Editing shapes in Adobe software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, involves several techniques depending on the software you're using and the type of shape. Here's a general overview and specific methods for common editing tasks:
General Editing Techniques
These techniques apply broadly across Adobe applications:
- Selection: First, you need to select the shape you want to edit. Use the Selection Tool (black arrow) or the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) for this.
- Moving: After selecting the shape, you can click and drag it to move it to a new position.
- Resizing: Select the shape, and you'll see a bounding box around it. Drag the handles (small squares) on the bounding box to change the shape's size. Hold down the Shift key while dragging to maintain the shape's proportions.
- Rotating: After selecting, hover your cursor just outside a corner handle until you see a curved arrow. Click and drag to rotate the shape. Hold Shift to rotate in 45-degree increments.
Editing Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is a vector-based program, which means shapes are defined by mathematical equations. This makes them highly editable.
Using the Direct Selection Tool
The Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) allows you to edit individual anchor points and paths of a shape.
- Select the Direct Selection Tool (A).
- Click on the shape to reveal its anchor points.
- Click on an anchor point to select it.
- Drag the anchor point to change the shape.
- Adjust Bezier handles (the lines extending from the anchor points) to control the curvature of the path.
Using the Shape Tools
You can also use the shape tools (Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, etc.) to edit existing shapes.
- Select the appropriate shape tool.
- Draw a new shape that overlaps the existing shape.
- Use Pathfinder options (Window > Pathfinder) to combine, subtract, intersect, or exclude the shapes. This lets you create complex forms from simpler ones.
Live Corners
For shapes with corners (like rectangles), Illustrator offers "Live Corners."
- Select the shape with the Selection Tool (black arrow).
- Look for small circles (corner widgets) near each corner.
- Drag a corner widget inwards to round the corner.
- Double-click the corner widget to open the Corners dialog box, where you can set precise corner radii and styles (round, inverted round, chamfer).
Editing Shapes in Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is a raster-based program, so shapes are made of pixels. While you can edit shapes, the process is different from Illustrator.
Direct Selection Tool
Like Illustrator, Photoshop also has a Direct Selection Tool, though its capabilities are somewhat limited compared to its Illustrator counterpart. You can use it to modify vector masks of shape layers.
- Select the Direct Selection Tool (A).
- Click on the shape layer in the Layers panel.
- Adjust anchor points and handles to change the shape.
Rasterizing Shape Layers
If you need more advanced editing options, you can rasterize the shape layer:
- Right-click on the shape layer in the Layers panel.
- Select "Rasterize Layer."
Once rasterized, the shape becomes a regular pixel-based image. You can then use tools like the Eraser Tool, Brush Tool, or Marquee Tool to edit it. Be aware that rasterizing can reduce the shape's quality if scaled up later.
Shape Properties Panel
Photoshop has a Shape Properties panel (Window > Properties, with shape layer selected) where you can adjust various aspects of the shape, like fill color, stroke color, stroke width, and corner radius (for rectangles/rounded rectangles).
Examples:
- Rounding Corners: Select a rectangle in Illustrator. Drag any of the corner widgets inward to round the corners.
- Combining Shapes: In Illustrator, draw two overlapping circles. Select both. In the Pathfinder panel, click "Unite" to merge them into a single shape.
- Changing Fill Color: In Photoshop, select a shape layer. Go to the Properties panel and click the fill color swatch to choose a new color.
