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1010 Chapter 12 Using Shapes and Masks
Creating Rectangles, Circles, and Lines
The Rectangle and Line tools create simple linear shapes. The Circle tool creates a
simple Bezier shape. Once drawn, a shape can be converted to a Linear, Bezier, or B-
Spline shape in the Inspector. The resulting shapes can be edited just like any other
Bezier shape, using the methods described in “How to Edit Shapes” on page 1017.
To make a rectangle:
1 Click the Rectangle tool (or press R).
The Rectangle Tool HUD appears. To change the color of the shape before it is drawn,
use the color controls in the HUD. Select the Outline checkbox to create an outline with
the shape. The Width slider adjusts the width of the outline. Once the shape is created,
the Shape HUD appears.
The Rectangle shape layer does not appear in the Layers list until an object is drawn.
Note: Outlines can be added and edited after a shape is drawn.
2 Click in the Canvas to define the first corner of the rectangle, then drag until the
resulting rectangle is the size you want, and release the mouse button to finish
drawing.
Note: To create a perfect square, press Shift while you drag. To draw the rectangle from
its anchor point, press Option while you drag.
3 Once the shape is created, press S or Esc to exit shape-drawing mode and activate the
Select/Transform tool.
To make a circle:
1 Click and hold the Rectangle tool, and select the Circle tool (or press C).