Draw a Line Circle in Photoshop

I was looking for a way to draw a curved arrow in Photoshop, but it seemed like in that location wasn't a clear answer. At that place were a lot of complex steps and it certainly wasn't a beginner-friendly process at first glance. Luckily, after a lot of time spent working in Photoshop, I began using a different way of creating curved arrows. With this technique, you tin can create a curved arrow in seconds, and save information technology as a shape preset to use in the future!

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

Now that might seem like a longwinded process, but I promise it's quick and painless. Plus, at the finish of this tutorial, y'all'll acquire how to salvage these shapes as custom shape presets so you never have to do the work once again!

Let get started.

How To Draw A Curved Arrow In Photoshop

Step 1: Create A New Document

Open Photoshop and create a new canvas. Go to the File option on the peak left-paw corner of your screen, then click new.

Step 2: Create A New Layer

After you've created a new project, nosotros're going to create a new layer to work on. To do this, go to the lesser right-hand corner of your screen and click the new layer icon (a square with a plus sign in information technology).

Step three: Admission The Elliptical Marquee Tool

After you've created a new layer, you lot're going to create a circumvolve to use as the body of your curved arrow. This is where the elliptical marquee tool volition come up in.

Select the elliptical marquee tool from the Tools menu to the left of your screen or press K on your keyboard. If you don't run into it, click and concord on the rectangular marquee tool and then select the elliptical option.

Step 4: Create An Elliptical Marquee Selection

Once you've selected your elliptical marquee tool, describe a circle on the new layer. You tin can brand it as large as yous want your arrow to be.

Stride v: Add A Stroke To The Active Pick

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

One time you've hitting stroke, you'll meet a pop-upwardly menu where you can determine on the details of the stroke. Make the width 25px, select the colour as blackness, location every bit center, and so click ok.

When you're finished applying the stroke, your circle will wait like this:

Step 6: Add A Layer Mask

Now that yous've drawn the circle, it's time to keep to make it a wonderful curved arrow. Information technology'south always best to practice equally much not-destructive piece of work as possible, then we're going to use a layer mask to cut this circle in half.

Go back to the bottom left-mitt corner of your screen and select the layer mask icon (rectangle with a circle in information technology) to activate a layer mask.

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

After yous've added your layer mask, select the brush tool and set your foreground color to black to mask a portion of the circle.

Step 8: Select Your Layer Mask

Now that you've selected your castor, and prepare your foreground color to blackness. Click on the layer mask and so that you can mask out your circle rather than piece of work on the layer itself.

Step 9: Paint Over Half Of The Circle To Mask Information technology Out

Now you're all fix to cut your circle in half to give yous that curved arrow look. Begin masking out a portion of your circumvolve like what you see below. To mask out your image, simply paint over the areas of your circumvolve that yous want to get rid of.

Step 10: Access The Pen Tool

Now that yous have the curve of the arrow, information technology's time to make the arrowhead. This is where the pen tool comes in. Access the pen tool by clicking it 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 begin drawing a triangle at the starting time terminate of the curved line. If you didn't become information technology right on the outset try, don't sweat, printing the Command or Control button, and select an anchor signal to adjust it to your liking.

You can larn more well-nigh using the pen tool and working with anchor points here.

Footstep 12: Fill The Arrowhead

Now that you've drawn the arrowhead via pen path, you demand to fill it. Right-click on the path and select "fill path" to color the arrowhead black.

Now You've Made 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 Brand A Curved Arrow With The Line Tool

In the last method y'all learned to create an arrow in a half-circle, but what if you desire a more subtle curve? With the line tool yous can rapidly create a subtle bend to your pointer without dealing with any paths! Here'due south how to exercise it.

Footstep 1: Admission The Line Tool

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

Step 2: Adapt The Line Weight

After you lot've selected the line tool, get to the toolbar at the top of the window and adjust the line weight. This volition make up one's mind the line'south thickness. As yous can encounter, I chose 10 pixels, but you tin can make your line as thick every bit you want.

Step 3: Add together The Arrowhead

After deciding on the line'southward thickness, information technology'due south time to make up one's mind where you're going to add together the arrowhead. Photoshop allows yous to add an arrow at the commencement or terminate of a line. Select the gear icon abreast the weight option, and then select "Start" or "End" from the dropdown menu to decide where to put your arrowhead. I've chosen to put the arrowhead at the terminate of my line.

Pace four: Pick A Color Fill For The Arrow

Before you draw your arrow, at that place's ane terminal thing to pick, and that's the colour. Since yous'll be using the shape tool, you can apply the "Make full" and "Stroke" options to colour your arrow. The Fill option colors the entire arrow, while the stroke option adds an outline.

Click the Fill up selection in the upper toolbar and select the color you desire your arrow to exist. Echo this step for the stroke option as well.

Step 5: Depict Your Arrow

Now it'southward time to draw your arrow on the sail. The shape tool creates a new shape layer each time yous draw on the canvas, so if you lot dislike your arrow, yous 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 information technology presently enough. Here's what my line looks similar:

Footstep half dozen: Actuate The Free Transform Tool

Once you've drawn an arrow that y'all're happy with, it'due south time to utilize the gratuitous transform tool to curve information technology. Click the Edit push at the top of the window and selecting "Gratis Transform Path" from the dropdown menu. Yous can besides access the free transform tool by using the shortcut Control or Control + T.

Stride 7: Activate The Warp Tool

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

Step 8: Curving Your Pointer

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 curve and a preset will suffice.

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

Now Your Have Another Curved Arrow!

Now you've successfully made some other curved pointer. Hither's how mine turned out:

How To Salvage Curved Arrows As A Custom Shape

At present that y'all've created your curved pointer, it's fourth dimension to save it as a custom shape, then you tin reuse it whenever yous want.

Step 0: Flatten The Layers

This method tin can be used to brand a custom shape out of the curved arrows fabricated in both the first and second methods. However, since multiple layers were used to make the curved arrow in the kickoff 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 arrow (this doesn't include the background layer). Adjacent, correct-click on any of the selected layers and select "Merge Layers" from the dropdown menu. Now the layers are i, and y'all can make them a custom shape.

Step i: Create A Pick Effectually Your Shape

Concur Command or Control and click the layer thumbnail of your arrow in the layers panel. This will turn your shape into an active selection (it'll exist surrounded by marching ants).

Step ii: Get To Edit > Define Custom Shape

Next, click Edit in the menubar and select "Define Custom Shape" from the dropdown carte.

Step 3: Name Your Custom Shape

Later on y'all've clicked the "Ascertain Custom Shape" pick, you'll see a popup card asking you to proper name your shape. Type whatever proper name works for y'all.

Step 4: Access The Custom Shape Tool

Now that y'all've created a custom shape using your curved pointer, it's time to test it out. Actuate the custom shape tool by right-clicking on the line tool and selecting "Custom Shape Tool" from the popup card.

Step v: Locate Your Custom Shape

Once yous've selected the custom shape tool, go to the toolbar and click the Shape option next to the gear icon. Scroll downward the dropdown menu until you lot see your curved arrow custom shape and click it to actuate it.

Footstep 6: Draw Your Curved Arrow Using Your Custom Shape Tool

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

So now you know how to create two different types of curved arrows in Photoshop. Whether you lot want a circular bend or a slight curve, these 2 techniques accept y'all covered. If you plan to use these shapes more often in the future, I highly recommend saving these as custom shape presets to use in the future!

After y'all end editing your pointer, to may want to change the color of information technology. To assistance y'all learn how to do just that, cheque out this next tutorial on changing the colors of shapes in Photoshop!

Happy Editing!

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