Expert: LizaL - 10/9/2004

Question
After designing a number of brushes in Photoshop 7, I went back to one of my favorites and found the entire palette grayed out. There is a lock by each brush tip. I am using an eMAC, by the way. What do you suggest I do to remedy this program?

Thanks,
Barbara

Answer
Hi Barbara,

(I would have answered this a whole lot sooner, but the AllExperts server denied me access all day!)

I'm trying to replicate your problem, and I'm having no luck in doing so, so I'm going to suggest a couple of things.

First, go to your program folder, wherever you have it stored. Within the Photoshop 7 application folder, there's a folder called Presets. Your brushes are stored in there -- both the default sets, and the ones you create.

Go to the Finder and open your Photoshop 7 application folder. There's a folder with the Presets folder named Brushes. What do you see when you open this folder? Do you see locks on the brushes there? If so, try selecting one (click once, don't double-click), then do Get Info (Command + I or the File pulldown menu>Get Info). Check to make sure you have both Read and Write priveleges on the brushes you've created.

I tested this by locking Assorted Brushes -- that is, I did Get Info and set the priveleges to No Access and sure enough, I couldn't use those brushes.

Something else -- how did you create your brushes? Using Define Brush from the Edit pulldown menu in Photoshop is an easy way, although there are others.

Anyway, first I'd try checking the permissions on the brush preset files, and if that doesn't work, please post back and we'll figure out something else!

Hope this helps --

Lisa