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How to make sharp edges shape in photoshop


stramzik

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Here are few examples i am struggling with.
1. I want to acheive this effect. Its like a text on a rectangle solid shape without any fill on a text,
but the way i tried i get this stupid pixalation can some one please help me how to get rid of these or a new method to acheive this effect.
FHQaXh1.jpg

2.This one was when i tried to create that 2 rhombus shape seperated with a transperent background as shown but unfortunately i get the second stroked rhombus edges curved but i want them sharp can some one please help me how do i get rid of these?
J71xlRe.jpg
 
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Hybrus

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Use pen tool. It creates vector shapes inside Photoshop,
 

Hybrus

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maybe this is the time for you to practice it.
pen tool is a powerful tool. it is not bad as you think.
Untitled-1.jpg
this done with Pentool, I've just zoom in and click with the letter "D" using "shift" "alt" "ctrl" to manipulate the path.
the red one . I used rectangle tool and duplicate it 3 times. there are lots and different of ways using Photoshop.
but wait, The letter you have, Did you just type that on photoshop?
 

Tom Mann

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The core issue is not that he didn't use the pen tool, but that there simply weren't enough pixels available to accurately represent the objects, so the edges of the objects come out looking like a (blurry) staircase. For example, the letters are vector objects, just like if he had used the pen tool to make shapes that look like letters.

To see this, suppose your canvas is only 50 pixels wide, and you want to have the letter, "O" occupy about third of the width of the canvas. This means that the letter is only around 16 pixels wide (...count them), so, of course you are going to get the staircase effect:

50x50px-letter_is_one_third-b.jpg

Now, suppose the canvas is 100 px wide and you still want the letter to be about 1/3rd of the total width. Now, the width of the staircase is half of what it was before:

100x100px-letter_is_one_third.jpg

Finally, if we are using a canvas that is 1000 px wide, we see a much sharper edge:

1000x1000px-letter_is_one_third.jpg

BTW, note that I intentionally turned off the pixel grid on the last two images because it would be too dense to be easily seen / counted, so don't be confused by that.

So, the question is what should the OP do in the future. The answer is very simple: If you are using PS, a program where everything is represented by discrete pixels, start with a canvas of pixel dimensions higher than you think you will ever need. One might think that if you switch to Adobe Illustrator, this issue won't arise. Well, sort of. While the shapes in that program are not built up of pixels, but are defined by mathematical curves, least this issue doesn't immediately arise. However, eventually, one has to turn the shapes in AI or from the vector tool in PS to pixels whether you are making a JPG or PNG to post on the web, or you are sending the result to a printer. So, no matter what approach you take, you eventually have to deal with pixel dimensions (as described above).

The usual next question is how do the pixel dimensions relate to quantities such as the number of "pixels per inch" (PPI) and the linear dimensions of the page in width. The answer is simple, multiply the PPI by the inches you need, and you get the pixel dimensions you need to keep your smallest features sharp.

HTH,

Tom M
 

stramzik

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maybe this is the time for you to practice it.
pen tool is a powerful tool. it is not bad as you think.
View attachment 55218
this done with Pentool, I've just zoom in and click with the letter "D" using "shift" "alt" "ctrl" to manipulate the path.
the red one . I used rectangle tool and duplicate it 3 times. there are lots and different of ways using Photoshop.
but wait, The letter you have, Did you just type that on photoshop?
Yes sir i did type in a text. Actually i did use the pen tool to draw a dimond shape but even though i couldn't attain those sharp edges or even sharp lines as yours.
 

stramzik

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So, the question is what should the OP do in the future. The answer is very simple: If you are using PS, a program where everything is represented by discrete pixels, start with a canvas of pixel dimensions higher than you think you will ever need. One might think that if you switch to Adobe Illustrator, this issue won't arise. Well, sort of. While the shapes in that program are not built up of pixels, but are defined by mathematical curves, least this issue doesn't immediately arise. However, eventually, one has to turn the shapes in AI or from the vector tool in PS to pixels whether you are making a JPG or PNG to post on the web, or you are sending the result to a printer. So, no matter what approach you take, you eventually have to deal with pixel dimensions (as described above).

The usual next question is how do the pixel dimensions relate to quantities such as the number of "pixels per inch" (PPI) and the linear dimensions of the page in width. The answer is simple, multiply the PPI by the inches you need, and you get the pixel dimensions you need to keep your smallest features sharp.

HTH,

Tom M

I got it, but the problem that i am facing is low resolution background. My main agenda is a beautiful background on which i want to put up some text messages but the image i found was a low resolution image if i streatch that image then that image looks too bad so i cant turn up my canvas size even if i turn up my PPI (for example a 1920/1920 500ppi ) even then i can see those vector prety pixalated at the edges.

Can you please tell me how can i acheive that second effect?
 
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IamSam

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Is it possible for you to create your messages in a new much larger document, then move that into the low res document, and transform it's size down?

Screen Shot 2015-04-27 at 12.32.10 PM.png
 

stramzik

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Is it possible for you to create your messages in a new much larger document, then move that into the low res document, and transform it's size down?
Hey sam.
I am trying to do the same but...
This time i took a new canvas with 4000/4000 and 500ppi i took Rectangle marquee tool and drew a vector and filled it with white color as you can see in the below image. and when i zoom all the way in i dont see any kind of pixalation.

0twcUJg.jpg


but when i took the transformation and rotated that layer a few degree then if i zoom in i see those pixalation :( can you please tell me what exactly i am doing wrong?

Qss1I8M.jpg
 
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IamSam

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One thing you can do is use shapes. Try using the Rectangle Tool and not the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
 

IamSam

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Photoshop can not create true vector images or files. This is a very common misunderstanding. What Photoshop creates are vector containers with raster content and always saves both vector and raster information.

What Photoshop does is, upon output, it recalculates the vector container but only scales the raster contents in the container. This can result in "stair stepping pixels" your seeing on magnification.

Here is a shape created with the Rectangle Tool at 300% zoom...
Screen Shot 2015-04-27 at 1.06.53 PM.png

Here is the same shape rotated and at 300% zoom...
Screen Shot 2015-04-27 at 1.07.39 PM.png

If you need cleaner lines than this...........you need to use Adobe Illustrator.
 

dv8_fx

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By your screen grabs, you're doing nothing wrong except viewing the object at a closer range. You are bound to see the stair step effect.

Your initial shape was that of a square. The lines will be crisp. But the moment you rotate it even slightly, you will get the staircase. This is because PS is pixel based and will display as such on a monitor. Even if you were to use the Polygon Tool set to 3 sides and positioned correctly in the workspace, you'll notice the steps when you zoom in.

Photoshop can only simulate "pseudo" vectors as I call them..... And only a true vector application like Illustrator can create scalable objects . These can be resized or rotated without lose of detail or jaggedness.

Even then, a vector shape created in AI or even in Corel Draw when viewed up close will show jaggedness.

Hence, the moral here is not to view the object up close but view it normally as it would appear in the complete design at actual pixel view -whether in PS or a vector application.
 

stramzik

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Photoshop can not create true vector images or files. This is a very common misunderstanding. What Photoshop creates are vector containers with raster content and always saves both vector and raster information.

What Photoshop does is, upon output, it recalculates the vector container but only scales the raster contents in the container. This can result in "stair stepping pixels" your seeing on magnification.

Here is a shape created with the Rectangle Tool at 300% zoom...


Here is the same shape rotated and at 300% zoom...


If you need cleaner lines than this...........you need to use Adobe Illustrator.
This is what i want to acheive and if you can see the two dimond shape with a transperent gap inbetween them can you please tell me how can i acheive that effect?

W78Cw2i.jpg
 
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stramzik

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By your screen grabs, you're doing nothing wrong except viewing the object at a closer range. You are bound to see the stair step effect.

Your initial shape was that of a square. The lines will be crisp. But the moment you rotate it even slightly, you will get the staircase. This is because PS is pixel based and will display as such on a monitor. Even if you were to use the Polygon Tool set to 3 sides and positioned correctly in the workspace, you'll notice the steps when you zoom in.

Photoshop can only simulate "pseudo" vectors as I call them..... And only a true vector application like Illustrator can create scalable objects . These can be resized or rotated without lose of detail or jaggedness.

Even then, a vector shape created in AI or even in Corel Draw when viewed up close will show jaggedness.

Hence, the moral here is not to view the object up close but view it normally as it would appear in the complete design at actual pixel view -whether in PS or a vector application.
Thank you sir.
 

Tom Mann

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@OP - I just tried to duplicate the conditions you described (and from what I can see from your screen grab): A white square/rectangle (on its own layer) that occupies about 1/3rd the linear dimensions of a 5k x 5k pixel black background/canvas, then rotate the white square and zoom in to 33%.

What I get is this:

rotate_lg_white_rectangle-5kx5k_canvas.jpg

In other words, the stair-stepping is negligibly small.

This is exactly what I would expect from these conditions, so either there is something wrong with your installation of PS (which I doubt), or, more likely, I do not know exactly what you did. So, the quickest way to get to the bottom of this is for you to post the PSD file for this image and then we can take a look at it.
IamSam - Sure, AI will maintain perfectly sharp edges when viewed on the screen at any magnification, but, as soon as you have to make a jpg for the web or print the image, it gets rasterized, and if you ever look at the rasterized version at a screen magnification of 100% or more, you are going to see edge artifacts. In a sense, all that AI does is postpone the inevitable discussion of pixel dimension until you have to export the image from AI.

Tom
 

IamSam

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@IamSam - Sure, AI will maintain perfectly sharp edges when viewed on the screen at any magnification, but, as soon as you have to make a jpg for the web or print the image, it gets rasterized, and if you ever look at the rasterized version at a screen magnification of 100% or more, you are going to see edge artifacts. In a sense, all that AI does is postpone the inevitable discussion of pixel dimension until you have to export the image from AI.

Tom
Yes, I know this.............I'm not the one you need to convince.
 

Tom Mann

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Sorry, Sam - I read your post quickly and for a moment I thought you were saying the opposite.
dv8_fx - If you look at the OP's screen grab, it appears that he is viewing at 33%, and from the thumbnails in the layer stack, it looks like his white square is about 1/3rd the size of the background (in linear dimensions). So, since 33% is a very reasonable magnification, stair-stepping after rotation should be almost invisible, and when I simulated it, that's what I saw. So, I think there is something else going on. That's why I asked for his PSD file. I bet some vital piece of info is getting lost along the way to us.

Tom
 

stramzik

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@OP - I just tried to duplicate the conditions you described (and from what I can see from your screen grab): A white square/rectangle (on its own layer) that occupies about 1/3rd the linear dimensions of a 5k x 5k pixel black background/canvas, then rotate the white square and zoom in to 33%.

What I get is this:

View attachment 55240

In other words, the stair-stepping is negligibly small.

This is exactly what I would expect from these conditions, so either there is something wrong with your installation of PS (which I doubt), or, more likely, I do not know exactly what you did. So, the quickest way to get to the bottom of this is for you to post the PSD file for this image and then we can take a look at it.
@IamSam - Sure, AI will maintain perfectly sharp edges when viewed on the screen at any magnification, but, as soon as you have to make a jpg for the web or print the image, it gets rasterized, and if you ever look at the rasterized version at a screen magnification of 100% or more, you are going to see edge artifacts. In a sense, all that AI does is postpone the inevitable discussion of pixel dimension until you have to export the image from AI.

Tom
I have attached the psd file to this post.
 

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