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puckboy01
Participant
March 26, 2020
Question

Crop to Oval Shape

  • March 26, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 17046 views

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to crop a picture into an oval shape.  I've searched everywhere but must not be using right search terms, can anyone point me in the right direction?  All the tutorials mention the cookie cutter shape which I don't have in my version of photoshop. 

    3 replies

    Conrad_C
    Community Expert
    Conrad_CCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 26, 2020

    Here’s a quick, simple way that’s easy to edit.

    1. Choose the Ellipse tool (not the Elliptical Marquee tool), and set it to Path mode up in the options bar.
    2. Draw your circle, then choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path.

     

     

    As long as the vector mask is selected in the Layers panel:

    • You can reposition the circular vector mask using the Path Selection Tool.
    • You can scale it using Edit > Free Transform Path.
    • You can adjust the mask using the controls in the Properties panel, such as the Feather option to soften the edge.

     

    M
    marcihess
    Inspiring
    January 1, 2022

    Conrad C -- 

    Thanks for this. It works great but there's one more step that I need. How do I cut that circle out so I can paste it into a graphics document as a circle?

    Marci

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 1, 2022

    I'm using Publisher. My apologies for not using the right words. I do "insert" rather than "cut and paste" between programs. 

    Thank you. 

     


    I assume Microsoft Publisher (and not Affinity Publisher) since you mentioned Insert. 

    You can use PNG or TIFF. If TIFF, make sure you click the "save transparency" checkbox. 

    You can also just place the rectangular image and use the Crop to Shape feature in MS Publisher. 

     

    Just be sure to keep the image resolution high enough for your printing needs. I use 150-200 ppi for PDFs I'm distributing electronically (i.e. distribute and print). I use 225-300 ppi for PDFs I'm sending to a press (i.e. print and distribute). If I'm not sure, I'll use 225 ppi.

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
      JJMack
      Community Expert
      JJMackCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 26, 2020

      You can save a image with transparency in PNG format to have an oval shape image the Document canvas is still a rectangle.

      JJMack
      Semaphoric
      Community Expert
      SemaphoricCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 26, 2020

      A raster image is always rectangular, so you need to mask rather than crop. Use the Elliptical Selection tool, and then Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.

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