The Ellipse tool creates oval or circular masks that define where fills appear in your artwork.
Activating the Ellipse Tool
Access the Ellipse tool via the toolbar or navigate to Tools -> Ellipse in the main menu.
Tool shortcut: O
Using the Ellipse Tool
First, select a Layer or a fill. If you choose a fill, its Layer becomes active automatically. If nothing is selected, drawing will create a new Layer. Click and drag to create an elliptical mask, starting from your initial click point to where you release the mouse.
| mouse press | drag | release |
|---|---|---|
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Press the ⇧ (shift) key while drawing to create a perfect circle.
Smart Shape Detection
When you click on an object in your source image, the Ellipse tool will automatically detect and create an elliptical mask that covers that object:
- Click to detect a shape and replace the current mask
- ⇧ (shift) + Click to add another ellipse to the existing mask
- ⌥ (alt) + Click to subtract the detected elliptical area from the mask
Erasing
Hold the ⌥ (alt) key and drag to erase elliptical portions from the mask.
| press ⌥ and start drag | drag with pressed ⌥ | release |
|---|---|---|
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