How to Make a Line in Photoshop

As a real estate photographer, you might want to add lines to your photos to draw the viewer’s attention to the most important design features of the property. Learning how to make a line in Photoshop can help you add these lines during the photo retouching phase.

How to Make a Line in Photoshop

Lines are a fundamental element in a design, and you can draw lines for various reasons, such as creating borders or drawing real estate illustrations. You can also use lines to emphasize important elements in a real estate design.

For instance, a thicker line can draw attention to a particular design section, while a dotted line can indicate motion or movement. The following tools are the common tools and methods you can use to make lines in Photoshop.

Pen Tool

A Pen Tool is a tool in Photoshop that contains different modes that can help you to create objects on your images, such as the Path, Shape, and Pixel. This tool allows you to create curved and straight lines. Pick the Photoshop Pen Tool from the Tools panel that is located on the left of the interface.

Another quick way to pick the Pen tool is to press the P key on your keyboard. After enabling this tool, the cursor will appear as an arrow with a small circle symbol. On the canvas area, click the part where you want your line to start. Alternatively, press Cmd +Opt + P on Mac or Ctrl + Alt + P on Windows.

Drag the cursor outwards from the starting point of your line to the area where you want the line to end, then release the mouse button. If unsatisfied with the line, click and adjust the anchor points. Once satisfied, select File and click on Save As to save your file.

Brush Tool

The Brush Tool is a versatile tool you can use to create digital art, painting, and drawing. Open Photoshop and create a new document or an existing file if you want to add a line. Select the Brush tool from the left side of the screen, usually indicated by an icon shaped like a paintbrush.

A small window will appear, which gives you options on the size of the brush you want. You can also change the desired color of the line from the color picker option. Click and hold the mouse button from the point you want to start drawing your line.

Extend the line and vary the direction, and then release the mouse button once you get the desired length of the line. You can also adjust the thickness of the line by changing the settings from the Options bar at the top of the computer screen.

Path Selection Tool

The Path Selection Tool is a tool to select and manipulate vector and path shapes. The tool also allows you to position individual anchor points and segments, which makes it suitable for making complex shapes, lines, and designs.

However, you might not get a perfect line using the Path Selection Tool alone. Therefore, you might need to use it in conjunction with other tools, such as the brush tool and the Direction Selection Tool, for a better result.

1. Select the Path Tool that is located on the left-hand side of your computer screen, which appears as a black arrowhead with a dotted line next to it.
2. On your document, click the mouse button and drag the tool to create a path. If you need to create a straight line, you can use the Shift key while dragging.
3. Using the Direct Selection Tool, you can customize the line by clicking and dragging the anchor points. Use the pen tool to add or delete anchor points.
4. To make the line visible, you can use the Brush tool from the toolbar. Choose your desired size and color from the Brush option.
5. Select File and click on Save As and choose a format such as PNG to save your document

Line Tool

A Line Tool is an essential tool in Photoshop that is designed to help you create lines, curves, and shapes. As the name suggests, this might be the most straightforward tool to draw lines, especially if you are a beginner.

Select the Line Tool from the Photoshop toolbar located on the left side of the computer screen. The Line Tool appears as a diagonal line symbol. From the area you want to start the line, click and drag the cursor to the desired length and then release the mouse button to draw the line.

Using the Stroke option in the toolbar, adjust the thickness, color, and style of the line to meet your needs. Select File and click on Save As to save the edited document.

Shape Tool

The Shape Tool is a common tool in Photoshop that is used for creating vector shapes such as circles, polygons, rectangles, lines, and custom shapes. You can also use the tool to adjust the stroke options, such as the opacity, thickness, and color of your shapes.

If you want to create a line that looks more like a shape, this might be the best tool. Keep in mind that you will be working with a line that shares the properties of shapes, which can give you limitations on how you can manipulate it.

1. Open your document and select the Shape Tool from the toolbar located on the left-hand side of the screen. The Shape Tool appears rectangular, ellipse, or custom shape icon.
2. Choose the Line shape mode you want your line to have in the Options Bar at the top of the screen. You can also choose the thickness and color for your line.
3. To create a straight line on your canvas area, click and drag by holding the down the Shift key on the keyboard and then release the mouse button to create a line shape on your document
4. Since the line will have the properties of vector shapes, you can use the Move Tool to reposition it or resize it to blend with other shapes you might be using in the design

Related Questions

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to make a line in Photoshop can help you draw illustrations to showcase the design features of a real estate property. Photoshop is versatile, and you can use a wide range of tools such as the pen tool, brush tool, path tool, and line tool to draw lines.