- Set the Polygon Options to Star. Our image is an election
graphic, so naturally one feels compelled to wrap the compo-
sition in stars and stripes. Click the arrow to the left of the
Sides value in the options bar (labeled Shape geometry options
in Figure 11-29) to display the Polygon Options pop-up menu:- Select the Star check box to make the tool draw stars.
- Make sure both Smooth check boxes are turned off so the
corners are nice and sharp. - Set Indent Sides By to 50 percent to make opposite points
align with each other, as is the rule for a 5-pointed star.
- Set the Sides value to 5. This is the default value, so it’s un-
likely you’ll have to make a change. But if you do, here’s a trick:
To raise the Sides value in increments of 1, press the key. To lower
the value, press the key. Add the Shift key to change the value by 10.
This trick works for any value that occupies this space in the options bar.- Draw the first star. Press D and then X to make the foreground
color white. If you can see outlines around the numbers 2084 ,
press Enter or Return to dismiss them. Then draw the star. The
polygon tool draws from the center out, so drag from the guide
intersection marked by the yellow to the one marked by the
dark green , as in Figure 11-30. Make sure you end your drag
on the vertical guide just above the left half (not the middle) of
the 4. Photoshop matches the attributes of the 2084 layer, giv-
ing the star a white fill and a drop shadow.
Figure 11-30.Drawing and Editing Shapes 397