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Step 3 of this comprehensive guide on using the Pen Tool in Adobe Photoshop for creating Shapes and Paths or even making selections.
Go to Step: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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 Creating a Curve Using the Pen Tool:
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Once you have finished using the Pen Tool to create your path, there is a lot that you can do with it. Below are just a few examples:
- Turn a path into a selection
- Make sure the path is closed
- Right Click (with Pen Tool selected) the path, choose “Make Selection”
- Stroke Path
- New Layer
- Switch to brush tool. Choose the hardness and size of the stroke by selecting the corresponding brush (i.e. if you want a hard, 3px stroke, choose a hard, 3px brush; if you want a calligraphic stroke, choose a calligraphy brush)
- Switch back so you’re using the Pen Tool
- Right click in canvas, choose “Stroke Path”
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- Fill Path
- New Layer
- Close path
- Pick fill color
- Right click (with Pen Tool selected) in canvas and choose “Fill Path”
- Delete Path
- o With Pen Tool selected, right click canvas and choose “Delete Path”
Fill Path:
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Filling an existing Path is the main moment when your Pen selection becomes apparent. Below is a chart showing the various Pen selections and how they effect the Fill Path adjustment. Note that when using Intersect Path Areas and Exclude Overlapping Path Areas two Paths must be visible on the canvas at the same time for effects to occur.
Rubber Band:
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One excellent trick when you are still getting the hang of using the Pen Tool is to turn on the “Rubber Band” feature. Using this will allow you to see how your curves will be created as you move your mouse around the screen before you click to create an anchor point.
The next stage of this demo is a tutorial walking you through using the Pen Tool to make a selection.
Please move on to Step 4 of Using the Pen Tool.
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