FIGURE 17.46 Using the Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas option creates a shape that includes only the area of the circle that is outside the polygon.. Drag from center New shape area Addi
Trang 1Adding vector shape layers
Now that you have a good understanding of the available vector shape tools from the previous sec-tion, you should try adding a few to a document to get the hang of it The following examples take you quickly through the steps to add the vector tools in a few different ways
The first example we look at is just creating a simple square by keeping the Rectangle tool in portion using the Shift key The technique here is similar for creating all the vector shapes in pro-portion Use the following steps:
shape.
as shown in Figure 17.44
Notice that the shape is forced into a square and that a new shape layer is added to the
Layers panel
FIGURE 17.44
Using the Shift key to create a square shape layer
Drag mouse diagonally
In the next example, we look at using the Polygon tool to add an eight-sided star with an overspray technique to give it more depth Use the following steps:
shape.
Trang 23 Select the Smooth Corners, Star, and Smooth Indents options from the Polygon tool
options, as shown in Figure 17.41 Also set the Indent Sides By option to 50%
This makes the polygon a star with smooth corners and indents.
overspray effect to the polygon.
mouse out to create the polygon shown in Figure 17.45
Notice that the polygon Shape layer has the Bevel and Emboss and Satin effects applied to
create the overspray effect
FIGURE 17.45
Selecting the Smooth Corners, Star, and Smooth Indents options for a polygon creates a star-shaped polygon Selecting the Overspray Text option in the Style options applies a bevel effect
Drag from center
The final example we show uses the Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas option to combine the poly-gon created in the previous example with a circle to create a completely different shape Use the following steps after completing the steps from the previous example:
This allows you to use the center of the polygon as the starting point, which is much
eas-ier than trying to figure out where the corner of the ellipse is
areas of the circle that are outside the polygon are included in the new shape area.
Trang 34 Position the mouse in the center of the polygon, hold down the Shift key, and drag
outward to create the circle, as shown in Figure 17.46
Notice that only the area outside of the polygon is included in the shape area shown in
the Layers panel
keys to reposition the circle so it is exactly around the perimeter of the polygon.
FIGURE 17.46
Using the Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas option creates a shape that includes only the area of the circle that is outside the polygon
Drag from center
New shape area
Adding custom vector shapes
Adding custom vector shapes works the same way as adding the normal vector shapes, with the exception that you have some additional options in managing the custom shapes from the Shape Selection options in the Shape options menu shown in Figure 17.47 When you select the drop-down arrow, the Shapes list shown in Figure 17.47 is displayed You can select any shape, and when you click and drag the mouse on the document, the shape is added just as in the previous examples
The Shapes list provides a side menu, also shown in Figure 17.47, that includes the following options:
l Rename Shape: This option brings up a dialog box allowing you to change the name of
the selected shape The name appears when you hover over the shape in the tool and in some of the other panels in Photoshop
Delete Shape: This option deletes the currently selected shape from the Shapes list.
Trang 4l View Options: This option allows you to set the mode for viewing shapes You can select
Text Only, which displays only the shape names, three sizes of thumbnails, or two sizes of list views The list views include a thumbnail as well as the shape name
l Preset Manager: This option launches the preset manager with the Custom Shapes option
selected, where you can create and manage presets for the Custom Shapes list
l Reset Shapes: This option replaces the current list of shapes with the default list.
l Load Shapes: This option allows you to load a set of shapes from a previously saved file
The new shapes are added to the current list of shapes
l Save Shapes: This option allows you to save the current set of shapes as a file This is
use-ful if you are creating your own custom shapes so you have them available later and can distribute them to others
l Replace Shapes: This option allows you to load a set of shapes from a previously saved
file The current list of shapes is replaced by the new list
l Preset Lists: This option provides several preset lists of shapes that make it easier to find
shapes you want You can select any of them from the list, and the current Shapes list is replaced by the selected preset list
FIGURE 17.47
When using the Custom Shape tool, you can select custom shapes from a drop-down list You also can
manage the Custom Shapes lists by saving and loading list files and by selecting preset lists
Trang 5Editing vector shape
A great feature of vector shape is that they include the anchor and line information from the vector paths that created them This allows you to edit the vector shapes after you have added them to your document The following example takes you through adding a custom shape to a document and then editing it with the Vector tools:
shape is added.
The Heart Card shape is in the Shapes preset list in the preset manager.
anchors, as shown in Figure 17.48.
shown in Figure 17.48.
Figure 17.48, to give the heart a new look.
FIGURE 17.48
Shapes contain the vector anchor and line information of the vector paths used to create them so you can edit a vector shape at any time using the vector path tools
Drag to reposition anchors
Adjust direction points to change curves
Note
You cannot edit vector shapes that are applied to a document using the Fill Pixels option in the Shape tool
options menu because the vector shape is rasterized into pixel data and painted onto the layer n
Trang 6This chapter discussed how to create and manipulate vector paths and shapes Vector paths pro-vide a distinct advantage over pixel data because you can resize them without losing any of the crispness of data That makes them useful for creating shapes, masks, and selections that can be resized without losing the sharpness in the edges Vector shapes layers are vector shapes applied as masks to a fill layer
In this chapter, you learned these concepts:
l How to create a vector path using the vector path tools
l You can manipulate individual anchor points on a path to define the position of line end points and the curvature of the line
l How to create a clipping mask
l Creating a vector mask provides a mask that can be manipulated using the vector path tools while maintaining its crisp edges
l Adding stroke and fill to a vector path makes the path visible in the image
l How to create a vector shape from a vector path
l How to edit vector shapes after they have been added to an image