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DyslexicArtist

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 12, 2008
59
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Using Photoshop -- I have a photo and I want to crop something in the middle of the picture into a circle shape. I tried putting the eliptical tool and getting the right shape. But it is filled and I am not selecting it or something..
I have tried and tried things but can't figure it out.

I would appreciate step by step help. It must be easy. It just must be.
 
Using Photoshop -- I have a photo and I want to crop something in the middle of the picture into a circle shape. I tried putting the eliptical tool and getting the right shape. But it is filled and I am not selecting it or something..
I have tried and tried things but can't figure it out.

I would appreciate step by step help. It must be easy. It just must be.

Select the portion of the image with the elliptical tool and then invert your selection (under selection menu I think or command-shift-I). Then hit delete and you should be left with your image.
 
Select the portion of the image with the elliptical tool and then invert your selection (under selection menu I think or command-shift-I). Then hit delete and you should be left with your image.
or don't invert and just copy the selection and open a new document and paste it to have the cropped image only.
 
What happens when I am on the layer with the artwork, and then I use the eliptical tool, then it automatically fills in some color. and its like a separate circle i can move around,............ so it is not selecting this area at all.... so i read the answers, but i cannot do those things, because for some reason it is not selecting, but somehow making another color circle.... any suggestions? thanks.
 
What happens when I am on the layer with the artwork, and then I use the eliptical tool, then it automatically fills in some color. and its like a separate circle i can move around,............ so it is not selecting this area at all.... so i read the answers, but i cannot do those things, because for some reason it is not selecting, but somehow making another color circle.... any suggestions? thanks.

So you aren't even on the right layer. Not sure what you're doing wrong but make sure you are on the Background layer (with the image) and do the suggestion of iSmoker and just copy and paste the selected circle to a new image. I don't know exactly what's going on.
 
youre using the shape tool, not the elliptical marquee. The shortcut to the marquee is M, press shift M to change from square to circle
 
youre using the shape tool, not the elliptical marquee. The shortcut to the marquee is M, press shift M to change from square to circle

Also: hold down [ALT] to draw from the centre and [SHIFT] to constrain to a perfect circle.

Drop a horizontal and a vertical guide on to give your centre-point and you should be able to work fairly accurately.

Cheers!

Jim
 
This will help you understand the Ellipse Tool a little better.

If you want a round path, you can continue to use the Elliptical Tool, but after you select the tool, and before you draw your ellipse, you'll need to change a setting. At the top left of your screen, right below File, you'll see three boxes. The first one (Shape Layers) is what you're currently on. This fills your path with your foreground color. If you select the second box (Path) this will give you an empty, round path.

Now when you draw your ellipse, it will just draw the path. You can select it in your path menu if you want to select the area (command-click the thumbnail.)

But if you're just looking to get rid of everything outside of your circle/oval, the previous answers of using the Elliptical Marquee Tool will work just fine.
 
Hey, Thanks everybody!! That really helped.
somehow I was able to copy the circle i needed and use it that way..
I appreciate your help...!
 
So you aren't even on the right layer. Not sure what you're doing wrong but make sure you are on the Background layer (with the image) and do the suggestion of iSmoker and just copy and paste the selected circle to a new image. I don't know exactly what's going on.

I understand what she asked for AND what is happening. I am here for the same reason. What she asked for was "step-by-step" instructions. I understood that to mean something like this.

*Go to the tool bar on the left hand side of the screen
*click on the "elipses tool"
*click on the image and make your shape
*click to get desired shape

Which is what I am doing when I click. When you do these steps, in particular, you get a round oval shape that is filled with color and NOT the cropped image you expect.

This must be a pretty common error because, I have been playing with it for several days here too and nothing is working how I would expect it to.


So now that you know what us "non-geeks" mean by a step-by-step list and I have given you a step-by-step description of one of the things this is not working for us. Could you help out with a step-by-step instruction on how to do it please? Preferably one that doesn't assume we know any of the commands or starts us off in the middle of the project. For some reason so may instructions and tutorials do that and to non-geeks this is useless lol

Thanks for the help

This will help you understand the Ellipse Tool a little better.

If you want a round path, you can continue to use the Elliptical Tool, but after you select the tool, and before you draw your ellipse, you'll need to change a setting. At the top left of your screen, right below File, you'll see three boxes. The first one (Shape Layers) is what you're currently on. This fills your path with your foreground color. If you select the second box (Path) this will give you an empty, round path.

Now when you draw your ellipse, it will just draw the path. You can select it in your path menu if you want to select the area (command-click the thumbnail.)

But if you're just looking to get rid of everything outside of your circle/oval, the previous answers of using the Elliptical Marquee Tool will work just fine.

huh?!? Sorry but I am using the ellipse tool you are talking about and I am getting a filled in oval. I don't understand any of these geek references and have no idea what you are speaking of. When I looked under the file I did not see anything called "path". What I did see was an icon that looks like a sheet of paper. I also looked all across the tool bar where the options; presets, apply, mode and on down the row of icons and options. Still I found nothing that said, "path." Could you explain it again please in a step-by-step format.

Thank you:eek:

This will help you understand the Ellipse Tool a little better.

If you want a round path, you can continue to use the Elliptical Tool, but after you select the tool, and before you draw your ellipse, you'll need to change a setting. At the top left of your screen, right below File, you'll see three boxes. The first one (Shape Layers) is what you're currently on. This fills your path with your foreground color. If you select the second box (Path) this will give you an empty, round path.

Now when you draw your ellipse, it will just draw the path. You can select it in your path menu if you want to select the area (command-click the thumbnail.)

But if you're just looking to get rid of everything outside of your circle/oval, the previous answers of using the Elliptical Marquee Tool will work just fine.

What is the ellipse marquee tool please and how does it differ from the ellipse tool? I am not seeing the squares mentioned or anything called path and I seem to have only ONE reference to ellipse.

Thank you
:eek:
 
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What is the ellipse marquee tool please and how does it differ from the ellipse tool? I am not seeing the squares mentioned or anything called path and I seem to have only ONE reference to ellipse.

Thank you
:eek:

I have identified the two on the attached graphic. Use the "Elliptical Marquee" tool (press M or click it) at the top to select a circular area, not the "Ellipse" tool (press U or click it) at the bottom (which will fill an area with your current foreground color).

When you have selected your area using the "Elliptical Marquee" tool:

-if your document has a single layer, press command+C (or use Edit-->Copy) to copy the selected area
-if your document has multiple layers, press shift+command+C (or use Edit-->Copy Merged) instead (assuming you want all layers included)

Press Command+N (or File-->New..) to open a new document

Click OK in the new document pane that will appear. No need to change anything in it.

When the new window appears, press Command+V (or use Edit-->Paste)

Your circular selection will now be in a new document.
 

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HOw can i crop image in a curved shape using photoshop?

HOw can i crop an image in curved shape using photoshop?



Sreeraj
 
Use the ellipse tool and select the area you want to crop. Then click on the add a masque in the layers pallet. I find its best to do it this way in case you need to go back and make edits.
 
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