Photoshop ® : Border Custom Shapes

Border Custom Shapes for Photoshop and Elements PC MAC OS X

Photoshop extended 3D border cube tutorial

1) start Photoshop

2) file menu and new (document) command

3) select the custom shape tool

4) set the shape option to 'path'

5) draw shape

6) window menu and paths (palette) command

7) right side menu - make selection of the border shape

8) edit menu and fill command and set color to fill the border shape design

9) 3D menu and repousse command and current selection

10) select preset and material preset for 3D design

Sadly the materials presets is fairly limited and up on requesting additional materials for the border shape you will have to go online to select some new materials.

Use the various 3D tools such as roll, etc

Example above shows extrude applied to shape design in Extended

Border shape layers in Photoshop and smart objects (CS5)

The border shape can be applied via the custom shapes tool as a shape layer (options along the top of Photoshop. You can then turn the shape layer into a smart object (a pity that option is not available at the point of creation as part of the same line of shape options in CS5). Go to the "layer menu" and "smart object command" and "convert command" to convert the shape layer into a smart object. This means you can modify the shape at a later point with direct selection tools etc and all smart filters etc will be re-applied to the new form of the border shape.

To edit the shape layer as a smart object - you can double click the layer 'smart object' thumbnail (as above example) in Photoshop - change the shape with the direct selection tool.

With shape layers, you edit the design as a PSB file - Illustrator does not start up with the shapes (which would be a nice option but one that does not appear to be available)

Replacing border custom shapes with new shapes via smart object in Photoshop CS6 CS5

In Illustrator you can replace a symbol with another symbol at any point - well, smart objects in Photoshop CS6 / CS5 allows for the same change. Double click a smart object converted shape layer (as mentioned above) and you can edit the design in the new PSB file. You can remove the old shape (just delete) and then add a new border shape or multiple border shapes and then close the PSB file - you will be returned to the smart object layer - you will then notice the original shape has been replaced with a shape design from the shape palette or one created from shapes in the palette (as below)

example - replacing shapes with new shapes during the creative process in Photoshop CS6 / CS5

The smart object has all the styles / layer effects and smart filters (such as blurs, artistic effects) but now with a new shape. Added: January 5th 2012

Loading border shapes in Photoshop CS6 CS5 CS4 CS3 CS2 etc

The border shapes are all in standard Photoshop CSH format files, The shapes can be loaded via the file open command

as well as via the preset manager and side menu of the custom shapes palette.

Apply the border shapes via the shapes tool.

Shapes blur and border shapes in Photoshop

The shapes can be used via the shape tool in Photoshop and elements, as well via the cookie cutter tool. The shapes can also be used in the shape blur (I am always surprised that Adobe have not added the shapes as a source for many of the other effects such as the displacement / displace / glass filter etc - I would assume that they would make an excellent addition to those filters that first appeared back in the mists of time - well in the 90s or so). Go to the filter menu and blur and shape blur. All the border shapes loaded (such as the ones in the shapes pack 163 etc) can be used to create unusual blurring effects particularly with text.

Some border shapes will result in hardly difference from the usual blurs. The best results I have found with the tool come using low settings. Large settings (and the filter goes up to about a 1000) and the result is a total blur)

The example is the border shape that will be blurred by itself in the next image by using the shape blur filter

The shape blur palette showing all the shapes loaded from the pack 163 shapes set

The end result of the shape blur is below. The shape blur can be faded (as most commands in Photoshop - except the image adjustments etc) as well as applied to a design on a layer etc Added: January 5th 2012

Example of a blurred shape, blurred by itself as the source for a shape blur in Photoshop.

example of custom shapes border design - the shape is used in Photoshop as well as Photoshop elements PC and MAC OS X. The border can be re-colored, modified, warped, slanted, exported to other applications such as Illustrator and Paint Shop Pro, the design can be combined, etc effects can be applied and more - it can be applied as a mask, as a selection, cutout, used with the shape blur filter to create totally wow blurring border effect - from pack 91

examples from pack 163

examples from pack 91

examples from pack 44

examples from pack 119

examples from pack 59

examples from pack 150

examples from pack 134

Free border shapes sampler/demo

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Date modified: April 24th, 2012

Creating plugins and presets since 1995. Privacy - no details sent to third parties. After buying the border shapes, you receive the download link to the border designs zip file - the zip file contains the border CSH custom shapes along with documentation and gallery showing all the border shapes. Unique items, commercial use, royalty-free.