Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
In this first section, you will create a new document and practice basic Pen features.
1
Choose File > New and choose Default Photoshop size from the Preset drop-down menu. Click OK to
accept the defaults. A blank image area appears.
2
Select the Pen tool. Look at the Options bar, and then confirm that your Pen tool is set up to create a
Path by clicking the Pick a tool mode drop-down menu and verifying it is set to Path.
Make sure that you are in the Path mode.
3
Select the Pen tool and position it anywhere over the image area; notice that the Pen tool cursor shows
you an asterisk (*), indicating that you are creating a new path.
4
Press your Caps Lock key on the keyboard; notice that your Pen tool cursor is now set as Precision
cursor. You should note that the Caps Lock key is a toggle key that will turn this view of your cursor
off and on.
5
Turn off Caps Lock.
6
With the regular cursor (Caps lock released), click to create an anchor point. Notice that the anchor
point is created at the very tip of the Pen tool.
7
Press Cap Locks again and then click. When using the Precision cursor, you create an anchor point in
the intersection of the cursor.
8
Turn off Caps Lock.
The regular cursor creates in the intersection.
The Precision cursor creates an anchor point an anchor point at the tip.
9
Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac OS), and then press the Delete or Backspace key to
delete any paths that have been started on this document. Keep this blank file open for the next part of
the lesson.
Creating controlled paths
In this next section, you will take the Pen tool further by discovering how to precisely control the paths
that you create. You will start out by gaining a basic understanding of how you can modify your paths as
you work.
1
Make sure that your Pen tool is active, and then click once anywhere in the image area.
2
Click anywhere else; note that one anchor point connects to another. Unlike Illustrator, you do not see
a stroke when you create paths in Photoshop. This is because paths in Photoshop are generally not
used to create shapes, even though they can be, but are mostly used to create precise selections and
masks.
