1 Correct answer
I keep reiterating that you must select the octagon before the stroke option is available. Again, in your latest screenshots I don't see the marching ants around the octagon. Perhaps the selection has became deselected somewhere along the line.
Also your last screenshot does not show the blank layer above the octagon layer. Since that screenshot shows the bottom layer active did you successfully do the inside stroke on this layer? If so, the stroke it will be hidden by the octagon layer above it
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Ctrl-click the shape layer to select the outline.
Add a blank layer and do the stroke.
Delete the shape layer.
In my PSE version an Outside or Center stroke tends to chop off corners.
Here I did Outside, Center, and Inside.
If you have this problem, use the Inside stroke but you might have to make the shape large enough to allow for it.
Buddycat wrote:
Exactly what I'm trying do! It's too late to try it tonight, but I'll definitely get onto this this week and report back! Thanks!
If you need further help then don't hesitate to ask here so that either Mark, Peru or somebody else can post full instructions with pictures so that you can follow the steps exactly. I followed Mark's instructions and this is what I came out with. The black color is just the background and it can be transparent if needed.
In pse 14 after you draw out your octagon shape you can:
1. Double click on the thumbnail in the layers panel to bring up the color picker so you can change the color.
2. In pse 14, you can use a layer style for a stroke set to Inside for sharp corners.
Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings
3. To edit the layer style, double click on the small fx in the layers panel to the right of the shape layer.
In addition in pse 14 there is a Sign 1 octagon shape in the Default Custom Shapes.
Okay, this is gonna seem dumb, but I can't seem to draw the basic shape. Maybe it's because it's the way I started?
1. I created a new blank file.
2. I drew the polygon.
I got this:
I can't seem to get past this. What am I forgetting? I've seen the business about the Stroke, but can't remember wher I saw it.
Do I need to create a Layer first? While I'm at it, I'm wondering where the alignment tools below come in - they don't seem to work. Sorry that I'm such a noob at this - I'm sort of learning it piecemeal.
Thank you all for your responses so far!
I don't know how you drew your octagon but here is how I did it using the Custom Shape tool. Note that I have an old version of PSE so my toolbar looks different than yours, but your Custom Shape tool should be somewhere on the toolbar.
1. Activate the Custom Shape tool. Click the pull-down list on the options bar and select the octagon.
2. Holding down Shift, draw out the octagon (Shift preserves the octagon's proportions). This creates the octagon on a new layer:
3. Ctrl-click the octagon layer in the Layers Palette to select it.
4. Delete the octagon layer. The outline of the octagon is still selected.
5. On the menu bar, Edit > Stroke. Choose the stroke width, color, and Location Inside.
Here is the result.
One could also do the same thing using the solid filled shape like this:
1) Draw the shape of your choice, say Octagon
See this picture:
2) Simplify the layer (Rasterize) by going to:
Layer >> Simplify layer
3) Create the stroke by going to:
Edit >> Stroke (outline) Selection
Say 35 px, Yellow, Centered
You get this:
4) Choose Magic Wand from the tools bar. See this picture:
5) Click anywhere in the shape to select all solid color.
6) Press DEL button on your keyboard
7) this is what you get:
I guess it becomes a routine once you have mastered how to do this. You can then invent other ways to do the same thing.
As you can see in the image above, the octagon (I thought) was selected. Let me try this again.
There's my octagon. It's got the selection box. I have two layers up in the right corner. One says Layer 1, the other says Background.
I'm about to delete Layer 1, on which shape is drawn.
Aaaand it's gone. Leaving only the Background layer.
Now, when I delete the Background layer,, I get this.
But I don't get to do the option to change the stroke. So what am I doing wrong?
Selecting the octagon prior to the stoke is the key to the whole thing. Based on your screenshots I don't think you ever selected it.
Here I created an octagon layer:
Here I Ctrl-clicked the layer to select the octagon. Note the "marching ants" around the edge, indicating the selection.
I don't see the marching ants in your screenshots.
Once you have selected the octagon (Ctrl-click the layer) you should then be able to do the stroke.
Add a blank layer, do the stroke on his layer, and delete the octagon layer which you no longer need.
As to the stroke command itself, I don't know where it is in PSE14, but in my version it is via the menu bar: Edit > Stroke.
I keep reiterating that you must select the octagon before the stroke option is available. Again, in your latest screenshots I don't see the marching ants around the octagon. Perhaps the selection has became deselected somewhere along the line.
Also your last screenshot does not show the blank layer above the octagon layer. Since that screenshot shows the bottom layer active did you successfully do the inside stroke on this layer? If so, the stroke it will be hidden by the octagon layer above it so you should delete the octagon layer.
Really, this should not be difficult.
Once again, repeating the instructions in posts 16 and 19 which say the same thing:
1. Draw the octagon, creating a new layer. The color you choose doesn't matter.
2. Ctrl-click the octagon layer thumbnail in the layers palette to select the octagon (marching ants).
3. Add a blank layer above the octagon layer. The selection should still be active. If not, activate the octagon layer, select it per step 2, and activate the blank layer again.
4. Stroke the selection on the blank layer.
5. Delete the octagon layer which is no longer needed.
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