The pen tool is another useful vector graphic tool provided in Photoshop. The main purpose of the pen tool is to allow you to create vector paths.

 

A path can be used to get very fine control for filling a specified area, applying a paint stroke along a predefined course, creating your own custom vector shapes, or for making selections. The different Photoshop pen tools provide different approaches and options for creating paths.  

 

 

The pen tools, (described in the order they appear in the box above), have the following functions.

 

Pen Tool	The standard pen tool is used to create anchor points to join straight lines.
The Freeform Pen Tool	This tool lets you draw with the pen in pretty much any way you like (similar to the paint brush or pencil in this respect).
Add Anchor point Pen Tool	Use this tool to add anchor point to a path that has already been drawn.
Delete Anchor Point Tool	This tool can be used to remove unwanted anchor points from a path.
Convert Point Tool	This tool allows you to add handles to a point, letting you drag your path into a curve.

 

To use the standard Pen tool, click on the image canvas at different points, and lines will automatically be drawn to join the points.

 

If you click and hold your left mouse button, and then drag, a long handlebar will appear. You can drag this handlebar as you require, adjusting or increasing the depth and curvature of the line you draw.

 

You can use the freeform pen tool, to draw as creatively as you like. You can draw as you would with a paintbrush or pencil, to create a shape or sketch a picture.

 

 

When you select the freeform pen tool, you will see a checkbox in the options bar labelled Magnetic. If you place a check in this box, the lines you draw with the pen tool will snap to edges or borders between strongly contrasting regions in the image canvas you are drawing on.

 

You can use the anchor point pen tool, to add anchor points to an existing path or outline. You simply select the anchor point pen tool from the toolbox, and then click on the path where you want to add an anchor point. You can then drag the anchor point to create and shape different types of curves.

 

Here is a line drawn with the freeform pen.

 

 

 

 

Here is another line drawn with the free form pen. It looked like the first line above, until anchor points were added and manipulated by using the anchor point pen tool.

 

 

 

 

You can also use the anchor point pen to add anchor points to a path drawn with a standard shape tool, like the ellipse tool, the rectangle tool, or even the custom shape tool. You can then move and manipulate the anchor points to change the shape.

 

You can remove unwanted anchor points by using the delete anchor point tool. You simply select the tool, and then click on the anchor point that you want to remove. Be cautious though, as the results of your deletion may not be what you expected. It is a good idea to experiment with this tool by drawing some shapes with anchor points, and then selecting the delete tool to remove the points.

 

If you click on a path that has no anchor visible anchor points, the Delete Anchor Point pen will place anchor points on the path, allowing you to delete them to alter the shape.

 

Here is a simple path drawn with the standard pen tool.

 

 

Here is the same path after the center anchor point was deleted. If you are using the standard pen tool to draw a path, and you let your mouse pointer hover over an anchor point that you already created, your tool will turn into the delete anchor point pen. You can tell when this happens because there ill be a minus (-) sign next to your mouse pointer. If you let your pointer hover over a line between two anchor points, it will turn into the add anchor point tool. You can tell when this happens by observing a plus (+) sign by your mouse pointer.

Finally, to use the convert point tool (which is the last tool in the pen group) select it from the toolbox, and then click on an anchor point on your path. This will add handlebars to the anchor point that you can then manipulate to create curves.

 

Note: if you select the shape layers button on the options bar, a new layer will be created for your path, and any bounded area you draw with the pen tools will be filled according to the fill style or foreground colour that is currently selected.

 

Using the pen tools can be tricky. Knowing how to manipulate the handlebars and placing anchor points to get the smooth curves you want will come only with practice. Try creating a new blank canvas in Photoshop, (File->New) and set the dimensions to 500 pixels by 500. Use the all of the pen tools to practice a variety of shapes and drawing methods.

 

If you are drawing paths on top of an underlying image, you can turn the image region bounded by your path or shape into a selection. This selection can then be applied to a new layer, or otherwise manipulated in the same way as a selection made with the selection tools.

 

To turn a path or shape into a selection, right click inside the path or shape, and choose Make Selection from the pop up menu. You will then see the traditional flashing dash selection outline where your path or shape used to be. At this point, you can manipulate the selection as you would any other standard selection.