How to quickly draw a straight and beautiful line in Photoshop. How to Draw a Straight Line in Photoshop

  • 29.04.2019

Of course, one of the simplest and most frequently used elements in drawing is the line. Adobe program Photoshop is no exception. Especially if you plan to seriously study the field of website design.

One of the advantages of the Photoshop program is the interchangeability of actions. You can achieve the same result with many different different ways. Now we will study several options for command sequences with which we can make a line in Photoshop.

Let's start by creating a new document. A document size of 1000 by 1000 pixels is quite suitable for us. Detailed description Creating a new document in Photoshop can be found here.

Let's start with the line tool. We will find it on the tank panel.

Now let's set the characteristics of our future line.

Let's set the line thickness. I decided that a thickness of 4 pixels would suit me. If you wish, you can choose its style. I'll make do with the simplest ones.


Let's decide on the color. You will also find the primary color selection icon on the sidebar. By clicking, a window for choosing a color is called up.


Well, that's it now! Let's draw. Click on the work area and draw a line with the mouse.


Now our line is a smart object. You can turn it into a regular layer in the layers window using the “rasterize layer” command.


The line is ready. As you can see, drawing a straight line in Photoshop is very easy. We've sorted it out elementary method, which, despite its convenience, has a number of limitations. Let's take the second one apart and draw a line using the pen tool.

It should be noted that in this case it is worth changing the settings of the brush or pencil to suitable ones in advance, because your line will repeat these outlines. Therefore, let's set up the pencil tool together. Select it in the sidebar. And click on the work area.


Set the following pencil settings. How to choose a color is mentioned above.


In the sidebar, look for the pen tool.


We make two clicks on the work area. It should be noted that if you want to make the line smooth and strictly horizontal or vertical, hold down the shift key while clicking.


Click on the line with the left key. In the drop-down list, select the “outline outline” command.


We trace the outline and click again with the left mouse button. Select the “delete contour” command.



So, the line is ready! In just five minutes we learned two ways to draw straight line in Photoshop.

IN Adobe Photoshop There are a huge number of built-in functions that can be used to create various objects, retouch photos and more. A novice user who has just begun to comprehend the basics of this program would do well to consider the problem of how to draw a straight line in Photoshop. And those who have been in this environment for a long time may be interested in remembering the basic ways of drawing a straight line. One method or another will be useful in individual cases.

How to draw a straight line in Photoshop?

There are many ways and techniques for drawing various lines and elements. But before you draw a straight line in Photoshop, you need to keep in mind that there are three main and quick ways line images: Brush, Pen, and Line tools. Despite their simplicity, it can be assumed that everyone has their own drawing technique and each user chooses the tool himself, guided by his preferences and the task that faces him.

Brush tool

The simplest and most understandable method is drawing using the Pencil and Brush tools in Photoshop. It is worth keeping in mind that these tools draw, and do not create some kind of object, so the image of the lines will be on the selected layer itself. You can avoid this situation and draw the line on a separately created layer. In this case, you can edit the brush mark without restrictions without harming other layers.

To draw a line, just select the Brush or Pencil tool. Then click on the left mouse button and use the cursor to set the direction of the line. In addition, you can use the right mouse button to open an auxiliary window with settings, where you can select the type of brush, determine the hardness and shape of the tip.

A straight line can be drawn using the tool in question using the method of multiple magnifications of the image. The closer the image is, the more chances draw a more or less straight line by hand. A perfectly straight line can be created by holding down the Shift key and using the same Brush/Pencil tool. Having activated the desired tool, hold down the left mouse button and the Shift key - we observe the construction of a straight line, controlled by the cursor.

Line tool

There is another way to draw a straight line using the Line Tool in Photoshop. The quick access panel includes a block that combines a number of geometric tools, including the one in question. The created lines will be distributed into new layers, which will be formed automatically after constructing a straight line.

Before drawing a straight line in Photoshop, you need to select the tool of the same name and click on the left mouse button at the point where the beginning of this element will be. To complete the construction, you need to click on the LMB again.

The convenience of this method is that lines can be combined into a common layer and provide full editing of a group of constructed elements. The merged layer, after finishing work on it, can be rasterized, but it will no longer be possible to work with the merged elements in vector graphics format. You can format a rasterized layer in the same way as others. Another advantage is the fact that you can edit the lines themselves without losing quality. The vector line editing menu is located at the top of the program - its header. Here you can set the line color, its outline, shape and thickness.

Pen tool

A universal tool for creating shapes of varying complexity. Using this function and the method of repeatedly enlarging the image, you can select hard-to-reach areas in the image in a new shape. So, for example, you can draw both straight lines in Photoshop and curves. Mastering this tool is extremely important - it is used everywhere in many creative works, when it is necessary to cut out an image or create a new graphic interpretation.

How the Brush and Pen Tools Work Together

Using a pen, you can easily draw a straight line in Photoshop. To do this, you must first select the "Brush" tool, where using the right mouse button, a dialog box opens and the desired hardness, size and color of the future line are entered. Now you should activate the Pen tool in the quick access panel (in addition to the regular pen, there are other types of the Pen tool in the block, but we won’t need them). Place the first anchor point in the place where the beginning of the line should be. Then we put another point - the end of the line.

The Pen tool does not create a work object, but only a path. In order for the user to turn the path into a real object, he needs to stroke the path. The Paths panel is located by default in the lower right corner, where layers are usually located. In this window, select the "Contour" tab, where you can see our work contour. Right-click on the outline and select "Stroke Outline". In the Photoshop window that appears, the brush is in the box by default - you don’t need to change anything, just confirm the action.

The Photoshop graphics editor is rightly considered a fairly complex program. He has a large number of tools, and therefore is able to perform many tasks. Well, in order to understand all its nuances, you need to make every effort, spend a lot of time and, of course, have a great desire, otherwise nothing will work out.

Of course, not all teams are within the capabilities of a beginner, for example, but this is only at first. But you have to start somewhere! I suggest starting with a simple, but at the same time very necessary lesson: how to draw a straight line in Photoshop. So, let's figure it out.

Brush and Pencil tools

There are several ways to draw a regular straight line in Photoshop, it all depends solely on the user’s preferences. By the way, this is also possible in several ways. To begin with, I would like to introduce you to the tools that are not the most obvious for these purposes: “Brush” and “Pencil”.

Please note that if you hold down the key before drawing, the line will not turn out strictly straight, so do not forget to perform this simple action.

Line Tool

This method of creating a straight line is perhaps very obvious and lies on the surface, and, nevertheless, beginners may not know about it. The point is that this tool is part of a group of others called by the U button on the keyboard. You can also call it manually; to do this, on the vertical Panel, click on the “Rectangle” button with the right mouse button.

A small menu will appear with a list of possible tools, including the one we need – “Line”. Click on it, then adjust the header with customizable parameters, for example, you can adjust the line thickness. Now let's start drawing: to do this, just drag to the side while holding its left button. If you press in parallel, you will get a vertical or horizontal line. Also, if you hold down the same key and drag a line along an inclined line, the line will accordingly be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees.

That's all science, as you can see, absolutely nothing complicated! Patience, a little practice, and you will succeed.

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Good day, dear readers of my blog. It would seem, what does it cost to draw a straight line in Photoshop? Hold down Shift and there you go. Nevertheless, this can be done in as many as three ways. Everyone's result will be different.

In this article you will learn three ways to draw a straight line in Photoshop. Which filter to use to create a wave. How to do this with the help of another interesting instrument. I'll show you how to achieve a dotted line and draw at a certain angle.

A lot of information awaits you. Shall we get started?

Line Tool

First, I'll show you how to use a tool that is designed to create straight lines. In this place you can have a rectangle, oval, ellipse or polygon. Just hold down the left mouse button for a few seconds to open a menu with additional tools.

First things first. One of the most important parameters is thickness. Thanks to the line, you can even draw rectangles. You just need to make it fatter.

Next comes “Fill” and “Stroke”. Click on the color block to the left of the inscriptions and select a shade. If you want to make a stroke, enter its width. Now, my screenshot shows the option without it. The missing color icon looks like this. Gray line crossed out in red.

You can see the settings and the result in this screenshot. It's not very visible, but the thickness here is 30 pixels. On big picture 30 pixels may look like a modest stripe. Everything needs to be adjusted to your own dimensions.

This is what the line will look like if you select red for the stroke color.

The next button will allow you to create a dotted stroke.

If you reduce the thickness and remove the fill, you will just get a dotted line.

Here you can align the stroke to the inner edge, outer edge, or center of your outline.

And round the corners. True, it will not be so noticeable.

If you press Shift while you are drawing a line, Photoshop will automatically create a straight line. Horizontal or vertical. Depending on where you are taking her.

If you need a line at a certain angle, then the easiest way is to look at what the information window shows and adjust it manually, pointing it in a certain direction.

Well, now I’ll show you another one.

Brush Tool

I drew these rectangles using lines drawn with a brush.

Choose the type and size that suits your brush line.

Place a dot at the expected beginning of the line, hold Shift and left-click where the strip should end.

There are two lines in front of you. The yellow one was painted using the Line tool, and the purple one was painted with a brush.

How to make a wave

No matter what tool you use, the easiest way to create a wavy line is to use a filter. Go to this category, find “Distortion” and select “Wave”.

Based on the preview picture, you will quickly understand what's what and how to set it up. The amplitude should be approximately the same. If it doesn’t work, you can just click on “Randomize” until a suitable one appears.

The last applied filter is always quickly accessible. I apply it to the layer with the yellow stripe drawn with the tool.

This is the result I got. As you can see, it is different.

Pen Tool

To be honest, I still can’t use a pen professionally. I know that you can draw anything with it: smoothly, quickly, fun and cool, but it takes me a lot of time and the result is not always at the level I expected. And yet I can even draw straight lines with a pen. It's worse with curves, but I'll try. I choose “Feather”.

I put a dot, then a second one. While I haven't released the mouse button, I adjust the smoothness.

I do the same thing with each new point.

After all the manipulations are completed, right-click and select “Stroke outline” from the menu that appears.

You can choose several tools: pencil, brush, stamp, pattern, and so on. Now let this one be a brush.

I press the right mouse button again and select “Delete outline”.

This is the result I got.

Well, don’t forget that you can always use your collage making skills. Read the article about how to take a line from any picture and insert it into your image.

If you want to learn how to professionally use the pen and other tools found in Photoshop. I can offer you a course " Photoshop for beginners in video format ».

Lessons created by professionals will teach you everything you need to know about this program. You will save a lot of time searching for answers to this or that question. Ideas will spontaneously appear in your head on how to complete the task.


By the way, do you know how to make sure that you always have interesting needs related to Photoshop? This may take your relationship with this program to the level of new level. All you need is to be passionate about web design. People of this profession never sit idle. There are always clients, projects and new tasks.

There is a job for everyone, and you can do what you really like and bring good money. Read the article about or. Stop inventing tasks for yourself, let someone else pay money for your time.

Don't know where to start? Take the course Commercial Web Design Basics " Try a few free lessons, this will help you understand yourself and understand whether you are ready to explore new horizons.


An online course with the support of the author is a reliable investment in your future profession.

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