How to Install Brush Presets in Photoshop Camera Raw

These instructions show how to install our brush presets in Photoshop Camera Raw. If you want to use the presets in Lightroom Classic, please see our instructions for installing brush presets in Lightroom Classic.

Step 1: Download and Unzip the Presets

You’ll download the presets as a zip file and store the file somewhere on your computer. Unzip the file and you’ll see two folders. One of the folders holds the presets for Lightroom Classic and the other holds the presets for Photoshop Camera Raw. Open the Photoshop Camera Raw folder and you’ll see the preset files.

Folders of the brush presets for Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw

Please note, we highly recommend keeping a backup of the presets in cloud storage somewhere (like Google Drive or Dropbox). That way, if your hard drive fails or you ever need to reinstall the presets, you can easily access the backup file.

Step 2: Copy and Paste the Preset Files

Copy the brush preset XMP files that you downloaded.

If you’re using a PC, go to Users[your user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\LocalCorrections

If you’re using a Mac, go to [your user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Camera Raw/Local Corrections

Then, paste the brush preset XMP files into the Local Corrections folder.

If you’re having trouble finding the folder, some of the folders/files may be hidden.

To show hidden folders/files on a PC:

  • Open File Explorer
  • Select View > Show > Hidden Items

To show hidden folders/files on a Mac:

  • Open Finder
  • Hold Alt (Option) and choose “Go” from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen
  • You should now see the ~/Library folder listed

Step 3: Restart Photoshop

To complete the installation process, completely close Photoshop and re-open it. When Photoshop re-opens, the brush presets will be ready to use.

Using the Brush Presets

Open a raw image file and it will automatically open in Camera Raw.

Click on the icon to open the Masking tool.

Masking tool icon

Then, select the Brush. (The presets were designed to be used with a brush, but many work well with the sky mask or by inverting the sky mask to select everything but the sky.)

Selecting the Brush

From here, you can adjust settings like the size of the brush, feather, flow, and density.

Brush settings

To select a preset, click the arrow next to “Preset” and then click on a brush preset from the dropdown.

Brush preset dropdown

Now, click on the image where you want to apply the brush.

If you have trouble or concerns, please contact us.