Photoshop is a versatile raster graphic software from Adobe. They seem to have thought about everything that a designer would need. Every designer at some point will need to rotate an object in their artwork. While rotation can be done by using the angles in Edit then Transform then Rotate (choose angle and direction). Sometimes the rotation just needs to be between these angles and the rotation may not be very big. Maybe you just need to rotate around an object.
How to change Point of Rotation of Objects in Photoshop
The point of rotation of an object or text is the axis or the point that anchors as it turns. You may wonder why the point of rotation is important or why you need to learn how to change the point of rotation of objects in Photoshop. This is important because the anchor point will make it easier to rotate text or other objects around a central point, you may need to rotate a text around a circle or other object to align it. knowing how to change the point or rotation will help to make this easier.
To change the rotation point of an object in Photoshop, click Ctrl + T to bring up the transform box. You will see the anchor point in the center of the object. You can click and drag this anchor point to anywhere that you want the point of rotation to be. Now let us see the aspects involved.
1] What is the Point of Rotation
The point of rotation is the point on which an object rotates. The point of rotation stays still or is anchored thus allowing the object to rotate easily. In photoshop the point of rotation helps objects and texts to rotate easily when you want them to. The point of rotation will stay anchored while you rotate the object or text. Just imagine what it would be like if you had to rotate an object or a text in your artwork but there was no anchor point.
2] Where is the Point of Rotation
The default anchor point for objects and texts is in the enter. If you want to locate the anchor point of the object, put it in transform mode by pressing Ctrl + T and you will see the crosshair in the middle of the object.
The point of rotation for a circle.
The point of rotation for a text.
If you want to rotate the object, you should do so while the transform box is around the object. To get the transform box, select the object then press Ctrl + T. You would then hover the cursor close to the edge of the transform box until the cursor turns into a bent arrow with two ends.
The cursor will turn into something like the image above. That is the rotate symbol, it shows the two directions in which the object can be rotated.
3] How to change the Point of Rotation
The default point of rotation for an object when it was just created is the center. However, if you need to change the point or rotation you can do so easily. You just select the object and then press Ctrl + T to bring up the transform box, you will then click and hold the crosshair in the middle of the object and drag it to the desired location. The point of rotation will be changed to the spot where the crosshair was placed. The point of rotation can be moved far away from the object. The point of rotation can be placed in the center of another object. This is commonly used when you want to move a text or another object in a perfectly circular path, you would create a circle and then move the point of rotation of the other object to the center of the circle. You then rotate the other object and it will rotate in a perfect circle.
In this image, the point or rotation of the word is placed in the center of the circle.
4] Resetting the Point of Rotation
You may be wondering how to reset the point of rotation to its original place. This is quite easy, to see rotate the object with the mouse you need to bring up the transform box by pressing Ctrl + T. When you are finished you would press Enter to close and commit any changes. When the transform box is closed the point of rotation is automatically reset to the center of the object.
How do you rotate at an angle in Photoshop?
To rotate at an angle in Photoshop, click on the object then go to Edit then Transform then Rotate at one of the angles listed. You can also go to Image then Image rotation, choose one of the preset angles or choose Arbitrarily.
