How to Create a Custom Shape in Photoshop
In this tutorial you’ll create custom shapes in Photoshop from scratch using rectangles and circles, then refine them with selection tools. You’ll learn when to rasterize, how to cut away parts to craft new silhouettes, and how to style with gradients and strokes for a polished result.
Step-by-step instructions
Draw a rounded rectangle base
Select the Rectangle Tool (U). In the Options bar, set Radius to 300 px for rounded corners.
Click Fill and choose a color for the shape.
Set Stroke to 0 px to remove the outline.
Drag on the canvas to draw the rectangle.
Add and position a second rectangle
With the Rectangle Tool (U), draw another rectangle and pick a different Fill color.
Press V for the Move Tool and position it to overlap the first shape to form a new silhouette.
In Layers, drag the new shape layer above/below the first to control stacking order.
Ensure Stroke is 0 px on both shapes.
Merge and rasterize for pixel editing
Shift-click both shape layers to select them.
Press Ctrl+E (Cmd+E on Mac) to merge into a single layer.
Right-click the merged layer → Rasterize Layer to enable selection-based edits.
Cut away areas with the Rectangular Marquee
Choose Rectangular Marquee Tool (M).
Drag to select the area to remove and press Delete.
Go to Select → Deselect (Ctrl+D / Cmd+D) to clear the selection.
Make angled cuts with the Polygonal Lasso
Select Polygonal Lasso Tool (L).
Click around the area to define straight-edged selections.
Press Delete to remove the selected portion, then Select → Deselect.
Transform and duplicate for variation
With Move Tool active, enable Show Transform Controls in the Options bar.
Press Ctrl+T (Cmd+T) to Free Transform; hold Shift to constrain and rotate as needed; press Enter.
To split a shape, select half of it, press Ctrl+X (Cmd+X) to cut, then Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) to paste as a new layer and reposition.
Create and style additional shapes
Select the Ellipse Tool (U), hold Shift, and draw a perfect circle.
Right-click the circle layer → Blending Options → Gradient Overlay; click the gradient bar to pick two colors and adjust sliders → OK.
Still in Blending Options, enable Stroke and set Size as desired → OK.
Repeat Gradient Overlay for other shape layers to add depth.
Arrange and organize your design
Use the Move Tool (V) to position shapes; drag layers up/down to change order.
Select related layers and press Ctrl+G (Cmd+G) to group; rename groups for clarity.
Save your PSD when done.
