- Using the Options Bar
- Using the Selection Tools
- Using the Crop and Slice Tools
- Using the Retouching Tools
- Using the Painting Tools
- Using the Drawing and Type Tools
- Using the Shape Tools
- Using the Annotation, Measuring, and Navigation Tools
- Selecting Foreground and Background Colors
- Changing View Modes
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Using the Shape Tools
Shape tools work in three ways (see Figure 3.11): In the Options bar you can choose to create a shape layer, a path, or a Fill Pixels shape.
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Figure 3.11 The Shape tools.
A shape layer is a fill layer linked to a vector mask. This means you can double-click the fill layer in the Layers palette and change the fill color of the shape. A shape layer can also be resized infinitely because of its vector properties.
Selecting Paths in the Options bar before drawing your shape creates a path from the shape you draw. This creates a colorless vector shape that can be resized later without losing quality. You have all options available from the Paths palette when creating a Paths shape.
A Fill Pixels shape uses the foreground color and creates a bitmap shape on the current layer. This is a raster shape and if used in an image layer, is flattened over the image contents.
The following is a summary of the Shape tools:
Rectangle (U): Creates a rectangle shape using one of the three options from the Options bar. Hold down the Shift key to constrain it to a square when drawing the shape.
Rounded Rectangle (U): Creates a rectangle with rounded corners. In the Options bar adjust the corner radius options to suit your needs. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to a square.
Ellipse (U): Creates an ellipse or oval shape. Hold down the Shift key when drawing to create a perfect circle.
Polygon (U): Creates a polygon shape. Choose the number of sides in the Options bar to draw the polygon of your choice.
Line (U): Click, hold, and drag to create a straight line. Hold down the Shift key to constrain your line to a perfect horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree angle. Adjust the weight of the line in the Options bar.
Custom Shape (U): Choose the Custom Shape tool; in the Options bar, click the Shape pop-up menu and choose from one of the shape icons. Click the fly-out menu to load a new shape library into the options. To create your own custom shape, draw a vector path in your image. Select the path from the Paths palette, and then choose Edit, Define Custom Shape. Name your shape; it will appear in the Shapes library for later use.