I think if you are interested in the question of how to draw a circle in Photoshop, you are just starting to study this fascinating program. It's not surprising that you decided to start with the simplest shapes. By the way, you are doing the right thing.
Circle - basic figure, 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 new document for work. 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.
In this article we will look at the basic tools and functions that you need to know to draw smooth circle in Photoshop. Let's talk about how you can make a circle, the outline of a circle, and a circle of the desired diameter in Photoshop.
Create a new file: “File” – “New” or open the desired image by pressing the key combination “Ctrl+O”.
The cursor will look like a plus sign. Left-click where the circle should begin and draw it without releasing the button. The circle will be drawn in the color chosen as the main one. It is drawn from the beginning of the cursor.
To draw a circle from the center, in the tool settings, click on the small black arrow and check the “From Center” box.
If needed draw an even circle, not an ellipse, place a marker in the “Circle” field.
Draw a circle in Photoshop of a given size You can also, put a marker next to “Fixes Size” and in the “W:” and “H:” fields set the width and height values. Having asked same values, draw a circle, different ones - an ellipse. Now press the left mouse button and, without releasing it, place the circle that appears in the desired part of the image.
The site already has an article on how to draw a rectangle without filling. Now let's look at how we can draw a circle in Photoshop without filling. To do this, in the settings of the “Ellipse Tool” (Ellipse) tool, activate the “Paths” button.
In the same way, by clicking on the black arrow and marking the desired item with a marker, you can make an even circle, from the center or a fixed size.
As a result, you can draw an ellipse or circle with a thin light gray outline without fill.
You can also draw a circle using the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
Select it and hold down the Shift key to draw an even circle instead of an ellipse. If you hold down “Alt+Shift”, you can draw a circle from the center.
This way we will only draw the outline of the circle.
To fill it with color, select " Paint Bucket Tool" and set the desired color as the foreground color. Then click the mouse inside the selected area.
If you need draw a circle without fill, right-click on it and select “Stroke” from the menu.
In the next window, set the line width to "Width" and select the outline color to "Color".
To deselect, press "Ctrl+D". As a result, we drew a transparent circle with a red outline.
This is how, using one of the described tools, you can draw an ellipse or circle with or without fill in Photoshop.
Rate this article:An arbitrary circle or an even circle in Photoshop is 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 as arbitrary, that is, you draw nothing more than an oval with arbitrary dimensions. To draw an even circle, select one of the options:
- hold down the Shift key;
- 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 the need for a vector figure is no longer necessary, you can use it to continue working on the figure 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!
In this tutorial we'll look at the basics of working with shapes and shape layers in Photoshop. 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 lesson, we'll look at how to draw shapes more complex shape using the Free 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 capabilities of the Adobe Illustrator editor in the field of vector graphics are much wider than the Photoshop program, but, nevertheless, the Photoshop program in this area can do more than what should be expected from a raster image editor. Photoshop's various Shapes tools and shape layers make it easy to add simple vector images to your 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 " Free figure"(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 three different types of shapes - vector shapes, paths 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 additional parameters for the Shapes group tool you 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 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 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 that to draw vector shapes in Photoshop, you need to select the “Shape Layer” option in the Options panel. 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, you shouldn't worry about choosing desired color for a shape because we can easily change the fill color of a shape after it is created. 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 vector figure, 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 layer background located 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, at any rate) that the left and right side rectangles have the shape of a curve:
The larger the radius value, the rounder the corners.
And here is a rectangle with small value radius - 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 down the Shift key once you've started working with the Ellipse tool to draw a perfectly straight 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 to be 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 five pointed star:
By default, star vertices have sharp corners, but we can round them 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
Lastly, we'll look at the Line Tool, which is the last tool in the " Geometric figures" 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. Default value this parameter equals 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 a Curvature value before you start drawing the line, in otherwise you'll have to delete the shape and draw it again:
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
In this article we will look at the basic tools and functions that you need to know to draw an even circle in Photoshop. Let's talk about how you can make a circle, the outline of a circle, and a circle of the desired diameter in Photoshop.
Create a new file: “File” – “New” or open the desired image by pressing the key combination “Ctrl+O”.
The cursor will look like a plus sign. Left-click where the circle should begin and draw it without releasing the button. The circle will be drawn in the color chosen as the main one. It is drawn from the beginning of the cursor.
To draw a circle from the center, in the tool settings, click on the small black arrow and check the “From Center” box.
If needed draw an even circle, not an ellipse, place a marker in the “Circle” field.
Draw a circle in Photoshop of a given size You can also, put a marker next to “Fixes Size” and in the “W:” and “H:” fields set the width and height values. Setting the same values will draw a circle, different values will draw an ellipse. Now press the left mouse button and, without releasing it, place the circle that appears in the desired part of the image.
The site already has an article on how to draw a rectangle without filling. Now let's look at how we can draw a circle in Photoshop without filling. To do this, in the settings of the “Ellipse Tool” (Ellipse) tool, activate the “Paths” button.
In the same way, by clicking on the black arrow and marking the desired item with a marker, you can make an even circle, from the center or a fixed size.
As a result, you can draw an ellipse or circle with a thin light gray outline without fill.
You can also draw a circle using the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
Select it and hold down the Shift key to draw an even circle instead of an ellipse. If you hold down “Alt+Shift”, you can draw a circle from the center.
This way we will only draw the outline of the circle.
To fill it with color, select the “Paint Bucket Tool” from the toolbar, and set the desired color as the main color. Then click the mouse inside the selected area.
If you need draw a circle without fill, right-click on it and select “Stroke” from the menu.
In the next window, set the line width to "Width" and select the outline color to "Color".
To deselect, press "Ctrl+D". As a result, we drew a transparent circle with a red outline.
This is how, using one of the described tools, you can draw an ellipse or circle with or without fill in Photoshop.
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