How to Use the Ruler Tool in Photoshop

If you want everything to be calculated and aligned precisely, Photoshop's Ruler Tool is all you need. The Ruler tool allows you to measure the height, width, and distance between two objects. It helps you create precise designs and acts like a virtual measuring tape.

This tool enables you to achieve a professional look for your design by adding the right angle, precision measurements, sharpness to shapes, and straightening lines.

What is the Ruler Tool?

The Ruler tool is used to straighten lines and images, measure angles, and ensure sharp and precise design elements. It helps you measure the width, height, angle, and distance between objects. The ruler tool has multiple uses and is quite easy to handle. For example, if you have a crooked image and you want it to be straightened up. The Ruler tool makes it easy. Simply drag a straight line over the crooked area, and it's almost done.

Where to Find the Ruler Tool?

You can find the Ruler tool in the left toolbar, along with other tools such as the eyedropper tool and color sample tool. If you can't see it in the toolbar, it may be hidden behind another tool. Right-click on the tool where you know the ruler is hidden. This will lead you to the extended menu, where you can find the Ruler Tool.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift +I to activate the Ruler Tool. Since other tools are incorporated with it, you may need to press the shortcut key multiple times to switch between these tools.

Before we begin, let's look at some of the options available with the Ruler Tool. When the Ruler Tool is activated, an options bar appears at the top, just below the top toolbar.

X and Y

The first thing you'll see in the options bar is X and Y. These two indicate the position or the location. When you draw a line with the Ruler Tool, the X and Y coordinates represent the starting point of the line.

W and H

W (horizontal) and H (vertical) show the distance to the second point along the X and Y axes. This means that W indicates the distance from the x coordinate of starting point to the x coordinate of the endpoint. Likewise, H indicates the distance between the y coordinates of starting point and the y coordinate of the endpoint.

A

The A measurement shows the angle between lines. When you create an angle using the Ruler Tool, the result of the angle is displayed in the box labeled ‘A.'

L1 and L2

The L1 measurement indicates the length of the first line, representing the distance between its two ends. L2 indicates the length of the second line.

How to use the Ruler Tool in Photoshop

As mentioned earlier, the Ruler Tool has multiple uses. In this article, we will showcase four of its main uses.

We're using the following images in this tutorial. Feel free to download them from Vecteezy if you want to follow along:

• Worm's eye view of buildings
• Photo of a city skyline
• Banana illustration
• Red apple cartoon

Measuring an Angle

Step 1

Select the Ruler Tool from the left toolbar or use the shortcut key Shift +I.

Step 2

Click on the first point and drag it to the other point on the first line. Release the mouse button when you reach the last point.

Step 3

Hold down the Alt key, click on the endpoint of the first line, and drag it to your desired point where you want to measure the angle. Release the mouse button.

Measuring an Object

Step 1

Select the Ruler Tool (Shift + I) from the left toolbar.

Step 2

Click on the point from where you want to measure the distance and drag it to the other end of the object. Now release the mouse button when you reach the other point.

Step 3

The result will be displayed on the options bar in the L1 field.

Straightening an Image

Step 1

Open Photoshop and place two images side by side on the dashboard.

Step 2

From the left toolbar, select the Ruler Tool or use the shortcut key (Shift + I) to activate it.

Step 3

With the Ruler Tool activated, go to the first image and click on the starting point. drag the ruler towards the end point of the second image and release the mouse button once you reach that point.

Step 4

In the options bar of the ruler menu, click on Straighten Layer. This will straighten your image.

Straightening a Crooked Image

Step 1

Identify an element (a crooked line) that you want to straighten up.

Step 2

Select the Ruler Tool from the left toolbar or use the shortcut key to activate it.

Step 3

Once the Ruler Tool is activated, click on one end of the line and drag it toward the other end. Remember, Photoshop will work based on the line you draw here.

Step 4

Go to the Image menu on the overhead toolbar. Select Image Rotation from the drop-down menu and choose Arbitrary from the extended menu. A command window will appear on the screen. Click Ok.

Note: If this rotation leaves any white spots around the image, crop them away using the crop tool.

This is how the Ruler Tool assists you in bringing precision to your design through its multiple uses. I hope you find this article helpful.