If you have ever done any design work in Adobe Photoshop you are likely well aware of the awesome set of brush choices. If you love working with Adobe Illustrator you may be wondering how you can install ABR brushes so you can create the same awesome effects you did while using Photoshop.

Installing ABR brushes in Illustrator can be done with a few simple steps. Since Illustrator cannot open .abr file extensions it will be converted to an AI file type first. Once the desired brushes have been located on your computer they can be uploaded with the click of a button.

For more information on how to install ABR brushes in illustrator and other helpful information continue reading.

Installing Better Brushes For Maximum Design Quality

If you are an artist or graphic designer you want all of your work to look the best it can and give a true representation of who you are and what you can do.

Using mediocre design tools can make your design look less than stellar. This is why so many people like to use the ABR brush set. The ABR brush set adds so much aesthetic value to any design and is extremely versatile so it can be used for many different applications.

If you are new to the lingo, an ABR brush is simply a set of brushes created by Adobe initially to be used in Photoshop. They never realized at the time that the idea of these brushes would catch on like wildfire or expected them to be used in so many other formats and programs.

This set of brushes includes all of the information for the different sizes, styles, and textures that can be associated with each brush. The creation of this type of file has made creating digital designs even easier and less time-consuming.

So many people love the different brush styles and options for adding different patterns that they want to use them in other programs. Fortunately, there is a way to import ABR brushes into other programs but today we will focus on Adobe Illustrator, continue reading to learn more.

Installing ABR Brushes In Illustrator – What to Know

Installing ABR brushes in Illustrator can be tricky if you don’t know what to look for. But once you learn the process it only takes a matter of seconds.

To successfully install ABR brushes in Adobe Illustrator, follow these steps:

1. Access the “Window” menu at the top of the screen
2. Once you have opened the “Window” menu scroll down until you find the option that says “Open Brush Menu”. This is where a small menu box pops up to give you brush options.
3. On the top of the menu near the right side is a small line of dots. Right-click on the dots to reveal another drop-down menu. Some people call these dots a “hamburger menu” because the dots are stacked on top of each other.
4. Scroll until you see the option that says “Open Brush Library”. A new drop-down menu will appear and you can scroll down and select the option that says “Other Library”.
5. This is where a file menu box will open up.
6. You need to find the location where the ABR files have been saved. Generally, they will be in a file listed “Photoshop” and then further located in a subfolder.
7. Once you locate the brush files you are looking for the next thing to do is click to open and install them into Illustrator.
8. Once installed into Illustrator you can find the brushes that you installed located in the “Brush Menu” where they can be used as you see fit.

Now that you understand how to install ABR brushes in Adobe Illustrator continue to learn more about brush styles and how they are used.

ABR Brushes – What Do They Bring to the Table?

Understanding how to install ABR brushes in Illustrator is one thing, but knowing what they do and how to use them most effectively is another.

The more you practice with the different brush styles and effects the better artist or designer you will become.

It can take some time to master all of the different effects and techniques but once you have spent some time in the program you will be able to effectively use the ABR brushes without even thinking.

Brushes allow an artist or graphic designer to:

• Paint or draw free-hand style
• Add color
• Add texture or patterns
• Edit photographs or other images
• Create new works of art
• Clarify layer masks

To use ABR brushes you need to understand the different options that are available. ABR brushes are extremely versatile and can even be customized via the “Brush Library”.

Ways to Customize Your ABR Brushes

The great thing about brushes is that they are so versatile.

The following list gives examples of the things that can be customized in the brush library:

• Different tip diameters
• Different shaped or angled tips
• Opacity levels
• Smoothing
• Dodge and burn effect
• Hardness
• Colors and patterns/designs

Now, let’s see where to open your ABR brush files.

Where to Open ABR Brush Files

If you are not editing and just need to view a document with ABR files you may be wondering what to do if you need to open and view files that have ABR files stored in them.

For example, if someone sends you a file to view and it has ABR file extensions attached you will likely need to use a design program or document viewer in order for the file to be viewed properly.

Programs that can open and/or view ABR files are:

• Adobe
• Affinity
• Corel
• GIMP
• Procreate
• ACD Systems
• Preset Viewer Breeze
• ABR Viewer

There may be other programs that can open and/or view the files as well but these are the most commonly used.

Installing ABR Brushes In Illustrator No Sweat

As you can see, as long as you know where the ABR files are saved on your computer it is not a difficult task to install them in Illustrator. Adding this dynamic brush set will help you complete your work faster and add a lot of visual appeal to your designs.