When someone names an image editor, whether you have used it or not, you always think of Photoshop, because this has been the reference in design worldwide for years. Why? Very simple, the best interface and the best tools. That is exactly why you have come here, to learn how to use Photoshop’s pen tool.
Because although it is true that Photoshop is unique, it is also true that it is not so easy to use it at first, it is a matter of getting used to the large number of tools it presents. Therefore, you must know what Photoshop tools are for.
Use Photoshop’s pen tool
The first thing you should know is obviously where this tool is located. It is above the tool that is used for the text which is represented by a letter T, the icon that represents it is obviously a pen.
You can also get to it by pressing the letter P on the keyboard, once on it, press it for a long time with the mouse to display the options of the tool itself, these are:
“Pen tool” and “Free-form pen tool”, there is also “Add anchor point tool”, “Delete anchor point tool” and finally “Convert anchor point tool”.
All these options are what will help you to design at your pleasure and especially to make cuts (which are its main function). It should be noted that it is not the only tool that allows you to make cuts or strokes, others such as the loop do the same, but the pen is the one that allows you to make both straight and round strokes.
Using the pen
Now, how should you use Photoshop’s pen tool?, the first thing you should know that what it does is create paths, but from point to point, these are called anchor points.
These have many advantages, for example: with the lasso to undo the trace if you make a mistake, you must delete everything, with the pen not, you can move them or delete it point by point and not everything.
To delete one of these paths, you only need to stand on it (we must have the pen selected) , when it is already on top, this sign ” – ” will appear, press there and that’s it, or you can also press the tool several times to achieve the same objective.
If you want to add a point, you must do the same with the difference that the sign that will appear next to the pen will be ” + “, which when clicking anywhere on the path will add a new point.
Also, as I had read, several points can be moved at the same time, for this you must use other Photoshop tools, which are “Path selection” and “Direct selection”, you can find them in the same bar as the pen represented with an icon black arrow or pressing the “a” key as a shortcut.
The first thing it does is select a path to be able to drag it the way you want. And the second select several points, you just have to click on different points of the path with the shift key always pressed and then stop on any of them to move them. And that’s it, you can use Photoshop’s pen tool effectively to create paths and crop your images.
Two types of point
Previously, you should know that the pen is used for specific cases, not for large projects like making architectural plans in Photoshop, so it is limited to certain scenarios.
There are two types of points: “Corner points” and ” Soft points”, the first are the straight ones and the way to create them is as simple as creating points in the image, which are unified with drawing lines.
For curved there are two ways to place them, for the first is by passing the pen over any path and adding a new point (which will be automatically curved), and the second is to keep the mouse pressed or pressed when creating a point again, which will cause the handles to come out.
These can be moved at will to curve the point. And now if everything is ready, with this you can sit at the computer and use the Photoshop pen tool like a pro.