How to Install Patterns in Photoshop
In this post, we cover the basics about installing patterns in Photoshop. It is a part of a series, the other parts are:
The differences between brushes and patterns in Photoshop,
Photoshop Brushes: install and create,
Photoshop Patterns: install, create #1 and #2.
This is the 4th post in the series. The next two posts will be pusblished over the next 2 days. To stay tuned about new posts, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
How to install patterns in Photoshop
A pattern is a style you can apply to content. It’s usually a small image that can be tiled seamlessly to create a pattern. Once you’ve downloaded a pattern, you will find it on your hard drive in your specified download folder. What’s next?
If your new pattern file is zipped, you have to unzip it first. You then have a .pat file that looks something like this.
Now, you have to install it in Photoshop in order to use it on your artwork.
- Navigate to your Photoshop/Presets/Patterns folder and copy the .pat file to that folder.
- In Photoshop,
- double click on the layer you want to apply the pattern to, or
- activate the ‘Pattern’ checkbox in your Brushes palette (Window/Brushes), if you want to apply the pattern to a brush
- double click on the layer you want to apply the pattern to, or
- Click on the dropdown bar in the small pattern preview box, click on the arrow to the upper right, and select ‘Load Pattern’
- Find the .pat file you just copied to the Patterns folder in step 1, and hit ‘open’.
- Select ‘Add’ from the popup box to add your new patterns to the existing ones in your palette.
That’s it! Your new pattern is now loaded and ready to use. You may have to scroll down in the pattern list to find your new brushes, as they have been added to the existing ones. The next time you open Photoshop, the new patterns will be in the pattern library already.
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If you liked this post, you might also be interested in:
- How to Install Photoshop Brushes
- How to Create Photoshop Patterns #2
- How to create and apply Custom Patterns in Photoshop
- How to Create your own Photoshop Brushes
- How to Destroy an Image like a Professional
3 Responses to “How to Install Patterns in Photoshop”
By mark on Mar 7 | Reply
I tried to do that but when i go to pattern folder to add the folder is empty?
Any help pls
By beeex happy team on Mar 7 | Reply
@ mark
You have to make sure that you have a pattern file there (with the extension .pat). Also, check where exactly you put the pattern file. Photoshop stores presets in two different locations:
a) C:\Program Files\Adobe\…\Patterns (here are the pre-installed files),
b) C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Adobe\…\Patterns (this is where you should place your files).
If you placed the .pat file in a), you should move it to b), because that’s where Adobe looks for added presets by default. But you could also navigate to a) (or any other location on your hard drive) in Photoshop.
Did that solve your problem?
By jamie on Jul 18 | Reply
clear and useful info. thanks for the help!