FIND The Missing Patterns, Shapes, and Gradients! | Photoshop 90-Second Tip #24
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You can find missing patterns in Photoshop, along with the old shapes and gradients, from the flyout menu of the panel that holds each preset type.
Photoshop 2020 replaced the default pattern, shape and gradient sets. If you upgraded, the presets you used for years look like they are gone.
They are still installed. Adobe tucked them into a Legacy entry that you load once from each panel.
The video uses Photoshop 2020. The steps are the same in the latest version.
Key Takeaways
- Photoshop 2020 swapped the default patterns, shapes and gradients for new sets. The old ones were not deleted.
- The gear icon in the Layer Style window cannot load them. The Patterns, Shapes and Gradients panels can.
- Each panel’s flyout menu has a Legacy entry: Legacy Patterns and More, Legacy Shapes and More and Legacy Gradients and More.
- Load a group once and it appears everywhere that preset type is used, including Pattern Overlay.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- Why Pattern Overlay shows unfamiliar patterns after the 2020 update
- How to load Legacy Patterns and More from the Patterns panel
- How to do the same for shapes and gradients
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2020 or the latest version
Step 1: Where the Missing Patterns Went
Double-click to the side of a layer in the Layers panel to open the Layer Style window. Click Pattern Overlay, then open the Pattern dropdown.
These are the patterns that ship with Photoshop 2020. If you grew up with the older versions, you will not recognize a single one.
Click the gear icon and there is no option to bring the old ones back. The presets are installed, but this window cannot load them.
Step 2: Find Missing Patterns in Photoshop
Choose Window > Patterns to open the Patterns panel.
Click the flyout menu, the icon with the horizontal lines in the top right corner, and select Legacy Patterns and More.
Photoshop adds a Legacy Patterns and More group to the panel. It holds the patterns from 2019 and the legacy patterns from 2018 and before.
Open Pattern Overlay again and the group is in the Pattern dropdown too.
Tip: This recovers presets that are already installed. To add patterns, icons and brushes you never had, see how to get free patterns, icons and brushes in Photoshop.
Step 3: Find the Legacy Shapes in Photoshop
Shapes work the same way. Choose Window > Shapes, click the flyout menu of the Shapes panel, and select Legacy Shapes and More.
Step 4: Find the Legacy Gradients in Photoshop
Choose Window > Gradients, click the flyout menu of the Gradients panel, and select Legacy Gradients and More.
Note: You can only load the legacy sets from the corresponding panels, not from within the Layer Style window or the Fill Layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Photoshop 2020 replaced the default pattern, shape and gradient sets. The old presets are still installed, inside a Legacy Patterns and More group that you load from the Patterns panel flyout menu.
Open the Patterns panel from Window > Patterns, click the flyout menu in the top right corner, and choose Legacy Patterns and More. The Shapes and Gradients panels have matching Legacy entries.
No. The gear icon in Pattern Overlay has no option for it, and neither do the Fill Layers. Load the group from the Patterns panel once and it shows up in the Layer Style window.
Your Presets Were Never Gone
Three panels, three flyout menus, three Legacy entries. That is all it takes to find missing patterns in Photoshop, plus the shapes and gradients.
Watch the 90-second video above to see each group load. If it brought back a favorite, comment on the video and say which one.
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Next, learn how to make your own seamless Photoshop patterns.
