Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Custom Shape tool. The Custom Shape tool is
very
versa-
tile. There are several shapes built into Photoshop. These can
be extremely useful during the design process. To view your
loaded shapes, click the Custom Shape pop-up panel in the
Options bar. Additional shapes can be loaded by clicking the
submenu in the Custom Shape panel. Choose from the built-in
libraries or load more.
CREATING CUSTOM
SHAPES
You can create custom shapes
and save them for future use:
1. Create a shape with the Pen
tool or paste one into Photo-
shop from Adobe Illustrator.
2. Select the Paths panel, and
then select a path. It can be
a vector mask from a shape
layer, a work path, or a
saved path.
3. Choose Edit > Define Custom
Shape.
4. Enter a descriptive name
for the new custom shape
in the Shape Name dia-
log box. The new shape
now appears in the Shape
pop-up panel, which can be
quickly accessed from the
Options bar.
5. If you'd like to permanently
save the shape by adding
it to a library, choose Save
Shapes from the submenu in
the Custom Shape Picker.
Loading Custom Shapes
Thousands of free shapes are available to download for Photoshop.
An Internet search using the keywords “Photoshop,” “Free,” and
“Custom Shapes” returns plenty of great results. You can choose
to load these custom shapes temporarily or add them to your
preset list.
For a temporary load of shapes:
1.
From the Custom Shape pop-up panel in the Options bar, click
the submenu.
2.
Choose Load Shapes.
3.
Navigate to the desired shape library (it should end in the
extension .csh).
4.
Select the shape and click OK.
5.
You c a n c ho o s e t o R e pl a c e t he c u r r e nt s h a p e s or A p p e nd t he
new shapes to the end of the old list.
To per ma nent ly st ore shapes , loa d t hem i nt To P reset s :
1.
Navigate to your Photoshop application folder.
2.
Open the Presets folder.
3.
Open the Custom Shapes folder.
4.
Copy the custom shapes files into the Custom Shapes folder. Be
sure the shapes are not compressed (such as a .sit or .zip file).
5.
Restart Photoshop; the presets will be loaded into the submenu
in the Custom Shape Picker.
