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If you often work on making logos, one of the most common elements you may come across is bending objects and/or text around a shape, like a circle or oval. While this is a classic look found in many designs, it can be hard to accomplish if you don’t know what to do. So, you might be wondering, how exactly do you bend an image around a shape?
An image can be bent around a circle in Photoshop with the use of the Warp command in the Edit menu. If you would only like to warp part of the image, the Lasso tool can be used to hone in on that exact area.
Adobe Photoshop offers a plethora of tools and features that open the door to just about anything you can think of in terms of design. However, you first need to know how to use them. This quick guide will walk you through the easiest way to bend an image around a circle in Photoshop.
How to Bend an Image Around a Circle in Photoshop
While there are many ways to achieve something in Photoshop, the easiest way to bend an image around a circle is to use the warp command. This is a transforming effect that lets you drag the control points of an object or image to manipulate its shape.
Below are the exact steps you’ll want to follow to bend your image with this method.
Draw a Circle
The first thing you’ll want to do is create a document with the shape you would like to bend your image around. In this case, a circle.
To create a circle:
- Grab the Ellipse Tool from the toolbar
- Click and drag over the canvas while holding the Shift key
- Holding down Shift locks the aspect ratio of the tool so you can create a perfect circle and not an oval.
- Once the circle is drawn, it can be resized at any time from the Options bar
You can also move the circle to any place on the canvas by selecting the Move Tool and dragging it to where you want it to be.
Open Your Image in Photoshop
Next, you’ll need to open your image in Photoshop.
To do this:
- Click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen
- Select Open
- Locate the file that you wish to bend
- Click Open
- Now, drag the image onto the canvas with the shape you’ve just created
Photoshop will create a new layer for the image, which will appear in the Layers panel.
Bend the Image With Transform Warp
To bend the image around the circle, with the image layer selected, navigate to the Edit tab in the menu bar and select Transform, then Warp. You should see a dotted box appear around the image. These dots are called control points.
To shape your warped image:
- Click the Warp pop-up on the options toolbar
- A list of Warp presets will then appear
- Select the preset that best fits your circle
- In this case, the Bulge and Inflate options are your best bets for wrapping around a circle
You can also manipulate the image by dragging the control points to where you want them to be. When you are done, press Enter to lock in your changes.
How to Warp Part of an Image
Another bending option you might want to consider is only warping a section of an image.
This can be done with the help of the Lasso Tool:
- Before selecting the Warp command, grab the Lasso Tool from the toolbar and highlight the area you would like to bend
- Activate the warp effect from the Edit tab
The control points should be confined to a much smaller area, allowing for more precision over how you bend your image.
Warping Text Around a Circle
If you would like to warp text around a circle, you’re going to need to follow a bit of a different approach.
However, the concept is still the same.
- Type out the text you would like to bend
- Position it near your circle
- Select the Warp Text command from the option bar
- Select the preset that best fits your shape. Depending on where you want your text to sit in the circle, the Arc or Bulge options are the best choices.
Once you’re done, simply hit OK.
Final Thoughts
You should now be able to confidently bend images around a circle. Warping images and text is a fun and easy way to add life to an otherwise bland design. Just remember to choose the right shape when using presets and make simple adjustments if needed.
