To change the rounded corners of an image in Photoshop, you primarily work with shape layers and their corner radius controls.
Using the Corner Radius Controls
According to a YouTube video (How to Round Corners in Photoshop), the most direct way to round corners is by using the corner radius controls that appear when you select a shape layer. Here's how:
- Select a Shape Layer: Make sure you have a shape layer selected in your layers panel. This could be a rectangle, rounded rectangle, or any other shape.
- Activate the Corner Radius Handles: Once the layer is selected, handles will appear on the corners of the shape. These handles are usually small circles.
- Drag the Handles: Click and drag these circle handles inward to round the corners. The further you drag, the more rounded the corners become. You can adjust each corner individually or all together depending on your selection.
Key Aspects to Consider:
- Shape Layers are Essential: This method primarily works with shape layers and isn't directly applied to rasterized images. If you have a normal image, you'll first need to create a shape layer and use it as a mask.
- Individual Corner Control: You have the flexibility to adjust each corner radius individually, allowing for asymmetric corner rounding.
- Visual and Interactive: The process is highly visual and interactive, enabling you to see the rounded corners change in real-time as you drag the handles.
Example using a Rectangle Shape
Let’s say you want to round the corners of a rectangle:
- Use the Rectangle Tool to create a rectangle on a new layer.
- Once created, the rectangle becomes a shape layer.
- Select the Direct Selection Tool (the white arrow).
- You will then see small circles in each corner.
- Drag any of these handles towards the center of the rectangle to round the corners. Drag farther for more pronounced rounding.
| Steps | Details |
|---|---|
| 1. Select a shape layer | Ensure the shape layer is active |
| 2. Locate corner radius handles | Find the small circles at each corner |
| 3. Drag the handles | Drag the handles inwards to change the roundness of each corner. |
| 4. Observe real time change | The corner rounding updates real time |
Alternatives and Masking
If you need to round the corners of a raster image, you can use a shape layer as a mask.
- Create a Rounded Rectangle: Create a rounded rectangle shape above your image layer.
- Create a Clipping Mask: Right-click the image layer and choose "Create Clipping Mask." This will force the image to conform to the shape below it, thus giving the appearance of rounded corners on a raster image.
