Confused on how to use Photoshop patterns and pre-made color swatch palettes? These simple steps will guide you on how to install Photoshop .PAT files and Photoshop .ACO color swatch files, so you can get started using that brand new pattern collection you just bought right away!

Installing and Using Patterns

There are a couple ways to install patterns – from the Paint Bucket fill area source, or from the Pattern Menu under the Windows tab.

First, find a pattern file to use! Second, locate where that file is on your desktop.

Open up Photoshop and start with a fresh document. For the sake of this tutorial, I’ve drawn a simple solid fill rectangle. I tend to use the Paint Bucket to apply patterns to an area, so I’ll start with that.