Here’s a list of frequently asked questions, and their answers.
The FAQs are separated into sections. Scroll down or click on a section below to view it.
I’m new to this whole Photoshop thing. How do I get started?
The first thing you’re going to want to understand is how to install the Photoshop brushes, patterns, and shapes that you can download from this website. Here’s some tutorials to get you started:
- How to Unzip a File
- Installing & Using Photoshop Brushes
- Installing & Using Photoshop Patterns
- Installing & Using Photoshop Custom Shapes
Once you feel a bit more comfortable with that, I also have tutorials on more complex things involving Photoshop brushes, as well as tips and techniques! A full list of my Photoshop tutorials are found here.
What version of Photoshop will these brushes/patterns/shapes work in?
The resources that say “Photoshop 7+” mean that they will be usable in all versions from 7 and onward, including the entire CS series. (They also are compatible with Photoshop Elements 2 and onward, and GIMP 2.2.6+). A few might say “Photoshop CS+” or “CS2+”, and that just means they work from CS or CS2 and onward, up through the present version.
I’m a Mac user. Can I still use your resources?
Absolutely! All that matters is the version of the graphics program (Photoshop, Illustrator, GIMP, etc) that you’re running. Whether you’re on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer is irrelevant. They work in them all!
I don’t use Photoshop or GIMP! Can I still use your brushes somehow?
Yep! That’s what the image packs that you’ll see available below each brush download are for. You download those instead, open them up in your favorite graphics program, and make them into brushes for your own use.
When I use your brushes, they just show up in one color. How do I get them to show up in all the colors like you display them on your images?
One of the beautiful things about Photoshop brushes is the fact that they show up in whatever color you have selected to “paint” them in. However, this makes having brushes show up in multiple colors a bit more difficult. If you’re interested in doing that, check out my tutorial on adding multiple colors to your Photoshop brushes.
One quick note, though. Although when I first started making brushes, I made some image-based brushes that required this kind of treatment to look “real”, I no longer make these types of brushes. It’s not really what brushes were made for, so I focus more now on the shapes, designs, and painting brushes. If you want a full color version of an object, try looking for transparent PNGs of it around the web. Those will work much better for your purposes!
How do I install these?
I have tutorials that walk you through:
Your resources come as “ZIP” files. What are they, and how do I get to the good stuff?
Just about anything that you download from the internet is compressed in one way or another now-a-days. A ZIP file is just that… it compresses the file so that it’s smaller and easier/faster to download.
I have a whole tutorial that explains how to unzip a file here.
Are these sets High Resolution? What kind of sizes are the brushes/patterns/etc?
I’ve been at this for 12 years. The stuff I made in the earlier years is NOT High Resolution. If it doesn’t say “High Resolution” on the resource page, it’s not.
So if they’re not high res textures, they range in size from just a few hundred pixels up to about 1000-1500 pixels in width/height. If it says High Resolution, they will be 1500 pixels or larger in size.
PLEASE… download and try out the set BEFORE you buy it to make sure they’re what you want!
What are the JPG images that you offer on each brush set page?
The JPGs are for people that don’t have Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or GIMP. By downloading the JPGs, you can open up the files of the exact images that I used to create the brushes. This way, you can make them into brushes that can be used in whatever your favorite graphics program is!
Is there anything I need to do in order to use these?
Well, there’s really two answers to that. If you just want to use them personally (non-professionally), then you’re more than welcome to – but you’ll need to credit www.ObsidianDawn.com alongside it every place that it’s used. If you’d prefer to not have to credit me and/or want to use them professionally, there are licenses available.
You can read my full Terms of Use Policy here.
You can read more about the Commercial Licenses here.
Do I need to purchase a commercial license to use these commercially?/
No. If you can credit me, as per my terms of use, then you do not need to purchase a commercial license. If you have no way of crediting me, or if you do not wish to have to credit me as the brushes creator, then you will need to purchase a commercial license. Information on commercial licenses can be found here.
Is everything $4 a set?
Almost everything is, yes. All of the brushes, patterns, and shapes are $4. The only exceptions to this are single images, which are only $1 each, and large image “decoration sets”, which have a LOT of content and are therefore $6.
What is a “set”?
Each page on my website that has a download available is a “set” — everything in that download is included in the set. So if you purchase a license, it will include everything in that set, however many times you want to use it.
Why can’t I purchase more than 1 of a resource?
The shopping cart will only let you add one of any license at a time. That’s because you only need one license per person. You can use that resource as much as you want once you own the license.
If you need a second license, under a different name, then you’ll need to make it as a separate purchase. That way, you can change the name that the license will be under so that it prints out correctly each time.
I just bought a license. Where do I download my set?
On the same page where you added that set to your cart. You could actually have downloaded it before you purchased it! I’ve got it set up so that you can download and try stuff out, make sure it’s what you want, and then decide whether or not you want to purchase a license for it or credit me everywhere you use it.
So that’s why I don’t email the download links out with the emails — since most people have already downloaded the brush set when they purchase the license.
To find the page again fast, use the search in the upper right hand corner of the website.
I’m trying to add both the brushes and pattern set (or shapes) of a particular design to my shopping cart, and it won’t let me add both. Why not?
You don’t need both. Since you’re purchasing the rights to the designs, and the designs are the same in the patterns and brushes, you only need one license.
This, of course, only applies to the few sets come in various formats. They will both be named the same thing. Some examples include: Lace Brushes – Lace Patterns, Snowflakes Vectors Brushes – Snowflake Custom Shapes, etc.
I want the license to be made out to someone else. A name that is different than the name on my PayPal account or financial information. How do I do that?
No problem. The license that you’ll need to print out, which grants you the right to use these without crediting us, will be made out to whatever name you put into the shipping address when you make your payment via PayPal. Make sure you change the shipping name (they’ll ask for an address too, but that doesn’t matter – since we aren’t shipping you anything) to the name you want on your license.
If you forget to do so and need the name changed, contact me.
Do you give refunds?
Not usually. And that’s only because:
a) I give you the opportunity to download these sets before you purchase them. You are meant to do so, to try them out and make sure they’re what you want. Then, when you go to USE them, that’s when you’ll either need to credit me or buy a license.
b) You are given a license for the set(s) you purchase immediately upon buying them. You then have a legal document that gives you the right to use that set in your designs, without needing to credit me. If I were to refund you your money, you would have both the $4 for the set AND the legal document that gives you the right to use that set. And I’d have nothing.
Hopefully you understand!
Anything else not covered here…
… please feel free to contact me with your question.