Two ways to a Starburst

posted by Liz

I'm embarrassed to say that I never explored the custom shapes tool until a few weeks ago because I assumed it was mostly clipart. So, if you're like me, you may not know that there is a default starburst shape in there.

Go to the Custom Shape Tool (under the Rectangle Tool) and then look at the top menu bar to see what shape is currently selected. If you're at the default shape, it's an arrow. Click on it to open the box of shapes and click again on the arrow to the right inside the box for more options. Select the "symbols" group and scroll down just a bit to see this shape (selected in red):



Choose it and then click and drag it past the edges of your document so the lines appear to extend forever.



However, doing it this way, while easy, means that yours looks the same as everyone else's. So if you're not in a rush, here's how to make a custom version:

1. Create a slightly bigger document than the one you are working in. (To ensure that the outer edges of your starburst extend past the border of your current workspace.)

2. Draw a series of rectangles from top to bottom, spacing them evenly. Here, my background is black and I've draw white rectangles. (Generally with starbursts, you'll draw them in white or black and lower the opacity to blend it into your file.)

Make sure you start all the way to either the left or right with the first one and leave a space on the opposite side. Otherwise, your two outside pieces will end up touching once you apply the filter. Play with the width and number of rectangles to achieve different looks.



3. Select all of your rectangle layers and press Command+E or go to either the Layer menu or the flyaway menu in the layers palette and select Merge Layers.

4. Go to Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates. It should be set at 100% and Rectangular to Polar. You've got a starburst!

5. Drag it back onto your file (don't forget to lower the opacity - mine's at 10%) and see how you've made a starburst that caters to your design needs. In my opinion, this second one looks a little less vintage. It's all in the fine tuning.