Using Photoshop shapes
Adobe® Photoshop® CS makes it easy to add shapes to an image: you can draw them using a variety of shape tools, or select from a large assortment of predrawn shapes. You can arrange vector shapes on separate layers for easy modification and overlay effects. In this tutorial, you’ll add both background and foreground shapes to an image and create some flair with gradient and layer effects.
1. Open an Image in Photoshop.
Choose File > Open or double-click a thumbnail in the File browser. For this tutorial, you might want to start with an image that has at least two layers. First we’ll add shapes to build a more interesting background for the image.
2. Select the rectangle tool.
Select the Rectangle tool from the toolbox. By default, the Shape Layers button in the options bar is selected. Use this option to create a vector shape, which is automatically placed on a new layer. (Adjacent icons in the palette let you create a path or a rasterized shape on the current layer.)
3. Create a rectangle shape.
In the Layers palette, select the bottom layer in your image. Click and drag to create a rectangle covering the right half of the image.The rectangle uses the foreground color by default. To change the color, double-click the layer thumbnail to bring up the color picker and select a new color.
4. Add gradients to a shape.
Now we’ll add two more rectangle shapes, this time with gradient effects. Using the Rectangle Shape tool, drag a new rectangle to cover the top left quarter of the image. Click the foreground color swatch and select a new color for this rectangle. Choose Layer > Change Layer Content > Gradient. Leave Gradient at the default selection, Foreground to Transparent. Set Style to Linear and the angle to –50. Repeat these steps to create a second rectangle, this time with an angle of 20.
