Where to find and install brushes in Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint stores brushes in a dedicated panel on the right side of your workspace. To add new brushes, you download them from the Clip Studio Assets website, import them into the program, and they appear in your brush library ready to use. The process takes about five minutes and works the same way whether you're on Windows, Mac, iPad, or Android.

Most brushes come as a single file with a .brush or .abr extension. When you open that file, Clip Studio Paint automatically installs it into the correct folder. You don't need to manually move files around or restart the program.

Key Takeaways

  • Downloaded brush files open directly in Clip Studio Paint and install automatically — you don't need to move them to a specific folder.
  • The Clip Studio Assets website has thousands of free and paid brushes organized by type, and you can filter by what you're drawing.
  • After installing a brush, it appears in the Brush panel under a new folder with the brush set's name.
  • If a brush doesn't show up after installation, restart Clip Studio Paint and check the correct brush panel tab.

Downloading brushes from Clip Studio Assets

The official source for Clip Studio brushes is the Clip Studio Assets website. Open your web browser and go to assets.clip-studio.com. You'll see a search bar and categories like "Brushes", "Materials", and "3D Models" across the top. Click Brushes to see what's available.

You can search by name or browse by category — pencils, inks, watercolor, texture, special effects, and many others. Each brush listing shows a preview image, a description, and whether it's free or costs money. Click the brush you want, then click the download button. If you're not signed into your Clip Studio account, the site will ask you to log in first.

Downloaded files go to your computer's Downloads folder by default. Some brushes come as a single file; others come in a compressed folder you need to unzip first. If you see a folder, right-click it and select "Extract All" (Windows) or double-click it (Mac) to unzip the contents.

Installing brushes by opening them in Clip Studio Paint

The easiest way to install a brush is to double-click the .brush file directly from your Downloads folder. Clip Studio Paint will open automatically, show you a preview of the brush, and ask you to confirm the installation. Click OK or Install, and you're done.

If double-clicking doesn't work, open Clip Studio Paint first, then go to File > Open and navigate to your Downloads folder. Select the brush file and click Open. The same installation dialog will appear. This method also works if you've downloaded a .abr file (the Adobe Photoshop brush format that Clip Studio Paint can read).

After installation, close the dialog and look at the Brush panel on the right side of your screen. Scroll down to find a new folder with the brush set's name. Your new brushes are inside that folder, organized the same way they were on the Clip Studio Assets website.

Finding your brushes after installation

Newly installed brushes appear in the Brush panel, which is usually docked on the right side of Clip Studio Paint. If you don't see the Brush panel, go to Window > Brush to open it. At the top of the panel, you'll see several tabs — make sure you're on the Brush tab, not the Pen or Decoration tabs.

Scroll down through the list of brush folders. Your new brushes will be in a folder labeled with the brush set's name — for example, "Watercolor Brushes" or "Ink Pens". Click the folder to expand it and see all the brushes inside. Click any brush to select it, and it becomes active in your canvas.

If you installed multiple brush sets, each one gets its own folder. You can collapse folders you don't use often by clicking the arrow next to the folder name, which keeps your brush panel organized.

Importing brushes from other sources

Not all brushes come from Clip Studio Assets. If you've downloaded a brush from another website or received one from another artist, you can still install it the same way — double-click the file or open it through File > Open. Clip Studio Paint accepts .brush files (its native format) and .abr files (Adobe Photoshop format).

Some third-party brush packs come as a folder containing many individual brush files. If that's the case, you can install them one at a time by opening each file, or you can drag the entire folder into Clip Studio Paint's brush folder. On Windows, that folder is usually at C:\Users\[Your Name]\AppData\Roaming\Celsys\ClipStudio\Material\Brush. On Mac, it's at ~/Library/Application Support/Celsys/ClipStudio/Material/Brush.

Troubleshooting brushes that don't appear

If you installed a brush but it doesn't show up in the Brush panel, the most common cause is that Clip Studio Paint was still running when you installed it. Close the program completely and reopen it. The brush should appear after the program restarts.

Another possibility is that you're looking in the wrong tab. Make sure you're on the Brush tab at the top of the panel, not Pen, Decoration, or Material. If the brush set is there but collapsed, click the arrow next to the folder name to expand it.

If the brush file won't open at all, check that it has the correct file extension — .brush or .abr. If the file is named something like mybrush.zip or mybrush.rar, it's still compressed and needs to be unzipped first. Right-click the file and select "Extract All" to unzip it, then try opening the brush file inside.

Organizing your brushes after installation

As you install more brushes, your Brush panel can become crowded. Clip Studio Paint lets you create custom folders to organize brushes by type or project. Right-click in the Brush panel and select New Folder. Name it something like "My Favorites" or "Watercolor", then drag brushes into that folder to organize them.

You can also rename or delete brush sets you no longer use. Right-click a brush folder and select Rename or Delete. Deleting a folder removes it from the panel but doesn't delete the original file from your computer, so you can always reinstall it later if you change your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Photoshop brushes in Clip Studio Paint?

Yes. Clip Studio Paint reads Adobe Photoshop .abr files. Download or find a Photoshop brush, then double-click it or open it through File > Open in Clip Studio Paint. It will install the same way as a native Clip Studio brush.

Do I need to restart Clip Studio Paint after installing a brush?

Usually not, but if a brush doesn't appear in the panel after installation, close and reopen Clip Studio Paint. This refreshes the brush library and makes sure the program recognizes the new file.

Where do downloaded brushes go on my computer?

When you install a brush by opening it in Clip Studio Paint, the program moves it to its internal brush folder automatically. You don't need to do anything with the original file in your Downloads folder — you can delete it after installation if you want to save space.

Can I share brushes I've installed with another artist?

Yes, if the brush's license allows it. You can find the original brush file in Clip Studio Paint's brush folder (see the "Importing brushes from other sources" section for the folder path) and send it to another artist. They can install it the same way you did.

What's the difference between .brush and .abr files?

.brush is Clip Studio Paint's native format and supports all of the program's brush features. .abr is Adobe Photoshop's format and works in Clip Studio Paint, but some advanced features may not transfer. For the best results, download brushes made specifically for Clip Studio Paint from the Clip Studio Assets website.