How to Add/Install Brushes to Adobe Illustrator (4 Steps)

You can quickly import brushes into Adobe Illustrator from the Brushes panel, and the new brushes will be added to your Brushes Library. If you want to add a brush that you create in Illustrator, simply drag the vector brush to the Brushes panel.

I use brushes all the time, but Adobe Illustrator just doesn’t have enough preset brushes. I often have to add new brushes to enhance my brushes library.

For example, I use brushes to design a chalkboard-style menu by applying stroke style to simple lines. Sometimes I use watercolor brushes to draw, border-style brushes to separate text, etc. There are so many things you can do with the brushes.

Can’t wait to show you how to install brushes and how to use Adobe Illustrator brushes along with some useful tips.

First thing first, find the brushes.

Where Are the Brushes in Illustrator?

Note: Screenshots are taken on Mac, the Windows version might look different.

You can find brushes in the Brush panel. If it’s not shown next to your artboard, you can do a quick setup: Window > Brushes (keyboard shortcut F5). Then you should see it together with other tool panels.

As you can see, there are only limited options for brushes.

But you can find more preset brushes in the Brush Libraries.

If you can’t find an ideal brush for your project, then you might want to download some brushes online and use them in Adobe Illustrator.

I do have some cool brushes to share:

How to Add Brushes to Adobe Illustrator

You can go to Brush Libraries > Other Library to add your new brushes to Illustrator.

Step 1: Unzip your downloaded brush file on your computer. It should be in ai file format.

Step 2: Find the Brushes panel, Open Brush Libraries > Other Library.

Step 3: Locate your desired unzip the brush file, and click Open. For example, my file is located in the download folder.

The new brush library should pop up.

Step 4: Click on the brush you want to use and it will show under the Brushes panel.

Congratulations! Now you can try them out.

If want to make a brush in Adobe Illustrator, and add it to your brushes library, that’s a different story.

In this case, select the object that you want to turn into a brush, and drag it to the Brushes panel. Let’s say I want to make a star brush in Illustrator using this shape.

Select the star and drag it to the Brushes panel. You’ll see the brush type options.

Choose a brush type and click OK.

Adjust the settings or leave it as it is. Click OK and you’ll see your new star brush in the Brushes panel.

2 Ways to Use Brushes in Adobe Illustrator

Now that you have your new brushes installed, you can start playing with them. Brushes are commonly used to draw or style a path.

Method 1: Paintbrush Tool (B)

Select a brush you like in the brush library and draw on the Artboard. For example, I selected the brush I added and drew a path.

Method 2: Apply Brush Style to Path

Want to make your design more stylish and fun? Easy! All you have to do is select the path you want to stylize and click on the brush you want to apply.

Here I have a dull rectangle and text ready.

Then I apply the Samoan brush to the rectangle and the Polynesian brush to HOLA. See the difference?

What Else?

Below you can find answers to a couple of commonly asked questions you might have about adding or using brushes in Illustrator.

How to edit brushes in Adobe Illustrator?

Want to make the path thinker, thinner, or what to change color or opacity? You can edit the brush stroke in Properties > Appearance.

Can I import brushes from Photoshop to Illustrator?

Although both software have brushes, you cannot import Photoshop brushes to Illustrator. When you paint with a brush in Photoshop, it becomes a raster image and Illustrator cannot edit raster images.

Final Words

You can add new brushes to Illustrator in four simple steps. Whether you are using the paintbrush to draw or applying brushes to your created paths, your stylish design will look great.

Have fun with the new brushes!