Drawing tools allow you to 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 shapes of various shapes.
Rectangle (Rectangle)() - respectively, allows you to draw a rectangle (and with the key pressed - a square), filled with the foreground color.
Rounded Rectsngle (Rounded straight square)- creates shapes similar to those described above, but allows you to set the radius of the rounding of the corners of the rectangle.
Ellipse (Ellipse)- creates ovals (in combination with the pressed key - circles).
Polygon(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 of arbitrary shape and save it for later use.
Create a new training file.
Left click on tool - figures - on the toolbar, the tool selection window will open:
Here are the main shapes that we can use. Choose any and look at the options panel:
For any figure, you can choose:
- drawing mode:
- shape layer. The shape is created on 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 boundaries of the shape. The shape's borders are a path that appears in the Paths tab of the Layers panel.
- contours. This mode allows you to draw outlines of shapes that can be filled or stroked with an arbitrary color. Paths appear on 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
- set parameters specific to this figure
Draw rectangles
Let's choose the first shape - a rectangle. Select from the panel mode - layer-shape. Select a style by clicking on the triangle on the right. 
Choose whichever 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 with a red line through it.
Now you can set the geometric parameters:
- Arbitrarily - as you draw, so be it.
- Square - when stretching 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 aspect ratio - you can set how many times the width will be less (or more) than the height. When stretching the figure, the proportion will be preserved.
- From the center - draws a rectangle from the center.
- Snap to pixels - rectangle edges snap to pixel borders.
Now select -arbitrarily- and drag your rectangle on the canvas with the mouse. Here, for example, what happened to me when using styles Button, Glass Buttons and Web Styles.
Quite a useful tool for creating 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. On the panel, select the mode - the layer-shape, the corner radius - for example, 15 and the color (you can style it as you like). The geometric parameters are the same as for the rectangle.
Here's what I got with various combinations of radius and style.
Why not news blocks and menu buttons?
Draw circles
Let's choose the third figure - an ellipse. On the panel, select the mode - shape layer, color and style. The geometric parameters are the same as for a rectangle, with the only difference being that a circle can be chosen instead of a square. Select -arbitrary- and stretch the ellipse. If you want it to be a circle, then hold down the Shift key or select -circle- in the geometric parameters.
Here's what happened to me: 
Draw polygons
Let's choose a shape - a polygon. On the panel, select the mode - layer-shape, the number of sides in the range from 3 to 100 (for example, 3 - for a triangle, 6 - for a hexagon), color and style. Consider the geometric parameters:
- Radius is the radius of the polygon.
- Smooth outer corners
- Star - with the checkbox unchecked, the polygon is convex, with the checkbox checked, the polygon is concave.
- Beam depth - if the polygon is concave, then its vertices, as it were, form rays. This parameter shows how much of the polygon's radius will be occupied by rays. The higher the %, the longer and sharper the rays.
- Smooth outer corners - with unchecked the corners are sharp; with a tick, the corners are rounded.
For example:
The first nonagon has a radius of 3 cm, the rest of the boxes are unchecked.
The second nonagon has a radius of 3 cm, the checkmark is -star-, the depth of the rays is 25%, the rest of the checkboxes are unchecked.
The third nonagon has a radius of 3 cm, the depth of the rays is 50%, all the checkboxes are checked.
All have a style applied.
Draw lines
Let's choose a figure - lines. On the panel, select the mode - layer-shape, line thickness (in pixels), color and style. Consider the geometric parameters:
If all the checkboxes are cleared, it will be just a line, the parameters set 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 in the place where it meets the line (from -50% to +50%).
For example:
The first line is unchecked, width - 500%, length - 1000%, thickness - 2 pixels.
The second line has everything the same, but there is a tick at -beginning- and curvature - 5%.
The third line has everything the same, but the -end- checkbox is ticked and the -beginning- checkbox is unchecked.
The fourth line has both checkboxes, width - 500%, length - 1000%, curvature - 15%, thickness - 5 pixels.
All have a style applied.
Draw arbitrary shapes
Let's choose a figure - an arbitrary figure. On the panel, select the mode - shape layer, color and style. The geometric parameters are the same as for a rectangle. But here there is a choice of the figure itself:
Draw multiple shapes on one layer
The principle here is the same as with the rectangular selection tools (in the first lesson, we made a non-standard selection area using the tools on the options bar: add to selection, subtract from selection, etc.). The same tools are available in the Shapes Options bar.
For example, create a rectangle shape, now in the options bar click on the "add to shape area" icon, and now select an ellipse shape. Move the mouse cursor to the upper border of our rectangle, press the left mouse button and, without releasing, stretch the ellipse. It should look something like this:
If the ellipse is not stretched as you would like, you can fix it. To do this, take on the toolbar Path selection tool-
Move the cursor to the border of the ellipse and, holding down the left mouse button, drag the ellipse where it should be. Using all these tools, you can draw shapes of varying complexity.
Save 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 a name to the new shape. 
Now our shape has appeared in the drop-down panel for selecting arbitrary shapes.
Although a square and a rectangle are the simplest geometric shapes, but in order to draw them in Photoshop, you need to make some effort and have basic knowledge. A beginner without proper training, most likely, will not cope with this task.
In this article, we will analyze the 3 most popular ways to draw a rectangle or square in Photoshop.
But before you start choosing a drawing method, you need to decide on future parameters. Rectangle/square can be:
- filled with a solid color or only with borders drawn;
- arbitrary or with precisely specified dimensions;
- with the ability to change its size at any time without loss of quality.
Method 1. Arbitrary shape tool
In this method, the rectangle or square will be drawn with a solid color. If you only need the border, go to the next two methods.
Select the tool from the toolbar. There are two possible scenarios for the development of events:
Option 1. Square or rectangle with further resizing without loss of quality
Here, of course, the use of a vector figure is implied. To draw it, you need to select an option shape layer:
In the future, you can resize this figure without losing quality. To do this, use the tool - Ctrl + T , and use the corner handles to resize.
For those who don't know: vector shapes are not composed of pixels, but of special mathematical formulas. Therefore, resizing is not a process of stretching / shrinking pixels, but a complex mathematical recalculation, due to which there is no loss of quality.
Option 2. Standard (raster) square/rectangle
To draw a raster shape at once, use the setting on the Options Bar Perform pixel fill. But before you start drawing it -!
But in fact, you can draw immediately and vector, and then just it. Here you can choose for yourself.
How to make a rectangle square
The usual rule with the Shift key pressed does not work with arbitrary shapes. Therefore, you need to use the tool options panel and select a setting so that Photoshop draws a square.
In the same panel, pay attention, you can specify the exact size of the required rectangle/square or draw it according to predetermined proportions.
By default, dimensions are determined by pixels. If you want to change the unit of measurement, first enter a value in the field, and then right-click on it. The unit selection window will appear. Available: pixels, inches, centimeters, millimeters, points and peaks.
Rectangle or square with rounded corners
To get a shape with rounded corners, do the same as described above, but at the very beginning select the tool Rectangle with rounded edges. In the tool options bar, you only need to specify radius rounding.
Method 2. Stroke the selection
This method is as simple as 5 cents. select the tool and draw a rectangle with a dotted line. To draw a square, hold down the Shift key.
Now we need to stroke the borders of this selected area. To do this, go to Editing - Stroke.
Then, in the new window, set the stroke type: specify the frame thickness, the desired color and mark how the stroke will go:
- Inside- so the frame will lie on the inside of the selected area;
- Centered- so the frame is divided equally into a part passing inside the selection and into a part from the outside;
- Outside- means the frame will go around the dotted selection line.
Here's how it might turn out:
In the screenshot above, I deliberately did not remove the dotted line, because it will not disappear for you either. To finally get rid of it, press Ctrl + D .
In this method, in order to draw a shape of the exact size, you first need to specify in the tool options bar Style — Specified size or given proportions. After that, the fields will become active, where you enter the width and height values in pixels. Right-clicking on one of these fields will bring up a menu for changing the units of measurement.
Method 2.1 Filling in the selection
The most common way to draw a rectangle is to draw a selection box (as described above) and simply fill it with any color. Here is a rectangle or square for you.
Method 3. Modification of the selection
In fact, I like this method least of all because of the obvious minus - the corners of the rectangle will be clipped, and the border of the frame itself is in a state and it is not possible to influence these facts.
So, you need to select the tool again, draw the frame of the future rectangle or square (with the Shift key), and then go to the menu Selection and choose a team Modification - Border.
A new window will appear in which, in our case, we specify the width of the border of the rectangle. Let's say I specify 7 pixels. We get the following result:
And now you just need to paint over the resulting frame. Suitable for this. Here, by the way, you can approach the issue more creatively and paint over, for example, with different colors. Result:
It remains only to remove the selection - Ctrl + D. I think this method is only suitable for my rare specific tasks, since feathering and undercut corners only spoil everything.
Noticed an error in the text - select it and press Ctrl + Enter . Thank you!
You can draw a rectangle using the drawRect method of the Graphics class, which takes as a parameter the coordinates of the top corner, the length, and the height.
g.drawRect(20, 40, 340, 20);
20, 40 are the coordinates of the upper left corner of the rectangle; 340 - length; 20 is the height of the rectangle.
If we want to draw using Graphics2D, then we use the draw method already known to us: g.draw(new Rectangle2D.Float(20, 40, 340, 20));
The rectangle that we have drawn contains only an outline, but is not filled inside. Let's create a rectangle that can be filled with color.
How to fill a rectangle with color?
You can draw a filled rectangle using the fillRect method of the Graphics class:
Create a new color (we already know how)
newColor = newColor(0, 215, 255);
Set it in the graphics context: g.setColor(newColor);
And we create our filled rectangle using the fillRect() method. g.fillRect(21, 41, 339, 19);
How to draw an oval?
Now let's learn how to create an oval.
This is done using the drawOval method of the Graphics class. But at the same time, the arguments determine the rectangle in which the oval is inscribed:
g.drawOval(20, 110, 150, 60);
How to draw an arc?
We can also draw an arc using the drawArc method of the Graphics class. Here is an example where I will talk about the arguments:
g.drawArc(280, 110, 80, 60, 0, 180);
the first 4 arguments are the same as for a regular rectangle. The fifth argument - 0 - is the angle from which the angle of the arc itself is measured. 180 is the angle of the arc. Angles are measured from the horizontal axis: clockwise is a negative direction, counter-clockwise is positive. In the example, 180 degrees (the magnitude of the arc) are counted from the horizontal line.
How to draw a polygon?
Now let's draw something more complicated, namely a polygon.
In order to draw a polygon, you must first create it, namely, you need to create an object of the Polygon class, the constructor of which takes as parameters the x-coordinates and y-coordinates of all the vertices of the polygon, as well as the number of vertices.
It follows from this that before creating the Polygon object, we need to create two arrays that will store the x and y coordinates, respectively.
int arrayX = (20, 100, 100, 250, 250, 20, 20, 50); int arrayY = (180, 180, 200, 200, 220, 200, 200, 190); Polygon poly = new Polygon(arrayX, arrayY, 8);
In order to draw the polygon we created above, the drawPolygon method of the Graphics class is used, which takes an object of the Polygon class as a parameter: g.drawPolygon(poly);
How to output a string?
If you want to display some text in your window, you can use the drawString method of the Graphics class. This method takes a string as parameters, as well as the coordinates of the point from which the string will be displayed.
g.drawString("Yes", 50, 190);
the string "Yes" will be output from the point with coordinates 50, 190.
How to set the font?
The Font class is used to create a specific font. Its constructor takes as parameters the name, style and height of the font.
Font font = new Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 40), where "Tahoma" is the name of the font, Font.BOLD is the bold font, 40 is the height of the font.
After setting the font, we make it the current one and output the string in this font:
g.setFont(font); g.drawString("SBP", 270, 220);
We talked about painting in Photoshop with 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 gone, and now you can do it with simple editor tools.
To select one of them, on the tool palette, click the Shapes icon.
Regardless of which group tool you select, the following elements, common to all shapes, will appear on the options bar.
- Selection tool mode. Here you can choose one of three.
- Figure. The value is set by default, and with it a vector geometric figure is created on a separate layer, that is, what you expect from the tool happens.
- Circuit. The outline of the shape is drawn without a fill.
- Pixels. It creates not a vector, but a raster figure.
- Fill. Allows you to set the color and type (gradient, shading) of the drawn shape.
- Stroke. Shape outline settings: thickness, type, color.
- Width and height. They allow you to clarify the size of the figure, when it is not permissible to do this “by eye”.
As always, create a new document with a white background. You can leave the rest of the options as default or choose your own.
Rectangle
Select the Rectangle shape and to draw it, click on the canvas and then move 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 geometry settings window will open.
By default, the switch is set to Rectangle. If you set it to Square, then when you draw, you will always get a shape with the same side length. You can achieve the same effect without clicking the checkbox: to get 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 enter the required values in the fields. The shape 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 have become available, you can specify the aspect ratio of the created figure.
The From Center check box allows you to draw a rectangle from the center, rather than from an extreme point.
Rectangle with rounded corners
The next item in the list of geometric shapes. It is clear that it differs from the usual rounding at the corners. Accordingly, the settings for this shape and the rectangle are almost identical. The rounding radius can be specified in the corresponding field of the options bar.
Ellipse
The parameters are the same as a rectangle, but instead of a square, you can draw a circle. To do this, in the geometry settings window, check the box in the Circle position, or while drawing, hold down the Shift key.
Polygon
With this tool, you can draw a triangle, a dodecahedron, an icosahedron, a star, or in general any figure that contains from three to a hundred sides. Their number can be set in the Sides input field located on the options panel.
The geometric settings window differs markedly from the previous figures.
- Radius. This field specifies the radius of the future polygon.
- Smooth out 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 get a star at the output.
- Ray depth. This input field specifies how long the rays will be.
- Smooth out inner corners. Check this box if you want the inner corners to be rounded, as shown in the image below.
Line
Use this tool to create really straight lines - it's just not practical to draw them by hand. To achieve maximum accuracy, adjust the geometric parameters in the corresponding window.
- Start. If the checkbox is checked, instead of a line, you will get an arrow that will be drawn at the point where you clicked the mouse button.
- End. Check the box to add an arrow to the end of the line.
- Width. It is specified as a percentage in relation to the thickness (it can be set on the options panel in the field of the same name).
- Length. It is considered in the same way as the width - in relation to the thickness, as a percentage.
- Curvature. The value is specified in the range from -50% to 50% and determines how much the widest part of the arrow will be bent. The figure shows arrows with a curvature of 0%, 30% and 50% (from top to bottom).
Arbitrary figure
In order not to create their own tool for each of the dozens of remaining figures, the developers have combined them here. All elements of the options 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 a huge number of shapes in two clicks, which would take quite a long time to create manually.
In this tutorial, we'll cover the basics of working with shapes and shape layers in Photoshop. We will 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 editing, and if you asked them to recommend a good graphic editor, in most cases the answer would be "Adobe Illustrator".
Indeed, the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator in the field of vector graphics are much wider than Photoshop programs, but, nevertheless, Photoshop can do more in this area than you should expect from a bitmap editor. The various tools in the Shapes group and Photoshop's shape layers make it easy to add simple vector images to drawings and drawings.
Photoshop has six tools for drawing shapes - Rectangle Tool, Rounded Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line " (Line Tool) and "Custom Shape" (Custom Shape Tool). They are located in one place on the toolbar.
By default, the Rectangle tool is visible on the panel, 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 rest of the Shapes group tools from which we can choose the one we need:
All six tools of the Shapes group are located in one place on the toolbar
If you first select one tool in the Shapes group and then want to switch to another, there is no need to revisit the toolbar (although you can do this if you wish). Photoshop allows us to select the desired tool from the options bar at the top of the screen, where all six tools are presented. For example, in the toolbar, I'll select the Rectangle tool:
Selecting the Rectangle Tool
After selecting the Rectangle Tool, six icons appear in the Options Bar representing the various tools in the Shapes group. The tools are placed 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 Bar (after one of them is selected from the Toolbar)
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 shape type. In fact, Photoshop allows us to draw three different types of shapes - vector shapes, paths, and pixel shapes.
In another tutorial, we'll take a closer look at how these three types of shapes differ and in which case which type to use, but in most cases, you'll be drawing vector shapes. They are drawn in a program such as 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 when printed.
To draw vector shapes, select the Shape Layers option from the Options Bar. This is the first of three icons closer to the left (the middle icon is the Paths option and the right one 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 do this by clicking on the color swatch icon located to the right of the word "Color" (Color) in the settings panel:
Click on the color swatch icon to select the desired color for the shape
This action will open the color palette where we can select the desired color. In my case, I'll choose red. Once you've chosen a color, click OK to close the color palette:
Choose a color for the shape from the color palette
If you're not sure you've chosen the right color for your shape, don't worry about it. Next, we'll look at how to use shape layers to easily go back to the 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, with the mouse button held down, drag the mouse diagonally to finish drawing the shape. As you move the cursor, you will see the thin outlines of the future figure:
Drag the cursor to draw a rectangular shape. As the cursor moves, the outline of the shape will appear.
When you're happy with the result, release the mouse button and the program will instantly 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 instead of from the corner, place the cursor in the document window to determine the center of the future rectangle and, while holding down the mouse button, start dragging the cursor and drawing the shape as usual. While doing so, press and hold the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key as you move the cursor. Pressing this key tells the program to draw the figure from the center. This trick 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 with the Rectangle tool. To draw a square, place the cursor in the document window and start dragging it, drawing a rectangular shape. Once you've started doing this, press the Shift key and keep holding it down as you move the cursor. Pressing the Shift key converts the shape to a square, no matter which direction you move the cursor. You can also add an Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) keypress 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
Again, Photoshop will only draw 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
Options for tools in the Shapes group
If you look in the Options bar, to the right of the six Shapes group tool icons, you'll see a small downward-pointing arrow. Clicking this arrow will open a list of additional options for the Shapes tool of your choice. For example, when selecting the Rectangle Tool, pressing the arrow will open a menu with options for the Rectangle Tool. With the exception of working with the Polygon and Line tools, which we'll cover later, you won't use this menu 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 behavior of the Rectangle tool, allowing us to draw rectangular shapes of any size and with any 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 on the small arrow to see more options for the Rectangle Tool
shape layer
Before we move on to the rest of the tools in the Shapes group, let's take a look at the Layers panel. As you remember, at the beginning of the lesson, we learned that in order to draw vector shapes in Photoshop, you must select the "Shape Layer" option in the Options Bar. And now after I have drawn the shape, we can see that a shape layer (a layer of type Shape) has appeared in the layers panel, which the program has named “Shape 1” (Shape 1). Each new vector shape we draw will be placed on a separate layer, which looks different than a regular pixel layer. On the left side of the layer is a color swatch icon that 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 after it's created. To do this, double-click on the color swatch icon of the shape layer:
To change the current color of the shape, double click on the color swatch icon
Photoshop will reopen the Color Picker where we can choose a different color for our shape. I'll choose, this time, blue:
Choose a different color from the color palette
It is enough just to go back at any time and change the color of the shape.
To the right of the color swatch icon on the shape layer is a vector mask thumbnail. The white area on the thumbnail represents our shape. Vector masks are similar to regular layer masks in that they partially obscure a layer, leaving portions 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 shows 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, of course, it is not at all necessary to know how the 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 of the color layer:
The white area on the vector mask represents the area on the layer where the 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 completely filled with the blue color that I chose to fill the shape. If we look closer, we can see a thin outline of where the shape is located 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 area of the shape, while in the rest of the layer the color will disappear 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 explored shape layers, let's take a look at the other shapes you can draw in Photoshop using the tools in the Shapes group.
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 how rounded the corners are using the Radius option in the Options Bar. 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 define the degree of rounding of the corners
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 the 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 a radius of 150px. This value is so large (for this shape, anyway) that the left and right sides of the rectangle are curved:
The larger the radius value, the rounder the corners will be.
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 rounding of the corners. 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 possible in Illustrator. Photoshop also does not allow us to go back and even slightly correct the rounding of the corners after we have drawn the shape.
All of the above means that drawing rounded rectangles is essentially trial and error. If you don't like the rounded corners of the 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 with the Rectangle tool, you can use the Rounded Rectangle tool to draw rounded squares. Just press and hold the Shift key after you've started drawing the shape, and your rounded rectangle will take on the shape of a rounded square. Press and hold the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key to draw the shape from the center.
If we click on the little arrow in the Options bar to open a menu of advanced options for the Rounded Rectangle Tool, we can see that the Free, Square, and From Center options are the same as the Rectangle Tool options. And again, we already know how to select these options using keyboard shortcuts and individual keys:
The Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools have the same additional options
Ellipse Tool
The Ellipse Tool allows us to draw ellipses and circles. Just like 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:
Draw an Ellipse with the Ellipse Tool
Release the mouse button to finish drawing the shape and fill it with color:
Ellisfilled upcolor
Press and hold the Shift key after you've started working with the Ellipse Tool to draw a perfectly even circle. Pressing the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key will let you draw the shape from the center:
Start drawing and then add a Shift keystroke to create a perfectly even circle.
Clicking the little arrow in the Options Bar will open the Ellipse tool options, which are similar to the options for the Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools. The only difference is that with the Ellipse tool option, you can 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 drawing shapes. Whereas with the Rectangle Tool we can only draw quadrangular rectangles, the Polygon Tool allows us to draw polygons with as many sides as we wish. Next, we will look at how even stars can be drawn using this tool.
Specify the number of sides you want for the polygon in the Sides option in the Options Bar. The default value for Sides is 5, but you can enter any number between 3 and 100:
Use the Sides option to tell Photoshop how many sides your polygonal shape will have
Once you've set the number of sides, place your cursor in the document window and start dragging to draw the 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 the polygon will allow you to limit the number of corners for your shape and position it exactly as you want it on the screen:
The Polygon tool is indispensable when we need to draw a shape other than a quad
By setting the number of sides to 3, we can easily draw a triangle:
A simple triangle drawn with the Polygon tool
Here is a polygon with 12 sides:
PolygonWithtwelveparties
Draw stars with the Polygon tool
To draw a star with the Polygon Tool, click on the little arrow in the Options Bar to open the list of options for the Polygon Tool and select the Star option:
From the list of options for the "Polygon" tool, select "Star"
After selecting the "Star" option, click in the document window and drag the cursor to draw a star. The Sides option in the Options Bar determines the number of star vertices. So, if the default value of the parameter is five, we get a five-pointed star:
By default, star vertices have sharp corners, but we can round them off by choosing the Smooth Corners option:
Select the option "Smooth outer corners"
Below is a five-pointed star with the Smooth External Corners option selected:
The Smooth Outside Corners option softens the angularity of the stars
We can also round the corners at the bases of the star's rays by selecting the Smooth Indents option:
Select the "Smooth Inner Corners" option.
And again, our star looks completely different:
Painted star with Smooth Inner Corners selected
Line Tool
And finally, we'll take a 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 weight in pixels by typing a value in the Weight box in the Options Bar. In my case, I'll enter a value of 16 pixels:
Use the Thickness option to define the thickness of the line
Then click in the document window and drag your cursor to draw a line. After you have started drawing the line, press and hold the Shift key to constrain the direction in which the cursor moves. This will allow you to draw horizontal or vertical lines with ease:
Hold down a keyShift to draw horizontal or vertical lines
To set arrowheads at the ends of a line, click on the little arrow icon in the Options Bar 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 an arrow to appear in the direction you draw the line, which is more logical, select the End option. Make sure you select this option before you start drawing the line, because the program won't let us go back and set 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:
Easy to draw arrows with the Line tool
If the default size of the arrow does not suit you, you can change it using the Width and Length parameters. We can also add a curve to the arrow using the Concavity parameter. By default, the value of this parameter is 0%. I will 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 value before you start drawing the line, otherwise you'll have to delete the shape and draw it again:
Arrow with Curvature set to 50%
Hide the outline around the shape
If you take a close look at the shape you've drawn (regardless of which Shapes tool you've used), you'll most likely see a thin outline around it, which can sometimes be irritating. The outline around the shape appears whenever the shape's vector mask is selected, and it's 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 here we are! We've covered the basics of working with shape layers and the five tools in the Shapes group in Photoshop! In the next tutorial, we'll learn how to create more complex shapes using the Custom Shape Tool.
Translation: Ksenia Rudenko
