Draw Line Pen Tool Photoshop
*Updated January 2022*
You're hither because you want to know how to use the Pen tool in Photoshop. I've been teaching some Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for over 15 years, and I can say without a doubt, the Pen instrument is probably the most feared and avoided tool in some apps.
Although it can be a frustrating tool to use at the beginning, IT is same useful. This photoshop tutorial volition assistant you learn how to work with the Penitentiary tool.
The Pen and Shape tools work in almost just the same elbow room in several Adobe apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Animate, Subsequently Effects, and Premier Professional.
If you ask information technology, you can download a Photoshop Atrip 7 Day Trial
I'm breaking this guide into easily edible chunks. Here's what we'll cover:
- How To Draw Uninterrupted Paths
- How To Add and Delete Points To Delete Your Path
- How To Draw Curves
- How To Draw A Closed Curved Path (e.g. Circle)
- How To Combine Straight and Curved Paths
What Is A Path?
A path is a straight or curved furrow which is the outline of a vector shape. Click hither to get out more about the difference between transmitter and raster graphics.
In Photoshop, we privy draw paths using the Pen instrument, the Freeform Pen tool, the Curvature Pen tool, or unrivalled of the Shape tools (rectangle, ellipse, polygonal shape, line, and custom shape). The Curvature Pen tool works in a slightly different direction than the Pen puppet.
In Photoshop, the Pen tool can be used for drawing very precise paths. We can fill the paths with colour and/or stroke them with colours. We can also deform those paths into selections. So net ball's get started with victimization the creature to draw straight lines.
Note: Completely of the screen grabs you see here are confiscate from Adobe Photoshop CC, but almost everything you study here is applicable to older versions of Photoshop going back several versions.
Drawing Straight Lines With The Pen Tool
1 – Draw A Path With The Pen Tool
1 – Create a new blank document in Photoshop by choosing File > Sunrise. I've created one at 1000 x 1000 pixels with a resolution of 72ppi.
2 – In the toolbar, take the Compose Tool. The shortcut is to hitP on the keyboard.
3 – Before we start lottery with the Indite. let's assemble some Options in the bar at the cover of the screen.
- Choose Shape from the offse cast-downhearted option.
- Choose No Color from the Fill soda pop-up menu.
- Choose a red color from the Stroke drink down-skyward menu.
- Enter 5px for the stroke width.
- In the Stroke Options window, choose Center from the Align menu.
- Make a point that the Elastic check box is not hand-picked in the Path Options popping-up menu.
- Make a point that the Automobile Add/Delete option is selected.
Note: If you'atomic number 75 outlining a subject for selection, or for drawing a route to add pixels to afterwards, choose the Path instead of the Shape option.
When you commencement select the pen tool, ahead you draw any points, a small asterisk leave seem beside the cursor. The asterisk means that you are about to start draft a new path.
It's important to pay attention to the small symbols which appear beside the Pen tool around pointer because IT tells you how the Pen testament behave.
4 – Click once on the document where you want the straight line section to get down.Do not hale.
5 – Move your cursor to another part of your document and click again to add the incoming tip. The points that connect paths are called ground tackle points.
Government note: If direction lines appear (they flavor like extra lines coming out of an anchor maneuver), you've accidentally dragged the Pen tool and you will draw a curve rather than a straight line. If that happens, chooseCtrl + Z (Windows) OregonCmd + Z (Mack) to undo, and click again.
Notification that the first cast anchor point you created when you clicked the first time is now hollow, while the fourth-year anchor point is a solid square. A square anchor point means that it is currently selected.
6 – To continue creating your straight line segments, honourable keep clicking along the text file where you want to put an linchpin point and Photoshop will create the path in between.
Tip: If you want to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of 45° hold down theShift discover as you click.
The track you see in a higher place is called anOpen Path. That means the opening point and the endpoint are different, they do non join. You do not have to create closed paths every time you draw. Subject paths are faultless for drawing all types of lines.
If you neediness to fill an arena with colour though, it's a solid idea to neighbouring the path. To close a path, simply click back to the starting time point you created. You testament see a small circle appears next to the Pen tool pointer indicating that the path bequeath close aright.
Once you close a path, the pointer will immediately change to indicate that the next time you click on the document you testament be starting a denounce new path.
If you want to leave a path open simply then start another new path,Ctrl + Click (Windows) orCmd + Dog (Mac) anywhere away from the path you drew. Alternatively, you can finish a path by clicking on any early tool in the toolbox.
2 – Add and Delete Anchor Points
There leave be times when you want to tally unnecessary anchor points to your paths or erase existing anchor points that you don't need.
A good rule of thumb when working with vector graphics is to use equally few ground tackle points as possible to reach smooth lines. This is particularly true when drawing curved paths with the pen tool, which you'll see shortly.
Deleting an anchor point on a path
1 – Select theDelete Anchor Point tool from the toolbox (hidden under the Pen creature).
2 – Click on the point you want to delete.
Adding an anchor point on a path
3 – Select the Add Anchor Point tool in the toolbar.
4 – Suction stop anywhere along a line segment exploitation the Add Anchor Period tool.
Often the route bod may not bet very different later on you add a point to a even segment, but when you edit the direct (we'll come to that in a future post) then you'll examine the difference.
Straight Path Compose Tool Practice!
So that's how to draw straight origin segments, very well-to-do and nothing to be panic-stricken of there. The key to using the Pen tool is practice, practice, do.
Produce a inexperient Photoshop document and doh the following:
- Seek drawing open paths of Zig Zags.
- Try lottery closed paths of triangles, rectangles, squares, polygons, stars and former unselected shapes where the first anchor point becomes the resultant.
- Get a sympathize with finishing paths and starting new ones. Have a go at lottery all of the shapes on a lower floor. It will help you get a pity using the pen tool.
Drawing Curves With The Photoshop Pen Joyride
In this part of the Pen Instrument Manoeuvre, you'll learn how to draw
- a mildly curving open track (easy peasy)
- a close circle path (impressionable)
- a complex path made from curves and transparent points (a bit more crafty, but an essential science)
Once you've gained an savvy of how the curves figure out, combined with some practice, you'll soon find yourself becoming a Pen Tool Master!
How curved paths are created
Unlike straight paths, which are simply a matter of clicking once, then picking where you want your close period and clicking again, curved paths are created by clicking and dragging out direction handles.
The starting time time you get across and drag, you bent a start point for the snaky path and importantly, you also determine the direction and size up of the slue. Every bit you go on to bestow a point and drag, a curved path is drawn between the previous point and the current indicate.
2 things happen when you click and drag with the Pen tool.
1 – An anchor point is placed connected the artboard when you click.
2 – Steering lines and instruction points are drawn when you drag.
We use the direction lines and points to find the direction and mould of the curved itinerary we'Ra drawing off.
3 – Draw A Curved Path With The Pen Tool
LET's start by drawing a gentle curving line.
1 – Select the Pen tool (P) from the toolbar.
2 – ChoosePath mode in the Options bar at the upmost of the screen.
Again,note that we could use Shape mode here, but in this musical mode, Photoshop fills the path with colour when you start draftsmanship and it can get confusing as to where your ground points are. We'll talk of drawing shapes in some other brand.
3 – Click erst to put down your first anchor point.
4 – Move your Spanish pointer to the right of your first anchor point, thenclick and drop behind up and to the suited. This creates a tenuous curve in the path and As you tail end meet, two handles look either side of the arcsecond anchor indicate. These are the direction handles and the insure the direction of the curve and the size of the curve.
5 – Add another period farther to the right and cluck and drag in a downward direction. You should now glucinium seeing a nice gentle wave-like path.
6 – Add one more point to the right and drag out horizontally.
7 – To finish drafting your itinerary, justCtrl + Click (Windows) / Cmd + Fall into place (Mac).Notice how the Pen Creature cursor changes and a small asterisk appears. This indicates that when you start to run again, you will be starting a new path.
4 – Force a shuttered circle way of life with the Write out Instrument
A closed vector path is simply a path where the first anchor point is the same As the last vector channelis, for example, a circle, a rectangle, a sensation. We'll draw a circle.
- Select the Pen tool (P) from the toolbar.
- ChoosePath mode in the Options bar at the top of the screen.
- Tick, hold and drag the pen tool Spanish pointer upwardl. In this example, we'Ra creating an upward curve.
An anchor point appears where you freshman clicked and two direction lines extend above and downstairs the anchor point.
- Continue the curve, aside clicking to add a new anchor channelize and holding and slow downwards.
If you establish a mistake while you're drawing, preferEdit > Loosen Other Anchor PointOregon press Ctrl +Z (Windows) Beaver State Cmd + Z (Mac) to unmake the last point you drew, and try again.
- Make a motion your pointer over your first anchor point and notice how a microscopic circle appears below the pen tool pointer. This indicates that if you click on the first point, you will close the path. So go ahead and click on the point.
Your path is now closed and you should have a artificial perfect circle or at least a just ellipse shaped path. IT doesn't thing if it's a little egg-shaped :).
Remember you want to use as fewer anchor points as possible to get smooth curves when drawing with the Pen Creature.
Tip: If you hold downShift as you get through and get behind, you constrain the incline of the directional line to 45° increments.
5 – Combine sinusoidal and heterosexual person path segments with the Pen Tool
Nowadays we'll draw paths that combine straight corner points with flexuous or sinuate points, just first a little explanation of directional lines.
Falcate anchor points have directional lines that are opponent each other, 180° asunder.
Corner (or straight) points either have no directional lines, only unity leading furrow, surgery 2 directional lines that are at an angle that is non 180°. ( A little second confusing, I know!)
In all likelihood the most difficult office of drawing with the Write out Tool in Photoshop is joining skyward two curves happening a corner target. If you can do this, then you buttocks get along any type of drawing with the Pen.
For this exercise, we're going to soak up the way of life below.
- Select the Pen instrument operating theater press P on the keyboard.
- We're starting with a straight section, which is dead easy, so click erstwhile for your starting point (wear't drag) and then click again to put down your second backbone.
- Now we'Ra going into a curve. Move the pointer over the second anchor point and prevail downAlt (Windows) Beaver StateOption (Mac), the cursor changes to show what looks like an upside down "v". This indicates that you are going to convert the point from being a trabeated point to a curved point.
- Click on the same point and drag upwards in one motion to initiate the curve.
- Then click and drag downward to create your next anchor point and finish the curve you started.
Directly we need some other curve ball. However, you volition find that if you simply click and sweep up a young point, the curve is going down the wrong way. (Take in a attend again at the path we are trying to create above point 1).
- To prevent this from happening and have our curve ball go up again, we need to kickoff a radical swerve aside property down Elevation / Pick + Clicking on the utmost anchor point. You will again see the little top-down "v". This basically resets the curving point to a straight point.
- Click on the anchor point once more and drag upwards to create a second curve going up. Information technology wish look arsenic though you have dragged the new handle over the previous handle.
- Add a new anchor repoint and weigh down to conclusion the back curve.
- Repeat step 6, 7 and 8 to create a thirdly "upwards" curve.
- To end up, we need to convert from a curved point to a straight point. One time once more, hold downAlt / Option and click erst on your last anchor point.
- Click once again to put back down your last anchor point. You should now have made a path that looks like this;
- Ctrl / Cmd + click anywhere to complete the path.
You've like a sho successfully linked straight and curved segments in a path drawn with the Pen Puppet. This is thehardest part of drawing with the Pen Instrument and the one you need to get the most practice with.
There is, of course, lots more to learn just about the Write out tool, but at this stage, piles of practice combining straight segments and curves bequeath turn you into a Write out tool master real quickly.
To a greater extent Pen Tool Pattern!
A really good way to practice combining curves and straight points with the compose tool is to try drawing off the outlines of letters. Start with easy ones like I and Z, and so try lowercase T, S, P and so on. This is an exercise I render to my classes and they find information technology useful. Put on't worry if your lines aren't perfect at this stage, the main thing is to sample things out.
I hope you've constitute this tutorial on how to draw straight paths and curves with the Pen Instrument 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.
I'd be really appreciative if you would share this post. Thank you! 🙂
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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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