Linda Sattgast

Whimsical Star

By Jen White
previously taught by Linda Sattgast

Turn Photoshop's 5-Point Star into a whimsical expression of your creativity using either the Polygonal Lasso tool or the Direct Selection tool.

Create a Star Shape

  • Create a new 6 inch x 6 inch document (File > New > Blank File) at 300 ppi with a white background. (PS: Choose File > New.)
  • Press the letter D to reset the Color Chips to the default of black over white.
  • Get the Custom Shape tool.
  • In the Tool Options, open the Shape Picker and choose the 5 Point Star. If you don’t see 5 Point Star, open the drop down menu and choose All Elements Shapes. (PS: Open the fly out menu, choose All, and click OK.) Set the Style to None and Geometry Options to Unconstrained. Click on the Create New Shape Layer icon. (PS: Set the Tool Mode to Shape and the Stoke Style to None.)
  • On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag out a star shape. To reposition while dragging, press and hold the Space bar.

Make the Star Whimsical (Photoshop Elements)

  • Get the Polygonal Lasso tool.
  • In the Tool Options, click on the New Selection icon and set the Feather to 0.
  • On the document using the star as a guide, click around the star to create a selection outline that is more whimsical. When you see the small circle at the beginning of the polygon, click to close the selection.
  • In the Layers panel, click on the shape layer and drag it to the Trash icon.
  • Click on the Create a New Layer icon.
  • Press Alt Backspace (Mac: Opt Delete) to fill the shape with the Foreground Color Chip.
  • Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect.

Make the Star Whimsical (Adobe Photoshop Only)

  • In the Layers panel, click on the shape layer to make sure it’s active.
  • Get the Direct Selection tool.
  • On the document, click inside the shape to show the anchor points.
  • Click and drag the points of the star to create a whimsical look.
  • If you find a point that isn’t connected, press Ctrl Z (Mac: Cmd Z) and adjust the other points instead.
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Learn More

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Find out more about the Little Known Secrets class.