Creating a geometric pattern in Photoshop. How to Draw Geometric Shapes in Photoshop in Four Ways

We talked about drawing in Photoshop using a pencil and brush. Freehand lines are great, but it often happens that you need to depict an even geometric figure. Rulers and compasses are a thing of the past, and now you can do this using simple tools editor.

To select one of them, click the Shapes icon on the tool palette.

Regardless of which group tool you select, the following items, common to all shapes, will appear in the Options Bar.

Select tool mode. Here you can choose one of three.

Figure. The value is set to the default, and it creates a vector geometric figure on a separate layer, that is, what you expect from the tool happens.
Circuit. The outline of the figure is drawn without filling.
Pixels. It creates not a vector, but a raster figure.

Filling. Allows you to customize the color and type (gradient, shading) of the drawn figure.
Stroke. Shape outline settings: thickness, type, color.
Width and height. They allow you to clarify the size of the figure when it is impermissible to do this “by eye”.

As always, create a new document with a white background. The remaining parameters can be left as default or selected at your discretion.

Rectangle

Select the Rectangle shape and, to draw it, click on the canvas and then drag the pointer while holding down the mouse button. The point where you clicked will be the corner of the shape.

On the options bar, click the icon. The geometric settings window will open.

By default, the switch is set to Rectangle. If you set it to Square, then when drawing you will always get a shape with the same length of sides. A similar effect can be achieved without pressing the checkbox: to obtain a square while drawing a rectangle, just hold down the Shift key.

If the parameters of your rectangle are known in advance, set the switch to the Specified size position and specify the required values in the fields. The figure will be completely drawn as soon as you click on the canvas with the mouse button.

After setting the switch to the Set proportions position, in the input fields that become available, you can specify the aspect ratio of the created figure.

The From Center checkbox allows you to draw a rectangle from the center, rather than from the outermost point.

Rectangle with rounded corners

The next item on the list of geometric shapes. It is clear that it differs from the usual one in the rounding of the corners. Accordingly, the settings for this figure and the rectangle are almost identical. The fillet radius can be specified in the corresponding field in the options bar.

Ellipse

The parameters are the same as a rectangle, only instead of a square you can draw a circle. To do this, in the geometry settings window, check the Circle box or hold down the Shift key while drawing.

Polygon

With this tool you can draw a triangle, dodecahedron, icosahedron, star, or any shape that contains from three to one hundred sides. Their number can be set in the Party input field located on the parameters panel.

The geometric settings window is noticeably different from previous figures.

Radius. This field specifies the radius of the future polygon.
Smooth outer corners. If the checkbox is checked, then the corners are rounded; if not, the corners are sharp, as in a classic polygon.
Star. Check the box if you want to receive a star as output.
Depth of rays. This input field specifies how long the rays will be.
Smooth the inside corners. Check this box if you want the inside corners to be rounded, as shown in the image below.

Line

Use this tool to create truly straight lines - freehand is simply not practical. To achieve maximum accuracy, configure the geometric parameters in the appropriate window.

Start. If the checkbox is checked, instead of a line you will get an arrow that will be drawn at the location where you clicked the mouse button.
End. Select the checkbox to add an arrow to the end of the line.
Width. Indicated as a percentage relative to the thickness (it can be set in the parameters panel in the field of the same name).
Length. It is calculated in the same way as width - in relation to thickness, as a percentage.
Curvature. The value is specified in the range from -50% to 50% and determines how much the most wide part arrows. The figure shows arrows with curvature of 0%, 30% and 50% (from top to bottom).

Free figure

In order not to create for each of the dozens of remaining figures own instrument, the developers have combined them here. All elements of the parameters panel are already familiar to you, except for the most important one - the Shape button, clicking on which opens the shape selection window.

If you click on the gear located on the right side of the window, a menu of additional options will open, containing categories of shapes.

Thanks to the tools discussed, you can literally draw in two clicks great amount figures that would take quite a long time to create by hand.

In Photoshop there is interesting tool — « Free figure» . In practice, this tool is rarely used, but it still has a number of interesting features. In this lesson you will get acquainted with arbitrary shapes, and also learn how to independently add your own sets of such shapes in Photoshop.

There is a group of similar tools on the toolbar (shortcut U). These include: rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon, line and arbitrary figure.

There is a window on the attributes panel where you can select a shape from among the standard ones. To do this, click on the small arrow to the right of the thumbnail. Look at the screenshots:

What is a free figure?

It is a vector image, which means it has no size restrictions. Therefore, it can be stretched as much as you like without losing quality.

The shape does not have its own color (other than the one we choose before creating), volume, shadows, border strokes, or anything else. In this way, it resembles a brush, where you set the color yourself, everything else will have to be painted on your own.

How to use?

To draw a custom shape, select it from the drop-down list, then left-click in your open document and move the mouse to the side. You will see that the outline of the future figure has appeared. By moving the mouse in different angles and directions, you adjust its size and shape, i.e. it can be wide or narrow. Don't forget to first choose the color you want and then paint.

Hold down the Shift key to draw the figure perfectly straight, without distortion in any direction.

How to install your shapes in Photoshop?

You can install a set of figures into your program yourself. The same principles apply here as, for example, with or. To install them, first, download a set of figures to your computer. Such sets have the extension csh.

After that, open the shapes menu. You will see these 4 commands:

Selecting "Load...", a dialog box will open in which you need to specify the path to the file with the extension csh, for example like this:

This set will automatically be added to the end of the list of all shapes. Let's say you had a set with animals on the list, and you loaded arrows. The result is a list consisting of animals and arrows.

Selecting "Replace...", everything will be the same, except that new figures will not appear at the end of the list, but will completely replace those that already exist. For example, you initially had sets with animals and arrows loaded in the list, and you decided to open with a replacement set of ornaments. As a result, only ornaments will be on the list.

And if you have loaded several sets, delete any individual figures using the command "Delete…", in general, if you have made a set for yourself, you can save it with the command "Save custom...". In the future it will be possible to download it in the same form or transfer it to someone via the Internet.

Last command "Restore arbitrary..." allows you to return everything to default.

Please note that in the same menu there is a huge list: Animals, Arrows, Nature, Objects, etc. These are standard sets that were kindly provided to us by the Photoshop developers.

Second installation method with additional benefit

Arbitrary shapes can still be set directly in system files Photoshop.

This is a little more difficult to do, but the main advantage of this method is that your set will appear in the list that I described above (Animals, Arrows, Nature, Objects, etc.). If you intend to use this tool often, then this installation method will reduce time, and you will be able to select the desired set in two clicks.

To do this, you need to copy the file with the extension csh to the photoshop system folder "Custom Shapes", usually her address is like this: C:\Program Files\Adobe\ Adobe Photoshop CS5\Presets\Custom Shapes.

If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!

Drawing tools let you create and edit vector shapes. They make it easy to create various elements for web pages.

The following family of tools allows you to create geometric figures different shapes.

Rectangle (Rectangle)() - accordingly, allows you to draw a rectangle (and with the key pressed - a square), filled with the foreground color.
Rounded Rectsngle square)— creates shapes similar to those described above, but allows you to set the radius of rounding the corners of the rectangle.

Ellipse- creates ovals (in combination with a pressed key - circles).
Polygon- allows you to create geometric shapes with an arbitrary number of angles, as well as multi-beam stars. By default creates a convex pentagon.
Line— draws straight lines of arbitrary or specified length, thickness, color and direction.
Custom Shape- allows you to create a geometric figure free form and save it for future use.

Create a new training file.

Left click on tool - shapes - on the toolbar, the tool selection window will open:

Here are the basic shapes we can use. Select any one and look at the options panel:

For any shape you can choose:

drawing mode:
- Shape layer. The figure is created in a separate layer. A shape layer consists of a fill layer that defines the color of the shape, and an associated vector mask that defines the shape's boundaries. The outline of a shape is a path that appears in the Paths tab of the Layers panel.
- Outlines. This mode allows you to draw outlines of shapes that can be filled or outlined with any color. Paths appear in the Paths tab of the Layers panel.
- Pixel Fill . When working in this mode, not vector, but raster images are created, which can be processed in the same way as any raster image
style and color of the figure

set parameters specific to this figure

Drawing rectangles

Let's select the first shape - a rectangle. On the panel we will select mode - shape layer. Select a style by clicking on the triangle on the right.

Choose any one you like. By the way, if you click on the triangle in the circle (on the right), you can select additional styles in the context menu that opens. If you do not want to use a style, then select a white square crossed out with a red line.

Now you can set the geometric parameters:

Arbitrarily - as you draw, so it will be.
Square - when you stretch the shape with the mouse, the width and height will always be the same.
Specified size - you can set the width and height of the rectangle (in cm) and click on the canvas. A rectangle with the specified dimensions will appear.
Set proportions - you can set how many times the width will be smaller (or larger) than the height. When stretching the figure, the proportion will be maintained.
From the center - draws a rectangle from the center.
Snap to Pixels - the edges of the rectangle are snapped to the pixel boundaries.

Now select -arbitrarily- and stretch your rectangle on the canvas with the mouse. For example, this is what I got when using styles: Button, Glass Buttons and Web Styles.

Enough useful tool to create buttons and menus for your web pages, isn't it?

Draw rectangles with rounded corners

Let's select the second shape - a rectangle with rounded corners. In the panel, select the mode - shape layer, corner radius - for example, 15 and color (you can style it as you want). The geometric parameters are the same as for a rectangle.

This is what happened to me various combinations radius and style.

Why not news blocks and menu buttons?

Drawing circles

Let's choose the third figure - an ellipse. In the panel, select the mode - layer-shape, color and style. The geometric parameters are the same as for a rectangle, with the only difference being that you can choose a circle instead of a square. Select -randomly- and stretch the ellipse. If you want there to be a circle, then hold down the Shift key or select -circle- in the geometric parameters.

Here's what I got:

Drawing polygons

Let's choose a shape - a polygon. In the panel, select the mode - shape layer, the number of sides in the range from 3 to 100 (for example, 3 for a triangle, 6 for a hexagon), color and style. Let's consider the geometric parameters:

Radius - radius of the polygon.
Smooth outer corners
Star - with the checkbox unchecked, the polygon is convex, with the checkbox ticked, the polygon is concave.
Beam depth - if the polygon is concave, then its vertices seem to form rays. This parameter shows what part of the polygon radius will be occupied by rays. The higher the %, the longer and sharper the rays.
Smooth outer corners - with the checkbox unchecked, the corners are sharp, with the checkbox checked, the corners are rounded.

For example:

The first hexagon has a radius of 3 cm, the rest of the boxes are unchecked.

The second hexagon has a radius of 3 cm, a checkmark at -star-, the depth of the rays is 25%, the rest of the checkboxes are unchecked.

The third hexagon has a radius of 3 cm, the depth of the rays is 50%, all the boxes are checked.

All have a style applied to them.

Drawing lines

Let's choose a shape - lines. In the panel, select the mode - shape layer, line thickness (in pixels), color and style. Let's consider the geometric parameters:

If all the checkboxes are unchecked, there will be just a line, the parameters are set by the arrows at the ends of this line.

Start- arrow at the beginning of the line.
End- arrow at the end of the line.
Width- proportions of the arrow as a percentage of the line thickness (from 10% to 1000%).
Length- proportions of the arrow as a percentage of the line thickness (from 10% to 5000%).
Curvature- determines the degree of curvature of the widest part of the arrow where it meets the line (from -50% to +50%).

For example:

The first line has all checkboxes unchecked, width - 500%, length - 1000%, thickness - 2 pixels.

For the second line, everything is the same, but there is a checkmark at -beginning- and the curvature is 5%.

For the third line, everything is the same, but the -end- is checked and the -beginning- is unchecked.

The fourth line has both checkboxes, width - 500%, length - 1000%, curvature - 15%, thickness - 5 pixels.

All have a style applied to them.

Drawing arbitrary shapes

Let's choose a figure - an arbitrary figure. In the panel, select the mode - layer-shape, color and style. The geometric parameters are the same as for a rectangle. But here there is a choice of the figure itself:

Drawing multiple shapes in one layer

The principle here is the same as with tools rectangular selection(in the first lesson we made a non-standard selection area using the tools in the options bar: add to selection, subtract from selection, etc.). The same tools are available in the Shape Options panel.

For example, create a rectangle shape, now in the options bar click on the "add to shape area" icon, and now select the ellipse shape. Move the mouse cursor to the upper border of our rectangle, press the left mouse button and, without releasing it, stretch the ellipse. It should look something like this:

If the ellipse is not stretched as desired, you can correct it. To do this, select from the toolbar contour selection tool-

Move the cursor to the border of the ellipse and, while holding down the left mouse button, drag the ellipse where it should be. Using all these tools, you can draw shapes of varying complexity.

Saving the shapes

Let's say we liked the last shape we created and want to use it in the future. To do this, you need to save it. For this menu Edit -> Define Custom Shape. Give the new shape a name.

Now our shape has appeared in the drop-down custom shape selection panel.

Hello, dear readers of my blog. The easier the task, the more difficult it is to solve in Photoshop. There are a thousand articles about or creating the effect of black eyes, but how to draw a circle, square or rhombus - go figure it out! Today I will solve this injustice.

You will find a comprehensive article about geometric shapes for Photoshop - how to draw them yourself, what additional tools you can download for a more impressive result, as well as many other equally interesting and useful information.

We draw ourselves

Adobe Photoshop has several tools that allow you to draw shapes. Just some of them hide some secrets. Now I will tell you about them. So, I If you want to learn how to do it like in my drawing, then I recommend the article, there is nothing easier than making the same one.

So, in the toolbar on the left you can find a rectangle, ellipse, polygon, line or any shape. You may not see additional tools, but you found one of them, just hold down the left mouse button for a split second or click once on the right mouse button. Menu with additional figures will appear immediately.

To start, I'll select a rectangle. As soon as I finish drawing, an additional menu will pop up on the left. Here you can select the size by width and height if you need to maintain exact dimensions. Just below is a menu with a fill for the shape itself - you can choose no fill, a solid color, a gradient or a pattern.

A little to the right is the stroke menu - you need to determine its width and whether it will be present at all; if you want, make it monochromatic, fill it with a gradient or, again, with a pattern.

To turn a rectangle into a square you need to hold down the Shift button while drawing the shape.

Pressing the Shift button turns an ellipse into a circle.

Also in the list there is such a figure as a polygon. You decide the number of sides yourself. You can enter any value - 3 to make a triangle, 7, 10 and so on.

I won't give lines special attention, this thing is not difficult to figure out on your own. The only thing worth warning is that holding Shift makes the line strictly vertical or horizontal.

Free figure

We are left with an arbitrary figure. What it is?

On the very right side of the top menu you can see ready-made shapes. Various arrows, squares, lightning bolts and so on.

To use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+T.

How to add new ones

Adding new shapes is not difficult. A lot of free figures can be downloaded from the site photoshop-master.ru . There are about 400 sets with figures - people, patterns, spiders, abstraction, cars, chairs, fire, flowers and much more.

I’ll show you how to install them using “Media” as an example; they will be useful to me in the future. So, I download the file.

Just wait 15 seconds. No pre-registration is required.

Now open the archive and drop the file in CSH format somewhere where it can be easily found.

Now open the shapes in Photoshop and click on the nut on the right side. In the list that opens, select “Load Shapes.”

Now find the file that you unzipped not long ago. By the way, after you're done, the file can be deleted from your computer. You won't need it anymore. Everything was copied to the desired folder.

You can use shapes. Don't forget about the fill, thanks to which you can change the color of the shapes, as well as the stroke.

In addition to shapes, you may also need brushes. They can also be downloaded from the website Photoshop-master .

You can load the required set in the same way as when working with shapes. Open your brushes.

Click on the nut and select “Load”.

Work with them yourself. There is nothing complicated here. They are slightly different from the figures.

Google to the rescue

Another way to draw a figure is to take advantage of the work of others. You'll need Google and its Images section. You will find out why exactly he is very soon. So that the figure has transparent background, and it fits harmoniously into your composition, it is required. This is what you need to look for: png triangle, circle, oval, and so on.

If you are doing work for yourself, then, in principle, you could use Yandex, but if the project is being created for commercial purposes, then Google will be very useful. Open “Tools”, then “Use Rights” and select the desired type - use or use and change.

Next, open the picture after you have found something suitable. This is an important condition. The drawing should be located on this square-checkered background. If it's just white, then it's not a png. You will understand the difference when you download. In principle, there is nothing wrong with learning from your mistakes.

This is what the PNG will look like. The checkerboard filled with my background.

If you want to learn more about the program, I can recommend the course to you « Photoshop from scratch in video format » . It is suitable for complete beginners. There is a lot of useful information here about the tools and when each is suitable.

The Internet is full of lessons that you can learn from, but it is one thing to blindly repeat after the author and quite another to meaningfully achieve a goal, knowing what you will have to use for this. This is a completely different level.

In this tutorial we will look at the basics of working with shapes and shape layers in Photoshop program. We'll start our lesson by learning the five basic tools for drawing geometric shapes - Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon and Line.

Then, in the next tutorial, we'll look at how to draw more complex shapes using the Freeform Shape tool. Most people think that Photoshop is only used for image processing, and if you asked them to recommend a good one graphics editor, then in most cases the answer would be " Adobe Illustrator».

Indeed, the possibilities Adobe editor Illustrator is much broader in the area of vector graphics than Photoshop, but, nevertheless, Photoshop can do more in this area than you would expect from a raster image editor. Photoshop's various Shapes tools and shape layers make it easy to add simple vector images for drawings and drawings.

Photoshop has six tools that allow you to draw shapes - Rectangle Tool, Rounded Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line "(Line Tool) and "Custom Shape Tool". They are located in one place on the toolbar.

By default, the Rectangle tool is visible in the toolbar, but if we click on the tool icon and hold down the mouse button for a few seconds, a pop-up menu will appear with a list of the remaining tools in the Shapes group from which we can choose the one we need:

All six tools in the Shapes group are located in one place on the toolbar

If you first selected one tool in the Shapes group and then want to switch to another, there's no need to revisit the Tools panel (although you can do that if you want). Photoshop allows us to choose the right tool in the settings panel at the top of the screen, where all six tools are presented. For example, in the Tools panel, I'll select the Rectangle Tool:

Selecting the Rectangle Tool

Once you select the Rectangle Tool, six icons appear in the Options Bar, representing the various tools in the Shapes group. The tools are arranged from left to right in the same order as they appear in the toolbar, so we again see the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Line, and Freeform tools. To select the desired tool, simply click on one of the icons:

All six Shapes tools can be selected directly from the Options panel (after one of them is selected in the Tools panel)

Selecting the Shape Layer option

Before we start drawing shapes, we need to tell Photoshop what type of shape we want to draw, and in this case I don't mean "rectangle" or "circle" by body type. In fact, Photoshop allows us to draw the shapes of three different types- vector shapes, outlines and pixel shapes.

In another tutorial we'll look in detail at how these three types of shapes differ and when to use which type, but in most cases, you'll be drawing vector shapes. These are the ones that are drawn in a program like Illustrator. Unlike pixel shapes, vector shapes are resolution independent and completely scalable. This means that we can resize them as we wish without losing image quality. The edges of vector shapes remain crisp and sharp both on screen and during subsequent printing.

To draw vector shapes, select the Shape Layers option in the settings panel. This is the first of three icons, located towards the left edge (the middle icon is the Paths option and the right is the Fill Pixels option):

To draw vector shapes, select the “Shape Layer” option

Choosing a color for a shape

After selecting the Shape Layer option, we need to choose a color for our shape. We'll do this by clicking on the color swatch icon located to the right of the word "Color" in the settings panel:

Click on the color swatch icon to select the desired color for the shape

This action will open color palette, where we can select the desired color. In my case, I'll choose red. Once you select a color, click OK to close the color palette:

In the color palette, select a color for the figure

If you're not sure you've chosen the right color for your body shape, don't worry about it. Next, we'll look at how we can use shape layers to easily go back to previous steps and change the color of a shape at any time after we've drawn it.

Rectangle Tool

As you might have guessed from the name, the Rectangle Tool allows us to draw four-sided rectangular shapes. Simply click in the document window to define the starting point of the shape and then, while holding down the mouse button, drag the mouse cursor diagonally to finish drawing the shape. As you move the cursor, you will see the subtle outlines of the future figure:

Drag your cursor to draw a rectangular shape. As you move the cursor, the outline of the shape will appear

When you're happy with the result, release the mouse button and the program will immediately fill the shape with the color you chose in the settings panel:

The program will fill the shape with color as soon as you release the mouse button

Drawing a shape from the center

If you need to draw a rectangle (or other shape) from the center rather than from a corner, position the cursor in the document window to define the center of the future rectangle and, while holding down the mouse button, begin dragging the cursor and drawing the shape as usual. While doing this, press the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and continue to hold it down as you move the cursor. Pressing this key tells the program to draw the shape from the center. This technique works with all the Shape tools, not just the Rectangle tool:

To draw a shape from the center, hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) as you move the cursor

Drawing squares

We can also draw squares using the Rectangle tool. To draw a square, place the cursor in the document window and start dragging it, drawing a rectangular shape. Once you start doing this, press the Shift key and continue to hold it down as you move the cursor. Pressing the Shift key will transform the shape into a square, no matter which direction you move the cursor. You can also add an Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) keystroke to draw the square from the center (so you press and hold Shift+Alt (Win) / Shift+Option (Mac)):

To draw a square, while using the Rectangle Tool, press and hold the Shift key

Once again, Photoshop will only show a thin outline of the square as you move the cursor, but when you release the mouse button, it will fill the square with color:

The program always waits for you to release the mouse button and only then fills the shape with color

Shapes group tool options

If you look in the Options panel, you'll see a small downward-pointing arrow to the right of the six Shapes group tool icons. Clicking this arrow will open a list of additional options for the Shapes group tool you have selected. For example, when you select the Rectangle Tool, clicking the arrow will open a menu with options for the Rectangle Tool. With the exception of the Polygon and Line tools, which we'll look at later, you won't use this menu very often because we've already learned how to select basic options using keyboard shortcuts and individual keys.

For example, the Unconstrained option is selected by default, and it is responsible for the normal operation of the Rectangle Tool, allowing us to draw rectangular shapes of any size and aspect ratio. The Square option allows us to draw squares, but we can do this by simply pressing and holding the Shift key as we move the cursor. The From Center option is responsible for drawing the shape from the center, but again, we can do this by pressing and holding the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key:

Click the small arrow to see more options for the Rectangle Tool

Shape layer

Before we move on to the rest of the Shapes group, let's take a look at the Layers panel. As you remember, at the beginning of the lesson we learned what to draw vector shapes In Photoshop, you need to select the Shape Layer option in the Options Bar. And now that I've drawn the shape, we can see that a shape layer has appeared in the Layers panel (a layer of type Shape), which the program called “Shape 1”. Each new vector shape we draw will be placed on its own layer, which looks different than a regular pixel layer. On the left side of the layer is a color swatch icon, which displays the current fill color of our shape, and to the right of the color icon is a vector mask thumbnail:

Shape layers have a color swatch icon on the left side, and a vector mask thumbnail to the right of it.

As I mentioned earlier, we don't have to worry about choosing the right color for the shape because we can easily change the fill color of the shape once we've created it. To do this, double-click on the shape layer color swatch icon:

To change the current color of a shape, double-click the color swatch icon

Photoshop will re-open the color palette where we can choose a different color for our shape. I'll choose blue this time:

Select a different color from the color palette

It’s easy enough to go back and change the color of the shape at any time.

To the right of the color swatch icon on the shape layer is a vector mask thumbnail. The white area in the thumbnail represents our figure. Vector masks are similar to regular layer masks in that they partially cover a layer, leaving certain areas visible. In other words, when we draw a vector shape, the program actually fills the entire layer with the selected color, but the mask only displays the color inside the shape area, while the color on the rest of the layer area is hidden. When working with the tools of the “Shapes” group, it is, of course, not at all necessary to know how a vector mask works, but it is always nice to understand how the tools work. The gray area around the shape in the vector mask thumbnail represents the area on the layer where the color is not visible, while the white area in the thumbnail represents the area on the layer with color:

The white area on the vector mask represents the area on the layer where color is visible

To make it easier for us to see how Photoshop renders a vector shape, we can temporarily disable vector masks by pressing and holding the Shift key while clicking on the vector mask thumbnail:

Hold down the Shift key and click on the vector mask to turn it off

After turning off the vector mask, the layer becomes open and we can see that it is all filled blue, which I chose to fill the shape with. If we look more closely, we can see a thin outline of the shape's location on the layer:

After turning off the vector mask, you can see that the entire layer is filled with color

To turn the vector mask back on, simply hold down the Shift key while clicking on the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel again. After turning on the mask, the color will remain only inside the shape area, while the color in the rest of the layer will be hidden from view. The white areas around the shape in the document window belong to the background layer below:

Document after re-enabling the vector mask

Now that we've learned about shape layers, let's look at other shapes you can draw in Photoshop using the Shapes group tools.

Rounded Rectangle Tool

The Rounded Rectangle Tool is very similar to the Rectangle Tool except that it allows us to draw rounded rectangles. We adjust the degree of rounding of the corners using the Radius option in the settings panel. The larger the radius value we enter, the rounder the corners become. In my case, I'll enter a Radius value of 50 pixels:

Use the Radius option to determine the degree to which corners are rounded

To draw a rounded rectangle, after you have entered a radius value, click in the document window to define the starting point of the shape and then, while holding down the mouse button, drag the mouse cursor to finish drawing the shape. Just like with the Rectangle shape, as you move the cursor the program will display a thin outline of the shape:

Drag your cursor to draw a rounded rectangle after you've entered a radius value in the Options bar

When you release your mouse button, Photoshop will finish drawing the shape and fill it with color:

When you release the mouse button, the shape will fill with color

Below is another rectangle with the radius set to 150 pixels. This value so large (for this figure, anyway) that the left and right sides of the rectangle are shaped like a curve:

How more value radius, the more round the corners are

And here is a rectangle with a small radius value of 10 pixels, which only slightly rounds the corners of the shape:

A small radius value rounds corners less

Unfortunately, there is no preview of the degree of corner rounding. We can see how round the corners are only after we draw a rectangle. Also, we cannot change the radius value while drawing the shape, as is available in Illustrator. Photoshop also doesn't allow us to go back and even slightly adjust the rounding of the corners after we've drawn the shape.

All of the above means that drawing rounded rectangles is essentially a matter of trial and error. If you don't like the rounded corners of your shape after you've drawn it, press Ctrl+Z (Win) / Command+Z (Mac) to quickly undo it, then enter a new radius value in the Options bar and start drawing the rectangle again.

Just like the Rectangle Tool, you can use the Rounded Rectangle Tool to draw rounded squares. Simply press and hold down the Shift key once you've started drawing the shape, and your rounded rectangle will take the shape of a rounded square. Press and hold Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) to draw the shape from the center.

If we click on the small arrow in the Options Bar to open the Advanced Options menu for the Rounded Rectangle Tool, we'll see that the Freestyle, Square, and Center options are the same as the Rectangle Tool options. Again, we already know how to select these options using keyboard shortcuts and individual keys:

The Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools have the same advanced options

Ellipse tool

The Ellipse Tool allows us to draw ellipses and circles. Just as with the Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools, click in the document window to define the starting point of the shape and then, while holding down the mouse button, drag the mouse cursor to finish drawing the shape:

Drawing an ellipse using the Ellipse tool

Release the mouse button to finish drawing the shape and filling it with color:

Ellisfilled upcolor

Press and hold the Shift key once you've started working with the Ellipse tool to draw perfectly smooth circle. Pressing Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) will allow you to draw the shape from the center:

Start drawing and then add Shift keystrokes to create a perfectly even circle

Clicking the small arrow in the Options bar will open the Ellipse tool options, which are similar to the Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools. The only difference is that the Ellipse tool option lets you draw circles instead of squares:

The Ellipse tool has almost the same options as the Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools.

Polygon Tool

The Polygon Tool is more interesting for us in terms of its ability to draw shapes. While with the Rectangle tool we can only draw four-sided rectangles, the Polygon tool allows us to draw polygons with as many sides as we wish. Next we will look at how you can even draw stars using this tool.

Specify the number of sides you require for the polygon in the Sides option box in the settings panel. The default value for Sides is 5, but you can enter any number from 3 to 100:

Use the Sides option to tell Photoshop how many sides your polygonal shape will have

Once you specify the number of sides, position your cursor in the document window and begin dragging to draw a polygonal shape. Photoshop always draws polygonal shapes from the center, so you don't have to hold down the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key. Pressing and holding the Shift key after you've started drawing a polygon will allow you to limit the number of angles for your shape and position it exactly how you want it on the screen:

The Polygon tool is indispensable when we need to draw a shape other than a quadrilateral

By specifying the number of sides equal to 3, we can easily draw a triangle:

A simple triangle drawn with the Polygon tool

Here is a polygon with 12 sides:

PolygonWithtwelveparties

Drawing stars with the Polygon tool

To draw a star using the Polygon tool, click on the small arrow in the options bar to open the list of Polygon tool options and select the Star option:

From the list of options for the Polygon tool, select “Star”

After selecting the “Star” option, click the mouse in the document window and drag the cursor to draw a star. The Sides option in the settings panel determines the number of points on the star. So, if the default value of the parameter is five, we will get a five-pointed star:

By default, the tops of the stars have sharp corners, but we can round them off by selecting the Smooth Corners option:

Select the option “Smooth outer corners”

Below is a five-pointed star with the Smooth Outer Corners option selected:

The Smooth Outer Corners option softens the angularity of the stars

We can also round the corners at the base of the star's rays by selecting the Smooth Indents option:

Select the option “Smooth inner corners”

And again, our star looks completely different:

A drawn star with the Smooth Inner Corners option selected

Line Tool

Finally, we'll look at the Line Tool, which is the last tool in the Geometric Shapes group. It allows us to draw straight lines and arrows. Set the desired line thickness in pixels by entering a value in the Weight parameter box in the settings panel. In my case, I'll enter a value of 16 pixels:

Use the Thickness option to determine the thickness of the line

Then click in the document window and drag the cursor to draw a line. Once you've started drawing a line, press and hold the Shift key to constrain the direction the cursor can move. This will allow you to easily draw horizontal or vertical lines:

Hold down the keyShift for drawing horizontal or vertical lines

To set arrows at the ends of the line, click on the small arrow icon in the settings panel to select the Arrowheads options. Photoshop allows us to add arrows at the beginning of a line, at the end, or at both ends at the same time. If you want to have an arrow in the direction in which you draw the line, which is more logical, select the End option. Make sure you select this option before you start drawing the line, as the program will not allow us to go back and define the arrow after the line is drawn:

To add an arrow in the direction in which the line was drawn, select the End option.

Below is a line similar to the previous line I drew, but with an arrow at the end:

The Line Tool makes it easy to draw arrows

If the default arrow size does not suit you, you can change it using the Width and Length parameters. We can also add a bend to the arrow using the “Curvature” parameter. By default, the value of this parameter is 0%. I'll increase it to 50%:

Increase the Curvature value to change the shape of the arrow

As a result, the shape of the arrow will change. Again, make sure you select the Curvature option before you start drawing the line, otherwise you'll have to delete the shape and re-draw it:

Arrow with Curvature set to 50%

Hiding the outline around a shape

If you look closely at a shape you've drawn (no matter which Shapes tool you've used), you'll likely see a thin outline around it, which can sometimes be annoying. The outline around the shape appears whenever the vector shape mask is selected, and it is always selected by default after we draw a new shape.

If you look at the shape layer in the Layers panel, you'll see that the vector mask thumbnail has a white highlighted border around it, which tells us that the mask is actually selected. You can hide the outline around the shape by deselecting the vector mask. To do this, simply click on the vector mask thumbnail. The highlighted border around the thumbnail will disappear, and so will the outline around the shape in the document:

Click on the vector mask thumbnail to deselect it and hide the outline around the shape

And now we're done! We've covered the basics of working with shape layers and the five Shapes tools in Photoshop! In the next tutorial, we'll learn how to create more complex shapes using the Custom Shape Tool.

Translation: Ksenia Rudenko