I just got Photoshop CS3 and to make a hollow box I used to use the marching ants square tool and applied stroke to do it. Now it wont let me do that anymore. How do I create hollow shapes now?

Thanks,
Prisma

Hi Prisma,

Two examples attached, which sort do you mean ?

Edit - Make new image transparent > select all > stroke.

Hi,
Thanks the reply. More like the shapes in the paws graphic because I used to use it to make boxes surrounding things or use it to make bracelets or all sorts of stuff on things with complicated backgrounds so that you could just set the inside to be the same color as the back ground.. As far as I know you cant use the shapes tool to make like a outline only paw print, but could use selection to make hollow circles and rectangles.

Since a new image would only be square I'd still need to figure out how to do a circular one.

The shapes tool will allow you to do all of what you want. After you make your shape, use the Styles palette to create/assign/ and save for reuse later.
This also allows for resolution free reproduction for later on when you need to create it at different sizes. They will always be exactly the same.

Chris

Hi Prisma,

Use the Elliptical selection tool, hold down the shift key while you pull it to the correct size and it will be circular.

Hi Prisma,
Custom shape, cat print.
Brush tool. set to size, color,etc
Before you make the paw, click on the path icon.
Make custom shape (paw).
Click on the path pallet.
At the bottom, click on stroke path with brush. This will stroke with the last brush used- size etc.
Hope this is of some use to you.
Ray

Hi Prisma. The tool that you are referring to is called the square marquee tool. The marching ants indicate where you have made a selection. One of the things that you can do once you have made a selection is, as you have discovered, add a stroke. You can also fill the selection with a color, or use other tools to paint, erase, etc... within the constraints of the selection. You can switch to the circular marquee tool by click and holding on the icon in the tool pallette, and selecting the circular marquee tool. Using the pen tool, and the shapes tools, you can make any shape that you want. These tools create a path that can be stroked, filled, or changed to a selection.

There are many ways to create both selections and paths in photoshop, and what I have mentioned here is only a tiny subset of them.

Prisma

Instead of stroking the path/shape through the paths palette, use the style palette to stroke it. That the stroke will be editable at any time for weight color thickness etc.

Chris

Chris,
Thank's for the tip.

Ray

Sure thing Desi.

Chris