Layer Effects & Styles in Adobe Photoshop
Would you like to know how to create a gradient as a layer effect? Click the link below. I’ll need to click on the lock in the bottom layer in the Layers panel to unlock that layer first. Exactly what I want.ĭo you see how the gray background can now be seen through the circle shape where the sun was? Let me add a gradient to the gray bottom layer so it’s more clear. After doing this, I’ll notice both shapes are outlined in blue.įinally, I’ll head up to the Path Operations drop-down and I’ll choose Exclude Overlapping Shapes to remove the sun shape from the circle shape. Alternately, I could have just as easily used the Edit > Paste menu item.Īt this point, I’d like both the sun shape as well as the circle shape selected, so since only the sun shape is currently selected, I’ll need to hold down my Shift key and my Alt key (while the Direct Selection Tool is still active) and click somewhere in the circle shape. So, making sure the circle layer is active in the Layers panel, I’ll use the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+V, I’ll paste it back in. My next step will be to paste the layer on top of the circle layer. Once the sun shape is cut, it will disappear and the layer in the Layers panel will disappear as well. I could also use the Edit > Cut menu item for this. Next, I’ll use the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+X to cut the shape from its current location. I’ll see that it’s selected by the blue outline and handles. Once I have that tool active, I’ll need to hold down the Alt key on my keyboard and click somewhere on the sun shape to select the entire thing. I’ll go to the left toolbar and activate that by clicking on it. To do this, I’ll need to introduce a new tool. I’d like to cut the sun shape out of the circle shape, so the background shows through. If you have any questions up to this point, please be sure to ask.Ĭutting Out the SunReally, all I need to do is one more thing. I’ll also make this new shape white.Īs it stands, I have a light gray background, then a black circle and then a white sun on top. When I’m finished, I’ll also use my Move Tool to position this new shape right at the center of the first shape. I’ll hold my Shift key down to make sure it’s a perfect circle. Making sure the new empty layer is active in the Layers panel, I’ll draw the new shape, right on top of the circle. Once that’s active, I’ll go up to the options bar and I’ll choose the Sun shape from the Shape drop-down. Then, I’ll go back to the left toolbar and select the Custom Shape Tool. Next, I’ll head back into the Layers panel and I’ll create a new layer. I’ll use the options bar up top to change the fill color to black. This document will have a light gray background, just so we can more clearly see what’s going on.Īfter I create the new document, I’ll create a new layer in the Layers panel and then head over to the Ellipse Tool and click to activate that tool.Īfter that, I’ll draw a nice big circle right in the center of my document. Notice how the background gradient is showing through the shape? I’ll show you how to do this below.ĭrawing the ShapesFor this example, I’ll start off by creating a new document that’s 1200×800 pixels. This is what I’d like the final product to look like. As you read further below, it’s my hope that you’ll be thinking of applications for something like what I’m attempting to explain. The benefit of doing something like this is that if you’d like to use a background that you’d like to be visible through the shape, it will be. It’ll be sort of like filling in a big circle on a piece of paper with a pencil and then using an eraser to remove part of the circle so a shape is visible. My goal is going to be to overlap both shapes and then to cut the sun shape out of the circle shape, so the sun is hollow. Probably something that looks like a sun. Then, I’ll draw out another shape on top of that. In today’s post, I’m going to initially draw out one shape in my workspace in Adobe Photoshop. Again, I’ll talk about that much more in the future, but I wanted to let you know that. While I’ll be discussing this in much more depth in future posts, to create a “shape” from text, all you need to do is right-click on the text layer you’d like to convert (in the Layers panel) and choose Convert to Shape. The topic of shapes is extensive, so I thought I’d begin the process of working through them on this blog today.īefore I begin, I’d like to let you know that while I’ll be working with the Ellipse Tool and the Custom Shape Tool, both of which are already considered shapes, it’s just as simple to create a shape from text. Much more than the typical adding a curve or a bend to something and a custom shape, like a paw print, to another. I never actually learned everything I needed to know about them though. I’ve been using shapes for various things in Adobe Photoshop for as long as I can remember.