Photoshop Vectors

In this industry, there are countless ways to spend your hard-earned cash, from software updates through to objects of desire like Apple's new Cinema Display. But what do you do if you need to create a particular style of illustration, and your budget won't extend to the app you need?

Let's say, for example, that you've spent your last penny upgrading Photoshop to v7. The problem is, you need to create vector images, and your budget won't stretch to Illustrator or even Streamline. Will you forget smooth curves and sharp transitions, or design all your images at 1200dpi?

Choose the right tool and apply the right technique, and the solution is there waiting for you within your copy of Photoshop. The Pen tool and its Path palette have found two new creative companions: vector masks and custom shapes. This tutorial will show you exactly how to use Photoshop as a vector tracer: turn an object into a vector image using the Pen tool and custom shapes, generating vector effects in no time.

We've supplied custom shapes and actions within this pdf, plus our source image. To load custom shapes, select the Custom Shape tool, go to the Shape dropdown in the Tool Options bar, click on the arrow to the right of the dialog and click Load Shapes, then navigate to the appropriate file. To load actions, head to the Actions palette and simply select Load Actions from the dropdown.

Click here to download the tutorial for free

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.