star in Photoshop
In this article, we’ll show you how to create a star in Photoshop! Currently, Photoshop has added some built-in star shapes, Currently, Photoshop has added some built-in star shapes, but they are not that perfect. Here, I’ll be showing you how easy it is to draw a star in Photoshop.
Note that Adobe has made changes to the shape tools in Photoshop 2021, which is what we will be using here. So, for you to be able to move with us, you will need Photoshop 2021 or higher.
Table of Contents
How to draw a perfect star in Photoshop
1: Open a new Photoshop document
- Click the Create New button: Go to File on the menu bar and click New
- In the dialog box that appears, click Photoshop’s default size
- Then click Create
- And the new document appears
2: Select the Polygon tool
- To draw the star in Photoshop, we’ll be using Photoshop’s Polygon tool. On the toolbar, hold down the Rectangle tool until a drop-down menu appears. Then select the Polygon Tool from the list that appears.
3: Reset Tool Options
- Then, in the options bar, right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) the tools icon.
- Then click Reset Tool from the list.
- It’s going to set the tool mode to Shape (not Path or Pixel).
- And you need to set the number of sides of the polygon to 5 (because we want a 5-pointed star) and the corner radius to 0 (that’s how we draw a star with sharp corners):
- No of sides = 5, corner radius = 0.
4: Select a fill color
- You may select a color for the shape by clicking on the fill color swatch.
- And click on the Color Picker icon
- And select any color from the color picker. Assuming you choose a dark blue by setting Hue (H) to 280, Saturation (S) to 75, and Brightness (B) to 40. Then click OK to close the Color Picker when you’re through:
5: Disable the stroke
- By default, Photoshop adds a 1-pixel black stroke around shapes, which may not be necessary. So, still in the options bar, click on the Stroke color swatch.
- And select the No Color option. Then press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) on your keyboard to close the dialog.
6: Draw the Polygon Shape
- Next, let’s draw the first polygon shape. Click in the top left corner of the screen to set a starting point for the shape, hold down the mouse button and start dragging to the bottom right corner:
- Hold Shift on your keyboard while dragging to constrain the shape so that all five sides are the same length and keep dragging.
- The shape can be moved and repositioned as you draw it by holding down the Shift key, holding down the space bar on your keyboard (i.e. Shift+Spacebar), and dragging the shape into place makes it a little higher.
- Then release the spacebar, but hold down the Shift key again and keep dragging the rest of the shape.
- When you’re done, release the mouse button, release the Shift key, and Photoshop will fill the shape with your chosen color:
- Release the mouse button (then the Shift key) to complete the shape.
7: Reduce Star Ratio
- At this point, we have a five-sided polygon with all the sides the same length. But how do you make it a star?
- Go to the Properties panel. Where you’ll see the Star Ratio option, with an icon that looks like a larger polygon-shaped star. The value has already been set to 100%, by default.
Star Ratio means the size of the star in the shape of the polygon. So at 100%, the star occupies 100% of the maximum area within the shape, which is why it doesn’t look like a star. But if we decrease the value (by clicking on the Star Ratio icon, holding down the mouse button, and dragging to the left).
Tips: Check how to make the toolbar bigger in Photoshop
Note that the edges of the polygon begin to curve inward and the star begins to appear (you must release the mouse button to update the shape).
To convert the polygon into a perfect star with the sides of the segments aligned, decrease the star ratio to 47%, and now the star segments fit perfectly:
Here it is! That’s how to draw a star in Photoshop!
Conclusion
Although drawing a star in Photoshop is only one use of the Polygon Tool, the Polygon Tool is only one of Photoshop’s shape tools. So make sure to keep checking vdtips for more Photoshop tips and tutorials.
