Line and ellipse tool not behaving correctly?

Question

I'm looking to trace out a shape in photoshop CS5 Extended using the line and ellipse tool and without using the magic wand or other selection tools. However, when I create any type of shape, it won't let me delete or erase it. I even tried deleting the layer it's on and it continues to show. Am I not doing something correctly?

Answer 1

When you select one of those tools, the very left end of the toolbar at the top of the screen will show a dropdown menu where you can choose between Shape, Path and Pixels. Shape will create a vector layer, Path will create a path, and Pixels will simply draw colored pixels onto the current layer.



Paths can be manipulated using the Path selection tool right above the Line/Ellipse/etc. tool.



You'll want Shape or Pixels.

Answer 2

You may have made Paths with the Line/Ellipse tool, which are special vector objects. By themselves, paths do nothing, and do not appear in the final image (e.g. when saved as a JPEG). You cannot remove them by deleting layers, since they are "outside" of them. They have their own Paths panel where you can interact with them.



Among other uses, Paths can be used as guides for strokes or fills (using the "Stroke Path" or "Fill Path" command), selections ("Make Selection from Path" command), as baselines for type (by clicking on them with the Type tool), or as the basis for vector masks and shapes (which are typically just a Solid Color Fill with a vector mask).



http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/editing-paths.html

Answer 3

Achieving pixel perfection when designing UI elements can be simple thanks to Photoshop's "snap to pixels" feature. Unfortunately, this feature is not available for the ellipse tool - creating crisp, pixel-perfect circles can therefore require additional attention to detail. I'm going to let you in on a little secret which will make "snap to pixels" available when creating circles.