# Illustrator/Photoshop help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650 "2001-11-28T04:12:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/1 "2001-11-28T04:12:54Z")
I have an image that I’d really like to wrap around in a circle (I’ve made a cool pattern and I want to use it as a circular border). Can anyone tell me how to do this using Illustrator or Photoshop (or some other, preferably free, software)? There seem to be numerous ways to map text along a curved path, and I have found tutorials for that. I have consulted the great google, but I have not found a tutorial on how to do this. It seems like Distort -\> Polar coordinates in Photoshop should work, but I can’t figure out how to use it. It just distorts the image. Distort -\> Twirl in Illustrator seems like a step in the right direction, but it distorts the ends of the image something crazy. Any help is greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/2 "2001-11-28T04:37:40Z")
The closest examples I could find: [http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/techniques/planet/planet.php](http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/techniques/planet/planet.php) [http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/techniques/planetrings/planetrings.php](http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/techniques/planetrings/planetrings.php) If that doesn’t help, check the other PhotoShop tutorials: [http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/ps\_tut\_techniques.php](http://www.teamphotoshop.com/photoshop/tutorials/ps_tut_techniques.php) Or join their board and ask your question to the PhotoShop team members! [http://www.teamphotoshop.com/forum/](http://www.teamphotoshop.com/forum/) ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/3 "2001-11-28T05:56:36Z")
Assuming you have a copy of Illustrator that you can install plug-ins into (I’m a bit confused on that point from your OP), it appears that [this](http://www.adobe.com/products/plugins/illustrator/filterit.html) will do what you’ve described. If that looks like it’s on the right track, go to the product’s [home page](http://www.cvalley.com/FILTERiT4/index.html) to download a trial copy and play with it. ---
**Author:** ![Natural-J-Bankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Natural-J-Bankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Natural-J-Bankie)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/4 "2001-11-28T08:01:54Z")
This only works if your base pattern is Illustrator artwork not imported gifs, jpegs or bitmaps. Select it and go to edit-\>define pattern. Go to the brushes palette and make a new brush. Choose pattern brush. Pick the pattern you made and apply it for each of the different segments of the brush. Leave the fit option on stretch, work with the scale as needed. Once your brush is made, you can draw any object and apply that brush to the border. If your pattern is a bitmap, maybe you can convert it to vector art with streamline or something. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/5 "2001-11-29T06:03:10Z")
Thanks for all your help. I suggested Illustrator because that is the program I made the original image in. Photoshop is available in my school’s computer labs. Given the generally high cost of image editing apps, I hoped to use either these, or something free. Natural, after I selected my image, I was unable to use edit -\> define pattern. It was greyed out. Now trying Earthling’s suggestion. Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/6 "2001-11-29T06:12:20Z")
ok, take the image, make the canvas much biggerso you have lots of blank space around it. Copy the image and align it so that it is letterboxed on the screen and then do filters distortions, polar coordinates. There may be easier ways, i am no expert but the Gimp is cool. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/7 "2001-11-29T18:52:48Z")
I got it to wrap with the plugin that Earthling recommended. Thanks for all your help. ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/8 "2001-11-29T19:45:45Z")
I haven’t got a link, but go to [ZDNet.com](http://ZDNet.com) and download PCSuite 602-it’s a free office thingy. There is a button in the imaging section which will do what you want. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illustrator-photoshop-help/95650/9 "2001-11-29T21:54:25Z")
According to Adobe’s “Illustrator Classroom in a Book”, the best way is to [ul][li]select the pattern[/li][li]drag it to the Swatches palette[/li][li]click the New Brush button in the Brushes palette[/li][li]select New Pattern Brush[/li][li]select the Side Tile box[/li][li]select the pattern from the Swatches palette[/li][li]select the Outer Corner and Inner Corner boxes, if needed[/li][/ul] and that should do what you’re looking for.