Define brush preset button isn’t active

OD
Posted By
Owen Dawson
Sep 25, 2008
Views
758
Replies
19
Status
Closed
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?
Related Tags
activate brush button preset

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CB
charles badland
Sep 25, 2008
"brush border"
Is that vector? Might need to rasterize it.
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Sep 25, 2008
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".
OD
Owen Dawson
Sep 27, 2008
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.
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Sep 27, 2008
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/>
MR
Mark_Reynolds
Sep 27, 2008
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.
OD
Owen Dawson
Sep 27, 2008
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
OD
Owen Dawson
Sep 27, 2008
As i expected in now won’t let me use the preset brush again.
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Sep 27, 2008
Try flattening that file and Converting to Grayscale.

Now Select All and go to Edit menu/Define Brush Preset.
MR
Mark_Reynolds
Sep 29, 2008
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
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Sep 29, 2008
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
OD
Owen Dawson
Sep 30, 2008
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,
CB
charles badland
Sep 30, 2008
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.
OD
Owen Dawson
Oct 1, 2008
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.
OD
Owen Dawson
Oct 1, 2008
< http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1VXKVuh1PdHOXAzoJ1 PufinOfLZtdB>
CB
charles badland
Oct 1, 2008
With the exact set-up in your screen-shot, Edit>Define Brush Preset is grayed-out?
OD
Owen Dawson
Oct 1, 2008
yes
CB
charles badland
Oct 1, 2008
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)
MR
Mark_Reynolds
Oct 2, 2008
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
CB
charles badland
Oct 2, 2008
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.

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