In this post I will show you how to make a straight line in Photoshop. If you have never been shown how to do this it can be extremely frustrating. You are in luck though because it is very simple and you can learn it in about 18 seconds. Check out the video below
Different ways to make a straight line in Photoshop
There are a few ways to make a straight line in Photoshop. The video above will give you a demonstration but essentially you have these options:
- Try drawing the line freehand – Not recommended if you are looking for perfection but it is always an options. A small tip though, if you are using Photoshop to draw or paint, it is good practice to warm up by trying to draw a few straight lines
- Click Shift…And then click another point – Using the brush tool (B), click on any point on your canvas and then with the shift key held down, click on another point. The software will automatically draw straight line from point to point. Note: if you are looking for a perfect horizontal or vertical line, this is not going to give you perfection
- Hold Shift and draw away – Probably the most popular method for drawing straight lines is to hold the shift key down whilst you are drawing with the brush (B) tool.
- Use the (line) shape tool – This method does not get as much air time as the “holding shift options” but it is still a good way to draw lines. Just note that it is a shape and has different properties than the brush tool
So there we go, a very quick reminder on how to make a straight line in Photoshop. My go to methods are the holding down shift options. As mentioned at the beginning though, there are many ways to skin a cat in Photoshop and knowing as many as you can will rapidly improve your skills
In my next tutorial we will get a little more advanced. We will change the spacing within the brush settings and show how to make a dotted line in Photoshop