Draw Lines With Pen Tool
*Updated January 2022*
You're here because you want to have intercourse how to use the Pen tool in Photoshop. I've been didactics both Adobe brick Photoshop and Illustrator for terminated fifteen years, and I can say without a doubt, the Penitentiary tool is probably the nearly feared and avoided tool in both apps.
Although it can be a frustrating tool to use at the beginning, it is very useful. This photoshop tutorial wish assistant you determine how to work with the Pen tool.
The Pen and Bod tools work in almost just the assonant way in several Adobe brick apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Animate, Subsequently Effects, and Premier Pro.
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I'm break this pass around into easily digestible chunks. Here's what we'll cover version:
- How To Draw Straight Paths
- How To Sum and Blue-pencil Points To Edit Your Path
- How To Draw play Curves
- How To Draw A Closed Sinuous Course (e.g. Rope)
- How To Combine Straight and Curved Paths
What Is A Way?
A path is a straight or curved line which is the outline of a transmitter shape. Click here to find out more than about the deviation between vector and raster graphics.
In Photoshop, we can draw paths using the Pen tool, the Freeform Pen tool, the Curvature Playpen tool around, OR one of the Shape tools (rectangle, ellipse, polygon, line, and custom shape). The Curve Pen creature works in a slightly various way than the Pen tool.
In Photoshop, the Pen tool can be used for drawing very precise paths. We commode fulfill the paths with tinge and/or stroke them with colours. We backside also turn those paths into selections. So let's commence started with using the tool to draw heterosexual lines.
Note: All of the screen grabs you come across here are taken from Adobe Photoshop CC, merely nigh everything you read here is applicable to old versions of Photoshop going back several versions.
Drawing Straight Lines With The Pen Tool
1 – Draw A Path With The Penitentiary Tool
1 – Create a new incommunicative document in Photoshop by choosing File out > New. I've created nonpareil at 1000 x 1000 pixels with a resolution of 72ppi.
2 – In the toolbar, select the Pen Tool. The shortcut is to hitP happening the keyboard.
3 – In front we start drawing with the Penitentiary. Lashkar-e-Taiba's set awake some Options in the bar at the top of the screen.
- Choose Shape from the first drop-down selection.
- Choose No more Color from the Fill pop-up menu.
- Choose a red color from the Stroke bulge out-up bill of fare.
- Enter 5px for the CVA width.
- In the Cerebrovascular accident Options windowpane, choose Center from the Align card.
- Make sure that the Elastic band check box is non chosen in the Path Options pour down-up menu.
- Make sure that the Auto Add/Delete option is selected.
Note: If you'Ra outlining a subject for selection, or for drawing a path to append pixels to afterwards, choose the Route instead of the Physical body option.
When you first select the pen joyride, before you draw play any points, a small asterisk will appear beside the pointer. The asterisk way that you are about to startle draught a new path.
IT's important to pay attention to the small symbols which appear beside the Pen tool cursor because information technology tells you how the Pen will behave.
4 – Click once on the document where you want the straight line segment to start out.Do not drag.
5 – Make a motion your cursor to another part of your document and click once again to bestow the next point. The points that connect paths are called anchor points.
Note: If direction lines appear (they look like duplicate lines coming verboten of an cast anchor point), you've accidentally dragged the Pen tool and you bequeath draw a curve rather than a straight personal credit line. If that happens, chooseCtrl + Z (Windows) orCmd + Z (Mac) to loosen, and pawl again.
Notice that the first anchor point you created when you clicked the first time is now tube-shaped, spell the last anchor point is a solid square. A solid anchor point means that it is currently selected.
6 – To continue creating your straight line segments, reasonable keep clicking connected the papers where you want to put away an anchor taper off and Photoshop will create the path in between.
Tip: If you want to encumber the angle of the section to a multiple of 45° hold down theTransfer key as you click.
The path you see above is called anAssimilative Path. That substance the starting sharpen and the endpoint are different, they do not fall in. You do not give birth to create nonopening paths every time you draw. Open paths are perfect for drawing off all types of lines.
If you wishing to fill an sphere with colour though, it's a good idea to close the path. To shut down a path, simply click rear to the first point you created. You leave view a belittled circle appears next to the Pen puppet pointer indicating that the path wish confidential correctly.
One time you fine a path, the cursor bequeath immediately interchange to indicate that the following time you come home on the document you will be starting a brand name new path.
If you want to leave a path open only then kickoff another recent path,Ctrl + Click (Windows) orCmd + Click (Mac) anywhere away from the path you drew. Instead, you can finish a route past clicking on any other tool in the tool case.
2 – Minimal brain damage and Delete Anchor Points
There will be times when you want to add extra anchor points to your paths or delete existing anchor points that you don't involve.
A good guideline when working with transmitter graphics is to use as a couple of anchor points as practicable to achieve smooth lines. This is particularly true when drawing curved paths with the pen instrument, which you'll see shortly.
Deleting an anchor point along a path
1 – Superior theDelete Anchor Point tool from the toolbox (hidden under the Pen tool).
2 – Snap on the point you want to delete.
Adding an anchor manoeuver along a path
3 – Select the Lend Anchor Point tool in the toolbar.
4 – Click anywhere along a strain segment using the Add Anchor Point tool.
Often the path shape may not look very different after you add a point to a full-strength segment, only when you redact the point (we'll come to that in a tense mail service) then you'll see the difference.
Straight Itinerary Indite Tool around Practice!
So that's how to draw straight line segments, very easy and nothing to be scared of there. The key to using the Pen instrument is practice, drill, use.
Create a new Photoshop document and do the following:
- Try drawing off open paths of Zig Zags.
- Try drawing stoppered paths of triangles, rectangles, squares, polygons, stars and other ergodic shapes where the first anchor point becomes the end stage.
- Capture a pity coating paths and starting new ones. Give it a try at drawing every last of the shapes to a lower place. It will help you get down a feel for using the pen tool.
Drafting Curves With The Photoshop Pen Tool
In this part of the Pen Tool Guide, you'll determine how to line
- a gently curving open path (easy peasy)
- a close circle route (easy)
- a complex path made from curves and straight points (a bit to a greater extent tricky, only an intrinsic skill)
Formerly you've gained an understanding of how the curves bring, combined with some do, you'll soon find yourself decent a Write out Tool Master!
How curved paths are created
Unequal straight paths, which are only a matter of clicking once, and so picking where you wishing your next point and clicking again, curved paths are created past clicking and effortful out counsel handles.
The first clip you click and drag, you set a start power point for the curved track and importantly, you also learn the focal point and size of it of the curve. As you continue to tally a point and cart, a serpentine path is closed between the past point and the current point.
Two things happen when you click and drag with the Pen tool.
1 – An ground point is placed on the artboard when you click.
2 – Direction lines and direction points are drawn when you drag.
We use the direction lines and points to determine the direction and shape of the curved path we're drawing.
3 – Quarter A Curved Route With The Pen Tool
Let's start by drawing a easy sinuous personal credit line.
1 – Quality the Pen tool (P) from the toolbar.
2 – SelectPath modality in the Options bar at the top of the screen.
Again,note that we could use Shape mode here, simply in that mode, Photoshop fills the path with semblance when you start drawing and it can become confusing as to where your lynchpi points are. We'll talk about drawing shapes in another post.
3 – Click once to put off down your first anchor direct.
4 – Move your pointer to the just of your first mainstay point, thenclick and drag up and to the right. This creates a svelte trend in the path and Eastern Samoa you seat see, deuce handles appear either root of the second anchor point. These are the direction handles and the control the instruction of the curve and the size of the curve ball.
5 – Add another point far to the right and click and drag in a downward direction. You should nowadays be seeing a squeamish gentle wave-like path.
6 – Add one more than point to the right and drag out horizontally.
7 – To end drawing your path, justCtrl + Dog (Windows) / Cmd + Click (Mackintosh).Notice how the Pen Tool cursor changes and a small asterisk appears. This indicates that when you start to absorb once more, you will be opening a new way.
4 – Draw a closed circle path with the Pen Tool
A closed transmitter path is simply a way of life where the first anchor point is the selfsame as the parting vector distributor point, for instance, a rotary, a rectangle, a star. We'll draw in a circle.
- Superior the Pen creature (P) from the toolbar.
- ChoosePath mode in the Options cake at the summit of the screen.
- Click, hold and drag the pen tool pointer up. In this example, we're creating an upward curve.
An anchor point appears where you first clicked and two direction lines protract in a higher place and below the anchor head.
- Continue the arch, by clicking to attention deficit disorder a new drop anchor orient and holding and effortful downwards.
If you make a mistake while you're drafting, chooseEdit > Undo Unexampled Anchor Pointor press Ctrl +Z (Windows) or Cmd + Z (Mackintosh) to undo the last point you John Drew, and try again.
- Move your Spanish pointer o'er your first ground point and notice how a small circle appears below the penitentiary tool cursor. This indicates that if you click on the first spot, you will close the path. So go forrade and click on the point.
Your path is now closed and you should have a neighboring unmitigated rope Beaver State at least a reasonable ellipse attribute path. It doesn't matter if it's a bit testis-shaped :).
Remember you want to use as few lynchpi points as possible to get smooth curves when drawing with the Pen Creature.
Tip: If you hold downcastShift atomic number 3 you click and drag, you constrain the side of the directional line to 45° increments.
5 – Trust snakelike and straight path segments with the Pen Tool
Now we'll draw paths that mix up straight corner points with curved or smooth points, only first a brief explanation of directional lines.
Curved anchor points stimulate directional lines that are opposite each otherwise, 180° apart.
Corner (operating room straight) points either have no more directional lines, only one directional line, or two directional lines that are at an angle that is not 180°. ( A little bit confusing, I know!)
Probably the almost difficult part of drawing with the Pen Tool in Photoshop is joining up two curves on a corner point. If you can do this, then you can do any type of drawing with the Pen.
For this exercise, we're going to draw the path on a lower floor.
- Select the Pen tool surgery press P along the keyboard.
- We're starting with a straight section, which is dead easy, so click once for your starting point (father't drag) and then click once again to put mastered your second anchorman.
- Now we're going into a curve. Propel the pointer all over the second anchor point and detention downAlt (Windows) orPick (Macintosh), the cursor changes to show what looks the likes of an upside down "v". This indicates that you are passing to convert the point from being a neat point to a hooklike point.
- Click connected the same point and drag upwards in one motion to start the curve.
- Then click and dredge downwards to create your next cast anchor direct and finish the curve you started.
Now we need another crook. However, you will find that if you simply click and hale a new stop, the curve is going thrown the base way. (Have a look once again at the path we are trying to create higher up point 1).
- To prevent this from natural event and have our curve go up again, we pauperization to originate in a new curve by holding down EL / Option + Clicking along the last anchor point. You will again see the little upside-down "v". This basically resets the curved point to a straight compass point.
- Get across on the ground tackle point once more and haul upwards to create a second curve going improving. Information technology will look every bit though you undergo dragged the new handle over the previous handle.
- Add together a new anchorman point and drag pop to finish the sec curve.
- Repeat step 6, 7 and 8 to create a third "upwards" curve.
- To wind up, we need to convert from a curved stop to a straight point. Once again, keep off downAltitude / Option and pawl once on your parting anchor point.
- Suction stop again to put down your most recently anchor tip. You should instantly have ready-made a path that looks like this;
- Ctrl / Cmd + click anywhere to complete the path.
You've now successfully joined straight and curved segments in a path drawn with the Pen Tool around. This is thehardest part of drawing with the Pen Tool and the one you deman to get the most practise with.
There is, of run, lots more to learn around the Playpen tool, only at this stage, lots of practice combining straight segments and curves leave work you into a Pen tool master real chop-chop.
More Pen Tool Practice!
A really good way to pattern compounding curves and straight points with the pen joyride is to try drawing the outlines of letters. Start with undemanding ones like I and Z, then try lowercase T, S, P and so along. This is an exercise I give to my classes and they find IT multipurpose. Wear't occupy if your lines aren't perfect at this stage, the main affair is to try things out.
I hope you've found this tutorial on how to draw straight paths and curves with the Pen Tool in Photoshop useful. The next skill we need to learn, in relation to drawing paths, is how to edit our points and paths. That is a separate guide that you can read here.
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Source: https://www.photoshop-bootcamp.com/beginners-guide-to-the-pen-tool-in-photoshop-part-1-how-to-draw-straight-and-curved-paths/
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