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Question

P: Photoshop Needs a Feature to Remember Individual Brush Sizes (Per-Brush Memory)

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
June 27, 2025
3 replies
391 views

Hi all, I am desperately reporting a very inconvenient brush size-saving feature in Photoshop and begging for a fix.

I originally started using Photoshop, but I continually feel stressed because of the lack of a brush size memory feature. I’ve used Clip Studio Paint, which has a feature that remembers each brush's size individually. However, I want to continue using Photoshop because I love this program. Here’s a feature that I believe Photoshop must add:

I want each brush to retain the last size I used for it separately (meaning, I want each brush to remember its own last-used size, instead of sharing the same size across all brushes).

For example, as you all know, when I use Brush A with a default size of 5 and change its size to 20, then switch to Brush B and return to Brush A, the brush is no longer at size 20. It automatically reverts to its originally registered size of 5.

To make the brush remember the size I last used, I tried saving Brush A as a new brush preset and unchecked the "Capture Brush Size in Preset" option. However, when doing this, the brush only remembers the last used size, no matter whether it’s Brush A, B, or C.

For example, if I use Brush A at size 1, then change the size to 20, and switch to Brush B, changing its size to 5, when I return to Brush A, the size is no longer 20. Instead, it’s the size of 5 from Brush B. Eventually, I forget what the size of Brush A was before I switched to Brush B. You might think I could just create a new Brush A with size 20 to avoid forgetting, but I use at least 10 brushes in one illustration and change their sizes all the time. Saving a new brush preset for each size change would be chaotic and time-consuming.

To emphasize the issue further, unchecking "Capture Size" has a major flaw: All brushes made with "Capture Size" unchecked share the last used brush size. For example, if I use Brush A at size 20 for hair detail, then switch to Brush B for eye detail and change its size to 10, when I return to Brush A, its size automatically switches to 10 as well. I don’t want this—Brush A should remember its last size of 20, and Brush B should remain at size 10.

As I said, I don’t want to save a new brush preset every time I change a brush size. To clarify, I want Brush A to remember its own history of the last used size (which is 20), while Brush B should remember its own size (which is 10), regardless of which brush I switch to.

This feature is a basic and intuitive behavior already standard in many leading art programs such as Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, Krita, and Blender’s Grease Pencil. I believe this is an essential feature for illustrators using Photoshop. I cannot believe that Photoshop hasn’t added this basic, must-have feature yet. I see many friends and professionals moving to Clip Studio or other programs because of this lack of feature.

The newly added feature that remembers 7 brush history entries isn't really a solution, because if I use brushes 7 times - whether the same one or different ones with different sizes - there’s no earlier history left. Remembering only 7 brush entries is truly not enough. If an option to show more than 7 brush history entries is added, then that might be the solution.

I love Photoshop, and even with the new 7 brush history feature, I truly believe that a feature to remember each brush’s previously used size would help it shine as an essential tool for drawing and illustration. I have suffered from it for many years and waited a long time for Photoshop to add this feature — yet it still hasn’t happened in 2025. That’s why I am writing this with a desperate mind.

Please, please add this feature (Per-Brush Memory) so I can continue using Photoshop as an awesome tool for my illustrations.

B

blueocean5

Participant

Hi, I am urgently reporting a very inconvenient issue with Photoshop’s current brush size-saving system, and I’m asking for a fix.

I love Photoshop and want to continue using it, but the lack of a per-brush size memory feature makes it very stressful to work with. Other art programs such as Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, Krita, and Blender’s Grease Pencil already include this feature, which makes the workflow far more intuitive.

Here’s what I need Photoshop to do:

Each brush should remember its own last-used size independently, rather than all brushes sharing one size.

The current problem:
If I use Brush A at size 20, then switch to Brush B at size 5, returning to Brush A resets its size—it doesn’t remember I last used it at 20. Even with the "Capture Brush Size in Preset" option unchecked, all brushes just share the most recent size. This makes it impossible to keep track of the sizes I set for different brushes.

Why presets don’t solve this:
Of course, I could save new brush presets for each size, but since I use 10+ brushes in one illustration and constantly adjust their sizes, creating endless new presets would be chaotic and unmanageable.

Why the new 7-brush history isn’t enough:
The recent update that remembers 7 brush history entries is not a real solution. If I use more than 7 brushes or repeat brushes multiple times, earlier size history is lost. Expanding this history might help, but it still doesn’t replace true per-brush memory.

If adding the per-brush memory feature isn’t possible... please consider adding a separate panel (which can be turned "on or off" in the brush menu bar) just for managing brush history beyond 7 (for example, up to 50).

Since the system automatically replaces older brush history once it reaches the maximum limit, having the ability to "pin" certain brush history sizes ("Pin" : "a feature that prevents automatic deletion regardless of the maximum limit") so they are not deleted and can remain available whenever I need them, would be great alternative solution.

What’s needed:

Brush A should always remember its last-used size.
Brush B should always remember its own last-used size.
Switching between brushes should not overwrite their sizes.

This is already standard in many leading illustration programs, and it’s hard to believe Photoshop still doesn’t have this basic, essential feature in 2026. I know many professionals who have switched away from Photoshop because of this.

I’ve waited years for Adobe to add this, and I’m writing now because this issue seriously impacts my workflow as an illustrator. Please, please add Per-Brush Size Memory to Photoshop. It would make a huge difference for artists like me who want to keep using this amazing program.

c.pfaffenbichler

Community Expert

I appreciate the point of the request, but … considering the complaints of people who, for examplem still aren’t familiar with the »Include Tool Settings«-option, years after its introduction, I wonder what uproar such a new feature might cause.

Y

yoob111Author

Known Participant

Thank you for the comment. I don’t think there will be any complaints, as this is simply a feature to remember individual brush sizes. Additionally, if there is an option to enable or disable it, it should not cause any issues. The feature I am emphasizing is a very basic one that almost every drawing program already includes. I know Photoshop is not only a drawing program, but I’m confident that everyone would benefit from this feature.

c.pfaffenbichler

Community Expert

Thank you for the comment. I don’t think there will be any complaints, as this is simply a feature to remember individual brush sizes.

Some people seem to be ready to complain about pretty much any change.

And in this case people loading brushes they did not create themselves (but purchased or downloaded for free etc.) could be confronted with an unexpexted behaviour that has never previously existed in Photoshop.

I estimate that the feature change would mean that at least one new property would need to be stored with Brushes – the number of the last used diameter diameter when that brush was selected (if the current behaviour should be maintained the number could simply be empty or zero, I suppose, which should suffice to identify the intended behaviour).

But a new property could mean backwards compatibility issues, so newly created Brushes might not be able to be used on obsolete Photoshop versions.

I suspect you are, at least sometimes, using the Brushes Panel kind of like a »real-world« set of brushes/pencils/chalks/…

So a Brush in the Brushes Panel being associated with a specific Tool or even a Color might make sense to you and some others, but some others yet might feel overwhelmed.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

@yoob111 Have you used the recent brush feature in the Brushes panel? It recalls the exact brush used including any customized settings (size, softness) etc. in a convenient history panel.

So if you used Brush A at 20 px then used Brush B but reduced to 5 px, you could easily switch back to Brush A using this feature and it will still be Brush A 20 px.

Y

yoob111Author

Known Participant

Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, I tried this feature because I am using the most recent Photoshop version, which is version 26.8.1, but it only remembers 7 history entries. Every time I change the brush sizes, it automatically adds the new brush size and deletes the oldest one. So basically, if I use brushes 7 times—whether the same one or different ones with different sizes—there’s no previous history left. Is there any way to extend the brush history? If not, this feature definitely needs to be added, because 7 entries are truly not enough...

And I still have a question—This feature is great, but why not just add the ability to remember the previous brush size for each brush individually? like in Clip Studio or Blender? This is really an essential and basic feature. I think this feature is a must-have, necessary feature. If anyone knows how to extend the number of entries in the brush history panel beyond 7, please, please guide me. Thank you again for your comment!

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