Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Tool tips from the Photoshop evangelist
Julieanne Kost is an official Adobe Photoshop evangelist.
Accessing tools quickly
Each tool in the Tools panel has a single-letter keyboard shortcut.
Type the letter, get the tool. Press Shift with the shortcut key to
cycle through any nested tools in a group. For example, press P to
select the Pen tool, and press Shift+P to toggle between the Pen
and Freeform Pen tools.
Paths can be open or closed. An open path (such as a wavy line) has two distinct
endpoints. A closed path (such as a circle) is continuous. The type of path you
draw affects how it can be selected and adjusted.
Paths that have no fill or stroke do not print when you print your artwork. This is
because paths are vector objects that contain no pixels, unlike the bitmap shapes
drawn by the Pencil tool and other painting tools.
Getting started
In this lesson, you'll draw a path around a coffee cup in an image, and create an-
other path inside the handle. You'll subtract one selection from the other so that a
lightning bolt shape (provided in the Shapes panel) knocks out of the cup shape.
Finally, you'll import an Illustrator title treatment as a Smart Object and apply a
color and emboss effect.
Before you begin, you'll view the image you'll be creating—a sign for a fictitious
coffee shop.
