How can I change shape of photo

[dazaremmy]

Hi Peoples

I have a normal rectangular photo.

I would like it to look like a hexigen type shape photo.

Similar to this

Here [gvcc.com.au]

Regards

Darryl

[peewhy]

I'm assuming you don't want to distort the pic into shape. Use the mask tool over the area and crop.

[Paul in South Africa]

The only way you can do it is to edit your rectangular picture in your favorite graphic editor so that the area between the edge of the shape you want and the edge of the rectange is the same colour as the background the picture is going to be displayed on. In the example you gave, although the piture looks like it is a hexagon, it is in fact a rectangle 266 x 260 pixels.

[peewhy]

Paul, if that is the only way to do it, how come a hexagon mask over the required area and cropped works perfectly well?

[bird]

You can either use the same color as the background in the area outside of the hexagon, or make the picture transparent there. The latter is probably what the "masked cropping" function of a specific image editing software does, that is mentioned in the previus post.

[dazaremmy]

Hi Paul & Peewhy,

That just went completely over my head.

I am very new to Photoshop, and I cannot find the mask tool anywhere.
I have only started classes at the University about 3 weeks ago to learn Photoshop.

Would it be possible for you to explain this a little be easier for a newbie. I am using PS7

Regards

Darryl

[cornwall]

>> how come a hexagon mask over the required area and cropped works perfectly well? <<

Cos it leaves the bit outside the hexagon as transparent if you save it as a gif.

You can alter the background in say PS to any colour you like, otherwise if you save as a jpg PS adds a default white background

[cornwall]

>>and I cannot find the mask tool anywhere.

If you go to the "tools" bar, the polygon tool is the 9th one down on th right hand side - you can get different shapes there too

[Paul in South Africa]

dazaremmy

Sorry can't help with PS. I haven't used it for ages as I use Corel almost exclusively.

peewhy

What I meant, and perhaps didn't explain myself clearly enough, is that the resulting image will always be rectangular, even if it looks like it is not due to either transparent areas or areas the same colour as the background.

[waldemar]

I would use the polygon tool and export that image as a transparent gif.

1. Insert guidelines into your image; each corner of your hexagon should be marked by the crossing of one horizontal plus one vertical guideline.
(Guidelines are dragged out of the rulers (menu View / Rulers))
2. Activate menu View / Snap (I hope this is the right translation)
3. Activate the Polygon tool (2nd toolbox icon from the top - left side; hold the mouse button down until you see the polygon tool)
4. Click on the corners of your hexagon - one after the other. (The "Snapping" helps you hitting the exact pixel.) Double click the last corner point.
5. Reverse your selection (menu Selection)
6. Click menu Help / Export transparent image...
7. Choose the 2nd option: Something like "I selected the transparent area"
8. Just follow the steps...

Et voila

[peewhy]

Ah! I see. I use Webmaster PaintShop ... very rare!
Often I will mask the area in whatever shape, Ctrl X, and Ctrl V onto a new area.

Peter

[dazaremmy]

Hi

waldemar, thanks for that information. Have done it now.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Regards

Darryl

[peewhy]

It's a pleasure - have fun!

[waldemar]

You're welcome :-)

[peewhy]

pss...waldemar, I bet he's already gone now and never saw our parting gestures :(

[waldemar]

Politeness is still a virtue :-) (going quite offtopic here :-) )