{"id":6895,"date":"2015-10-04T14:26:34","date_gmt":"2015-10-04T18:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/?p=6895"},"modified":"2022-11-02T13:59:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T17:59:23","slug":"how-to-use-the-custom-shape-tool-in-photoshop-cs6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/newsite\/basics\/how-to-use-the-custom-shape-tool-in-photoshop-cs6\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use The Custom Shape Tool In Photoshop"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<p><strong>Version Note:<\/strong> This Custom Shape Tool tutorial is for Photoshop CS6. For newer versions including Photoshop 2022, please see my updated <a href=\"\/basics\/how-to-draw-custom-shapes-in-photoshop\/\">How To Draw Custom Shapes in Photoshop<\/a> tutorial.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author\">Written by Steve Patterson.<\/div>\n<p>In the previous tutorial, <a href=\"\/basics\/how-to-draw-vector-shapes-in-photoshop-cs6\/\">How To Draw Vector Shapes In Photoshop CS6<\/a>, we learned how to use the five basic  shape tools in Photoshop (the Rectangle Tool, the Rounded Rectangle Tool, the Ellipse Tool, the Polygon Tool, and the Line Tool) to add simple geometric shapes like rectangles, squares and circles, as well as stars, starbursts and direction arrows, to our documents.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.adslot-2 { display: inline-block; width:300px; float:right; margin: 6px 0px 12px 20px; }\n@media (max-width: 767px) { .adslot-2 { display: none; } }\n<\/style><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 300x250 photoshop basics top responsive -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle adslot-2\"     \n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"7310008691\"\n     data-ad-format=\"rectangle\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\n<p>While circles and squares do have their uses, what about more complex and interesting shapes? What if you wanted, say, a heart shape to use as a border for a wedding or engagement photo? Or the shape of a dog or cat to add to a pet store logo? How about shapes of flowers or leaves, snowflakes, music notes, or even a copyright symbol to add to your images? Photoshop actually includes all of these shapes and more, and we can add them to our designs and layouts just as easily as adding circles and squares. <\/p>\n<p>Adobe calls these more complex shapes <strong>custom shapes<\/strong>, and we draw them using the <strong>Custom Shape Tool<\/strong>. The only problem is that, by default, only a handful of these custom shapes are available to us. Most of them are hidden. So in this tutorial, we'll learn everything we need to know about drawing shapes with the Custom Shape Tool, including how to access every custom shape that Photoshop has to offer!<\/p>\n<p>If you're not yet familiar with the basics of drawing vector shapes in Photoshop, I highly recommend reading the <a href=\"\/basics\/how-to-draw-vector-shapes-in-photoshop-cs6\/\">previous tutorial<\/a> before you continue.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside><p class=\"members-ad-top\"><a href=\"\/print-ready-pdfs\/\">Download all of our Photoshop tutorials as PDFs!<\/a><\/p><\/aside>\n<section>\n<h2 class=\"sub\">How To Draw Custom Shapes In Photoshop<\/h2>\n<h3>Selecting The Custom Shape Tool<\/h3>\n<p>The Custom Shape Tool is nested in with Photoshop's other shape tools in the <strong>Tools panel<\/strong>. To select it, click and hold on the icon for whichever shape tool is currently visible (which will either be the Rectangle Tool (the default) or whichever shape tool you used last). When you click and hold on the icon, a fly-out menu appears showing  the other shape tools that are available. Select the <strong>Custom Shape Tool<\/strong> from the bottom of the list:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/photoshop-custom-shape-tool.gif\" alt=\"Selecting the Custom Shape Tool from the Tools panel. \" width=\"263\" height=\"169\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking and holding on the Rectangle Tool, then selecting the Custom Shape Tool from the menu.<\/div>\n<h3>Drawing Vector Shapes<\/h3>\n<p>With the Custom Shape Tool selected, the next thing we want to do is make sure we're drawing <strong>vector shapes<\/strong>, not paths or pixel-based shapes. We learned the important difference between vector shapes and pixel shapes in the <a href=\"\/basics\/drawing-vector-vs-pixel-shapes-in-photoshop-cs6\/\">Drawing Vector vs Pixel Shapes<\/a> tutorial, but in short, vector shapes are <em>flexible<\/em>, <em>editable<\/em>, and <em>resolution-independent<\/em>, meaning we can edit and scale them as much as we want, and even print them any size we need, and the edges of vector shapes will always remain crisp and sharp.<\/p>\n<p>To make sure you're working with vector shapes, set the <strong>Tool Mode<\/strong> option in the Options Bar along the top of the screen to <strong>Shape<\/strong> (short for \"Vector Shape\"):<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/select-shape-mode.gif\" alt=\"Setting the Custom Shape Tool to Shape mode. \" width=\"369\" height=\"99\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Setting the Too Mode option to Shape.<\/div>\n<h3>Choosing A Custom Shape<\/h3>\n<p>Next, we need to tell Photoshop which custom shape we want to draw, and we do that by clicking on the <strong> shape thumbnail<\/strong> in the Options Bar. The thumbnail shows us the  shape that's currently selected:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/custom-shape-thumbnail.gif\" alt=\"Clicking the custom shape thumbnail in the Options Bar. \" width=\"385\" height=\"95\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the shape thumbnail.<\/div>\n<p>Clicking the thumbnail opens the <strong>Custom Shape Picker<\/strong>, with thumbnail previews of each shape that we can choose from. Use the <strong>scroll bar<\/strong> along the right to scroll through the thumbnails. <\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/photoshop-custom-shape-picker.gif\" alt=\"The Custom Shape Picker, with thumbnails of each shape. \" width=\"331\" height=\"213\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Custom Shape Picker, with thumbnail previews of each shape.<\/div>\n<h3>Loading More Shapes<\/h3>\n<p>As I mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial, only a handful of shapes are available initially, but there's many more that we can choose from. All we need to do is load them in. To do that, click on the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> in the upper right:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/custom-shape-picker-gear-icon.gif\" alt=\"Clicking the gear icon in the Custom Shape Picker. \" width=\"270\" height=\"176\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the gear icon.<\/div>\n<p>In the bottom half of the menu that appears, you'll see a list of all the <strong>custom shape sets<\/strong> that Adobe includes with Photoshop. The shapes that are displayed initially are the default set, but looking through the list, we see that we have lots of other interesting sets, like Animals, Music, Nature, and so on. To load one of these sets, simply choose it from the list.<\/p>\n<p>The only problem is that unless you've been using Photoshop for a while (and spent much of that time working with custom shapes), it's hard to know which shapes you'll find in each set. So, rather than choosing the sets individually, what I'd recommend is selecting <strong>All<\/strong> at the top of the list, which will load the shapes from every set all at once:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/custom-shape-sets.gif\" alt=\"Choosing All to load every shape at once. \" width=\"187\" height=\"362\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing All will save you a lot of guess work.<\/div>\n<p>Photoshop will ask if you want to replace the current shapes with the new ones. If you click the <strong>Append<\/strong> button, rather than replacing the current shapes with the new shapes, it tells Photoshop to keep the existing shapes and simply add the new ones below them. That may be a good choice if you were selecting an individual shape set from the list and you just wanted to add it to the default shapes.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, because I'm choosing <strong>All<\/strong> (which includes the default shapes as part of the collection), I'm going to click <strong>OK<\/strong>. At the end of the tutorial, we'll learn how to reset the shapes back to the defaults:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/replace-shapes-warning.gif\" alt=\"The Replace current shapes with the shapes from All dialog box. \" width=\"440\" height=\"161\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The default shapes are included when choosing All, so just click OK. <\/div>\n<h3>Resizing The Custom Shape Picker<\/h3>\n<p>With all of the shapes now loaded in, we have far more to choose from. You can resize the Custom Shape Picker to see more  shapes at a time by clicking and dragging its <strong>bottom right corner<\/strong>. In fact, you can make the Custom Shape Picker large enough to see every shape at once:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/resize-custom-shape-picker.gif\" alt=\"Resizing the Custom Shape Picker in Photoshop. \" width=\"600\" height=\"540\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Click and drag the bottom right corner to resize the Custom Shape Picker.<\/div>\n<p>Personally, I find that a bit too big, so I'll once again click and drag the bottom right corner of the Custom Shape Picker, this time to make it smaller. Then, I'll use the scroll bar along the right of the thumbnails to scroll through the shapes. To choose a shape, <strong>double-click<\/strong> on its thumbnail. This will select the shape and close out of the Custom Shape Picker. I'll choose the heart shape by double-clicking on it:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/select-heart-shape.gif\" alt=\"Selecting the heart custom shape. \" width=\"262\" height=\"286\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Double-clicking the heart shape's thumbnail.<\/div>\n<h3>Choosing A Color For The Shape<\/h3>\n<p>Once you've selected a custom shape, choose a color for it by clicking the <strong>Fill<\/strong> color swatch in the Options Bar:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-color-swatch.gif\" alt=\"Clicking the Fill color swatch. \" width=\"370\" height=\"93\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the Fill color swatch.<\/div>\n<p>This opens a box that lets us choose from four different ways to fill the custom shape, each represented by one of <strong>four icons<\/strong> along the top. Starting from the left, we have the <strong>No Color<\/strong> icon, the <strong>Solid Color<\/strong> icon, the <strong>Gradient<\/strong> icon, and the <strong>Pattern<\/strong> icon. We covered the Fill (and Stroke) color options in detail in the previous tutorial (<a href=\"\/basics\/how-to-draw-vector-shapes-in-photoshop-cs6\/\">How To Draw Vector Shapes In Photoshop CS6<\/a>) but I'll cover them again here as a refresher:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-color-options.gif\" alt=\"The Fill color options for the custom shape. \" width=\"274\" height=\"244\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The No Color, Solid Color, Gradient, and Pattern fill options.<\/div>\n<p>Selecting the <strong>No Color<\/strong> option on the left will leave your custom shape blank, which may be what you want if you need your shape to contain only a stroke outline. We'll see how to add a stroke in a moment.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Solid Color<\/strong> option (second from left) lets us fill the custom shape with a single color. Choose a color by clicking on one of the <strong>color swatches<\/strong>. Colors you've used recently appear in the <strong>Recently Used Colors<\/strong> row above the main swatches:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-solid-color-option.gif\" alt=\"The Solid Color fill option. \" width=\"268\" height=\"230\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Solid Color fill option.<\/div>\n<p>If the color you need is not found in any of the swatches, click on the <strong>Color Picker<\/strong> icon in the upper right:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-color-picker-icon.gif\" alt=\"The Color Picker icon. \" width=\"269\" height=\"212\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the Color Picker icon.<\/div>\n<p>Then, choose your color manually from the Color Picker. Click <strong>OK<\/strong> when you're done to close out of the Color Picker:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-color-picker.jpg\" alt=\"Choosing a fill color from the Color Picker. \" width=\"427\" height=\"317\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing a fill color from the Color Picker.<\/div>\n<p>The <strong>Gradient<\/strong> option lets us fill the shape with a gradient. You can choose one of the preset gradients by clicking on its <strong>thumbnail<\/strong> (use the scroll bar along the right to scroll through the thumbnails) or use the options below the thumbnails to create or edit your own gradient. We'll be covering gradients in a separate tutorial:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-gradient-option.gif\" alt=\"The Gradient fill option. \" width=\"268\" height=\"322\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Gradient fill option.<\/div>\n<p>Finally, choose the <strong>Pattern<\/strong> option if you want to fill your custom shape with a pattern. Photoshop doesn't give us many patterns to choose from on its own, but if you've created or downloaded other patterns, you can load them in by clicking on the small <strong>gear icon<\/strong> (directly below the Custom Shape icon) and choosing <strong>Load Patterns<\/strong> from the menu:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/fill-pattern-option.gif\" alt=\"The Pattern fill option. \" width=\"268\" height=\"322\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Pattern fill option.<\/div>\n<p>Since I chose a heart shape, I'll select the Solid Color option and choose red for my fill color by clicking on the red swatch. To close out of the color options box when you're done, press <strong>Enter<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Return<\/strong> (Mac) on your keyboard, or just click on an empty area of the Options Bar:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/choose-red-fill-color.gif\" alt=\"Choosing a solid red for the custom shape fill color. \" width=\"277\" height=\"221\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing a solid red for my fill color.<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.ads-middle { display: inline-block; width:300px; margin:6px 0px 24px 0px; padding-top: 16px; padding-bottom: 16px; }\n@media (max-width: 515px) { .ads-middle { margin:20px 0; } }\n@media (max-width: 480px) { .ads-middle { margin:20px 0; } }\n<\/style><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<!-- photo effects 300x250 middle responsive -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle ads-middle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4216941496\"\n     data-ad-format=\"rectangle\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\n<h3>Drawing Your Custom Shape<\/h3>\n<p>To draw the shape, click inside your document to set a starting point. Then, keep your mouse button held down and drag away from the starting point. As you drag, you'll see only an outline (known as the <em>path<\/em>) of what the shape will look like:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/drawing-custom-shape.gif\" alt=\"Drawing a custom heart shape in Photoshop CS6. \" width=\"640\" height=\"383\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Click to set a starting point, then drag away from the point to draw the shape.<\/div>\n<p>When you release your mouse button, Photoshop completes the shape and fills it with your chosen color:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/photoshop-heart-custom-shape.gif\" alt=\"A custom heart shape drawn in Photoshop CS6. \" width=\"534\" height=\"313\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Photoshop fills the shape only after you release your mouse button.<\/div>\n<h3>Drawing A Shape With The Correct Proportions<\/h3>\n<p>Notice, though, that my heart shape looks a bit distorted. It's wider and shorter than I was expecting. That's because, by default, Photoshop lets us freely draw custom shapes to any size or proportions we like. I'll undo my shape by going up to the <strong>Edit<\/strong> menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choosing <strong>Undo Custom Shape Tool<\/strong>. I could also just press <strong>Ctrl+Z<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Command+Z<\/strong> (Mac) on my keyboard. This removes the shape from the document:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/undo-custom-shape-tool.gif\" alt=\"Choosing the Undo Custom Shape Tool from under the Edit menu. \" width=\"268\" height=\"132\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Going to Edit &gt; Undo Custom Shape Tool.<\/div>\n<p>To draw a custom shape with the correct proportions, begin the same way as before by clicking inside the document to set your starting point, then keeping your mouse button held down and dragging away from the point. As you're dragging, press and hold the <strong>Shift<\/strong> key on your keyboard. This will snap  the shape to its correct proportions and lock them in place:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/drawing-heart-shape-proportions.gif\" alt=\"Press and hold Shift as you drag to draw the shape with the correct proportions. \" width=\"461\" height=\"375\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Press and hold Shift as you drag to draw the shape with the correct proportions.<\/div>\n<p>When you're happy with the size of the shape, release your mouse button, <em>then<\/em> release your Shift key. It's very important that you release the Shift key only <em>after<\/em> you've released your mouse button or it won't work. Also, make sure you wait until <em>after<\/em> you've started dragging before pressing and holding the Shift key or you may get unexpected results.<\/p>\n<p>I'll release my mouse button, then my Shift key, at which point Photoshop fills the shape with my chosen red color. This time, the heart looks much better:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/heart-shape-correct-proportions.gif\" alt=\"A heart shape drawn to the correct proportions. \" width=\"354\" height=\"308\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">You'll usually want to draw custom shapes with the correct proportions.<\/div>\n<h3>Other Handy Keyboard Shortcuts<\/h3>\n<p>Along with pressing and holding <strong>Shift<\/strong> while dragging to draw the shape with the correct proportions, you can press and hold your <strong>Alt<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Option<\/strong> (Mac) key while dragging to draw the shape out from its <strong>center<\/strong> rather than from a corner. Pressing and holding <strong>Shift+Alt<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Shift+Option<\/strong> (Mac) while dragging will draw it with the correct proportions <em>and<\/em> draw it out from the center. Just remember to always release the keys <em>after<\/em> releasing your mouse button.<\/p>\n<h3>Resizing The Shape<\/h3>\n<p>Once you've drawn your shape, you'll see its current width and height in the <strong>Width<\/strong> (<strong>W<\/strong>) and <strong>Height<\/strong> (<strong>H<\/strong>) boxes in the Options Bar. Here, we see that my shape was drawn 354 px wide and 308 px tall:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/custom-shape-width-height.gif\" alt=\"The Options Bar showing the current width and height of the shape. \" width=\"341\" height=\"84\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The current width and height of the shape.<\/div>\n<p>If you need to resize the shape, simply highlight the current values with your mouse and enter new values (press <strong>Enter<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Return<\/strong> (Mac) on your keyboard to accept them). To resize the shape and keep it locked to the correct proportions, first click on the small <strong>link icon<\/strong> between the width and height fields, then enter a new width or height. With the link icon selected, Photoshop will automatically change the other value for you:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/new-width-and-height.gif\" alt=\"The width and height link icon in the Options Bar. \" width=\"342\" height=\"85\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Click the link icon before changing the width or height to lock the proportions in place.<\/div>\n<h3>Letting Photoshop Draw The Shape For You<\/h3>\n<p>If you haven't yet drawn your shape and you know the exact size you need, you can save time by letting Photoshop draw it for you. Simply click once inside your document. Photoshop will pop open the <strong>Create Custom Shape<\/strong> dialog box where you can enter in your width and height values. Click OK to close out of it and Photoshop will draw your shape with your chosen dimensions:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/create-custom-shape.gif\" alt=\"The Create Custom Shape dialog box. \" width=\"287\" height=\"187\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Click once inside the document to open the Create Custom Shape dialog box.<\/div>\n<h3>Adding A Stroke<\/h3>\n<p>To add a stroke around the shape, click on the <strong>Stroke<\/strong> color swatch in the Options Bar. You can choose your stroke color (and other stroke options which we'll look at in a moment) either before or after you draw the shape:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-color-swatch.gif\" alt=\"Clicking the Stroke color swatch in the Options Bar. \" width=\"425\" height=\"92\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the Stroke color swatch.<\/div>\n<p>The options for choosing a stroke color are exactly the same as the fill color options. Along the top, we have the same four icons giving us a choice between <strong>No Color<\/strong>, <strong>Solid Color<\/strong>, <strong>Gradient<\/strong>, and <strong>Pattern<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-color-options.gif\" alt=\"The stroke color options for the custom shape. \" width=\"275\" height=\"227\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The No Color, Solid Color, Gradient, and Pattern options, this time for the stroke.<\/div>\n<p>The No Color option is selected by default (which is why the stroke isn't visible). I'll select the Solid Color option, then I'll set my stroke color to black by clicking on the swatch. Just as with the fill color, if the color you need isn't found in any of the swatches, click the Color Picker icon to choose it manually:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-color-black.gif\" alt=\"Choosing a solid black for the stroke color. \" width=\"268\" height=\"220\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing a solid black as my stroke color.<\/div>\n<p>Just like that, Photoshop adds the black stroke around the shape:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/heart-shape-black-stroke.gif\" alt=\"The same shape, now with a black stroke applied. \" width=\"354\" height=\"308\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The same shape, now with a black stroke applied.<\/div>\n<h3>The Stroke Width<\/h3>\n<p>We can change the <strong>width<\/strong> of the stroke in the Options Bar. You'll find the current width displayed to the right of the Stroke color swatch. The default width is 3 pt. If you know the exact width you need, you can enter it directly into the width field (press <strong>Enter<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Return<\/strong> (Mac) when you're done to accept it) or simply click on the small <strong>arrow<\/strong> to the right of the value and drag the <strong>slider:<\/strong><\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-width-slider.gif\" alt=\"The stroke width slider. \" width=\"408\" height=\"100\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Increasing the width of the stroke with the slider.<\/div>\n<h3>Align Edges<\/h3>\n<p>If you look further to the right in the Options Bar, you'll see an option called <strong>Align Edges<\/strong>. By default, this option is turned on (checked) and you'll usually want to leave it on because it tells Photoshop to line up the edges of your shape with the pixel grid, which keeps them looking crisp and sharp:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/align-edges.gif\" alt=\"The Align Edges option. \" width=\"337\" height=\"93\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Align Edges option.<\/div>\n<p>However, for the Align Edges option to work, not only does it need to be selected, but you also need to specify the width of your stroke in <strong>pixels<\/strong> (<strong>px<\/strong>), not <strong>points<\/strong> (<strong>pt<\/strong>). Since the default measurement type for the stroke width is points, I'll go back and enter a new width of <strong>10 px<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-width-10px.gif\" alt=\"Changing the measurement type for the stroke width to pixels. \" width=\"310\" height=\"91\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">For Align Edges to work, change the measurement type of your stroke width to pixels.<\/div>\n<p>Photoshop instantly updates the shape with the new stroke width:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/heart-shape-stroke10px.gif\" alt=\"The shape after changing the stroke width to 10 pixels. \" width=\"364\" height=\"332\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The shape after changing the stroke width to 10 ox.<\/div>\n<h3>More Stroke Options<\/h3>\n<p>There are other stroke options we can change as well by clicking the <strong>Stroke Options<\/strong> button in the Options Bar:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-options-button.gif\" alt=\"The Stroke Options button in the Options Bar. \" width=\"327\" height=\"89\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Stroke Options buttons.<\/div>\n<p>This opens the Stroke Options box. At the top, we can switch between having the stroke displayed as a <strong>solid<\/strong> line (the default), a <strong>dashed<\/strong> line or a <strong>dotted<\/strong> line. The <strong>Align<\/strong> option lets us choose whether the stroke should appear along the <strong>inside<\/strong> edges of the shape, the <strong>outside<\/strong> edges or <strong>centered<\/strong> along the edges. We can set the <strong>Caps<\/strong> option to either <strong>Butt<\/strong>, <strong>Round<\/strong> or <strong>Square<\/strong>, and change the <strong>Corners<\/strong> to either <strong>Miter<\/strong>, <strong>Round<\/strong> or <strong>Bevel<\/strong>. Clicking <strong>More Options<\/strong> at the bottom will open a more detailed dialog box with additional options for customizing the look of your stroke and for saving your custom settings as a preset:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/stroke-options-box.gif\" alt=\"The Stroke Options button in the Options Bar. \" width=\"229\" height=\"255\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Stroke Options buttons.<\/div>\n<h3>Changing The Fill And Stroke Of Existing Shapes<\/h3>\n<p>Just as it does with the <a href=\"\/basics\/how-to-draw-vector-shapes-in-photoshop-cs6\/\">geometric shape tools<\/a> (Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, etc.), Photoshop places each  vector shape we draw with the Custom Shape Tool on its own <strong>Shape layer<\/strong>. If we look in my Layers panel, we see my heart shape sitting on a Shape layer named \"Shape 1\":<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/layers-panel-shape-layer.gif\" alt=\"The Layers panel showing the Shape layer. \" width=\"266\" height=\"271\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Layers panel showing the Shape layer.<\/div>\n<p>I'll add a second shape to my document. To do that, I'll re-open the Custom Shape Picker in the Options Bar, and this time, I'll choose the butterfly shape by double-clicking on its thumbnail:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/select-butterfly-shape.gif\" alt=\"Choosing the butterfly custom shape. \" width=\"271\" height=\"286\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing the butterfly custom shape.<\/div>\n<p>With the butterfly shape selected, I'll quickly draw it by clicking inside the document to set a starting point, then clicking and dragging away from that point. To draw the butterfly with the correct proportions, I'll wait until I've started dragging, then I'll press and hold my <strong>Shift<\/strong> key and continue dragging:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/drawing-butterfly.gif\" alt=\"Drawing the butterfly shape. \" width=\"549\" height=\"399\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking and dragging to draw the butterfly (with Shift held down).<\/div>\n<p>To complete the shape, I'll release my mouse button, <em>then<\/em> release my Shift key. Photoshop fills the shape with color, but look what's happened; it used the  same fill color (red) that I chose for my previous shape. It also used the same stroke options as the previous shape, including the color (black) and the width (10 px):<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/photoshop-butterfly-shape.gif\" alt=\"The new shape used the exact same fill and stroke as the previous shape. \" width=\"381\" height=\"335\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The new shape used the exact same fill and stroke as the previous shape.<\/div>\n<p>Fortunately, because Shape layers in Photoshop remain fully editable, there's no need for me to undo and redraw the shape if I needed it to be a different color. As long as I have the Shape layer selected in the Layers panel (and the shape tool still selected from the Tools panel), I can easily go back and change the colors.<\/p>\n<p>If we look again in my Layers panel, we see that the butterfly shape was placed on its own Shape layer named \"Shape 2\" above the heart shape:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/two-shape-layers.gif\" alt=\"The Layers panel showing both shapes, each on its own Shape layer. \" width=\"266\" height=\"245\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Layers panel showing both shapes, each on its own Shape layer.<\/div>\n<p>With the butterfly layer selected, I'll click on the <strong>Fill<\/strong> color swatch in the Options Bar and choose a different color from the swatches, maybe a nice magenta:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/butterfly-fill-color-magenta.gif\" alt=\"Choosing a new fill color for the butterfly shape. \" width=\"282\" height=\"265\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Selecting a new fill color for the butterfly shape.<\/div>\n<p>I'm also going to lower the width of the stroke in the Options Bar, since 10 px seems too thick. I'll lower it down to <strong>4 px<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/butterfly-shape-stroke4px.gif\" alt=\"Changing the width of the stroke for the butterfly shape. \" width=\"362\" height=\"91\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Changing the width of the stroke for the butterfly shape.<\/div>\n<p>Photoshop instantly updates the butterfly shape with the new fill color and stroke width. The original heart shape remains untouched:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/heart-butterfly-shapes.gif\" alt=\"Changing the width of the stroke for the butterfly shape. \" width=\"640\" height=\"270\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The result after editing the butterfly shape.<\/div>\n<p>I think I want to lower the stroke width for the heart shape as well, so I'll click on the heart's Shape layer (\"Shape 1\") in the Layers panel to select it:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/select-shape-1.gif\" alt=\"Selecting the heart shape layer. \" width=\"266\" height=\"216\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Selecting the heart shape layer.<\/div>\n<p>I'll leave the fill color set to red, but I'll lower the stroke width in the Options Bar down to the same value (<strong>4 px<\/strong>) as the butterfly shape:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/heart-shape-stroke4px.gif\" alt=\"Changing the width of the stroke for the heart shape. \" width=\"363\" height=\"88\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Changing the width of the stroke for the heart shape.<\/div>\n<p>And now, both shapes share the same stroke width. You can edit the other stroke options (color, line type, alignment, etc.) as well if needed. As long as you have the correct shape layer selected in the Layers panel, and the shape tool still active, you can make whatever changes you need:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/both-shapes-stroke4px.gif\" alt=\"Changing the width of the stroke for the heart shape. \" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The result after changing the stroke width for the heart shape.<\/div>\n<h3>Resetting The Custom Shapes Back To The Defaults<\/h3>\n<p>Earlier, we learned how to load other shape sets into the Custom Shape Picker. If you need to clear away those additional shapes and go back to viewing just the default shapes, click once again on the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> in the Custom Shape Picker:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/custom-shape-gear-icon.gif\" alt=\"Clicking the gear icon. \" width=\"272\" height=\"179\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the gear icon.<\/div>\n<p>Then choose <strong>Reset Shapes<\/strong> from the menu:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/reset-shapes.gif\" alt=\"Choosing Reset Shapes from the Custom Shape Picker menu. \" width=\"188\" height=\"133\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing &quot;Reset Shapes&quot;.<\/div>\n<p>Photoshop will ask if you really want to replace the current shapes with the defaults. Click OK to say yes, and you'll be back to seeing only the original default shapes:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/basics\/cs6\/shapes\/custom-shape-tool\/replace-current-shapes-with-defaults.gif\" alt=\"Choosing Reset Shapes from the Custom Shape Picker menu. \" width=\"441\" height=\"161\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Click OK when Photoshop asks if you want to revert back to the defaults.<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.ads-bottom { width:300px; padding-top:16px;padding-bottom:16px; }\n<\/style><div align=\"center\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<!-- 300x250 page bottom responsive -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle ads-bottom\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2879809098\"\n     data-ad-format=\"rectangle\"\n\t data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div>\n<aside>\n<h3>Where to go next...<\/h3>\n<p>And there we have it! That's how to go beyond circles and squares and add more interesting custom shapes to your layouts using the Custom Shape Tool in Photoshop CS6! Visit our <a href=\"\/basics\/\">Photoshop Basics<\/a> section to learn lots more about Photoshop!<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside> <div class=\"members-ad\"><a href=\"\/print-ready-pdfs\/\">Get all of our Photoshop tutorials as PDFs!<\/a> Download them today!<\/div> <\/aside>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Go beyond simple geometric shapes and learn how to add more interesting custom shapes to your designs and layouts with the Custom Shape Tool in Photoshop CS6!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basics","category-shapes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ 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