Nice Smooth Edges

L
Posted By
Larry
Apr 18, 2005
Views
483
Replies
16
Status
Closed
I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

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T
tg416
Apr 18, 2005
In article <d40knl$dui$1$>, "oli"
wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

If I read you correctly, you’re looking for a way to create a rectangle with rounded edges. Hmmm… since I usually use something like Illustrator or QuarkXPress for something like that, the only thing I can think of for you to try is to start with an image with high density (say, 150 dpi for instance), create the rectangle, smooth the edges, fill it in, and then scale it down to the size you want it at. When you scale an image, it is automatically anti-aliased for you.

BTW, what version of Photoshop are you using? I’m still using v4.01, and so I’m probably out of touch with a better way for you to do this. Also, what is the project you’re working on. I might be able to suggest a better approach for you if you’re interested. Is this project for screen display, or for print?
N
nomail
Apr 18, 2005
oli wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
T
tg416
Apr 18, 2005
In article <1gv8e91.bxfp173c04quN%>,
(Johan W. Elzenga) wrote:

oli wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.

Apparently, that’s what he’s doing, but he’s having difficulty getting the edges to anti-alias. Speaking of which, I noticed something odd here…

I tried doing the same thing that oli is describing, and even though the anti-alias button is checked, in the info palette, for some reason, the fills don’t come out anti-aliased. I wonder if the "Smooth…" command somehow negates this property. Do later versions of Photoshop do this? I’m using version 4.01, BTW… yes, I know it’s an antique, but so is my beige G3. 😉
K
Kokoro
Apr 18, 2005
In alt.graphics.photoshop, Stephen Edwards ordered an army of hamsters to type:

In article <1gv8e91.bxfp173c04quN%>,
(Johan W. Elzenga) wrote:

oli wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.

Apparently, that’s what he’s doing, but he’s having difficulty getting the edges to anti-alias. Speaking of which, I noticed something odd here…

I tried doing the same thing that oli is describing, and even though the anti-alias button is checked, in the info palette, for some reason, the fills don’t come out anti-aliased. I wonder if the "Smooth…" command somehow negates this property. Do later versions of Photoshop do this? I’m using version 4.01, BTW… yes, I know it’s an antique, but so is my beige G3. 😉

nothing wrong with using older versions of photoshop. Some of the most amazing artworks ever spawned from photoshop came from the older versions. More creative input from the artists probably not relying on filters and gizmos so do the work instead ^_^

One solution to this aliased rounded rectangle problem would be to get rectangle selection and smooth it, then fill or stroke the selection. Then with it selected or select the layers transparency make it a path. Deselect – Then re-make that path a selection with the option to anti-alias it and then you have an anti-aliased selection. tada ^_^ Did that make sence?
T
tg416
Apr 18, 2005
In article , Kokoro
wrote:

In alt.graphics.photoshop, Stephen Edwards ordered an army of hamsters to type:

In article <1gv8e91.bxfp173c04quN%>,
(Johan W. Elzenga) wrote:

oli wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)
The only way i have found is by using 4 circle shapes on the each corner, and merging this down.. but it’s long winded and a pain in ar$e. Anyone have any tips.
Thanks very much in advance, more thanks to come if it’s a good tip.. i’m wasting hours here!

Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.

Apparently, that’s what he’s doing, but he’s having difficulty getting the edges to anti-alias. Speaking of which, I noticed something odd here…

I tried doing the same thing that oli is describing, and even though the anti-alias button is checked, in the info palette, for some reason, the fills don’t come out anti-aliased. I wonder if the "Smooth…" command somehow negates this property. Do later versions of Photoshop do this? I’m using version 4.01, BTW… yes, I know it’s an antique, but so is my beige G3. 😉

nothing wrong with using older versions of photoshop. Some of the most amazing artworks ever spawned from photoshop came from the older versions. More creative input from the artists probably not relying on filters and gizmos so do the work instead ^_^

One solution to this aliased rounded rectangle problem would be to get rectangle selection and smooth it, then fill or stroke the selection. Then with it selected or select the layers transparency make it a path. Deselect – Then re-make that path a selection with the option to anti-alias it and then you have an anti-aliased selection. tada ^_^ Did that make sence?

Yes, it did. Good idea, thanks. 🙂
T
Tacit
Apr 18, 2005
In article <d40knl$dui$1$>,
"oli" wrote:

I’m trying to create a rectange with nice smooth anti alias edges. I have tried smoothing a marquee and it’s not anti aliased (jagged edges baaad)

One way to do this:

Make a rectangular selection witht he marquee.

Enter QuickMask mode.

Blur the mask with Gaussian Blur; the more blur, the greater the radius of the rounded corners.

Use the Levels command and move the white and black sliders toward the middle. The closer they are, the less pronounced the blur and the less pronounced the antialiasing; if they touch in the middle of the histogram, there’s no antialiasing, if they’re very close but don’t touch, the effect is essentially the same as antialiasing.

Exit QuickMask mode. Viola! Nice, smooth round-cornered selection.


Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
Exit QuickMask mode. Viola! Nice, smooth round-cornered selection.

Thanks very much.. this should do it.
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
If I read you correctly, you’re looking for a way to create a rectangle with rounded edges. Hmmm… since I usually use something like Illustrator or QuarkXPress for something like that, the only thing I can think of for you to try is to start with an image with high density (say, 150 dpi for instance), create the rectangle, smooth the edges, fill it in, and then scale it down to the size you want it at. When you scale an image, it is automatically anti-aliased for you.

If the scaled down rectangle method works, it’ll be the quickest method me thinks!!

(as a side note, I found some rectangle vector shapes, these are anti aliased and scale
freely without messing anything up! it’s just a pain if you want to change the size of
the curve on the corner.)
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
One solution to this aliased rounded rectangle problem would be to get rectangle selection and smooth it, then fill or stroke the selection.
Then
with it selected or select the layers transparency make it a path. Deselect – Then re-make that path a selection with the option to
anti-alias
it and then you have an anti-aliased selection. tada ^_^ Did that
make
sence?

Thanks.. so many good ideas.
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.

Yup.. i did try this. It just leaves the corners of the rectange looking terrible.
I love my AA.
N
nomail
Apr 19, 2005
oli wrote:

Use the recangle marquee and then choose ‘Select – Modify – Smooth’.

Yup.. i did try this. It just leaves the corners of the rectange looking terrible.
I love my AA.

How about this method:

1. Make a rectanglular selection
2. Save selection
3. Deselect
4. Select the alpha channel you created in step 2
5. Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (25 pixels or so)
6. Image – Adjustments – Treshold


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
If the scaled down rectangle method works, it’ll be the quickest method me thinks!!

It didn’t.. photoshop marquee smooth does funny things when it’s done to a large rectangle.
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
How about this method:

1. Make a rectanglular selection
2. Save selection
3. Deselect
4. Select the alpha channel you created in step 2
5. Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (25 pixels or so)
6. Image – Adjustments – Treshold

Not sure i understand this method fully.
(step two just says "save selection")
N
nomail
Apr 19, 2005
oli wrote:

How about this method:

1. Make a rectanglular selection
2. Save selection
3. Deselect
4. Select the alpha channel you created in step 2
5. Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (25 pixels or so)
6. Image – Adjustments – Treshold

Not sure i understand this method fully.
(step two just says "save selection")

That’s the menu ‘Select – Save selection’, which saves your selection to an alpha channel. You can give it a name also.

At the end you will have a square with nice rounded egdes, in an alpha channel. By using ‘Select – Load Selection’ you can load a selection from this channel, and do anything with it as you normally can with a selection, suc as ‘fill’ or ‘stroke’.


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
T
Tacit
Apr 19, 2005
In article <d42thl$c8c$1$>,
"oli" wrote:

6. Image – Adjustments – Treshold

Unfortunately, this step creates a selection which is not anti-aliased.


Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
L
Larry
Apr 19, 2005
Not sure i understand this method fully.
(step two just says "save selection")

That’s the menu ‘Select – Save selection’, which saves your selection to an alpha channel. You can give it a name also.

At the end you will have a square with nice rounded egdes, in an alpha channel. By using ‘Select – Load Selection’ you can load a selection from this channel, and do anything with it as you normally can with a selection, suc as ‘fill’ or ‘stroke’.

Gotcha. COol.

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