Hi all. Today we will talk about how to draw a circle in Photoshop. the desired diameter, with and without filling, and we will also learn how to draw various objects using this figure. Many will say, why bother devoting a separate article to this topic if it only takes a couple of steps. In fact, you are both right and wrong at the same time, since in addition to ordinary drawing there are many other nuances, ranging from adjusting to the desired diameter, and ending with how to place two circles inside each other. The most important thing is that this is a very important element web design. Therefore, sit down more comfortably. Let's go!
In order to draw a circle in Photoshop, we first need to find , which is located in the toolbar. It is there that we have to choose it from 6 elements.
- Fill color. Responsible for what color your circle will be. If you check the “No fill” option, then there will be emptiness inside, that is, only the outline will remain.
- Stroke color. If we set any color here, we will see that the outline begins to change.
For now, temporarily set both of these parameters to away mode by selecting the icon with a white square with a red line through it. This will mean that we will have no fill or stroke, but only an outline.
And now we can start drawing the ellipse. Hold down the right mouse button anywhere on the canvas and start dragging with the mouse. While we move the mouse with the key held down, an oval will be drawn, which will change depending on your movements. But when you release the button, the figure will be drawn.
But if you want to draw an exact circle in Photoshop, as if using a compass, then you will do the same thing, only with the key held down SHIFT. This will ensure that the proportions of the figure are maintained.
If you want to draw an oval or circle from the center, then you need to do this by holding down the key ALT. Just before use, first hold down the left mouse button to indicate that drawing has begun, and only then hold down ALT and draw fully from the center.
To move the circle even before you release the mouse button and use it (And this is really necessary often), hold down the spacebar while drawing and just move the mouse.
The most interesting thing is that all these combinations can be combined. For example, if you want to draw smooth circle from the center, then start drawing it with the SHIFT And ALT simultaneously. And then you can also hold down the spacebar and move our figure somewhere.
How to draw a circle of the required diameter
To draw a circle of a certain diameter in Photoshop, you need to select this shape (Ellipse) and simply click once with the left mouse button on the canvas. After this, a window will appear where you can set the size in width and height in pixels. Naturally, in the case of a circle, these parameters should be the same.
You can change these specified parameters at any time without resorting to transformation. To do this, in the properties at the top, simply change the values for length and width as you see fit.
Properties of a circle
Now, let's move on to the properties of a circle or ellipse themselves. Like any other tool properties, they are located under the main menu. Just be sure that it is activated the right tool, since each figure has its own properties.
Primary properties
Above, we have already removed the fill and stroke from the figure to make it easier to see the contours, but now let’s use them. For example, I'll select a red fill and a blue stroke. To do this, go to properties and change the color in the appropriate items.
Now draw a circle like I showed you above and you will see that they are the color we intended. By the way, it is not necessary to set these parameters right away. The colors can be changed at any time by going into the same options again and changing the color.
Next comes the stroke thickness property. You need to decide whether to make it thick or thin. But in any case, this can be done by tugging the sliders, or by setting the size manually.
For example, if I increase the stroke size by 6 times, this is how it will look.
And our primary properties are completed by the stroke parameters, which are located next to the thickness. We have several options (solid, intermittent and dotted line), from which you can select options. But at this stage I recommend leaving the default solid line.
Also, you can activate these same properties in a separate panel. To do this, go to the menu “Window” - “Properties”.
Union and Subtraction
As with any other figures in in this case It is possible to combine different shapes on one layer. Usually, each new shape is drawn on a separate layer, but if you select "Merge Shapes", which is in the section "Operations with contours" in the properties panel under the menu, then all new styles will be made on one layer.
But you need to take into account that now all the shapes that you drew on the layer automatically become a single whole, and by moving them you can no longer move them separately. But there is a way out. From the toolbar, select "Outline Selection". With the help of it you can move individual figures.
I hope you get the gist of what shape subtraction is all about.
How to draw a circle within a circle
At first glance, drawing two circles in one is simple task. But when it comes down to it, users face a real problem. Let's look at this whole thing in practice and draw a small target. And we will do this in two ways.
Method number 1. Copying layers
Let's immediately draw a circle with a red fill and no stroke. and after that we will copy this layer three times (let us have a four-layer target). To do this, stand on the layer with the circle you just drew and press the key combination three times CTRL+J to duplicate it three times.
Now, make the first two layers invisible. so that they don't interfere with us for now. To do this, click on the eyes on the thumbnails. After this, select the second layer from below, which we did not hide from view, and then press the key combination CTRL+T to activate transform mode. After that, pull the corner and reduce the circle with the clamped SHIFT to maintain proportions. Don't worry about leveling just yet. special attention, we will fix everything later.
Now, paint the circle white. To do this, go to properties and select white fill. It should look something like this. Don't think, this is not a hole. It's just that the background and fill are the same color, so it seems that way.
Next, we make the second layer from above visible, after which the figure will be painted red again. But that's how it should be. The main thing is that now you need to reduce again at the moment, and even smaller than the one we just reduced. That is, we press CTRL+T, pull the corners and reduce it. After that we apply the transformation.
And finally, make the very first layer on top visible, fill it with white through the properties and reduce it even smaller using transformation. Thus, we had a small target, although it was somewhat crooked. It needs to be leveled so that the distances between the links are the same.
Now I deliberately made different distances between the circles to show you how to do everything exactly in just one or two clicks. To do this, select all the layers involved in the process, one by one, using the key held down. CTRL. Or you can select everything at once, selecting only the first one and last layer with a clamped SHIFT. Everything between them will also be automatically selected.
Now, be sure to select the Move tool, otherwise you won't succeed. After that, in the properties under the menu you will need to select the alignment of the centers vertically and horizontally.
After this, our circle drawing will take on a full-fledged, attractive and accurate appearance. Everything is smooth and stylish, you can even throw darts. I hope that with this example you understood how to draw a circle within a circle in Photoshop.
Method 2: Inserting a new circle
In addition to the above method, you can use simple addition. I won’t dwell on this topic for a long time; in theory, everything should be clear.
Essentially, we draw a circle and then draw another smaller one. After that, we simply change the color and align it exactly the same way as we did above. I think there shouldn't be any problems with this.
Clipping mask and frame
And finally, we will use one cool feature called a clipping mask. Thanks to it, we can insert any image into our circle. Moreover, we will not need to wipe or remove anything. It will fit there partially over the entire surface of the circle, and we will also be able to move the image inside and edit it.
This is a very cool solution, since everything turns out smooth and clear, and most importantly, the picture itself does not suffer and we can move it inside the circle as we want.
Well, if we want to quickly make a round frame in Photoshop, then we can use two options:
I wrote in more detail about how I wrote in one of my previous articles.
Well, if you want to have a really good understanding of Photoshop, then I strongly recommend that you take a look this wonderful video course. It is so superbly constructed that after viewing it you simply will not have any questions about how to use this graphic editor. Everything is laid out on the shelves and literally chewed in simple, understandable human language.
Well, this is where I end my article for today. I hope that you understand how to draw a circle in Photoshop of the desired diameter, with fill and stroke. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Well, that's all for me. Don't forget to subscribe to publics in social networks and to my blog notifications. See you soon. Bye bye!
Best regards, Dmitry Kostin
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.
A circle is a basic shape, 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 a new document to work with. Top panel. Command File – New. I recommend creating large document, 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.
How to draw a circle in Photoshop – step by step lesson for beginners
This lesson is designed for beginners and in it we will learn how to draw a regular, even circle in graphic editor Photoshop with different transparency, and also enter text into it.
Since the lesson is intended for those who may have opened Photoshop for the first time, we will consider everything in detail.
- Open the program
- Click File -> New in the top menu and set the document size, for example 500 by 500 pixels.
You will see a work area where we will create a circle. To work, in addition to the workspace, we need the toolbar, which is located on the right, as well as the Layers panel, usually on the right by default, but if you don’t see it, then follow the top menu Window -> Layers.
On the left side of the toolbar, select the Ellipse Tool from among the shapes. Below is a screenshot of how to do this:
After that, at the top of the screen, under the main menu, you can select the color of the circle that we will draw, to do this, click on the Color icon and make your choice, I shaved the color #06c7ea.
How to draw an even circle in Photoshop?
Now hold down the Shift key with your left hand, and point the mouse to the left with your right hand top part working area, press the left mouse button and drag diagonally down to the right. It may be difficult to get into, but the action is actually as simple as possible.
Why did we hold down Shift? We used the oval tool, you can draw any ellipse with it, but to draw an even circle, you need to hold down Shift, then the proportions will be preserved.
Above you saw what the result should have been. Using the arrows you can move your figure in right place. Or use the Move Tool on the toolbar.
How to make a transparent circle?
To make the transparency better visible, let’s create a background with a photogray under the layer of our circle. To do this, look at our Layers panel.
- Point to the bottom layer under the circle and click on it once to select it.
- Click the add new layer button
Find any photo and click PrintScreen. I took a photo of the city of London. To paste, select the newly created layer in the Layers panel and press Ctrl+V. Using the Move Tool or keyboard arrows, move the image as needed.
To achieve transparency, select the layer with the circle and move the Opacity slider to the desired number, I personally set it to 66%.
Now everything should have turned out something like this. London is clearly visible through our figure.
How to draw a circle in Photoshop - make an outline
Let's outline our shape, adding a thin yellow stripe. To do this, select the shape and click on the Add layer style button.
Among the styles, select Stroke and set the following settings.
I set the thickness to 3 pixels, yellow strokes and position inside (it could be aligned with the figure in the center, inside or outside).
How to select a circle in Photoshop
There is a tool called the Elluptical Marquee Tool and with its help you can select a circle and even cut it out if necessary.
In the photo below you can see how to find this device.
For example, if we want to select or cut out a circular area in a London photograph, then select the layer with it and use the Elluptical Marquee Tool and drag with the Shift button in exactly the same way as in the case of the turquoise circle. To cut, press the key combination Ctr+X after selecting.
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There are two key tools in Photoshop: rectangular and elliptical marquee tools(rectangular and oval selection areas), and they jointly occupy a position in the toolbar. Here are some things you might not know about these tools.
Squares and circles
Rectangular and elliptical marquee tools(rectangular and oval marquees) can be used to draw regular squares and circles. As you click and drag over an area, hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to be within a circle or square.
Is a circle a square? No, thanks!
Try to draw a circle or oval in a fixed position on the image, you may get confused where to start drawing the shape. The circle or square is drawn as if it were placed in a square or rectangular shape, so you start drawing it from the corner of the square or rectangular object. All this makes it difficult to accurately position the figure. To make things easier, you can draw your shape from the center outwards by holding down the Alt key while using the selection tool. Add a Shift key to keep the oval within the circle.
Correct figure, but wrong position?
What do you do when you've already drawn the right figure, but in the wrong place in the image? Don't let go of the mouse! Instead, by holding down the spacebar, you can move your piece to the desired position. Release the spacebar and then the left mouse button to lock the selection at the selected position.
Correct figure, but wrong turn?
When you want to create a rotated shape, such as a rectangle, square or oval, first create it using the marquee tool, ignoring the rotation. Now release the mouse button and select Select >
Transformselection(Selection > Transform Selection). The shape now shows transformation handles that you can use to rotate it. Press the Ctrl key and you can drag the corner of the shape and distort it. Press Enter or Return to apply the transformation and remove the handles. You can now continue your work with the selection area.
Strict allocation size
If you want to create a selection area with exact dimensions, from the drop-down menu Style(Style)select FixedSize(fixed size). Enter the pixels in width and height within the frames and click on the image, a selection will appear exactly the same as you specified. Use Fixedratio(fixed ratio) to create a selection with a fixed ratio, such as 1:1.25, as shown here.
The next time you need to create a selection on an image using the marquee tool, remember that there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.