Quick Tip: How to Rotate Objects Better in Photoshop

If you've ever needed to rotate a vector shape around a specific point in Photoshop, but found that it kept resetting to the center of the shape, then this quick tip will show you how to trick Photoshop into doing what you want.

The Easy Way

The simplest way to control the rotation point of an object in Photoshop is to move the anchor point. When you enter transform mode, you should see the anchor point in the center of the bounding box, to move it simply click and drag with the mouse to a new position. Tip: you can improve the accuracy of it's placement by drawing 2 guides beforehand that intersect at the point that you want to rotate around. The problem with this method? As soon as you do anything else, Photoshop will forget the anchor point's position and reset to default. As there is currently no way to permanently set a new anchor point we have to get a little creative and trick Photoshop.

How to Fool Photoshop

Photoshop will always use the center point of the object as the default rotation anchor point, so all we need to do is manipulate our shape to make the center of the object the point we want it to rotate around. To do this, draw a circle starting from the desired rotation point to the outer edge of the object, whilst holding down the ALT and SHIFT keys to constrain proportions. Then combine this circle with the shape layer that you want to rotate. Now duplicate the circle and set the path to Subtract Front Shape, this will make our circle invisible. But we still want the original shape to be visible, so select it and choose Bring Shape To Front in the path arrangement dropdown to make it visible again. And we are left with what looks exactly like the original object, except with an invisible circle behind it manipulating the overall dimensions of the layer and consequently also the rotation anchor point. Which in this example, is now in the center of the clock face where we want it to be. And Photoshop won't forget it this time!

Conclusion

This quick tip goes to show that just because Photoshop may not always work exactly the way you want it to, it can often be 'tricked' into doing just about anything you need it to.