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Using the PhotoShop Pen Tool

Potoshop Pen Tool Tutorial

In this tutorial we are going to learn how to properly use the always handy Pen Tool in Photoshop. 

The Pen Tool is one of the most important tools in Photoshop and you need to learn how to use it if you want to use Photoshop properly. That is why this tutorial is very important. Don’t go around not knowing how to use the Pen Tool. Using Photoshop and not knowing how to use the Pen Tool is like trying to play basketball with your hockey outfit. It just cannot be. 

O.M.G.!!! The Pen Tool. 

If I were to go to a Halloween costume party for Photoshop users, I would go in a Photoshop Pen Tool costume for sure. That would scare the heck out of anyone, and would be remembered as the most terrifying costume ever.

Seriously, most beginners are afraid of using the pen tool, maybe you are one of them, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. The pen tool is one of the most powerful tools within Photoshop. And once you get the hang of it, you will love it.

Let’s get started.

First of all, the pen tool in photoshop is just about the same than the one in Illustrator. It creates vector based shapes. Meaning that we can resize this shapes and they will not lose quality. They will not “pixelate”.

Also, we can go back later and edit this shapes very easily.

The pen tool creates shapes using connecting points (called anchor points). Every time you clic on the canvas (with the pen tool selected) a new point will be created. Each point will be automatically connected with the one created before it. In order to close a shape, you have to clic on the initial point again.

Keep in mind that the shape will be the same color of the foreground Color you have selected.

As with other tools in Photoshop, the pen tool creates  straight lines by holding down the shift key. With this option you can create 45, 90, 135 (45+90) degrees and straight lines (horizontal or vertical). Very useful.

The two pictures above were created just by clicking in different areas of the canvas. 

Now, let’s make another shape, but this time we will click-and-drag instead of just clicking. We can se that when we click and drag, a new element (a line with two little circles at the extremes of it) appear.

This line is called the Tangent Line and it controls the curvature of the curve. The bigger the Tangent Line, the greater it will affect the curve of that anchor point and the curve of the anchor points next to it.

Play around with the Tangent Lines, so you will learn exactly how they behave, and how they can affect the curves.

Now… You can access to other tools within the pen tool. Just click and hold the pen tool botton, and you will see them.

They are self explanatory, and do just what they say.

-The first option is the Pen Tool;  we have already talked about it.

-The second one is the Freeform Pen Tool. This one also creates vector shapes, but with this you can free-draw on the canvas. When you click and rag, the shape will follow the mouse. Give it a try.

- The third one is the Add Anchor Point Tool, and it does exactly that. If you finished your shape and you need an extra anchor point, you can add it with this tool.

- Delete Anchor Point. Same thing than the one before, but with this you can delete any anchor point you don’t need anymore.

- Convert Point Tool. Explanation is below.

Convert Point Tool

With this tool we can transform points (the ones we create by only clicking and not dragging) into points with Tangent Lines. We only have to select this tool and click inside the point we want to transform, then drag to give the tangent line the size and direction we want.

With the Convert Point Tool we can also “break” the Tangent Line by clicking on one of the circles. This will divide the controllers and we then can manipulate the curvature in two different directions.

These are the basics of the Pen Tool.

We can now use it to create any form we like.

Also we can use it to make advanced selections. Just right click on the shape, and select Make Selection.

Don’t forget that we can always see the options we have for any tool in the top left hand corner of the Photoshop window.

Well, that is it for this tutorial. I hope you learned something new today, and better than that, I hope you can apply it and Photoshop better every time.

‘Til next time.

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Links for Images:
http://images.ientrymail.com/photoshoppoint/createaplanet/screenshot1-large.jpg
http://images.ientrymail.com/photoshoppoint/createaplanet/rock-large.jpg
For other textures: http://sxc.hu/

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