Loading custom shapes to into Photoshop 2024

[catfriend]

Hi, I've just upgraded to Photoshop 2024 from CC on an old Mac, i'm now on a Mac running Sonoma, I want to import a custom shape (my signature) saved as a psd to apply it to an image.  With an image open I've gone to the Shapes tool on the new machine and under the gear icon hit 'import shapes' but though it brings up the Custom Shapes folder, with the file I want listed: 'signature layer.psd' , its all greyed out and there's no way to select and import it. What am I doing wrong?

[jane-e · Accepted solution]

'signature layer.psd' , its all greyed out and there's no way to select and import it. 

By @catfriend

I'm not sure I'm following your steps. Do you have a path in that PSD? If so, select the path in the Paths panel, then go to Edit > Define Custom Shape. If this doesn't work, show a screenshot.

One thing that is new-ish is that there is a Shapes panel (Window menu) for managing Shapes. In this panel, you can add the legacy shapes and move, reorder, and delete shapes from the panel menu. After you manage your shapes with this panel, you will use them in the options bar as before.

Jane

[catfriend]

Thank you very much for your kind reply. I managed to find my notes on how I applied the signature last time and followed that : essentially copying and pasting the psd onto the image and moving and sizing with Free Transform. But I greatly value your reply and will work through that later.

[jane-e]

Hi @catfriend 

You're welcome, and I'm glad copying and pasting the PSD works for you. 😊 For clarity, that is not a custom shape, which is the question we were all answering. A custom shape will appear in the Shapes panel. It's okay that you used the wrong terms, but it confused us!

Since you "managed" to find your notes, do you know that you can put those notes directly into that PSD? There is a Notes tool (sharing space with the Eyedropper tool) and the notes go into the Notes panel (Window menu). The notes icon is non-printing and you can drag it just off your canvas if you prefer.

Details here. Scroll to "Notes".

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/metadata-notes.html

Jane

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Unless @jane-e ’s post already resolved the issue (in which case please mark it the »Correct Answer«) could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Paths, Shapes, Options Bar, …) visible? 

[catfriend]

Many thanks, issue now resolved!

[didiermazier · Accepted solution]

it is because signature.layer.psd id not a shape file. A custom shape file has the .csh suffix

[catfriend]

Thank you!