Adobe 13101332 User Guide - Page 201

Adobe Photoshop Help Using Help | Contents | Index Drawing Back 201 Creating shape layers You create a shape layer using a shape tool or a pen tool. The shape is automatically filled with the current foreground color; however, you can easily change the fill to a different color, a gradient, or a pattern.The shape's outline is stored in a vector mask that is linked to the layer. In Photoshop, you can draw multiple shapes in a layer and specify how overlapping shapes interact. To create a new shape layer: 1 Select a shape tool or a pen tool, and click the Shape Layers button in the options bar. 2 To apply a style to the shape layer, select a preset style from the Style pop-up menu. (See "Applying preset styles" on page 302.) 3 To change the color of the shape layer, click the color swatch in the options bar and choose a color. 4 Set additional tool-specific options, and draw a shape. For more information, see "Using the shape tools" on page 203 and "Using the pen tools (Photoshop)" on page 205. To draw multiple shapes in a layer (Photoshop): 1 Select the layer to which you want to add shapes. 2 Select a drawing tool, and set tool-specific options. 3 Choose one of the following in the options bar: • Add to Shape Area to add the new area to the existing shapes or path. • Subtract from Shape Area to remove the overlapping area from the existing shapes or path. • Intersect Shape Areas to restrict the area to the intersection of the new area and the existing shapes or path. • Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas to exclude the overlap area in the consolidated new and existing areas. Use the following keyboard shortcuts while drawing with a shape tool: Hold down Shift to temporarily select the Add to Shape Area option; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to temporarily select the Subtract from Shape Area option. 4 Draw in the image.You can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool button in the options bar. Creating a work path (Photoshop) A work path is a temporary path that appears in the Paths palette and defines the outline of a shape. You can use paths in several ways: • You can use a path as a vector mask to hide areas of a layer. (See "Masking layers" on page 314.) • You can convert a path to a selection. For more information, see "Converting between paths and selection borders (Photoshop)" on page 218. • You can edit a path to change its shape. For more information, see "Editing paths (Photoshop)" on page 210. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 201