Photoshop continues to have some of the most primitive ways of managing extensions. Managing brushes for instance is almost non existent. You have to store brush files inside folders in Finder, with no way to know what the brush file contains.
Apparently Jay Hilgert, a frustrated graphic designer couldn’t take the workflow, so he went ahead and created a spanking new app Brush Pilot. It’s almost like the iPhoto for brushes (or have we overused that analogy?). The beauty of the app is that no matter where your brush files are, it will instantly list them in the sidebar, presumably using Spotlight technology.
The thumbnail previews are speedily rendered and the sizes are generous enough, although I’d have preferred to have seen some larger previews. To install a brush simply click Install and it’s added to your Photoshop brushes list. You will need to restart Photoshop for the brushes to show up, but it’s convenient enough. If you have multiple versions of Photoshop installed, you can selectively install brushes into particular copies.
If you’re dealing with a lot of brushes in your PS workflow, Brush Pilot will definitely come in handy. The app is brand new, and should add on more features as it grows. $15 for a license, with a trial to boot.
