The Rectangle tool is one of the six Shape tools that are included in Photoshop. As its name implies, the Rectangle tool makes rectangles. The question is: What sorts of rectangles does it make?
Types of Rectangle Outputs
Vector Shapes: These can be drawn to any size and can be scaled. Their edges always look sharp.
Paths: In this setting, Photoshop creates just an outline of a rectangle.
Pixel-based Shapes: Since photos are composed of pixels, Photoshop is primarily a pixel-based editor.
With two positioning options, you can ensure that your rectangle is placed just where you want it. The default setting for the tool starts the drawing of the rectangle at your first cursor click. The rectangle extends both horizontally and vertically from there. Another setting available with this tool allows you to draw an exact square.
Getting Started: Setup and Workspace
Contents Setting up your Workspace - If you worked through the previous lesson on using the type tool, you will know how to open a new document with the A4 preset. This canvas size is useful if you want to print out your work to record your progress.
For this exercise, you are going to use the rectangle tool to create lots of shapes which will then need to be organised in the layers panel and modified in the properties panel. Clear your workspace by closing some of the unnecessary groups and tabs. Leave the layers panel open on the screen.
Selecting and Drawing the Rectangle
The toolbar should still be docked on the left of your screen. The rectangle tool is located at the bottom of this panel. Remember, if you can’t see the icon, right click on the button to bring up the related tools. The rectangle tool should now be available.
Hover your cursor over your document. Click and hold the left mouse button. Now, drag the mouse to draw a rectangle. Try this movement a few times to get used to the process.
Immediately after you draw the rectangle, you should see the on-canvas controls around the shape’s path. In the example below, look closely at the eight boxes positioned on the rectangle’s corners and in the middle of the lines. The shape’s path is in blue.
Hover your mouse over one of these areas and the cursor will change. You can now hold down the left mouse button and resize the height and width of the rectangle. It is also possible to round the corners of the rectangle by moving the circle icons inside the shape.
Draw lots and lots of rectangles. You can always close the file and practise opening a new document. Top tip: hold the shift button down when you are resizing the rectangle and the shape will maintain the ratio between the width and height.
Importantly, if you want to simply move the rectangle to another part of the canvas, press v on your keyboard to activate the move tool. You can then use your mouse to reposition the rectangle.
Understanding the Properties Panel
When you were drawing the shapes, you may have noticed the properties panel automatically appears on the screen. This panel offers a range of options to modify the layer. The W and H values define the width and height of the rectangle. The X and Y are coordinates that locate the shape on the page. The fill is pink and there is an unfashionable 1px black stroke running around the edge of the rectangle.
Photoshop usually applies this stroke as part of its default settings. Make sure you change it by choosing the no colour icon. The final section of the properties panel focuses on rounding the corners of the rectangle. You can modify the radius of each corner separately but the values have been linked in this example. You can also change the colour of the rectangle or add a stroke from the options bar at the top of the screen.
Shape Options Bar and Transforming
Have fun drawing more rectangles and mess around with their fill colours. Create some weird and wonderful shapes on the canvas. Rotate the Rectangle - hover the mouse over one of the corners of the rectangle until a curved arrow icon appears. By pressing and holding your left mouse button, you will now be able to rotate the shape. Again, test your skills by changing the angle of your rectangles. If you use Photoshop’s transform feature, you can add a precise value into the angle field in the options bar. The shortcut for transform is Control+t (Windows) or Command+t (MacOS).
Practical Tasks to Practice
Task One - Using the skills you have developed so far in this tutorial, open a new document in Photoshop and create three rectangles for each of two flags (for example, French and Irish). For each flag, create three rectangles. Try duplicating the layers. This is a good way to keep the same dimensions of each shape.
Task Two - For this exercise, you are going to use Photoshop to draw a Union Jack, one of the best known flags in the world. This task is a little more challenging because you will have to rotate the rectangles and make sure each shape is in the right order in the layers panel.
Task Three - Piet Mondrian is probably most famous for his grid-based paintings. With your knowledge of the rectangle tool, you should be able to reproduce the black lines, white squares and primary colours which are typical of the artist’s work.
Applications: Why Rectangles Matter
Solid-coloured rectangles are really useful when they are placed behind text to make the writing stand out on the page. They can help draw attention to infographics or add an interesting dynamic to a photograph.
Another common use is creating outlines or frames around important elements without introducing complex vector shapes. The rectangle tool’s straightforward handling makes it ideal for quick mockups, GUI elements, and layout blocks.
Common Questions and Tips
Answered examples you may encounter in practice include how to create a transparent rectangle with a colored border or how to adjust borders without affecting the fill. A practical approach is to create a new blank layer, use the rectangular marquee tool to outline a rectangle, and then apply stroke or fill as needed. There is no fill in the outlined path by default if you prefer strokes only.
Master the Rectangle Tool: 2 Easy Ways to Enhance Videos!
Dress rehearsals with grids and Mondrian-inspired layouts will help you internalize how to position multiple rectangles precisely in relation to one another, especially when working with layers and alignment guides.