Initial Setup

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• Adobe Photoshop 2024 (version 24.0) or newer.
• An internet connection for activation, and occasionally afterwards so Blask can re-verify the license (it tolerates being offline for up to 14 days).
• Your license key, sent to you by email after purchase.

Two computers per key

One license key activates Blask on up to 2 computers. See Licensing & trial for details.

Install and activate Blask App

1. Run the installer: Blask_Setup_<version>.exe.

2. On the Installation type page, choose I have a license key or Start the free 7-day trial

3. If you chose the key option: on the Activation page, paste your license key from the email and click Next.

   • “Invalid or disabled license key” → double-check the key you pasted.
   • “Already activated on 2 computers” → both seats are in use. Free one in Settings → License on a computer you already activated, then try again.

4. On the final page, leave the two recommended options ticked and click Finish:

   • Install the Blask panel in Photoshop now (via Adobe Creative Cloud) adds the Blask Plugin panel to Photoshop for you.
   • Configure Photoshop for graphics-tablet pen pressure (WinTab) sets Photoshop up for a drawing tablet. Restart Photoshop for it to take effect.

   Blask then launches and a small icon appears in the system tray (usually bottom-right, near the clock).

If you kept both options ticked, setup is essentially done: the background app is running and the Photoshop panel is installed. The sections below explain how to do each part by hand, in case you unticked an option or something did not work.

Install Blask Plugin in Photoshop

Blask has two parts: the background Blask App you just installed, and the Blask Plugin panel that lives inside Photoshop. The installer can add the panel for you on its final page (the recommended option above). If you skipped that step, or Photoshop still has no Blask Plugin, add it by hand. The plugin package (Blask.ccx) sits in the install folder, and Adobe Creative Cloud installs it when you double-click the file, which only takes a moment.

1. Open the install folder (default: C:\Program Files\Blask).
2. Double-click Blask.ccx, Creative Cloud installs the panel.
3. In Photoshop, open it from the menu: Plugins → Blask Plugin.
4. The panel’s banner shows “Connected. You may close this panel” when the background app is running.

Tip

If the banner shows “Disconnected. Click to reload the plugin”, make sure the tray app is running, then click the banner to reconnect.

You only need to do this once per install. After an upgrade you re-run the .ccx so Creative Cloud picks up the new panel version, see Upgrading.

Wintab driver setup

For the best integration and a lag-free experience with a drawing tablet, we recommend using the Wintab driver with both Photoshop.exe and Blask.exe. You can set it up in one of two ways.

Option 1: Use the installer option or the helper script

The Configure Photoshop for graphics-tablet pen pressure (WinTab) checkbox on the installer’s final page already applies this configuration. To run it again later (for example if you unticked it), open C:\Program Files\Blask, right-click ConfigureWinTab.ps1, and choose Run with PowerShell.

1. Apply the WinTab configuration using the installer checkbox, or the ConfigureWinTab.ps1 script above.
2. Configure your tablet driver. In addition to the Photoshop settings, make sure your drawing tablet’s settings allow the WinTab connection to work properly:
   • Wacom devices: Open the Wacom Center (or Wacom Tablet Properties), select your pen, and turn off the Windows Ink toggle.
   • Other tablets (Huion, Xencelabs, XP-Pen): Uncheck the Use Windows Ink box in your tablet’s control panel.
   • Both apps: If your driver has per-application settings, make sure Windows Ink is turned off for both Photoshop.exe and Blask.exe, not just Photoshop.
3. Restart Photoshop.

Option 2: Configure manually

1. Open Notepad and create a new blank text file.

2. Paste the following two lines into the file:

   # Use WinTab
   UseSystemStylus 0

3. Save the file as PSUserConfig.txt.

4. Place the file in your Photoshop settings folder:

   C:\Users\[Your_Username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\[Photoshop_Version]\[Photoshop_Version] Settings\

5. Restart Photoshop.

6. Configure your tablet driver. In addition to the Photoshop settings, make sure your drawing tablet’s settings allow the WinTab connection to work properly:

   • Wacom devices: Open the Wacom Center (or Wacom Tablet Properties), select your pen, and turn off the Windows Ink toggle.
   • Other tablets (Huion, Xencelabs, XP-Pen): Uncheck the Use Windows Ink box in your tablet’s control panel.
   • Both apps: If your driver has per-application settings, make sure Windows Ink is turned off for both Photoshop.exe and Blask.exe, not just Photoshop.

7. Restart Photoshop.

Uninstalling

1. (Optional, if you’re moving to another computer) Open Settings → License and Deactivate this computer first, to free its seat.
2. Quit Blask from the tray (Exit).
3. Uninstall Blask from Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features).
4. To remove the Photoshop panel, remove Blask Plugin via the Creative Cloud desktop app (Stock & Marketplace → Plugins → Manage plugins) or from within Photoshop’s Plugins manager.

Simply uninstalling does not free the seat, the activation stays bound to this machine. Use Settings → License → Deactivate (step 1) if you want the seat back.