Create a circle in Photoshop. How to make a circle in Photoshop: draw a smooth, transparent or filled circle, enter text

I think if you are interested in the question of how to draw a circle in Photoshop, you are just starting to study this exciting program. It's not surprising that you decided to start with the simplest shapes. By the way, you are doing the right thing.

A circle is a basic shape, the use of which in Photoshop is limited only by your imagination. And whatever your level of knowledge, you will still have to use it. Therefore, let’s not delay and get started right away.

There are several ways to draw a perfectly even circle in Photoshop. But first, we need to create a new document to work with. Top panel. Command File – New. I recommend creating a large document that is convenient for work. I prefer 2000 pixels in width and 1000 pixels in height. But you can use any other size you want.

Let's turn our attention to the side toolbar. Ellipse tool. That's what we need. Click on it, and then on the work area. Hold down the right mouse button and draw a circle. Now I’ll tell you a little trick. To achieve a perfectly even circle the first time, hold down the shift key on your keyboard. I recommend remembering this technique. Because it works with many elements.


And now the second way. Now we will draw a circle using the selection. To do this, let's turn to the toolbar again.


Click on the “oval marquee” tool, hold down shift and draw.


Now we need to fill it with color. We turn to the color selection panel. Click and select a shade in the window that appears. By moving the slider, you can browse through millions of shades and in any case you will find what you need. As soon as you make a choice, click the “ok” button in the same window.


On the same panel, look for the “fill” tool. Click on it, and then on the selected area.



The circle is ready. Remove the selection by pressing the key combination on the keyboard ctrl+j.

Sometimes there is a need to create a circle that is not filled with color. Let's say this is a photo frame or a design element for a future website. This will not be difficult to do if you have figured out the second method of creating a circle in Photoshop.

Create a selected area and go to the “edit” tab, where we select the “stroke” command.


In the window that appears, select the stroke color and its thickness, which is expressed in pixels.


This is what we got. Don't forget to deselect.


In this way, without noticing to yourself, you have learned to use several very important tools in Photoshop. Such as: selection, fill, use of primitive shapes and stroke. I think they will be useful to you more than once in the future, and therefore it is worth remembering them.

There are different ways to draw a circle in Photoshop. You can draw a circle with a frame, or a filled circle. To begin, select the Ellipse Tool.

Ellipse Tool

  1. Selecting shapes - hotkey U, or immediately right-click on the icon and select Ellipse Tool;
  2. Select the Ellipse Tool.
  1. Set Fill Pixels;
  2. Select the fill color;
  3. Draw a circle while holding down the Shift key

Circle with frame

The circle should be drawn on a new empty layer, without any fill. You can create a new layer by simultaneously pressing the keys Alt + Ctrl + Shift + N.

  1. Install Paths (paths in Russian);
  2. Draw a circle with Shift held down;

Convert the vector circle into a selection (Select) by pressing Ctrl + Enter.

Paint over the selection (in in this case white).

Alt + ← BackSpace - first selected color.

Ctrl + ← BackSpace - second selected color.

Right-click on the circle layer and select Blending Options.

In the window that appears, set the frame thickness in pixels and the frame color. You can experiment with other options.

The result is a circle with a red border 2 pixels thick.

How to draw and cut, create and paste an even circle in Photoshop

Many people know that the program is great for drawing all sorts of vector shapes. Adobe Illustrator. But if only Photoshop is installed on your computer, there is no need to panic. It also contains various tools for drawing figures. From regular lines to rectangles with rounded corners. If you want to draw a circle in Photoshop, then there is nothing easier.

How to draw a circle in Photoshop

First, you should open the program and create a new file (“Ctrl+N”) with a resolution suitable for you. It is better to set a transparent alpha channel as the background. Photoshop has whole group tools for drawing figures. In this case, the objects turn out to be vector ones. Therefore, you can easily increase their size as you work; this will not affect the quality of the figures in any way. To make a circle in Photoshop, select the Ellipse tool. To do this, you need to move the cursor over the “Rectangle” tool, hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor to the “Ellipse”.

Color wheel in Photoshop

Now you need to decide on the appearance of the circle. To do this, pay attention to the options panel that appears above the empty image. First of all, choose a fill color or make it transparent. The program also allows you to create a fill in the form of a gradient or pattern. Then select the outline color. It is specified in the “Stroke” field. You can make it transparent, in which case the image will be limited to the fill color and will not have a stroke. To the right in this panel, select the type contour line(it can even be dotted) and its thickness. Don't pay any attention to the following fields; they are necessary to set the exact dimensions of the figure and its alignment relative to other objects.

How to create a circle in Photoshop

After setting the necessary parameters, all that remains is to create a circle in Photoshop. To do this, move the cursor over one corner of the image, hold down the left mouse button, and release it in the opposite corner. Don’t forget to hold down the “Shift” key while doing this, otherwise you will most likely draw an oval. In the case of holding the “shift”, you will immediately get a perfect circle. On its outline there are square markers with which you can adjust its size; this is done with the “Move” tool activated.

How to cut a circle in Photoshop

You can change at any time appearance already created circle. There are a couple of ways to do this. Firstly, the “Properties” panel contains all the parameters that were configured before drawing the circle. Changing them is not prohibited. You can also go to the Layers panel and add some style to the ellipse layer. This can be a stroke, glow, embossing, as well as filling with a pattern, texture or gradient.

Even circle in Photoshop

An even circle in Photoshop is most often created for use in website design. You've probably seen round buttons on websites more than once that lead to different sections. They are most often created in Photoshop, although in some cases vector editors are used. Place the logo of your studio or organization on the circle to create a simple banner.

How to crop a circle in Photoshop

Now you need to understand that Adobe's program can do more than just draw circles. It can even provide a selection in the shape of a circle. So in Photoshop you can crop any area of ​​a photo in a circle. Let's look at this feature with an example.

Open the photo you want to convert from rectangular to round. Now go to the Oval Marquee Tool.

As in the previous case, now you need to draw a kind of circle. Don't forget to hold down the "Shift" key this time too. Initially, you may not position the round selected area quite correctly. Place the cursor over it and hold down the left mouse button - this will allow you to freely drag the selection circle around the image. This way you can easily select the desired object. It remains to understand what needs to be done with it next.


Now you can cut out a circle in Photoshop by copying the selected area onto a completely new image. To do this, press the key combination “Ctrl+C” or go to the path “Edit>>Copy”. Then create a new image using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+N”. Do not change anything in its properties, since the resolution will be adjusted to the size of the copied area. You can only change the name of the image. In the Background Content field, select Transparent. In the empty image that opens, press the key combination “Ctrl+V”. Or go to “Edit>>Insert”. This way you will get the required result - round photo on transparent background. It can be used in website design, text document or as an avatar.

Photo in a circle in Photoshop

Additionally, you can play around with the layer styles by adding a stroke (the position should be internal), a glow, a shadow, or all three. It can turn out very beautiful photo in a circle. Photoshop is capable of a lot; in addition to framing, you can distort the image itself using filters. But this is no longer the topic this lesson. You must save the image in PNG format, otherwise the transparent area will be replaced with white.

In a similar way, circles on water are created in Photoshop. But this process is longer. To obtain such circles, the Zigzag and Gaussian Blur filters are used.

Any circle or smooth circle in Photoshop they are drawn according to the same rules as respectively. By and large, you need to use the same groups of tools, but adjusted for the shape of the figure.

Method 1: Ellipse Tool

Using this tool you can draw a circle or circle shape.

Let's start with the vector, that is, from a figure whose dimensions can be changed without loss of quality. To do this, select Ellipse tool, and in the options bar set the setting Shape layer.

Now draw a circle or circle. But first, choose a primary color other than white, otherwise you won’t see what you ended up drawing.

How to draw an even circle

By default, the circle is drawn free-form, that is, you draw nothing more than an oval with arbitrary dimensions. To draw an even circle, select one of the options:

  1. hold down the Shift key;
  2. On the tool options bar, select the option:

Once again, pay attention to this window with tool parameters. Here you can configure the ability to draw a figure according to specified sizes or proportions. Specify the desired dimensions/proportions in the width and height fields, and then simply click anywhere in the document - Photoshop will immediately display a circle with the specified values.

So, a vector circle or circle has appeared. This will be a solid colored shape layer.

Now, to be able to resize without losing quality, use the Ctrl+T command. When you no longer need a vector shape, you can use it to continue working on the shape using all the capabilities of Photoshop.

Raster shape this is done in exactly the same way, but at the very beginning you need to select another option in the options bar - Fill pixels.

After this, the circle will be created immediately as a raster one. Don't forget for her.

Method 2. Stroke the selected area - ring

Let's turn to another Photoshop tool - Oval area. The action plan is as follows: create a round selected area, and then outline its borders. As a result, we get a ring.

Draw a circle free form or an even circle (with the Shift key held down). You can also specify specified sizes or proportions for the selection in the tool options bar. To do this, from the drop-down list Style select the appropriate option. After this, the width and height fields will become active and you can enter the required numbers there.

Let's say we get a selected area like this:

Now you need to outline its borders. To do this, select the command: Editing - Stroke.

A new window will appear in which you specify the width of the stroke border and its color. There are also interesting settings on how the stroke width will be calculated:

  • Inside- this means the frame will lie on inside selected area;
  • Centered- this means the frame will be divided equally into the part that runs inside the selection and the part on the outside;
  • Outside- this means the frame will go around the dotted line of the selection.

Keep in mind. that the chosen option will affect the final dimensions of the circle (its width and height).

Now that the settings are entered, click OK. All that remains is to remove the dotted selection line - Ctrl+D.

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

Hi all. Today we will talk about how to draw a circle in Photoshop. the desired diameter, with and without filling, and we will also learn how to draw various objects using this figure. Many will say, why bother devoting a separate article to this topic if it only takes a couple of steps. In fact, you are both right and wrong at the same time, because apart from regular drawing there are many other nuances, ranging from adjusting to the desired diameter, and ending with how to place two circles inside each other. The most important thing is that it is very important element web design. Therefore, sit down more comfortably. Go!

In order to draw a circle in Photoshop, we first need to find , which is located in the toolbar. It is there that we have to choose it from 6 elements.

  • Fill color. Responsible for what color your circle will be. If you check the “No fill” option, then there will be emptiness inside, that is, only the outline will remain.
  • Stroke color. If we set any color here, we will see that the outline begins to change.

For now, temporarily set both of these parameters to away mode by selecting the icon with a white square with a red line through it. This will mean that we will have no fill or stroke, but only an outline.

And now we can start drawing the ellipse. Hold down the right mouse button anywhere on the canvas and start dragging with the mouse. While we move the mouse with the key held down, an oval will be drawn, which will change depending on your movements. But when you release the button, the figure will be drawn.

But if you want to draw an exact circle in Photoshop, as if using a compass, then you will do the same thing, only with the key held down SHIFT. This will ensure that the proportions of the figure are maintained.

If you want to draw an oval or circle from the center, then you need to do this by holding down the key ALT. Just before use, first hold down the left mouse button to indicate that drawing has begun, and only then hold down ALT and draw fully from the center.

To move the circle even before you release the mouse button and use it (And this is really necessary often), hold down the spacebar while drawing and just move the mouse.

The most interesting thing is that all these combinations can be combined. For example, if you want to draw an even circle from the center, then start drawing it with the SHIFT And ALT simultaneously. And then you can also hold down the spacebar and move our figure somewhere.

How to draw a circle of the required diameter

To draw a circle of a certain diameter in Photoshop, you need to select this shape (Ellipse) and simply click once with the left mouse button on the canvas. After this, a window will appear where you can set the size in width and height in pixels. Naturally, in the case of a circle, these parameters should be the same.

You can change these specified parameters at any time without resorting to transformation. To do this, in the properties at the top, simply change the values ​​for length and width as you see fit.

Properties of a circle

Now, let's move on to the properties of a circle or ellipse themselves. Like any other tool properties, they are located under the main menu. Just be sure that it is activated the right tool, since each figure has its own properties.

Primary properties

Above, we have already removed the fill and stroke from the figure to make it easier to see the contours, but now let’s use them. For example, I'll select a red fill and a blue stroke. To do this, go to properties and change the color in the appropriate items.

Now draw a circle like I showed you above and you will see that they are the color we intended. By the way, it is not necessary to set these parameters right away. The colors can be changed at any time by going into the same options again and changing the color.

Next comes the stroke thickness property. You need to decide whether to make it thick or thin. But in any case, this can be done by tugging the sliders, or by setting the size manually.

For example, if I increase the stroke size by 6 times, this is how it will look.

And our primary properties are completed by the stroke parameters, which are located next to the thickness. We have several options (solid, intermittent and dotted line), from which you can select options. But at this stage I recommend leaving the default solid line.

Also, you can activate these same properties in a separate panel. To do this, go to the menu “Window” - “Properties”.

Union and Subtraction

As with any other figures, in this case it is possible to combine different figures on one layer. Usually every new figure is drawn on a separate layer, but if you select the item "Merge Shapes", which is in the section "Operations with contours" in the properties panel under the menu, then all new styles will be made on one layer.

But you need to take into account that now all the shapes that you drew on the layer automatically become a single whole, and by moving them you can no longer move them separately. But there is a way out. From the toolbar, select "Outline Selection". With the help of it you can move individual figures.


I hope you get the gist of what shape subtraction is all about.

How to draw a circle within a circle

At first glance, drawing two circles in one is simple task. But when it comes down to it, users face a real problem. Let's look at this whole thing in practice and draw a small target. And we will do this in two ways.

Method number 1. Copying layers

Let's immediately draw a circle with a red fill and no stroke. and after that we will copy this layer three times (let us have a four-layer target). To do this, stand on the layer with the circle you just drew and press the key combination three times CTRL+J to duplicate it three times.

Now, make the first two layers invisible. so that they don’t interfere with us for now. To do this, click on the eyes on the thumbnails. After this, select the second layer from below, which we did not hide from view, and then press the key combination CTRL+T to activate transform mode. After that, pull the corner and reduce the circle with the clamped SHIFT to maintain proportions. Don't worry about leveling just yet. special attention, we will fix everything later.

Now, paint the circle white. To do this, go to properties and select white fill. It should look something like this. Don't think, this is not a hole. It's just that the background and fill are the same color, so it seems that way.

Next, we make the second layer from above visible, after which the figure will be painted red again. But that's how it should be. The main thing is that now you need to reduce again this moment, and even smaller than the one we just reduced. That is, we press CTRL+T, pull the corners and reduce it. After that we apply the transformation.

And finally, make the very first layer on top visible, fill it with white through the properties and reduce it even smaller using transformation. Thus, we had a small target, although it was somewhat crooked. It needs to be leveled so that the distances between the links are the same.

Now I deliberately made different distances between the circles to show you how to do everything exactly in just one or two clicks. To do this, select all the layers involved in the process, one by one, using the key held down. CTRL. Or you can select everything at once, selecting only the first and last layer while holding SHIFT. Everything between them will also be automatically selected.

Now, be sure to select the Move tool, otherwise you won't succeed. After that, in the properties under the menu you will need to select the alignment of the centers vertically and horizontally.

After this, our circle drawing will take on a full-fledged, attractive and accurate appearance. Everything is smooth and stylish, you can even throw darts. I hope that with this example you understood how to draw a circle within a circle in Photoshop.

Method 2: Inserting a new circle

In addition to the above method, you can use simple addition. I won’t dwell on this topic for a long time; in theory, everything should be clear.

Essentially, we draw a circle and then draw another smaller one. After that, we simply change the color and align it exactly the same way as we did above. I think there shouldn't be any problems with this.

Clipping mask and frame

And finally, we will use one cool feature called a clipping mask. Thanks to it, we can insert any image into our circle. Moreover, we will not need to wipe or remove anything. It will fit there partially over the entire surface of the circle, and we will also be able to move the image inside and edit it.


This is a very cool solution, since everything turns out smooth and clear, and most importantly, the picture itself does not suffer and we can move it inside the circle as we want.

Well, if we want to quickly make a round frame in Photoshop, then we can use two options:


I wrote in more detail about how I wrote in one of my previous articles.

Well, if you want to have a really good understanding of Photoshop, then I strongly recommend that you take a look this wonderful video course. It is so superbly constructed that after viewing it you will simply have no questions left about how to use it. graphic editor. Everything is laid out on the shelves and literally chewed in simple, understandable human language.

Well, this is where I end my article for today. I hope that you understand how to draw a circle in Photoshop of the desired diameter, with fill and stroke. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Well, that's all for me. Don't forget to subscribe to publics in in social networks and to my blog notifications. See you soon. Bye bye!

Best regards, Dmitry Kostin