Centering a layer in photoshop is necessary for many editing tasks. Especially if you are using photoshop to edit or create visual content for your purpose, it is important to know how to center a layer in photoshop.
You need to perfectly align layers, images, and texts in photoshop to get the best result for your final image because it will create a distraction and make the image look unprofessional.
To help you regarding this, the below discussion will show you two ways to center a layer in photoshop.
Let’s jump into it:
How to Center a Layer in Photoshop Using Move Tools?
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Centering a layer in Photoshop is an easy task though. But with the right technique, you may save time searching for ways to do this, as there is no one-click option to center a layer in Photoshop.
Click on a layer in the layers panel, then press Ctrl A (Mac: Command A) to “Select All,” then select the Move tool and click the “Align vertical centers” and “Align horizontal centers” icons in the Options bar to precisely center it.
However, photoshop has tools to achieve the perfect center alignment. One of the best methods to do this is using the ‘Move’ tool. Move tool is so helpful for moving anything in your artboard. Using the move tool, you can move layers and elements in your image.
Let’s see how you can center a layer in Photoshop using the move tool:
Step – 1: Open Photoshop and Create a New ArtBoard
First, make sure you have photoshop open in your window. With photoshop opened, you need to create a new artboard to see how things work. Click on ‘Create New’ and then ‘Create.’ It will take to a white artboard in the photoshop window.
Step – 2: Open an Image
We are using an image layer centered on the new artboard. However, you can use a logo with a transparent background instead of a white artboard.
If you dont know how to create a transparent artboard in Photoshop, you can follow this:
- With a white artboard opened in the window, select the move tool and choose ‘Artboard tool.’
- Choose the option ‘Transparent’ from the above menubar
- Go to the left layer panel and select the artboard, in the above, you can see artboard color option from where you need to select ‘Transparent’
However, if you are okay with white background, you need to open an image in the artboard to proceed the next. Go to ‘File’ in the above menubar > click to ‘Open’ > navigate to the image file and click on it.
Step – 3: Center the Image
Now that you have opened the image in Photoshop, you next must select the ‘Move tool’ from the left toolbar. It will allow you to move the image anywhere on the artboard freely.
To move the image, you will need to select the image layer from the layer panel. If you want to move other element, just select the layer that holds the element and move it while the move tool is selected.
When you start moving the image, you will notice vertical and horizontal guidelines on the artboard that will let you know the accuracy of the image position.
Follow the guidelines while keeping the image at the center of the artboard. Once you find the actual center position to place the image, you can see that the vertical and horizontal pink guidelines are divided equally, which means your image is placed in the center of the artboard.
How to Center a Layer in Photoshop Using Alignment Tools?
Besides the move tool, you can use another technique to center a layer in Photoshop which is using the alignment option. The alignment option provides the simplest way to ensure that your artboard elements are perfectly aligned.
Here we are showing how easily you can create a shape and position it at the center of the artboard using alignment tools in Photoshop.
Step – 1: Create a New Artboard
Similar to the above method, we need to create a new artboard first. Open Photoshop > Create New > Create. It will open a new artboard in the photoshop window.
Step – 2: Create a Shape
After creating the artboard, you will need to create a new shape. To create a new shape, go to the left toolbar and choose the ‘Rectangle tool.’
Clicking the rectangle tool will show you a list of shape options such as rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon, line tool, and a custom shape tool. You can choose any of the default shapes or import custom shape from the as well.
For now, let’s click on the rectangle shape option, and you can see a new shape has appeared in the artboard.
Step – 3: Center It
You can see vertical and horizontal alignment options at the top menubar in the photoshop window. To see that, you will need to select the move tool first.
Select the shape layer, go to the above menubar, and then go to the above menubar. Click the ‘Align horizontal’ button and then click the ‘Align vertical.’ You can see the shape aligned horizontally and vertically on the artboard.
Conclusion
Alignment is an essential part of all design that needs to be maintained properly to ensure that your design looks professional. There are numerous editing techniques available in Photoshop. Some of them are simple, and some are complex.
You can use the move tool or alignment functions to easily align any shape, layer, image, or text in your artboard. The above methods are the easiest way to align elements in your design and make them look organized.
