A method provides a magnetic transducer including a first shield, a read sensor, and a second shield. The read sensor is between the first shield and the second shield. The read sensor has at least one pinned layer aligned with a sensor pinning direction. Providing the second shield includes depositing at least one of a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic and a pinning layer in the presence of a first magnetic field in a first direction non-orthogonal and non-parallel to the sensor pinning direction. A nonmagnetic spacer layer is between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer. The pinning layer is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic layer is between the read sensor and the nonmagnetic spacer layer. The first ferromagnetic layer is coupled antiparallel with the second ferromagnetic layer.