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Question

Are crisp shaped shapes still possible?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
August 17, 2023
4 replies
2884 views

Hello, I believe ever since switching over to the cloud version of photoshop I've never been able to get shapes to have crisp edges anymore. They all have a 1pixel blurry edge around all 4 sides.

Even if I left-click the canvas and create a shape with dimensions like 100x20, all 4 edges have a blurry "un-crisp" edge

This kind of defeats the purpose of using a shape/vector. The only way to get a crisp edge now out of the shapes tool is to create the shape then transform it. The transforming snaps it back into crispyness.

Is there a "legacy shapes" option? Or some setting in photoshop to make shapes be crisp as they should?

Im attaching a screenshot to illustrate this. The black box was created with dimensions 100x20 and it still ends up looking pixelated.

Windows

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K

Kenneth Kawamoto

Community Expert

There's a setting in Preferences - not sure if this helps you, but here it is:
Preferences > Tools > Snap Vector Tools and Transforms to Pixel Grid

D Fosse

Community Expert

Indeed, and this should always be on in Photoshop. That should help avoid basic misunderstandings about how raster<>vector applications actually work (as Dave and Jane explained very well).

C

Callingoutn3rdsAuthor

Known Participant

Just take this screenshot as an example that something is seriously wrong with photoshop.

Select Shapes tool > Left click canvas > Assign 100 x 20 px size > and since photoshop loves to auto-add a 1px border that I never asked for, this is how it appears. The 1px border just exagerates how bad and ugly the edges of a shape are.

It's weird. I was trying to test if this only when i click to create, or always drag and drop create.

In one document it happens every time, 0.5 pixel position, every time, no matter where I click, no matter if i click to create or drag and drop. In a different document, repeating the steps actually gives me a perfect whole number every time no matter what?

Now I'm confused why one document only deals in .5 pixels and the other only works in whole numbers when creating shapes

Edit: oops forgot screenshot

jane-e

Community Expert

@Callingoutn3rds wrote:

"If you require, sharpness regardless of size or zoom level then don't use a pixel editor"
@davescm Instead of bashing photoshop and telling me to change programs

Dave is not bashing Photoshop. He is just expaining how these applications work. Photoshop is raster application; Illustrator is a vector application.

This may help you to understand what's going on. Here I drew a rectangle in Illustrator and it will print perfectly at any size as long as it stays vector. Note that I have the View menu open and Pixel Preview is not checked.

If I export to JPEG or PNG or PSD, the rectangle will be raster, that's what those those file formats do. Here I've turned on the Pixel Preview so I can see what the image will look like when I export to a pixel format.

Illustrator also has a Snap to Pixel command. If I had turned this on before I started drawing, I could have avoided drawing across partial pixels altogether. (Best practice.)

I can also turn Snap to Pixel on now and adjust the anchor points so they snap to the pixel grid.

First: the bottom left

Second the upper right.

Here's the rectangle now that it's snapped to the pixel grid. Now it will look good in a pixel application.

Here I've exported the rectangle to a PSD and opened it in Photoshop. The zoom is 2000%

I hope this helps.

Jane

C

Callingoutn3rdsAuthor

Known Participant

All I'm seeing is a lot of explaining as to why photoshop fails with a simple task. I do get "why" its happening, you guys explained it very well.

But the fact remainds we are given shapes to use, expecting more from them than a regular pixel layer

jane-e

Community Expert

@Callingoutn3rds

What is your Zoom level? Does the shape look okay at 100% zoom?

Jane

C

Callingoutn3rdsAuthor

Known Participant

@jane-e I can see it on every zoom level, though its less noticable zoomed out

But @Kenneth Kawamoto you are actually 100% right! Whole pixel position looks like it DOES fix the blurry edge. Never noticed that before! Makes sense why [Ctrl + Transform and nudge it once] fixes this also, since transform only works with whole numbers (that's something i miss about old photoshop)

I will jsut say adjusting the horizontal position to a whole number only fixes left/right, I have to adjust the Y number as well to get 4 clean edges. I think at that point the quicker way is still to [Ctrl + T and nudge transform by 1px], which is still kind of annoying to deal with.

It's worth mentioning that a Rasterized layer has no problem with 0.5 pixel positions. It scoots into position just fine with no loss of quality to the edges. Where as a Shape, basically a "vector" element (supposedly held in the highest regard), cannot handle 0.5 pixel positions. That seems backwards at the very least.

There. has. to. be. a. better. way.

davescm

Community Expert

Photoshop always works in pixels. Vector layers (shapes) are converted to document pixels for display and composting. Each pixel has a single value - there are no half pixels. If a vector shape is positioned, or sized, to require a partial pixel then Photoshop uses semi- transparent edges to simulate that 'half' position.

All looks normal in that screenshot. You can make this less obvious by using more pixels in the document but that will depend on the output needs.

If you require, sharpness regardless of size or zoom level then don't use a pixel editor, use a vector application such as Illustrator.

Dave

K

Kenneth Kawamoto

Community Expert

If you place your rectangle to a whole pixel position rather than half pixel would it work?

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