Hi there!
I have been looking to see how to make a shape outline a letter.
Heres what I'm trying to do:
Please, could someone tell me how I would do this?
also, I'm new to Photoshop
1 Correct answer
Shape have vector Paths that can be stroked and closed paths can be filed with a fill color gradient or patter. That is a singe color, gradient or patten. shape layers can also have layer styles added. To make your blue and cyan Z logo you would most likely need to make two shapes layers the Cyan shape and the Blue shape layer stacked. When you create the custom shape paths with the pen tool use the least number of control points possible. Something like this:
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Shape have vector Paths that can be stroked and closed paths can be filed with a fill color gradient or patter. That is a singe color, gradient or patten. shape layers can also have layer styles added. To make your blue and cyan Z logo you would most likely need to make two shapes layers the Cyan shape and the Blue shape layer stacked. When you create the custom shape paths with the pen tool use the least number of control points possible. Something like this:
I was going to suggest the same thing as JJ, that being to make the Type layer into a Shape layer (in the Type layer menu). There are several reasons for this approach.
- With the Type layer now being a Shape layer, select any of the Shape tools which will bring up the Shape options in the Options bar
- Give the shape a stroke, which I think defaults to Outside
- Click on the Line drop-down, and then on More Options. You can now change the alignment to Outside, and the corners to Miter. This is the only way to produce a stroke with sharp corners on both inside and outside corners.
- The advantage of this approach is that you now have a template to follow with the Pen Tool to produce your outer shape.
I'd start with the Polygon tool set to three sides, and to Path in the Options bar
Incidentally, I like to have all the most used tools in their own group and a double width toolbar, as with the customizable toolbar option, it seems daft not to.
The trick for breaking into that path is to add new points at the corners.
Then add a new point in between them, and delete it.
When you finished the outside path, go back to the UL path (you'll need to set the option bar back to Shape) and turn off the stroke. This will give you a nice tidy, equally spaced, outline where it follows the UL letters. You can add the flourishes etc as a last operation.
Shout if you get stuck. As you can see, we like questions like this.
Hi, im struggling with doing this step:
I don't know how to edit the triangle to go around the "U" like you have done
Hi Adam
I would do this:
1. Create the letters and make them into a shape which you have done
2. Duplicate the shape and make sure the path is selected (if not use the black arrow key)
3. Select the pen tool and set path operations to "combine shapes" and draw the triangle
4. Set the fill to none and the stroke to whatever color you need (also set the stroke to outside
5 Get the direct selection tool (white arrow ) and move the path points round the letters to adjust the spacing
I hope that helps you
Dave
Sorry, just need to ask how you edit the paths as mine looks like this right now:
If you see your image the right-hand side of the triangle is straight and I keep trying to edit it just it just looks so wrong
Thank you, i will edit this to the best I can with the help you have all given me: I so far have made this:
Thank you All 
This is a user forum you are not dealing with Adobe here. We have been trying to help you.
Shapes have a vector layer mask there is a little Icon in the layers palette's Shape layers content thumbnail to indicate its a shape layer. The vector Layer mask is not depicted in the layers palette and is only visible in the Paths when a single shape layer is targeted. The path can be a single closed path or the Path may contain many subpath and the can overlap and may combine with other subpaths in various ways. Add subtract ... in a stack like a layer stack and subpath can be edited and their mode can be change the stack can be merged,
A Shape can have its combined path stroked with custom and preset line types. A Shape area filled with a solid color, a gradient or pattern. A shape layer can have layer styles added, A shape layer can be use as a clipping mask. A shape layer can not have multiple fills, strokes or patterns. If you need multiples you need multiple shapes
JJMack wrote
JJ, your screen shot made me think of those awful scenes when the big balloon monster caught up with poor Number 6 in The Prisoner. It seems incredible to think that dates all the way back to the late sixties — I was in my late teens, but I found that balloon scarier than all the Daleks and Cybermen Doctor Who was faced with back then.
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