how to draw an arrow in photoshop

I was looking for a manner to draw a curved arrow in Photoshop, simply it seemed like there wasn't a clear reply. There were a lot of circuitous steps and it certainly wasn't a beginner-friendly process at first glance. Luckily, subsequently a lot of fourth dimension spent working in Photoshop, I began using a different way of creating curved arrows. With this technique, yous tin create a curved pointer in seconds, and salve it as a shape preset to use in the hereafter!

To draw a curved arrow in Photoshop, select the Line Tool, click the gear icon in the upper setting bar, and then set the Arrowhead option to "End." Now click and drag out to create your arrow, press Command/Command + T, right-click and choose Warp. Lastly, set up the warp preset to Arc to curve the arrow.

Now that might seem like a longwinded process, merely I promise it'south quick and painless. Plus, at the end of this tutorial, you'll learn how to save these shapes as custom shape presets so you never have to do the work over again!

Let get started.

How To Draw A Curved Pointer In Photoshop

Footstep 1: Create A New Document

Open up Photoshop and create a new sail. Get to the File option on the pinnacle left-mitt corner of your screen, and then click new.

Step ii: Create A New Layer

After y'all've created a new project, we're going to create a new layer to work on. To do this, go to the bottom correct-hand corner of your screen and click the new layer icon (a foursquare with a plus sign in it).

Stride 3: Access The Elliptical Marquee Tool

After you lot've created a new layer, you're going to create a circle to use as the torso of your curved pointer. This is where the elliptical marquee tool will come in.

Select the elliptical marquee tool from the Tools bill of fare to the left of your screen or press M on your keyboard. If you don't see it, click and hold on the rectangular marquee tool and then select the elliptical pick.

Step four: Create An Elliptical Marquee Selection

In one case you've selected your elliptical marquee tool, draw a circle on the new layer. You tin arrive as big as you desire your pointer to be.

Step 5: Add A Stroke To The Active Option

What'due south surrounding the circle is what's known as marching ants, these signify a selection on the prototype. Once you've fatigued your circumvolve to your desired size, click the Edit push at the top left-hand corner of your screen, then curlicue down and select Stroke.

In one case you've hit stroke, you'll run across a pop-up carte du jour where you lot tin can decide on the details of the stroke. Make the width 25px, select the color equally black, location as center, and and so click ok.

When you're finished applying the stroke, your circumvolve will look similar this:

Stride 6: Add A Layer Mask

At present that you've drawn the circumvolve, it'south fourth dimension to proceed to make information technology a wonderful curved arrow. Information technology's always all-time to do as much non-destructive work as possible, and so we're going to use a layer mask to cut this circumvolve in half.

Become back to the lesser left-manus corner of your screen and select the layer mask icon (rectangle with a circle in it) to activate a layer mask.

Step 7: Access The Brush Tool And Set The Foreground Color To Black

Later y'all've added your layer mask, select the brush tool and gear up your foreground colour to blackness to mask a portion of the circle.

Step viii: Select Your Layer Mask

Now that y'all've selected your brush, and set your foreground color to black. Click on the layer mask and so that yous can mask out your circumvolve rather than work on the layer itself.

Step ix: Pigment Over Half Of The Circle To Mask It Out

Now you're all set to cut your circle in one-half to requite you that curved arrow expect. Begin masking out a portion of your circumvolve like what you lot encounter beneath. To mask out your image, simply paint over the areas of your circle that you want to get rid of.

Step x: Access The Pen Tool

Now that you accept the curve of the arrow, it's time to make the arrowhead. This is where the pen tool comes in. Admission the pen tool by clicking information technology on your toolbar or press P on your keyboard.

Step 11: Use The Pen Tool To Draw The Arrowhead

One time you've clicked the pen tool, create a new layer and brainstorm drawing a triangle at the first stop of the curved line. If you didn't get it correct on the offset try, don't sweat, printing the Command or Command button, and select an anchor point to adjust information technology to your liking.

You lot tin larn more nearly using the pen tool and working with anchor points here.

Footstep 12: Fill The Arrowhead

At present that you lot've fatigued the arrowhead via pen path, you need to fill up it. Right-click on the path and select "fill path" to color the arrowhead black.

Now Yous've Fabricated A Curved Arrow!

There you have it, you've made a curved arrow using the elliptical marquee tool and a triangular pen path!

How To Make A Curved Arrow With The Line Tool

In the terminal method yous learned to create an arrow in a half-circle, but what if you want a more subtle curve? With the line tool yous can chop-chop create a subtle curve to your pointer without dealing with any paths! Here's how to do it.

Stride 1: Access The Line Tool

Select the line tool from the toolbar or press U on your keyboard to admission your shape tools.

Step 2: Adjust The Line Weight

Afterward you've selected the line tool, go to the toolbar at the top of the window and adjust the line weight. This will determine the line's thickness. As you can run across, I chose x pixels, only you can make your line as thick as you want.

Pace 3: Add The Arrowhead

After deciding on the line's thickness, information technology's time to decide where yous're going to add together the arrowhead. Photoshop allows you to add together an pointer at the start or end of a line. Select the gear icon beside the weight option, then select "Start" or "End" from the dropdown menu to determine where to put your arrowhead. I've chosen to put the arrowhead at the finish of my line.

Step 4: Option A Color Fill For The Arrow

Before you draw your arrow, at that place's i concluding thing to pick, and that's the color. Since yous'll exist using the shape tool, you can utilise the "Fill" and "Stroke" options to color your arrow. The Fill option colors the entire arrow, while the stroke option adds an outline.

Click the Fill option in the upper toolbar and select the color you want your arrow to be. Echo this footstep for the stroke pick as well.

Step v: Draw Your Arrow

Now it'southward time to describe your arrow on the canvass. The shape tool creates a new shape layer each fourth dimension you draw on the canvas, so if you dislike your arrow, you can delete the layer and restart with ease. Try not to worry about the straightness of the line too much, since you'll be curving it soon enough. Here's what my line looks like:

Step six: Activate The Free Transform Tool

Once you've drawn an arrow that you're happy with, it's time to employ the free transform tool to curve it. Click the Edit button at the height of the window and selecting "Free Transform Path" from the dropdown menu. You can also access the gratuitous transform tool by using the shortcut Command or Control + T.

Step seven: Actuate The Warp Tool

After y'all've activated the free transform tool, right-click on your arrow and select "Warp" from the dropdown menu.

Step 8: Curving Your Arrow

The warp tool allows you to twist your images in all sorts of ways, however for this tutorial, nosotros only need to give the arrow a slight bend and a preset will suffice.

Go to the toolbar at the top of Photoshop and, from the Warp pick, click "custom" to reveal a dropdown menu. From that menu, select the "Arc" pick. This will apply a preset warp to your pointer to add a slight bend to the unabridged shape.

Now Your Accept Another Curved Arrow!

Now yous've successfully fabricated another curved arrow. Here's how mine turned out:

How To Save Curved Arrows As A Custom Shape

Now that you've created your curved arrow, it'due south fourth dimension to save it as a custom shape, then you lot tin can reuse information technology whenever yous want.

Step 0: Flatten The Layers

This method can be used to brand a custom shape out of the curved arrows made in both the kickoff and 2nd methods. However, since multiple layers were used to make the curved arrow in the first method, you're going to need to merge the layers before making it a custom shape.

Hold Command or Control and click on layers used to make the curved pointer (this doesn't include the background layer). Next, right-click on whatsoever of the selected layers and select "Merge Layers" from the dropdown menu. At present the layers are ane, and you can brand them a custom shape.

Step 1: Create A Selection Effectually Your Shape

Concur Command or Control and click the layer thumbnail of your pointer in the layers panel. This will plow your shape into an active option (it'll be surrounded by marching ants).

Step ii: Become To Edit > Define Custom Shape

Next, click Edit in the menubar and select "Ascertain Custom Shape" from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Proper name Your Custom Shape

After you've clicked the "Ascertain Custom Shape" choice, y'all'll see a popup menu asking y'all to proper name your shape. Blazon whatever name works for you lot.

Step iv: Access The Custom Shape Tool

Now that you've created a custom shape using your curved arrow, it's time to test information technology out. Activate the custom shape tool by correct-clicking on the line tool and selecting "Custom Shape Tool" from the popup menu.

Footstep 5: Locate Your Custom Shape

In one case you lot've selected the custom shape tool, go to the toolbar and click the Shape option side by side to the gear icon. Scroll down the dropdown menu until you meet your curved pointer custom shape and click information technology to actuate it.

Step 6: Draw Your Curved Pointer Using Your Custom Shape Tool

Now that you've selected your custom shape, examination information technology out by drawing on the canvas. By clicking and dragging out on your canvas, you lot will create an exact copy of the pointer you made earlier. This time without whatever transmission steps required since there is a premade shape to use!

So now y'all know how to create two different types of curved arrows in Photoshop. Whether you want a circular curve or a slight bend, these two techniques accept yous covered. If you lot plan to use these shapes more often in the future, I highly recommend saving these every bit custom shape presets to use in the futurity!

Subsequently you finish editing your arrow, to may want to change the color of it. To assist y'all learn how to do but that, check out this next tutorial on changing the colors of shapes in Photoshop!

Happy Editing!

Source: https://www.bwillcreative.com/how-to-draw-a-curved-arrow-in-photoshop-2-easy-ways/

Posted by: ellenderbeely1967.blogspot.com