All-In-One Pen Tool Resource - part 1

First I will explain the different modes of the tool and what they do.

I will explain it by colors. Each button, I color coded for an easier read.

1. Pink: Shape layers; When the button in selected, whatever path you create will make a new layer with a vector shape. This is handy for many things, one being the ability to resize the shape to ANY size you like.
2. Green: Paths Tool; This is the best tool to cut and area of the image out and super-impose it to another image or whatever you like. Will touch more on paths later.
3. Un-Colored: Fill Pixels; This is the button you push when you have a shape or closed path that will fill the inside of the shape with either a color or texture.
4. Yellow: Pen Tool; This will be covered in more depth later. It allows you to use anchor points in manipulating a path or shape.
5. Light Blue: Freeform Pen Tool; This allows users to “Draw” a path or shape without anchor points.(It adds them later)
6. Grey: Shape Tools; These first 4 are adjustable shapes that when drawn are put on a new layer. Just like the Shape Layers tool, however, they are pre-made shapes. The 5th one is the line tool. It also makes a new shape layer but make a line. The 6th is the Custom shape tool. When clicked and drop-down menu appears next to it. In this menu you can choose your shape. I.e. An arrow, a question mark
7. Dark Blue: Behavior modes; Each one of these tells the tool how to act. For example if “Add to path area” is selected, anytime you add an anchor point it adds to the path area.

Creating a Shape

The shape on the left is a finished shape whilst the shaper on the right is not. I will explain the shape on the left using the right as a reference.

First, select the pen tool from the tool palette on the left. When you left-click on your canvas you will see a dot. This is called an Anchor Point. (labeled as 1) It also consists of two more points called Control Points. After click to add a second anchor point if you where to click and drag, it automatically changes the control points to change the curve of the line. If you are still not happy with the curve of the line, hold alt + click on the control point on the INSIDE of the line, (labeled as 2) drag it to change the curve till your happy.
The other control point, (Labeled as 3) controls the curve of the next portion of the line (yet to be drawn). Usually you don’t want to mess with this point. Sometimes it is necessary for making sharp turns in the line.

You will also notice that I drew an arrow over to the Layers Palette. It is pointing at the new shape layer that was created automatically for the new “Blob” shape I created.

Paths

Paths are probably the easiest to learn how to use the pen tool for a beginner. Go back to step one and refer to the image to see what buttons to push. You need to push Yellow and Green. Green being the paths tool.

Paths don’t auto-connect so it is better for cutting out objects. The anchor points and the control points act just the same as in shape layers. (Read above)

Above I showed how to stroke a path. This is useful for many things. As in the path in the last step I added a fading effect and the stroked it.

At the bottom left side of the screen is the paths palette. There is a trash can button. Next to that (to the left) is the New Path button. Next to that is the Make a Selection a Path tool. That is used to make a selection (I.E. a circular marquee). Next to that is the Transform to selection tool. That you can use to cut things out of a picture. Next to that is the STROKE tool. Before you stroke it you have to set up your brush.
Click on the brush tool and then go into the brush options. Make it the size you want and then click on Shape Dynamics. Here you see the options for the Dynamics and you want to go to the first Control drop-down menu and choose Fade. Set the minimum diameter and fade amount. (When you play with them, you will see what they do) and with the brush tool selected, Hit stroke.

1. This effect is created in a similar way to the above example. However, you will need to go to the Size Jitter (Size variance) and make it 50% and a control of “Fade” at a large amount (the number next to the drop-menu “321”).
2. This effect is utilizing the Scatter tab. You have to a Size Jitter of 0% and “Fade”. Next check the Scatter box and then click on the word “Scattering” Play around with the slider bars until satisfied. You will need to do the Scatter and Count sliders. The Count Jitter makes it so it is thicker or thinner in different areas of the stroke.
3. Is the above example.