Define brush preset button isn't active

I'm trying to make a brush border a brush but the define brush preset button isn't active. How can i make it active?

"brush border"
Is that vector? Might need to rasterize it.

Are you trying to apply a designated Brush to a Path?

If that is the case, first select the Brush tool and choose a Brush style and size.

Then take the Path Selection tool and Select your Path;

Now go to the Paths palette's fly-out menu and choose Stroke Path …

In the next dialog, choose "Brush".

these are the steps im using to create the brush.
bring image into PS. Covert background layer to layer. Add layer on top and fill with white. Drag layer under image layer. Add layer mask on image layer. Start painting the border. When finished, select layer mask to show actual border. Save all and copy. Covert layer mask back to image and add layer on top of image. Paste border into mask. Select all and go to define brush preset. Define brush preset is not active??

When i use these same exact steps on another computer with CS2 the brush preset button is active and i can create a brush of the border. Please help.

I am afraid that i cannot visualize what you are doing from your description.

Can you post a Screen shot?

Try using pixentral to do that:
<http://www.pixentral.com/>

It helps if this selection is made using the marquee tool, and then going straight away to Edit/Define Brush Preset - its not a button - make sure you are not in some strange image mode.

Here is a screen shot < http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1rIqrUZ1TzIhQ17cQd FmZhyYqta90>
I'm selecting the border on the screen and going to (edit- define brush preset.) As i was quickly reproducing the steps the define brush preset button was active. It would be nice to know what caused the issue so the next time it happens i'll know how to fix it. I've tried it a half a dozen time with out it being active.
thanks. Owen

As i expected in now won't let me use the preset brush again.

Try flattening that file and Converting to Grayscale.

Now Select All and go to Edit menu/Define Brush Preset.

You have to select an ACTIVE PIXEL LAYER, and not a layer mask - and for some reason Select All (command A) doesn't work, maybe thats what you are doing? There are still many strange glitches like this

Mark:

I tried it on Owen's Screen Shot which was, of course, flattened.

Commanding All on a Grayscale version of his flattened file worked perfectly for me — but he hasn't come back to let us know if it worked for him

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried flattening the image selecting all and the define brush appeared allowing me to create the brush. Hopefully it will continue to work.
I originally got the workflow from a video ( http://www.peachpit.com/podcasts/episode.aspx?e=85db4064-6c5 5-4b47-a32f-538b6bb7904d)
Matt Kloskowski w/ lightroom had on his site. Following it step by step he doesn't flatten the image. He only selects the pasted border which is in a new layer and goes to define brush and creates the brush. I'm can only assume there is a bug that doesn't allow this to happen all the time. Anyway it's working now and i appreciate everyone's help. Owen,

I'm can only assume there is a bug that doesn't allow this to happen all the time.

I'm going to guess you had the layer mask targeted when trying to define a new brush.

As you can see by the screen shot im on a new layer not not mask. If watch the video towards the end you'll see that Matt doesn't flatten the layers to create the brush.

< http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1VXKVuh1PdHOXAzoJ1 PufinOfLZtdB>

With the exact set-up in your screen-shot, Edit>Define Brush Preset is grayed-out?

yes

Can you post a screen-shot of that... with Define Brush Preset grayed-out in the Edit menu? (Use Grab to capture a Timed Screen shot)

Good suggestion Charles. But not necessarily, when I was playing around I had an image where I was making a rectangular selection to the image borders, this ALLOWED creation of a brush, and Select All didn't - the same image

Can't reproduce that Mark.
But I don't know why any selecting is required to define a brush based on the tutorial he references. Just going Edit>Define Brush Preset should work.