Typing in a center point in Photoshop

[BionicDance]

I have a shape that I need to rotate around the center of my image.

As we know, the point of rotation will be the center of the shape; this does not accomplish my goal.

Dragging the point of rotation to the exact center is...well, time consuming and nerve-racking; it's too easy to over-shoot your goal, or mess up the X axis while you're adjusting the Y.

I cannot find a way to type in values. I cannot find a way to automatically center the rotation point relative to the image.

Is there an easy way to center the stupid rotation point relative to the image? Cuz if they didn't build in this functionality, well, that's ludicrously stupid of them.

{Thread renamed by moderator}

[jane-e]

I've read this a couple of times. When you say "image", is that the entire PS image or just what's on one layer? If it's the entire image, go to View > Create Guide > 50% (once for Horz and again for Vert) to add guides to the center of your file. Then drag the pivot point of the object to the intersection of the guides. If it's something else, please clarify.

~ Jane

[BionicDance]

Dragging doesn't help. Not unless there is a snap function.

Cuz that's the real problem: easy precision.

Dragging is too messy. Dragging is too imprecise. Dragging is too time-consuming if you need precision.

It really doesn't matter whether it's the whole image or just one layer; I may need to do either one.

The problem is that there is no easy way to center the pivot point...or even to put it somewhere I want with any kind of accuracy.

Picture someone who is super picky, for whom "good enough" isn't, well, good enough...help that person make sure their pivot point is exactly in the right place without a lot of fuss.

[Sahil.Chawla]

Hi there,

The simplest way to control the rotation point of an object in Photoshop is to move the anchor point. When you enter transform mode, you should see the anchor point in the center of the bounding box, to move it simply click and drag with the mouse to a new position. Tip: you can improve the accuracy of it's placement by drawing 2 guides beforehand that intersect at the point that you want to rotate around.

Let us know if it helps.
Regards,
Sahil

[BionicDance]

• ...simply click and drag with the mouse to a new position.

This is precisely what I don't want to do. This is precisely the problem.

I need a solution that doesn't involve dragging.

I want to type in the coordinates, the exact pixels where that pivot point is supposed to be.

Cuz dragging is just plain not accurate enough.

[jane-e · Accepted solution]

Hi

Tell me if this will work for you. You haven't said, but I am assuming by "image" you mean the entire image?

1. First go to Image > Image size and get the number in pixels. Divide each by half and write it down. Cancel (!)
2. Select the object you want to rotate and Cmd+T for Free Transform. If you type numbers in the X and Y now in the options bar, you will move the object, so don't.
3. Instead, drag the pivot point. I know you don't want to. But just drag it a little bit. Now type those two numbers in the options bar for the X and Y and they position the pivot point and not the object.

Will this work for you?

~ Jane

[BionicDance]

In fact, that completely works.

Thank you! 🙂

[jane-e]

You're welcome, BionicDance, and thank you for explaining further.

I realize that I didn't say that PS does math in the dialog boxes, so if your image is 718px (for example), just type /2 at the end to divide by 2 and press Tab to move to the next field. That's why you have to Cancel the Image Size dialog.

~ Jane

[BionicDance]

•  just type /2 at the end to divide by 2

...it does that?

OMG, you have no idea how much that is going to simplify my world. Thank you! 🙂

[jane-e]

You're welcome, and I'm glad I thought to mention it then!

Yes, PS does math in most of the text boxes. You can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. These functions have been in InDesign and Illustrator since the beginning, but I think they've only been in PS for a couple of versions. I don't remember exactly when.

~ Jane