How to Use the Clipboard Brush in GIMP

GIMP features a dynamic brush system that allows you to instantly turn any canvas selection into a working brush without needing to save or export a custom brush file. By copying pixel data directly to your clipboard, GIMP automatically populates a specialized brush preset with that imagery. This guide outlines the exact steps to capture an area of your canvas and immediately paint with it.

Step 1: Make a Selection

Open your project in GIMP and select the area you want to use as a brush.

  • Use any selection tool from the toolbox, such as the Rectangle Select Tool (R), Ellipse Select Tool (E), or Free Select Tool (F).
  • Outline the specific graphic, texture, or shape you want to capture. If you want to capture the entire layer, you do not need to make a selection.

Step 2: Copy the Area to the Clipboard

To register the selected pixels as your active brush, copy them to the clipboard using one of two methods:

  • Copy a Single Layer: Press Ctrl + C (or Cmd + C on macOS) or navigate to Edit > Copy. This captures pixel data solely from the currently active layer.
  • Copy All Visible Layers: Press Ctrl + Shift + C (or Cmd + Shift + C on macOS) or navigate to Edit > Copy Visible. This merges and copies everything visible within the selected boundary, regardless of how many layers are present.

Step 3: Select a Painting Tool and the Clipboard Brush

Once copied, GIMP immediately generates a temporary brush from the clipboard data.

  1. Select a painting tool from the toolbox, such as the Paintbrush (P), Pencil (N), or Airbrush (A).
  2. Open the Brushes dockable dialog (go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Brushes if it is not visible).
  3. The very first icon in the Brushes list is the dynamic Clipboard Image brush. Click it to set it as your active brush.

Step 4: Adjust Tool Options and Paint

With the Clipboard Brush active, you can paint directly onto your canvas.

  • Adjust standard settings in the Tool Options panel, such as Size, Opacity, Angle, and Spacing, to control how the captured image applies to the canvas.
  • Note that this brush updates automatically whenever you copy new pixel data inside GIMP. If you wish to preserve the brush permanently for future sessions, open the Brushes dialog and click the Duplicate this brush icon at the bottom of the panel.