Illustrator

Work with brush libraries

Brush libraries (Window > Brush Libraries > [library]) are collections of preset brushes that come with Illustrator. You can open multiple brush libraries to browse through their contents and select brushes. You can also open brush libraries using the Brushes panel menu.

To automatically open a brush library when you start Illustrator, choose Persistent from the brush library’s panel menu.

Copy brushes from a brush library to the Brushes panel

 Drag the brushes to the Brushes panel or choose Add To Brushes from the brush library’s panel menu.

Import brushes into the Brushes panel from another file

 Choose Window > Brushes Libraries > Other Library and select the file.

Create new brush libraries

  1. Add the brushes you want to the Brushes panel, and delete any brushes you don’t want.
  2. Choose Save Brush Library from the Brushes panel menu, and place the new library file in the Illustrator/Presets/Brushes folder. It will appear in the Brush Libraries menu when you restart Illustrator.
    Note: If you place the file in a different folder, you can open the library by choosing Window > Brush Libraries > Other Library and selecting the library file.