Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Lesson 4: The Pen Tool: Beyond the Primer
Many users do not realize the potential of the vector tools and fea-
tures available in Photoshop. If you can save the time of integrating
your image with Illustrator or InDesign, why not complete your vec-
tor objects directly in Photoshop?
What you'll learn in this lesson:
•
Creating curve and anchor points
•
Creating a vector mask
•
Using a path for filter effects
•
Applying a custom brush to a path
•
Saving your transparent image
Starting up
You will work with several files from the advps04lessons folder in this lesson. Make sure that you have
loaded the advpslessons folder onto your hard drive from
www.digitalclassroombooks.com/cc/advpho-
toshop
. For more detailed instructions, see “Loading lesson files” in the Starting up section of this topic.
In this lesson, you will review some of the fundamental Pen tool features and functions. This lesson will
be a great review for those who already use the Pen tool and will probably teach you some new tricks.
Those who have not been formally instructed on how to use the Pen tool should feel confident enough to
recreate any shape with the Pen tool after completing this lesson. Be patient if you think this lesson might
be starting out slow; it is important to build your Pen tool skills to a level where you can create more
complex paths throughout the remainder of this topic.
Practicing with the Pen tool
