TIL those super cheap digital map brushes are often just stolen art

I got really excited about a pack of 'hand drawn' mountain and forest brushes I saw online for like $3. The seller had tons of good reviews, so I bought them for a project last month. When I started using them, something felt off. The line quality was weirdly inconsistent in a way that didn't look hand drawn. I did a reverse image search and found the exact same brush shapes on a big artist's portfolio site from 2019. The $3 seller had just taken the art, turned it into a brush set, and was selling it. I felt awful for using it, even by accident, and had to redo about 8 hours of work on my regional map. It wasn't just the $3, it was the time and the icky feeling. Has anyone else run into this? How do you check if a brush pack is legit before buying?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.charlie1mo ago

Honestly that's such a gut punch. Tbh I always check the seller's other stuff now, like if they only have one weirdly cheap pack and no social media presence, it's a huge red flag. Reverse image search is basically the only real way to check before you buy.

james66129d ago

You're right about the social media check, that's a good habit. But I'd be careful with reverse image search being the only way to check. Some scammers now take real product photos from legitimate listings and use those, so a match doesn't always mean it's safe.

angelaellis1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I got burned last month on a camera lens deal. The reverse image search pulled up the same photos from three different scam sites.