It is very easy to Install Adobe Brushes in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (which we assume that you are using as a lower version would just be too lacking in great Photoshop features). In most cases all you have to do is follow a few easy steps and the installation will be really fast. The great thing about Adobe Brushes is the fact that they do not occupy a lot of hard disk space and you can start using them as soon as they are installed. Here is what you have to do to Install the Brushes:
1. Unzipping Files if Needed
Most Adobe Photoshop Brushes are offered for download in sets and archived. In most cases the archive type is .ZIP or .RAR. This is done in order to make it easier for you to download the brushes and to reduce the time needed to do so. Before you will be able to use the new files you will have to extract them. Windows and Mac OS X have built in extraction of zip files. However, in the event that you are not able to extract the files, you will have to download an Archiver like WinZip for Windows or Stuffit Expander for MAC. This will allow you to extract any file from any archive and not just the free or paid Photoshop Brushes that you have access to.
2. Installing the Adobe Photoshop Brush
The Adobe Photoshop Brush has the extension “.abr” You have to place this file in the appropriate folder. In Mac the folder will most likely be:
/Users/{username}/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS3/Presets/Brushes
In Windows the default folder is:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop\Presets\Brushes
In the event that you installed Adobe Photoshop in another folder you will have to move the ABR file in the appropriate location.
The next step is to open Adobe Photoshop. Go to Active Brush Tool and then open the Option Pallete. Click on so that you open the included Brush Preset Picker. In the right upper corner you will notice a small triangle. Click on it. A list will appear and you have to choose “Load Brushes”. Next just choose the downloaded ABR file and the new tremendous pallete you got will be ready for use.