"Contracting" my selection in a "letter" creates rounded inner points?

TW
Posted By
Tom_Walace
Jul 21, 2006
Views
380
Replies
7
Status
Closed
Hi,

Often I will selected a vector path of a "word" and then contract that selection to fill with a color….

but when I "contract" the selection, the inner pointed areas of the letter "N" for instance, become rounded off.

I would like to keep "pointy" inner letter areas sharp when making a *contract* selection….

How can I achieve this….does this make sense? Thanks.
Related Tags
create letter point round select

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

DH
Darrel_Hoffman
Jul 21, 2006
Could you instead start with the text at the smaller size and use the Stroke layer effect to draw the line around them? Not sure if this is what you’re trying to do or not.
P
Phosphor
Jul 21, 2006
Let me back up and ask you this:

Do you have Illustrator?

If so, your best option would be to use the "Offset Path" commands to manipulate the paths, staying out of the realm of "marching ants" raster-based selections for as long as you want to mess with the outlines.

Contracting, expanding or stroking raster-based selections will never give you that sharp precision you’re after.
EH
Ed_Hannigan
Jul 21, 2006
Transform.

Don’t make a selection. Transform the vector path.
P
Phosphor
Jul 21, 2006
The problem is, though, Transform won’t do the same thing as Illustrator’s "Offset path…"

That is, if I’m correctly imagining what Tom wants to do.
EH
Ed_Hannigan
Jul 21, 2006
You’re right. There may not be a way to do this in Photoshop.

Hmm. Gotta cogitate on it.
TW
Tom_Walace
Jul 22, 2006
Hi guys…yes, I want the sharp point and I do have illustrator. Hoping I didn’t have to creat multiple inlines or outlines in illy to be able to do what I want in Photoshop <lazy?>

I thought there might be a trick to get the expand to keep following the sharp point of the selected vector path.

Thanks guys…if you think of anything…please put it up and I’ll check it out. Thanks again.
P
Phosphor
Jul 22, 2006
If you have Illustrator, do it there; It’s not that difficult. There’s no easy way to do what you want in Photoshop.

How to Improve Photoshop Performance

Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections