How to Create a Jagged Line in Photoshop
Whether you're a seasoned photographer, artist or graphic designer or you've just been introduced to digital doodling, graphics software can open up a world of artwork possibilities. Photoshop, part of the Adobe Creative Suite, provides a whole palette of tools, filters and colors to use to edit and enhance your photographs and images. You can also use Photoshop for the simplest of tasks, such as drawing jagged lines.
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Instructions
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Create a new Photoshop file by clicking "File," then "New." Name your file "JaggedLine" and set your desired dimensions, such as 5 inches by 5 inches. Pull down the "Mode" menu and select "CMYK Color" and click the "Transparent" option under Contents, then click the "OK" button.
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Double-click the top left square in the "Color Picker," which is the two overlapping colored squares in the Tools palette on the left side of the screen. Choose a color for the line and click the "OK" button.
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Click the "Shape" tool on the Tools palette. This may look like a hollow rectangle, hollow circle, line or solid star; the shapes share the same icon space. Right-click any of these shapes and select "Line Tool." Notice the new toolbar at the top of the screen.
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Type the preferred line thickness into the "Weight" box. Note: The thicker your line, the more obvious the jagged edges will be.
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Position your cursor in the "JaggedLine" box and draw the line.
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(Optional) Click the "Magnifying Glass" tool to zoom in and see the jagged edges of the line.
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Save the file by clicking "Save As," then choosing "GIF" from the Format drop down menu. GIF is the only format that allows for transparent backgrounds, so you can use your line on any color, design or patterned backdrop.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't need your line to have a transparent background (i.e., if it's only going to be used on a white background), you can save the file as any preferred format. When you set up the new file, click the "White" button under the Contents menu instead of the "Transparent" option.
