Find a brush used previously from history in Photoshop

[Alyssarose]

I'm really frustrated atm because in the process of trying to figure this out I accidentally deleted what I was working on.

So I was using a brush to paint some moss, then I moved on to other parts of my painting. later I decided I wanted some more moss, but for the life of me I cannot remember what brush I used. Recent brushes doesn't go far back enough, is there any way to get this out of the history tab??? when I clicked on the state I was using that brush in it wouldn't switch the brush tool to that brush. I'd really like to avoid this in the future because this has happened to me countless times, if anyone could help me that would be great.

Message was edited by: Sahil Chawla

[Sahil.Chawla]

Hi Alyssa,

As you're not able to find the previously used brush in Photoshop, could you please provide some more detail about how the brush looked?

Also, if you a have a screenshot of the brush, it would really help us identify it.

Regards,
Sahil

[Alyssarose]

I have a lot of brushes I downloaded from other websites like Aaron Blaise's website, It just got lost in the huge amount of brushes I have in Photoshop. I don't think there's any way to find it other than me going through each brush individually until I can identify it.

I was only wondering if there is some way to save your brush history or if you could make the brush tool switch to a brush if you go back to the history state you used it in. Having the brush tab display "Recent Brushes" is sometimes helpful, but updates even if you just change the size of the brush. Coupled with the fact that it only saves 8 most recent brushes, it's practically useless. If there was some way to extend how many "recent brushes" that tab saves. Something that would allow me to more easily find a brush I had previously used.

[gener7 · Accepted solution]

Try Preferences > History Log and check it on. Choose "Detailed" and select "Metadata", "Text file" or Both.

In this file I tried a few brushes, but the size was not recorded, but it did keep a record of what I used:

    Brush Tool

    Brush Tool

        Select brush “Kyle's Ultimate Pastel Palooza”

    Brush Tool

        Select brush “Pencil-Chisel Tip Hard Opaque”

    Mixer Brush

2019-07-30 19:09:37    File Untitled-1.jpg saved

And included is the sample:

[Alyssarose]

This is super helpful, thank you!!! I'd really love to use this to keep track of what I'm doing but for some reason I cannot scroll down to see all of it (and it seems I'm not the only one with this issue: Cannot scroll metadata history / Photoshop - cannot scroll through history ) I'll try contacting support and see if they can do anything about this.

[gener7]

It seems to scroll in 20.0.5, unless I am not understanding what you are saying.

However, Bridge CC is an alternate, although clunky way to get at the Metadata History log if you can't scroll in Ps.

[Alyssarose]

No you're correct. It seems you're using mac which is probably why it works for you. On one of the forums I linked it mentions that mac users can scroll but not windows. Where you're showing you can scroll,I can't.

I think I might just have to use bridge for now until this issue is solved for windows users. I'll try contacting adobe to report this bug (though it seems that this bug has been in the program for almost a year now..)

[gener7]

I wonder if you can copy/paste the Edit History into the Notes Tool? You would have a note that will stay with the file you are working on and can open-and hopefully scroll it without going to Bridge or the File Info dialog repeatedly.

Gene

[rajnishr50709253]

Is it also possible to add new brush

[Alyssarose]

It doesn't let me select the text within the panel either   Maybe that's part of the scrolling bug? Hopefully I won't forget what brushes I'm using too often.

[gener7]

Then use the Text file option for your detailed text log. You can then select the text that has your brush history and since it just needs a text editor to open it, you can paste the brush details into your Notes Tool, allowing easy access and hopefully avoiding the scroll bug.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Hi Alyssarose  It's always nice to find people who use Photoshop for more than cleaning up their photographs.  I love the Aaron Blaise brushes. I have six of his packs, and think them the very best of their kind bar none.  It's useful that he has videos that describe how he uses them.

OK, so we can't look back beyond the half dozen recent brushes, which is indeed a pity.  I like the CC2017 update to brush management, but it is surely a work in progress, as it needs a lot more work.  So all I can suggest in your situation is to make Project Folders, and drag presets to that folder as you use them.

That approach will lose the preset from its original folder, but reloading the original folder will bring moved presets back.

Another approach would be to select the preset, use it, and then click on the new preset icon.  This is slightly clunky in that you can't select and immediately save it, as Photoshop does not consider the preset selected, until you close the right click menu. But if you double click and close, then right click again, it only takes a moment.

I don't use these ideas myself, but now you have highlighted the problem, I think I am going to in future.  However I do make favourites brush groups with presets from different sources, plus my own related presets.   I said how much I like the Aaron brushes, but before I discovered them, I used the Castrochew hair and skin presets.

BTW  I like to rename my .abr files to make them appear in more meaningful alphabetical order.  That's why my Aaron Blaise groups have names starting with 'AB'.  It speeds up your workflow just a tiny bit when you have a lot of brushes.

https://creatureartteacher.com/product-category/tutorials-lessons/brush-texture-sets/

An example video

[joanH]

Trevor, this reply is a kindness not often seen in help threads. You go beyond the norm to

give the extra that is like gold. Thank you for all of your great input in every day of the forums.

I am pleased to be associated with you. Just a pat on the back. But sincere. JH

[Alyssarose]

I was actually considering doing this but I wanted to know if there was any, I guess more "formal" way to keep track. Though your idea about duplicating brushes is something I'm interested in doing from now on. I have a brush group of brushes I customized to my liking and I think it might be easiest if I duplicate any brushes I'm using and put it in that "favorites" folder and delete them when I'm done. Thank you for this helpful advice! I think it would be really neat if adobe either extended the "recent brush" history or added a way to favorite brushes or group them by whichever project is being worked on, sort of like the swatches tab.

[kieronriley6090]

I'm also really struggling. I've made a separate layer for the brush but I naively thought if I click back on that layer, the brush would automatically reassign itself. It didn't. So now I'm really disappointed. It can only be one of the "Kyle" brushes, but no idea which one. I've gone back through them but none of them are what I was using. So confused. Is there a possibility of drawing out the brush from the layer at all?

[kieronriley6090]

This is the brush. Anybody any ideas how I can get it back? 

[karshaforever]

I think that may be one of the brushes in Kyle's Oils. Maybe Soft Serve or Soft Serve Big Canvas?