Arch custom shapes for Photoshop CC & CS 6 5 4 3 2 1 Elements 2014

Updated: July 26th, 2014

Arch shapes for Photoshop etc examples

Arch Photoshop shapes - many mixed designs included (they are vectors for any size of work)

Editing the arch PDF vector shapes in Photoshop

The above example shows an import dialog box for Adobe ® Photoshop.

This appears when you select any of the PDF vector designs 'arch shape' - you can set the size for the design such as 10000 x 10000 pixels or perhaps set in cm or inches. You can also set the color for the arch design as well as the resolution. The design is then cast in stone size-wise. A better option is to use the open as smart object option found in the file menu - you can then re-size the image via the image menu image size command 100s of times without causing any issues to the sharpness of the design - as a smart object, the design remains in the original format as a vector arch shapes PDF design and can be edited and resized with ease. The smart object arch design can also be re-colored in seconds as well as have Photoshop filters applied to the design.

You can also use the place command to import the design and the PDF arches designs remain as vectors and can be modified and edited again as a vector (and edited in Illustrator).

With recent versions of Photoshop, more and more options can be applied to arch smart objects - such as the arch PDF vector designs - and with a CS6 update of the Adobe Creative Cloud, you can now use the blur gallery with the PDF vector designs. The blur gallery can also be combined with many other effects and the arch design remains editable at any point in the creative process.

The above example shows one of the arch design as a smart object.

The smart object can be edited (in the case of the above, in Illustrator) and the contents can also be exported or changed. You can also use the new smart object via copy command to create multiple examples of the same design. If you select export contents command then the design can be saved as an AI file. The replace command allows you to modify the Photoshop arrch shape design from one PDF file to another - so a different arch can be selected and added quickly to the design with the same location and all the same effects still applied. One odd feature is that there is no connection between the design created in the new smart object via copy command (which sounds a bit odd as there is no actual copy but more a duplication of the arch smart object). Editing the duplicated design does not update the original design, there appears to be no connection between the objects (and that would have been a nice feature say if you have multiple smart object designs and you want them to simultaneously update)

How to convert the arch shapes as PNG TIFF etc files / export

The arch custom shapes are in standard custom shapes Photoshop (version 6) CSH. You can't use the CSH shapes in other applications so what can you do if you want to use the arch shapes in other applications. Well, if the other application is Illustrator then it is fairly easy as you can apply the arch shape as a vector shape layer or path and then just copy that design from Photoshop and paste into Illustrator and the arch shape can then be saved as an AI vector format. You can also use the arch shape layer and save that via the export command in Photoshop. The arch shapes can also be saved as a vector via the PDF file formatand also PSD format file. If you want to save the arch shape as a raster format file then simply apply the arch shape as a fill pixel design (via the top menu bar) and then save that design to PNG format via the save command (you can also save the design as a TIFF etc file as well). You can also apply effects etc to create even more shape designs for other applications. If you apply the art noveau shape to a layer and then delete the background and then save the arch design as a PNG file you can save the arch transparency for loading in other applications (useful for Painter as well as PSP and other applications). There are probably many other ways to export the arch shapes - great for all kinds of applications

Mixed arch Photoshop shapes - the designs can be any color such as red etc

Cookie cutter in PSE

The arch custom shapes can be used as standard shapes in Elements but they can also be used as cookie cutters as well. Select the cookie cutter tool and then you will see the various options on the top options bar such as the design (which can be any of the vector CSH files) as well as feathering and also crop (which will crop the entire document to the size of the vector design). If the crop is not set to on then the design is just placed in the original location (feathered or not) with the full document and all the image outside of the cookie cutter removed. While applying the cookie cutter in PSE, you can constrain the proportions of the design as well as rotate and scale and shear. Once you have the cookie cutter shape, you can always re-apply another cookie cutter to cut even more away from the design. You can use the result as a wonderful source for strokes as well as patterns. You can also apply effects to the cookie cutter design. If you want to have the original image as well as cookie cutter shape then before using the tool, simply duplicate the layer as many times as you wish and use the arch cookie cutter design on those (in different locations if you wish) and you can then also combine those multiple cut layers using blending modes such as difference to create some truly stunning designs. There are many videos on my youtube channel giving some ways to use the tool.

The Photoshop arch shapes can be combined with text in 1000s of ways

Editing arch PDF designs in Illustrator

I have been talking about editing the arch shapes designs in Photoshop but a key thing about the PDF format, you can use it in many different applications - it is a pretty universal format on both platforms (and beyond - I assume you can also edit the PDF documents on Linux and in GIMP and Inkscape). The arch PDF designs can be edited in Illustrator as well as Xara and others. An example of an arch design in Illustrator below.

Editing in Illustrator is easy, simply release the clipping mask for the opened design and then modify the individual paths.

You can shift the designs, warp them, distort, re-color, add additional paths or remove paths and much more. As the designs are definitely vectors in Illustrator, you can manipulate the design in countless ways and it will still be as sharp and hi-impact in Photoshop or PSP. You can edit the individual paths by using the isolation mode (double click the design) so the paths can be scaled etc as below. The arch designs can be used as is but you should definitely see them as just a starting point for millions of different and unique designs (as below)

Re-color individual paths / shapes in Illustrator

Free arch Photoshop shapes

Commercial use, royalty free arch shapes in CSH format for use in Photoshop etc. Free arch shapes download