Clip Studio Paint ships with a solid set of pens and brushes, but most artists eventually want something extra: a gritty pencil, a gouache texture, a screentone brush or a pack bought from a favorite illustrator. Getting those into the app is quick once you know the three routes in, and where Clip Studio quietly stores them.
Quick answer: To add brushes to Clip Studio Paint, open the brush tool, then drag a .sut file onto the Sub Tool palette, or use the palette menu and choose Import sub tool. For brushes from Clip Studio Assets, download them through the Clip Studio app, then open the Material palette’s Download folder and drag each brush onto the Sub Tool palette. Recent versions can also import Photoshop .abr brushes the same way.
This guide covers how to add brushes to Clip Studio Paint on Windows, macOS, iPad and other devices, how to organize and back them up, how to make your own, and what to do when a brush will not import. If you are looking for brushes worth installing, our guide to the best Clip Studio Paint brushes for 2026 is a good shortlist.
Clip Studio Brush File Types
Before importing, it helps to know what you are holding.
| File type | What it is | How to add it |
|---|---|---|
| .sut | Clip Studio sub tool (a single brush or tool with settings) | Drag onto Sub Tool palette or use Import sub tool |
| .abr | Photoshop brush set | Drag onto Sub Tool palette (supported in recent versions) |
| Clip Studio Assets downloads | Brushes from the official asset store | Material palette > Download folder, then drag to Sub Tool palette |
| .png or image files | Brush tips or textures, not complete brushes | Register as material, then build a brush |
| .zip | A compressed download containing any of the above | Unzip first, then import the contents |
How to Add Brushes to Clip Studio Paint from a .sut File
This is the most common method for brushes bought or downloaded from artists’ shops and websites.
- Unzip the download if it came as a .zip file. You should see one or more .sut files.
- Open Clip Studio Paint and create or open any canvas.
- Select the tool group where you want the brush, such as Pen, Pencil or Brush, in the Tool palette.
- Drag and drop the .sut file from your file browser onto the Sub Tool palette. The brush appears at the bottom of the list.
Alternatively, use the menu:
- Click the small menu icon at the top-left of the Sub Tool palette.
- Choose Import sub tool.
- Browse to the .sut file and click Open.
Each .sut file usually contains one brush, so for a large pack you will repeat the process or select several files at once in the import dialog where supported.
How to Add Brushes from Clip Studio Assets
Clip Studio Assets is the official marketplace with a large number of free and paid brushes. The download process is slightly different.
- Open the Clip Studio launcher app (separate from Clip Studio Paint on desktop) and go to Assets, or browse the assets site and sign in.
- Find a brush and click Download. Paid assets use Clippy points or gold.
- Open Clip Studio Paint and go to Window > Material if the Material palette is not visible.
- Open the Download folder in the Material palette. Your downloaded brushes appear here.
- Select the tool group you want, then drag the brush from the Material palette onto the Sub Tool palette.
A common source of confusion: downloading from Assets does not automatically place the brush in your tools. It only puts it in the Download folder until you drag it over.
Do Photoshop Brushes Work in Clip Studio?
Recent versions of Clip Studio Paint can import Photoshop .abr brushes. Drag the .abr file onto the Sub Tool palette, or use Import sub tool and select the .abr file.
A few things to keep in mind:
- The brush tip shape and texture usually transfer well.
- Some dynamics, such as specific scattering or dual brush settings, may not translate exactly.
- Large .abr sets import as multiple sub tools, so it is worth creating a dedicated group first.
- Very old Clip Studio versions may not support .abr import; updating usually fixes that.
Expect to tweak spacing and pressure after importing to match how the brush felt in Photoshop.
Adding Brushes on iPad, Android and iPhone
The process is similar on mobile, with a few platform-specific steps.
iPad and iPhone
- Save the .sut or .abr file to the Files app (iCloud Drive or On My iPad).
- In Clip Studio Paint, select the tool group.
- Tap the Sub Tool palette menu and choose Import sub tool.
- Browse to the file in Files and tap it.
For zipped downloads, tap the .zip in Files to extract it first.
Android and Chromebook
- Download the file to your device storage.
- In Clip Studio Paint, open the Sub Tool palette menu and choose Import sub tool.
- Navigate to the Downloads folder and select the file.
Assets downloaded via your Clip Studio account sync to the Material palette’s Download folder on any device you are signed into, as long as you download them on that device.
Organizing Your Brushes
Imported brushes pile up fast. A tidy setup saves time while drawing.
Create a new sub tool group
- Right-click (or long-press) in the Sub Tool palette’s group tab area.
- Choose Create sub tool group and name it, for example “Textures” or “Inking”.
- Drag imported brushes into the new group.
Create a new tool
For a whole category, such as “Gouache”, you can create a new tool in the Tool palette. Right-click the Tool palette, choose to create a new tool or duplicate an existing one, and move sub tools into it.
Rename and reorder
Double-click a brush name to rename it, and drag brushes up or down to reorder. Put your most-used brushes at the top.
Delete what you do not use
Right-click a brush and choose Delete sub tool. Keep the original .sut files in a backup folder in case you want them back.
How to Make Brushes in Clip Studio
Creating your own brush is a great way to get exactly the texture you want.
- Create a brush tip image. On a new canvas around 500×500 pixels, draw a shape in black on a transparent or white background. Keep it simple at first, like a textured blob.
- Register it as material. Go to Edit > Register Material > Image, tick “Use for brush tip shape”, choose a folder and save.
- Duplicate an existing brush. Right-click a similar brush in the Sub Tool palette and choose Duplicate sub tool.
- Open the Sub Tool Detail palette using the wrench icon.
- Set the brush tip. In the Brush tip category, choose Material and add your registered image.
- Adjust spacing. In Stroke, change Gap. Smaller gaps give smoother lines; larger gaps show individual stamps.
- Add texture. In Texture, choose a paper texture for grain, and adjust density.
- Set pressure. Link brush size and opacity to pen pressure and adjust curves.
- Test and refine on a blank canvas.
- Export it as a .sut via the right-click menu if you want a backup or to share.
Useful Sub Tool Detail settings
| Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Brush tip > Direction | Rotation of the tip; random direction makes textures more natural |
| Stroke > Gap | Spacing between stamps |
| Ink > Blending mode | How color interacts with what is below |
| Texture | Adds paper grain inside the stroke |
| Watercolor edge | Darkens edges for a watercolor look |
| Starting and ending | Tapers strokes at the beginning and end |
| Stabilization | Smooths shaky lines |
| Anti-aliasing | Softens or sharpens edges |
Settings to Check After Importing Any Brush
A newly imported brush is built around its creator’s tablet, pressure habits and canvas size. Five quick checks make it behave for you.
- Pen pressure curve. Open the Sub Tool Detail palette and check the pressure graphs for size and opacity. If the brush feels too heavy or too faint, adjust the curve. You can also tune your overall pressure under File > Adjust pen pressure settings (on macOS, under the Clip Studio Paint menu).
- Brush size range. Brushes made for large print canvases may feel tiny on a small canvas, and vice versa. Set a comfortable default size.
- Stabilization. Inking brushes often have stabilization turned up. If lines feel laggy, lower it.
- Texture scale. Grain designed for 600 dpi canvases can look coarse on 150 dpi work. Adjust the scale under Texture.
- Color mode. Some brushes are set to use the sub color or a fixed color. Make sure the brush uses your main color if that is what you expect.
Once you are happy, right-click the brush and choose to register the current settings as the initial setting. That way, if you change it while drawing, you can reset it to your tuned version.
Sharing Brushes You Have Made
If you build a brush you are proud of, you can share it in two ways. Export it as a .sut file and send it directly, or upload it to Clip Studio Assets so others can download it from the official store. Uploading requires a Clip Studio account and following the platform’s asset guidelines, including only sharing materials you have the right to distribute.
Backing Up and Moving Brushes
Losing a carefully built brush set to a reinstall is painful. A few backup habits help:
- Export important brushes as .sut files and keep them in a cloud folder.
- Use Clip Studio’s backup feature. The Clip Studio launcher includes a settings backup and restore option for signed-in users, which can save tools, palettes and preferences. Availability can depend on your license type and version.
- Keep original downloads in an organized folder by creator and pack name.
When moving to a new device, restore your backup or import your exported .sut files the same way you installed them originally.
Troubleshooting Brush Imports
Nothing happens when I drag a file
Make sure you are dropping it onto the Sub Tool palette itself, not the canvas. If drag-and-drop fails, use Import sub tool from the palette menu.
The brush imported but looks different
The brush may depend on a texture or tip material that did not install. Check the Sub Tool Detail palette for missing materials, or re-download the full pack.
“This file cannot be imported”
The brush may have been made in a newer version of Clip Studio than yours. Update the app. Also confirm the file is a .sut or .abr, not a Procreate .brush, which Clip Studio cannot read.
Assets brushes are not showing up
Check you are signed into the same Clip Studio account, then look in the Material palette’s Download folder. Restarting the app can refresh the list.
The brush is laggy
Very large brush tips or heavy textures can slow performance. Reduce the brush size, lower the texture density, or check Preferences > Performance.
FAQs
How do I add brushes to Clip Studio?
Drag a .sut file onto the Sub Tool palette, or use the palette menu’s Import sub tool. For Assets downloads, drag the brush from the Material palette’s Download folder.
Do Photoshop brushes work in Clip Studio?
Recent versions can import .abr files. Tip shapes and textures transfer well, while some dynamics may need adjusting.
Can I use Procreate brushes in Clip Studio Paint?
Not directly. You would need to extract the brush’s shape and grain images and rebuild the brush inside Clip Studio.
Where are downloaded Clip Studio brushes stored?
Assets downloads appear in the Material palette under the Download folder until you drag them into a tool.
How many brushes can I add?
There is no practical small limit, but very large collections slow down browsing. Keep only brushes you use and organize them into groups.
How do I make brushes in Clip Studio?
Register an image as a brush tip material, duplicate an existing brush, then set the new tip and adjust spacing, texture and pressure in the Sub Tool Detail palette.
Next Step
Adding brushes to Clip Studio Paint takes seconds once you know the routes: drag .sut or .abr files onto the Sub Tool palette, or move Assets downloads from the Material palette. Organize them into groups, back them up, and build your own when nothing on the market quite fits.
Ready to expand your toolkit? Browse our guide to standout Clip Studio brush packs for inking, painting and texture work, including free CSP brushes worth installing first.
