some code from the shut down process to the "save to Brush palate" process. I wouldn't mind say 5-10 seconds more of waiting while it saves if the save ends up in a permanent save.
But as for organizing Brush Presets and Brush-name search capabilities Photoshop could indeed do with some improvements. (I still work with CS4, so I don’t know what changes exactly CS5 brought in that respect.)
Fonts on the other hand … I suspect the risks connected with implementing any expanded font-capabilities in Photoshop may be significant.
Font organizers already exist. And programs have implemented them with success without hindering the work flow. I'm proposing this in addition to the "favorites" and the type-in pull down menu, not instead of it. As there are working examples, I doubt it will be that difficult to mock up. This isn't like a new fangled idea--so making it isn't as difficult. It should have been in In Design a long, long time ago... All the Adobe Products need one. I wouldn't even mind if it was an external program that worked with the suite. (Similar to Font Book for Mac with the Coco Products)

Custom shapes display

I use PSE 8.
Over time, I have added a number of brushes, patterns, and custom shapes to the presets. And am real happy I can do so!
However, for the custom shapes, it lists them in columns from left to right and I am unable to see them all. Yes, I do have a lot!
Other than deleting, is there any other way to see them all?
Thank you!

Thanks MTS - that's a workable solution,
But I think I'm going to set up a folder in my pic files just for shapes. And I'll make a pic file of each shape that I am going to delete and save it in the shapes folder.
There are a number of shapes that I only use one or two of, so shouldn't be too time-consuming right:?!!!!
It's a shame tho that you can't delete some shapes from a file, and also add to others! Life would be so much easier!
Thanks again for your help.

How to create a transparent custom shape on a patterned background?

Hello,
I've searched the forums and google and cannot seem to find a tutorial for what it is I want to do. I have a document with guides (card template) and I want to create the same design on each grid. I want the grids to have a patterened background and I want a custom shape within it. But, I want the custom shape to be transparent, not to the background, but going through the background. Like a cookie cutter. I want the custom shape to make a hole through the patterend background, leaving nothing in its place. I'm working with CS6 and can't seem to find a tutorial on how to do this. When I create the shape and make it transparent, I can see the background which isn't what I want. I want to go through the background layer and I'm being prompted to rasterize the layer when I've tried doing so. Help is much appreciated!!!

You've gone two hours without a reply, and I suspect that is because you are not specific enough with your description of what you want to achieve. I'll try but I will be guessing some of it...
Make the shape you need to produce the pattern, with transparency for the area you need to 'punch through' as you put it, the background.
Define that shape as a pattern, and fill a layer with it using the Piant buck set to pattern.
Now control click the pattern layer to load it as a selection > Invert the selection, and add a layer mask to the underlying layer. This should show throw to the lower layer(s)
If I am not there, try uploading the Shape image you want to use as a pattern, and a screen grab of your image showing the layers panel.

Drawing Custom Curves, Shapes, S Shapes, etc.?

How do I draw symmetric curves, custom shapes, S shapes, etc?
I am a beginner, and I have PSE 6. I can upgrade to version 8 or use plugins if necessary. I’ve been googling this, but is the pencil the same as the pen? Where are the Paths options?
--> My question is I am wanting to create custom shapes. For example, a half circle curve, or an S shape. How do I do that? I’d rather not use the Marquee tool.
Attached is an example of a curve that I want to reproduce.
Thanks for any help.

multiplexed2 wrote:
How do I draw symmetric curves, custom shapes, S shapes, etc?
I am a beginner, and I have PSE 6. I can upgrade to version 8 or use plugins if necessary. I’ve been googling this, but is the pencil the same as the pen? Where are the Paths options?
--> My question is I am wanting to create custom shapes. For example, a half circle curve, or an S shape. How do I do that? I’d rather not use the Marquee tool.
Attached is an example of a curve that I want to reproduce.
Thanks for any help.
No, the pen tool is only in Photoshop. The best you can do in Elements is download shapes that have been made in Photoshop or draw out a shape and either add or subtract from the shape. You don't have a paths palette either although they exist just not accessible as in Photoshop. You'd have to save the shape file for reuse as you can't define custom shapes in Elements.
Type custom shapes Photoshop and you will probably find the shape you need in one of the many freeware sets out there. They'll say for Photoshop but you can install and use them in Elements.
For the shape of the .bmp file you posted, you can cut a rectangle shape with a circle.
1. Draw out a rectangle with the rectangle shape tool.
2. Press the subtract icon in the options bar.
3. Draw out a circle to remove the unwanted area.
4. Save the file as a PSD with a name you can remember so you can use it whenever needed.
Note: The shape will be still be vector provided you saved as a PSD so it can be resized without degrading it.
If you hover over the icons, tool tips will display telling what each one does. Here's an image of the icons you're looking for in the options bar in step #2.
Example of shape cutting...path lines are present because I haven't clicked away from the layer before taking the screen shot but useful as it shows how I cut the shape. To get the curve centered, it would be helpful to add some grids. I didn't use them in the image below and you can see I'm a little off center.

Coverting a custom shape to a brush

How do I convert a Custom Shape into a brush?
Thank You!

You'll need to flatten a Shape Layer first:
1. Draw item using the Shape tool.
2. Go to Layer menu > Flatten Image.
3. Go to Edit menu > Define Brush Preset.
Simo

Can anyone tell me how to load an image to custom shape in Photoshop? I can't save it as csh...

I've made an image, as the watermark of our photos, but I can't load it to Custom Shape in PS CS4 as I can't save it as csh. Do you know how to upload an image type file that is not csh? Or how to convert the image to csh? Thanks.

As Chris says, you can't make it into a custom shape unless you create it as a path. But you can save it as a Custom Brush (in monochrome).

MY CUSTOM SHAPE TOOL HAS DISAPPEARED

The tool CUSTOM SHAPE all of a sudden disappeared from the tool bar on the left. (where you can add text, crop, clone, etc.) I uninstalled Photoshop Elements 2.0 and reinstalled it and it's still not there. Can anybody help this grandma before I go into cardiac arrest?

Mary,
This might be your problem.
Refer to this screenshot of my PSE2 desktop:
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1ubxepKqYpQJZwRWoXkClf5otuL1Ah1
The toolbar item indicated by the red arrow activates the 7 shape tools. Whichever of these tools is active, that icon will show on the toolbar. In my example it is the Rectangle Tool. If you click on the Custom Shape Tool icon in the options bar (blue arrow), the Custom Shape Tool icon will then show on the toolbar.
If the shape tools icon on the toolbar has totally disappeared I have no idea what happened. Try resetting your preferences file (similar to shat VkSharma said). To do this, press and hold Alt-Ctrl-Shift immediately while starting PSE. The timing is critical, you may have to try this several times. A dialog box will pop up with the question "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements Settings file?". Click YES.

How to create Custom shapes in Crystal Reports ?

All,
i need to create two thickish semi circles like half donuts... each of the donut needs to be conditionally formatted depending on some values. am wondering is it possible to create half donuts ? or custom shapes for that matter to suit my requirement.

here's what i would recommend and it's a bit of work:
create a bunch of formulas that you can populate dynamically.
@green
if yourcondition1 then 1 else 0
@red
if yourcondition2 then 1 else 0
@blue
if yourcondition3 then 1 else 0
etc.
as Abhilash mentioned you need to use a Donut type chart. you create 1 formula for every colour that you want to use in the chart. you then add all of them as Show Values. you'll get a message / warning about adding all of the values but you can ignore that warning.
now you have to manually colour each part of the chart. there is a Color Expert in the chart but i would not recommend using it as it is very limited. you are better off creating one series / show value in the chart for every colour that you use and populating those formulas conditionally.
when you run the report, you need to ensure that only 2 of the formulas meet a TRUE condition. that way you'll have two halves all the time.
-jamie

Custom shape library

Hi all,
is there a way to have the custom shapes library always open on a panel, like the brush preset panel?
I am using them a lot and I don't understand why I still have to right click to select an other shape, and I cannot have it on a panel like many other tools (brushes, swatches, style, .....).
If there is a trick I missed, thank you to teach me.
thank you in advance,
regards
Thomas

Your diamond looked like it was square to me. So I centered your diamond over your canvas add a vertical guide at 50%. Measured your square to be 190 PX Dragged out a 190 PX square shape no fill 1 px red stroke. Transformed the shape rotating it 45 degrees and moved it up to align with your diamond. Dragged out a horizontal guide to match your diamond cut. Used the Pen tool to add two control points the square shape. and then use the pen tool to delete the top control point then convert control point tool to convert the two added control points.
http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/Diamond.psd

How can I rotate a pattern within a shape?

How can I rotate a pattern within a shape?

To the left of the 1 key, right below the esc key. Has the ~ and ` on it.
That key has ° and ¨ on it on my keyboard and it doesn't work.
But I found it by holding down the < key (to the left of Z).
So now I can rotate etc. patterns manually after about 3 decades of doing it numerically through the dialogue :-)
You live and learn.
Thanks Scott,
Steve.
(Maybe this helps other people with funny keyboards. What say Jacob and Monika? Or maybe theirs are even funnier.)

Pattern Brushes- steps to print

I am using AI CS2, and am designing a logo for a restaurant to be used as a neon sign in addition to menus, t-shirts, etc. this is my first real design job (i'm nervous!). so, as i developed the logo i used a pattern brush to create a rope, which the client loves. i realize that this is a bit of a no-no. how can i make the pattern brush printable?
thanks in advance!

Not to be preachy, but just a little more friendly advice, since you say this is your first real design job, and that you are nervous:
> Never send editable native AI files for someone downstream to edit unless they assume responsibility for any errors.
To elaboate: If there are errors in your file, you need to not only know about them, but you need to know how to correct them and how to avoid them in the future. Therefore, corrections should be made by you.
It necessarily follows that a beginner should especially avoid getting himself into projects with "crisis" deadlines. Leave yourself time to accommodate a round or two of edits if they become necessary.
If you are not already using Acrobat Professional, get it and get friendly with its settings. When you save your AI file as press-ready PDF, all that "live" stuff gets "normalized" to things a PostScript printer (and some other programs, like InDesign) can understand. Acrobat also has tools that Illustrator does not, like preflight checks and the ability to preview color separations to check for errors.
Do not automatically assume that everyone working at a printing house cannot / will not wreck your file. Printers hire entry-level workers, too, just like anyone else. Some of them even hire them into the pre-press room. Even an experienced pre-press worker may be less familiar with the application-specific design commands of the native program than you are.
Errors are inevitable. When disputes arise, the question invariably comes down to "who's error is it?" Work toward the day when you can confidently disallow anyone to modify your native files downstream. Correcting your own mistakes is the only way you will learn to avoid them.
Seek relationships with responsible and respected local output houses. A good printing house may not have time to give you free coaching on every project, but many are more than willing to help you understand their processes to help streamline workflows in future work you may bring them. Find one printer like that and most of the real-world knowledge you gain there will apply to other printing houses, too (even less friendly ones).
If at all possible, find opportunity to smell the ink, touch the paper, and understand the repro processes you design for. In other words, find an opportunity to spend some time in a press room, a pre-press room, and (although they are far and few between these days) a litho darkroom. If that means taking night courses at the local tech school, do that.
Understand that "the repro processes you design for" includes more than just offset commercial printing. Even in this post, you mentioned signage and t-shirts (silkscreen). There's also flexography, still used in packaging and labels. The best way to build your AI files can differ radically depending upon the target repro method.
Example: Although that "logo" (which I suspect is CMYK, correct?) may look great when prepared for offset printing, it may very well be quite disappointing when screen printed on a T-shirt. The best and "punchiest" screen printing is often not what we consider "normal" 4-color process, but leverages a wide range of possibilities inherent in screen printing, but not available in offset. One common and obvious example: Normal CMYK process assumes tranlucent inks, even in screen printing. Translucent inks look like crap on dark substrates. The best screen printing designs can be printed on colored substrates. (No one wants to
only wear white T-shirts.)
Another example: The sign industry actually
fabricates things. So it often involves devices (vector plotters--routers, cutters, engravers) entirely different from any kind of printing process. Those devices often require continuous vector paths, free of overlaps and crosscuts, not just artwork that "looks right" on screen.
A real logo (a true corporate or product identity graphic) usually has to be designed to properly accomodate all those repro disciplines.
JET

PS tutorial using custom shape tool - why is shape so huge?

I am following a PS tutorial to create a simple spot pattern. When I open the new doc and click on the custom shape to select a spot shape & place it in centre of grid, the shape is massive - way bigger than the document even. What am I doing wrong please?

Look at the three options in the options bar!

Including custom shapes in report

Hi,
I am using Web I XI R3.1 rich client. I have the requirement and would like to show the data in custom shapes in report like circles, curved rectangles etc.
The idea is instead of highlighting the complete row of condition in table i want to include the circle and highlight the circle with particular colour if condition is satisfied.
Please let me know if it is possible.
Thanks,
Eswar

I have not done it before but you can try following.
1. Have icon files (gif image) of required shares and store it on BO Server
2. not make a different column for shapes.
3. now create a variable and apply if then logic to show the respective image
4. put this variable in column and change it to show image ( i think there is property to show image url)
--Kuldeep

Resources: Patterns, Brushes, Custom Shapes, etc.

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