Installing Textures In Paint Tool Sai: A Manual Guide

Paint Tool SAI is a popular digital painting application, offering a range of tools and textures for artists. While the default version of the app has limited brush textures, users can manually install new ones to expand their creative options. This process involves downloading a texture pack, locating the relevant folders, and copying and pasting the new textures into the correct location. The specific steps may vary depending on the user's operating system and version of Paint Tool SAI, but online resources and communities are available to provide guidance and troubleshoot common issues.

How to Manually Install Textures in Paint Tool SAI

Download a texture pack

To install textures manually in Paint Tool SAI, the first step is to download a texture pack. There are many free texture packs available online, including a starter pack that contains the following textures: blotmap, brushtex, do-it-yourself, elemap, papertex, toolink, toolnrm, language pack-license, presetcvsize, and start-sai.

Once you have downloaded your chosen texture pack, locate the folder where it has been saved. On your computer, this will typically be in your ''Downloads'' folder. The downloaded file will usually be a zipped folder with a name like "sai-eng-pack-1.1.0", containing another folder called 'sai-pack'.

Inside the 'sai-pack' folder, you will find multiple subfolders. The specific folders you need to use depend on the textures you want to install. For example, to install brush textures, you would open the 'brushtex' folder.

At this point, you should highlight and copy all the items within the relevant subfolder. You can then navigate back to your main 'Downloads' folder and locate the 'PaintToolSai' folder. Open this folder and paste the copied items into it. Repeat this process for any other textures you wish to install, pasting the relevant files into the corresponding folders within the 'PaintToolSai' directory.

Locate the 'brushtex' folder

To locate the "brushtex" folder, follow these steps:

• Locate the Paint Tool SAI Files: Start by finding the Paint Tool SAI installation folder on your computer. This is usually located in the "Program Files" directory, but it may vary depending on your installation path.
• Navigate to the "Settings" Folder: Within the Paint Tool SAI installation directory, look for a folder named "settings." This folder typically contains various configuration files and subfolders related to the program's settings.
• Enter the "Brushtex" Folder: Inside the "settings" folder, you should find the "brushtex" folder. This folder specifically contains files related to brush textures used in Paint Tool SAI. It holds the various texture options that can be applied to your brushes, giving them different visual effects and appearances.
• Understanding the "Brushtex" Folder Contents: The "brushtex" folder will contain files with the ".BMP" extension. These files are similar to ".JPG" or ".PNG" image files but are specifically designed to store bitmap images for brush textures. Each ".BMP" file within the "brushtex" folder represents a unique texture that can be applied to your brushes in Paint Tool SAI.
• Optional: Understanding CONF Files: In addition to the ".BMP" files, you may also find ".CONF" files within the "brushtex" folder or its parent "settings" folder. These are configuration files that provide additional information about the brushes and textures. For example, "brushtex.conf" contains details about the available brush textures, while "brushform.conf" holds information about brush shapes. Editing these ".CONF" files can allow you to customize the behavior and appearance of your brushes further.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully locate the "brushtex" folder within the Paint Tool SAI application directory. This folder is crucial for managing and installing custom brush textures to enhance your digital art experience.

Copy and paste items

To copy and paste items in Paint Tool SAI, first, open the image in Paint Tool SAI by selecting File > Open before copying and pasting it. Choose the image and hit Ctrl + C to copy it. Finally, click Ctrl + V while viewing the page where you want to paste the picture.

To copy and paste a layer in Paint Tool SAI, first, group all the layers you want to copy into a folder. Once you’ve moved all the layers to the folder, close it and click on the folder to select it. Now, navigate to the page where you want the image copied and “Paste” it there.

To copy and paste brushes and textures, first, download a texture pack. Open the folder where your texture pack was downloaded. Open the 'brushtex' folder and copy all the items in it. Go back to your downloads and open the PaintToolSai folder. Open your brushtex folder and press paste. Go back to your SAI folder and open paper tex and press paste.

For Paint Tool SAI v1, copy the downloaded textures and paste them into C:\Users\Username\Documents\SYSTEMAX Software Development\SAIv2\settings and replace the ones that are there.

Edit the .conf file

To edit the .conf file, you must first locate the SAI installation folder. Within this folder, you will find the .conf file, which can be used to edit and customise your Paint Tool Sai experience.

It is important to note that in Windows default settings, the .conf file is not associated with any text editor application. Therefore, to edit this file, you must either drag and drop the file directly into a text editor or associate the .conf file with a text editor or notepad by hand. This is a simple process and will allow you to edit the file as needed.

Once you have the .conf file open in your chosen text editor, you can begin to make changes. The specific changes you make will depend on your desired outcome, as different .conf files within the SAI installation folder serve different purposes. For example, editing the brushtex.conf file allows you to add new brush textures, with a maximum of 98 textures. On the other hand, the presetcvsize.conf file allows you to customise the preset menu in the new canvas menu. Each row in this file contains canvas preset information in the following format: [width], [height], [resolution], [size unit], [resolution unit], and ["preset name]".

Additionally, you can edit the brushform.conf file to add new brush shapes, with a maximum of 99 shapes. If you are looking to add paper textures, the papertex.conf file is the one you need, allowing up to 99 textures. Each row in this file contains texture information, and it is important to ensure that each image size is 256/512/1024 pixels.

By following these steps and editing the relevant .conf files, you can successfully customise and install new textures in Paint Tool Sai.

Add new paper textures

To add new paper textures in Paint Tool SAI, you must first download a texture pack. There are many free texture packs available online. Once you have downloaded your chosen texture pack, open the folder where it has been downloaded. You should see a zipped folder with a name like "sai-eng-pack-1.1.0". Inside this folder, there will be another folder called "sai-pack", which contains multiple other folders.

Open the "papertex" folder and copy all the items within it. Now, navigate to your PaintToolSai folder, which can usually be found in your "Downloads" folder. Paste the copied items into this folder.

You can also add new paper textures by editing the "papertex.conf" file in the SAI installation folder. The maximum texture count is 99. Each row must contain texture information in the following format: [grayscale BMP with the same width and height], [each image size must be 256/512/1024 pixels].

In Windows default settings, the .conf file isn't associated with any text editor application. To edit this file, drag and drop it into a text editor or associate the .conf file with a text editor or notepad.

Frequently asked questions