Creating a brush palette

Create Unique Brush Effects Using Palettes

Create a truly unique set of brushes by combining filters and patterns with your standard brushes. These palettes can then be shared amongst colleagues via e-mail, or they can be subscribed to using Productivity Manager, meaning updates can be pushed out automatically, ensuring all of your team are using the same effects.

Adding filters and patterns to a paintbrush

Any mark you make on a page can be converted into a custom brush, and using the action menu in the Brushes Library you can assign any filter created in the Filter Browser to that brush. And if you select a pattern in the Patterns Library, that pattern will be replicated throughout any brush mark you make. However, Palettes allow you to save specific brushes with specific filters and patterns, which saves you from having to switch between filters in the Brushes Library, or change the filter in the Patterns Library.

Create your custom brush shape using the Brush Tool and adding it into the Brushes Library.
Create a filter using the Filter Browser, then select this effect from the cog menu in the Brushes Library.
Choose what settings you apply to the brush by double clicking on the settings handler in the Brushes Library and make sure the settings you wish to be included are ticked.
Add these settings to the Palette by dragging the handler to your Palette.
Set the pattern you wish to add to the effect you are building by opening the Patterns Library and selecting the pattern you wish to use in conjunction with your Brush Tool.
Add this to the action button in the Palette by dragging the handler from the Patterns Library onto the action button you added when you dragged the handler from the Brushes Library.
Select the Brush Tool in the Tools Palette, then drag the handler from the Tools Palette onto the button you have created in the Palette. By doing this, you are automating the selection of the Brush Tool when this button is clicked.
Now, every time you press this button, your tool will automatically be set to the brush, and it will use the effect you created with the filter and pattern.

Delete

Tip: Take a snapshot of the effect and paste that into the action handler settings so that you can identify the effect at a glance. You can also rename it to something appropriate.

Editing the properties of the Brush Tool using a Palette

Regular users of the Brush Tool will be familiar with its editor:

This editor can be accessed directly from a Palette. To do this:

⌥ (option key) click on the relevant button in the Palette
Click on the spanner icon beside the Brush Tool action and the editor will open:

You can now edit the properties of the Brush Tool directly inside the Palette.

Coming soon in AVA 5.9 - A new way to create Palettes

For more information on these changes please click here‍.

Adding filters and patterns to a paintbrush

Create your custom brush shape using the Brush Tool and adding it into the Brushes Library.
Create a filter using the Filter Browser, then select this effect from the drop down menu in the Brushes Library.
Choose what settings you apply to the brush by double clicking on the settings handler in the Brushes Library and make sure the settings you wish to be included are ticked.
Add these settings to the Palette by dragging the handler to your Palette or by searching for the Brush Tool in the Palette window
Set the pattern you wish to add to the effect you are building by opening the Patterns Library and selecting the pattern you wish to use in conjunction with your Brush Tool.
Add this to the action button in the Palette by dragging the handler from the Patterns Library onto the action button you added when you dragged the handler from the Brushes Library or by searching for the Pattern option in the Palette Window and dragging this onto your existing button.
Select the Brush Tool in the Tools Palette, then drag the handler from the Tools Palette onto the button you have created in the Palette. Or use the Selected Tool option in the Palette window. By doing this, you are automating the selection of the Brush Tool when this button is clicked.
Now, every time you press this button, your tool will automatically be set to the brush, and it will use the effect you created with the filter and pattern.