All of the files provided here at Obsidian Dawn are compressed, or “zipped.” This makes them much smaller, for an easier, faster download.
You’ll know a file is zipped when it has a .ZIP extension, or the image looks like a file folder with a zipper on it.
In fact, most files that you’ll find on the internet will be compressed in one form or another. So, it’s important for you to understand how to “unzip” or decompress them to get to the files inside.
Windows Users:
Double click on the file that you downloaded. When you double click on it, it will open in a window, much like a regular file folder would.
You now have two choices, but I recommend the first:
- Look around that window for “Extract all files” or “Extract” – something like that. It will ask you where you want to extract them. Hit “Browse” and select a location. For now, place them someplace easy to find again – like your desktop.
- CTRL-A to select everything in that file folder. CTRL-C to copy it. Then navigate to your desktop, or someplace that you can find again easily. CTRL-V to paste the files. This essentially does the same thing as #1, but takes a bit more effort.
If you have an older Windows computer, you may need to download a free version of WinZip, which works much like what I’ve outlined here. See their website or the product itself for further instructions.
Mac Users:
Most Macs now-a-days come with a decompression tool already installed. Chances are, if you double click on the downloaded ZIP file, it will open for you to “unzip” it. Usually, they are fairly self explanatory. Look for something that says “Extract” and when it asks where, put it somewhere easy to find like your desktop.
I THINK my Macbook came with StuffIt, but I tend to like Zipeg more personally.
You can download a free version of StuffIt here. Zipeg is available here totally free, and even has a video to explain how to use Zipeg to unzip files.
That’s it! If you’re not sure where to place the files (Photoshop brushes, patterns, shapes, etc), refer to our tutorials in the right menu.
