How do you create outlines of shapes in PS?

[swiss]

Here's an example:

https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...chmentid=89487

Around the coastlines there are probably 3 white outlines that follow the coast, decreasing in transparency as they get farther away from the coast. How do you do that in PS? I thought it was stroke, but that just makes an outline ON the coastline, not outside of it

[Pixie]

I don't know if this is how those were made, but I would use a selection and expand it.

Here's how I would do, in detail:
1. make a selection encompassing all land
2. then, selection -> modify -> expand (the number of pixels depends on your map)
3. and again, selection -> modify -> border (2 or 3 pixels, or more, depending on the size of the map)

You will end up with a selection a few pixels wide, a few pixels away from your land mass. You can fill it with a color and then play around with effects and filters.

[swiss]

Nice, that's the feature I was looking for. But how do I make that selection a line? I follow those steps and it's just that blinking dotted gray line indicating it's selected, but how do I make it a black line for instance? I can fill it but that's not exactly what I want because that fills the whole section. I just want to make outlines

[Chashio]

If you fill the selection with the fill tool on a new layer, add a stroke in layer effects, and reduce the layer fill [found next to layer opacity] that should leave a stroked line around the selected portion and make the rest transparent. Then you can increase your selection size and do it again. Adjust the layer opacity to make the lines fade further from land. When you have as many lines as you want, you can merge the layers together into one to reduce file size or just collect them into a group to tidy things up.

Here's another, similar way to do it...
https://www.cartographersguild.com/s...l=1#post211921

[swiss]

I can't find layer fill. Next to layer opacity the only thing I have is that dropdown for 'Normal, Dissolve, Darken, etc.'

I'm in PS Elements 14

[Chashio]

I can't find layer fill. Next to layer opacity the only thing I have is that dropdown for 'Normal, Dissolve, Darken, etc.'

I'm in PS Elements 14

Ah, well then it looks like you don't have it, sorry. I'm not sure what the exact differences are between our versions so... Um... then just go with Pixie's suggestion and after step 3, use the fill tool to fill in the selection to create the line. Then repeat with a wider selection.

[Chashio]

Did you figure it out, swiss? I can make a visual walk-through if you want.

[DanielHasenbos]

Hey swiss, this is the way I usually do it.

Step 1: Make a selection of the Land layer (cmd/ctrl+left click layer thumbnail)

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.29.39.png

Step 2: Select > Modify > Expand... For this example I filled it 10px, but you can fill in any number you like.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.29.47.png

Step 3: Select > Modify > Smooth... Again used 10 for this example, but you can use whatever you need to get rid of the angular corners of the selection.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.29.58.png

Step 4: Edit > Stroke...

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.30.08.png

Step 5: choose how think you want the stroke to be. I set it to 2px, 100% opacity.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.30.27.png

Step 6: Now you have the stroke added. if you want more, just repeat the past steps until you're satisfied.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-21 om 17.32.55.png


I hope this is any help (:

[swiss]

Thanks guys!

Daniel - I followed those steps exactly and everything worked except I got an outer AND inner outline. Just trying for the outer outline like you did. What did I do wrong?

To be specific, it was Step 2. When I expand it, it expands outwards and inwards and gives me 2 lines (not counting my original lines). So when I add a stroke, it adds the stroke for both lines

[kacey]

It sounds like you selected the actual outline instead of the mass inside of the outline, this has happened to me many times. Make sure there are absolutely no breaks or tiny gaps in you're line before you try and get a selection out of it otherwise it will happen again.

Edit... ctrl clicking the layer thumbnail will select all the pixels in the layer...If all you have in that layer is an outline it will select the outline, for that method of selection to work the entire land mass needs to be filled in a solid colour. Allot of people have a land, sea mask set up with two colours just for this reason, but if all you have is an outline you might be better off just using the magic wand to select inside of it.