Error ...Unable to decode abr format version 5.

[iti]

Answer is the txt line in the brushe interface window acts differently now. There was a brush listed on that line from the last time the brushes were working. i had used gimp many times since and just would click on a brush name listed in the window there hoping it would work but it didnt, so i just ignored it all.

The newest version does not list all the brush sets there anymore, so i decided to type in a name of one i knew was in the brush folder and and when i deleted the txt, the magic happened, all the brushes appeared! yeah.. easy, but i didnt realize it worked that way.

Its odd too because until i removed all brush paths i had under preferences except to the roaming path one, the old list of the brushes i had was still there, but grayed out. Today when i opened gimp it was finally gone. Im not sure how or why that happened, and i guess i dont care as i have my brushes back lol.








GIMP Version: 2.10.20
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: New User

List any ERROR messages you received:
Error loading 'C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\brushes\__MACOSX\._ARTOMATIC_Industry.abr': Unable to decode abr format version 5.

---

I had been using these same brushes all this year, but i guess after an update they stopped working a couple months ago. I cannot figure out how to change them to usuable format for gimp. OH there are more brushes different names same result, this is just one. They all go to the error file. Too many to list.

I have searched online and downloaded code but these are too new for it to change. I cant find anything to open them so i can extract the images and make new brushes. These are all free brushes to use for personal or commercial. I love them and really need access to them.

I read that the newewst edition had fixed / updated to abr version 7? so i installed it hoping it would work , no luck . Also when i first tried it, it gave me an error on the .txt files within the brushes folders, it doesnt do that in this latest edition. I had never seen that before either.

I did put the .abr brushes in the roaming path, and that did not work either. ok I used to be a systems analyst and coder but that was over 20 years ago and im 70, so please keep that in mind if you have advice for me and want to explain how to fix this.

Im not sure what else you need, windows 10 the very newest edition, im in the test group. but this has been happening a while now. I just give up and use something else, but i need these and cant give up anymore
thank you

[rich2005]

The zip I downloaded contains

__MACOSX\._ARTOMATIC_Industry.abr a small MacOS (82B) loader
and the actual brush file ARTOMATIC_Industry.abr 7,382,266

You do not need that MacoOS folder, only the brush file and the place to put it is your User profile brush folder. C:\Users\"yourname"\AppData\Roaming\GIMP\2.10\brushes

Screenshots Win10 / Gimp 2.10.20-revision-1 https://i.imgur.com/hmvH2nC.jpg

An alternative is the freeware abrMate which will unpack the brush into individual images. Up to you to make those into Gimp brushes.

[iti]

The zip I downloaded contains

__MACOSX\._ARTOMATIC_Industry.abr a small MacOS (82B) loader
and the actual brush file ARTOMATIC_Industry.abr 7,382,266

You do not need that MacoOS folder, only the brush file and the place to put it is your User profile brush folder. C:\Users\"yourname"\AppData\Roaming\GIMP\2.10\brushes

Screenshots

An alternative is the freeware abrMate which will unpack the brush into individual images. Up to you to make those into Gimp brushes.

well something is wrong here in this system it wont let me upload a pic showing i have the files in the correct path. I also have them under program files too, and then just under c, where i can swap out the files and use only what i need, easier for gimp to load.

i get an error here telling me to remove outside urls. i did but it continued to say that so i started over and hope this one goes through.

i dont know what to do. i need some of the files desparately.

oh it was the url to your pic. wow..

[rich2005]

In summary:

Why are you using a MacOS folder/file in a Windows OS?

Take the large something.abr file and put it in your Gimp User brush folder

abr.jpg (287.61 KiB) Viewed 6460 times

The same often applies to font files where the distribution archive contains both Win / Mac files.

[iti]

Its how it came in the zip. Yes i did put in all the paths, as i said above, it did not work. Not one brush shows up, even though the list is full but grayed out. The list under brushes in gimp where you pick the one you want to see? or pic them all? yeah. I deleted the link in gimp to the c program ...... and only have the original link to the user..... roaming...... brushes. Id does not see it, at all. i dont get an error i dont get anything.

Something is wrong with gimp ? I hate to uninstall all of it and install again, as i have added in all those filters? I dont rem how i did it, and would have to research that again.. I rem it took a while to get that in the right path too. That still works. why cant i see my brushes?

Thank you, I have a pic, but this chat will not let me upload it. ill try again now

Wow, i just deleted the line in gimp under the brushes interface? in my pic the lower right corner? and instantly i got some brushes! i didnt get the maps one, but i got some! im now going to compare what i got in gimp to the directory for the brushes. But now there isnt any list showing the names of the brush sets?

I think something has changed in gimp in the newest version? i dont know. i mean of course there were changes, doh, but yeah. I dont have the time to investigate this, my cat has his eye removed and i have to keep an eye on him.. too much drama for me.. ugh, well thank you.

So before all the brushes would load and there would be a list of them all in the brushes interface, i could click on one, and only that brush would then be available for me to select from in the brush window there. Now there isnt a list of the different sets it found. Ok thanks again, and look at my pics.

[Erisian]

Its how it came in the zip. Yes i did put in all the paths, as i said above, it did not work. Not one brush shows up, even though the list is full but grayed out. The list under brushes in gimp where you pick the one you want to see? or pic them all? yeah. I deleted the link in gimp to the c program ...... and only have the original link to the user..... roaming...... brushes. Id does not see it, at all. i dont get an error i dont get anything.

Something is wrong with gimp ? I hate to uninstall all of it and install again, as i have added in all those filters? I dont rem how i did it, and would have to research that again.. I rem it took a while to get that in the right path too. That still works. why cant i see my brushes?

Thank you, you cant tell me a third time to put it in that directory and i will say again it is there. I have a pic, but this chat will not let me upload it. ill try again now

Looks like they are still zipped. They should be unzipped.

[Wallace]

Its how it came in the zip. Yes i did put in all the paths, as i said above, it did not work. Not one brush shows up, even though the list is full but grayed out. The list under brushes in gimp where you pick the one you want to see? or pic them all? yeah. I deleted the link in gimp to the c program ...... and only have the original link to the user..... roaming...... brushes. Id does not see it, at all. i dont get an error i dont get anything.

Something is wrong with gimp ? I hate to uninstall all of it and install again, as i have added in all those filters? I dont rem how i did it, and would have to research that again.. I rem it took a while to get that in the right path too. That still works. why cant i see my brushes?

Thank you, you cant tell me a third time to put it in that directory and i will say again it is there. I have a pic, but this chat will not let me upload it. ill try again now

You need to extract the files from the zip folder and place the .abr files into the Brushes folder.
Once this is done you can delete the zip folder,
or store it somewhere on your computer for later use.

[iti]

Its how it came in the zip. Yes i did put in all the paths, as i said above, it did not work. Not one brush shows up, even though the list is full but grayed out. The list under brushes in gimp where you pick the one you want to see? or pic them all? yeah. I deleted the link in gimp to the c program ...... and only have the original link to the user..... roaming...... brushes. Id does not see it, at all. i dont get an error i dont get anything.

Something is wrong with gimp ? I hate to uninstall all of it and install again, as i have added in all those filters? I dont rem how i did it, and would have to research that again.. I rem it took a while to get that in the right path too. That still works. why cant i see my brushes?

Thank you I have a pic, but this chat will not let me upload it. ill try again now

Looks like they are still zipped. They should be unzipped.

OH they are unzipped, thank you. Maybe i can explain. when i first put them in i added their folders so i knew where each brush came from? and how i could use it. It didnt matter if they were in the folders as gimp parsed to them anyway. Or at least thats what i remember. To fix this, i have just dropped the .abr files into the brush folder. Thank you

[iti]

Its how it came in the zip. Yes i did put in all the paths, as i said above, it did not work. Not one brush shows up, even though the list is full but grayed out. The list under brushes in gimp where you pick the one you want to see? or pic them all? yeah. I deleted the link in gimp to the c program ...... and only have the original link to the user..... roaming...... brushes. Id does not see it, at all. i dont get an error i dont get anything.

Something is wrong with gimp ? I hate to uninstall all of it and install again, as i have added in all those filters? I dont rem how i did it, and would have to research that again.. I rem it took a while to get that in the right path too. That still works. why cant i see my brushes?

Thank you I have a pic, but this chat will not let me upload it. ill try again now

You need to extract the files from the zip folder and place the .abr files into the Brushes folder.
Once this is done you can delete the zip folder,
or store it somewhere on your computer for later use.

Thank you, they are unzipped, and then i put them all , the unzipped folder into the path. It worked fine like that before. =) Thank you. When i said they came that way in the zipped folder, i ment the one for the mac was already there and i just left it.

[rich2005]

Always Gimps fault, never anything to with the user. I hope the latest effort works.

One further, Gimp-must-have-done-it-on-its-own From your screenshot.

In the Edit -> Preferences -> Folders -> brushes The Gimp program folder path C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\brushes has gone.
I wonder how that happened? Means you do not have the standard brushes. Click on Reset Brush Folders top right corner of 'Brush Folders' should restore it.

[iti]

Ok, its working now, but i have no idea how it got fixed. I still have the question about the list though, er the brush list? its blank now, is that how it is intended to be? How do you select just one brush selection? do you understand?

Thank you all so much. Glad you are here. Its funny now i need to learn to make all those png images i pulled out into gimp brush. Yes i know i can use them now..

In the pic below you can see where a brush name was listed, apparently from the last time i used gimp. I just left it in the txt block because it was there.. i didnt want to change anything and have to find my way back to the change, and put it back in.

But that used to be a box above the txt line that showed all the brushes you had listed in your brush folder. That kept showing up till last night, and was grayed out. because, of the txt in that line, lol. get it? yes.

Today there is no list now. and until i deleted all the txt that was previously there, no brushes showed. i deleted to txt to type in a brush that i new was there, but lol when i deleted the txt, they all magically appeared. lol

user error? yes of course it was. however it changed in an update.. i liked the box better as i could just click on one and have it, no typing in any names. oh well thanks again..

[iti]

Always Gimps fault, never anything to with the user. I hope the latest effort works.

One further, Gimp-must-have-done-it-on-its-own From your screenshot.

In the Edit -> Preferences -> Folders -> brushes The Gimp program folder path C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\brushes has gone.
I wonder how that happened? Means you do not have the standard brushes. Click on Reset Brush Folders top right corner of 'Brush Folders' should restore it.

Well being mean to a 70 year old woman is what just mean. I guess you didnt read everything i wrote. That may have been more helpful for you to help me. i explained all the paths i had and how i narrowed it down by deleting them, and i still didnt get any brushes. Yeah unkind sir.

here is a pic,

The answer was, if you care to know, is: I deleted the text from the text line in the brushes interface in the bottom right hand corner of the pic. and boom, thats when the magic happened. I could see my brushes.

I also talked about the list of brushes there being grayed out and inaccessible. You probably missed that point too. I did my best to whittle down all the scenarios to just one path, yeah. I did that, trying to find the solution. It may be old school, but it worked before and it worked this time. Thank you for your concerns. . im a happy camper.

here is a pic. there was txt on that line and no brushes will show if its there.. its something new. It had a brush file left over from the last times i used gimp.

[rich2005]

Well being mean to a 70 year old woman is what just mean. I guess you didnt read everything i wrote.

I did, probably more than others. Your error message on the first post indicated using a MacOS file in Gimp system brush folder. Very obvious fault. I had hoped that a couple of simple screenshots would get you on the way.

As a note reinstalling Gimp very rarely fixes anything. The User profile is created the first time Gimp is run. Nothing to do with the Gimp installer. Not removed when Gimp is reinstalled and that is where most problems exist. The User folder. Very unfair to play the age card. I can easily match it.

That may have been more helpful for you to help me. i explained all the paths i had and how i narrowed it down by deleting them

Sorry, but not the way to go. If anything add an easily managed folder to the paths, not remove one. In the vain hope that a couple more screenshots might help you (and others) understand resource handling.

This is from my setup. I have paths to: The User profile, a pain to access. The Gimp system folder, should be left well alone. A folder created for extras, easy to find, easy to manipulate.

01-control.jpg (96.34 KiB) Viewed 2136 times

In that folder, a mixture of Gimp brushes .vbr / .gbr / .gih and a PS .abr brush Also there, folders containing brushes of a type Sub-folders are recognized. You can use the User profile brush folder for those additional folders.

That does mean in Gimp an overwhelming number of brushes

02-control.jpg (201.89 KiB) Viewed 2136 times

By default, brushes are tagged by folder (1) The Basic / Fun / Legacy / Media / Sketch / Splatters / Texture come from sub-folders in the Gimp system brushes folder but then the extras I added. sponge and trees

The tags can be filtered (2) (you used the filter incorrectly in your screenshot) with a dropdown menu (3) and only the specific set shows.
Depending how Gimp is set up, settings are saved between sessions so you might wonder where all the brushes vanished. Just clear the filter box and all will be revealed.

[iti]

Yeah, hon you still do not understand!!!!!! you apparently are trapped in your own agenda!

Nice one " In the vain hope" do you really think that is helpful? Really? you are just rude.

By narrowing the challenge, you can find the answer. You apparently want to make a challenge bigger than it is. Yes i know files and records are left intact. I always go in and delete those too. Not born yesterday.

I do not know gimp. Which i said before and the reasong i came here for help. You still needed to 'put me down' in your first reply to me, did that make you feel more important? I hope so, you apparently have a need for that. I do know computers. Think flying wing.

You say i used the filter incorrectly in my screenshot? Of course i did, to show the txt line, i used it for info only. wow.

'in the vain hope' this gets through to you, looking at your last image and the big number 3, that list of brush sets showing there? no longer shows in my gimp.

As a coder and a systems analyst, i know that glitches happen in code, we try to remove them all, but sometimes they get through. I know that narrowing the code not expanding it helps to find the glitch. I deleted all the paths, except the one for gimp system. Once that one works, then i can add other paths, one at a time. apparently logic is lost on you. Have a good life.

[MareroQ]

Hi iti.

Were Rich 2005 explanations (and not just for you - what was said) not helpful?
Instead of thanking, you prefer to criticize - but as a new one in this forum, know that Rich2005 has helped very many users.