6.0 Shape Tools
Used for creating
paths in geometric shapes
Found at # 25 in the Toolbar diagram at left
Please note that the line tool has
its own page.
The shape tools are all grouped under the rectangular shape tool icon
in the tool bar. To access the others, click on the one which is showing
(the last one used will be visible in the toolbar). Choose the one you
want from the pop-up menu.
The shape tools create a preset range of geometric paths. Paths are outlines which can be used to make selections, or which can be stroked or filled with color. Paths are made from mathematical formulas, called Beziér Curves, which do not print, and which contain no pixels. Paths in the image can be accessed for editing from the Paths palette. The pen tool is also used for drawing paths.
Objects, and lines created with the shapes, and pen tools are called “vector objects” and are edited differently from painted objects, or shapes in an image which are created from pixels. For example, all, or part of a vector object can be selected simply by clicking on it with one of the special selection tools found at # 8 in the toolbar diagram at left.
Vector objects are also resolution independent. This means they can be scaled as much as you like with no loss of quality. Since the object exists as a mathematical formula, scaling does not involve the adding or subtracting pixels which would result in image degradation.
To use a shape tool, select it in the toolbar, set its options in the options bar (see below), and then click and drag in the image.
A full description of vector object editing is beyond the scope of these pages. The pen tool is difficult to learn. The shape tools provide an easy way to take advantage of vector object qualities without having to struggle with the underlying concepts.
The keyboard shortcut for the shape tools is the letter U. You can cycle through all of the shape tools by holding down the Shift key while pressing the shortcut letter.
I apologize for the hodgepodge of illustrations, below, but the options available for the different shape tools are different according to which of the three buttons you choose from the left end of the tool's options bar. The three are shown, enlarged at the top, below.
The left most of the three is the Create New Shape Layer. This creates the chosen shape on its own layer, filled with the current foreground color, and includes a layer clipping path. Try it. It's easier to see what it does than to explain it. The options available when that button is clicked are shown topmost in the full menu bars with an orange style selected. That style will be applied to the shape created. For information on styles, see the Styles page.
The middle button is the Create Work Path choice. When selected, the shape created will be a work path recorded in the Paths palette, and editable with the various paths tools such as the pen tool. The options available when that button is clicked are shown, second from the top, below the three buttons.
The third button, Fill Region, will create a filled raster shape, not a vector object. Its available options are shown third from the top.
The next to last illustration below, of the options bar, shows what it looks like after you have created a shape, but before you have accepted it. This is the edit mode for the shape tools. Clicking the large check button at the right end of the options bar accepts the shape, and will return you to the previous options bar formats. To not accept the shape, click the big X.
Finally, the pathfinder buttons from the active options bar, shown at
larger scale in the last illustration, can be used to determine
how the new shape interacts with any other shapes that it overlaps. They
are:
1) Add to the Shape Area
2) Subtract from the Shape Area
3) Intersect Shape Area
4) Exclude Shape Area.
Note that this edit mode bar does not appear when the Fill Region button is chosen, since that option creates raster, not vector shapes. Note also, that the bars are not different sizes; I did screen shots at different scales for longer or shorter options bar
If you look at the options bars shown above, the little down arrow next to the custom shape icon will provide a pop-up of options depending on which shape you have chosen. In addition, the custom shape tool has an additional pop-up menu of shapes which shows up to the right of the that options menu.
Below you can see the options menus of all the shapes except the ellipse, which is nearly the same as the rectangle. The default selection is usually Unconstrained. I selected Fixed Size, or Proportional so you could see that option, active.
Photoshop Tips | 6.0
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