Pen Tool newbie has some questions

GP
Posted By
Gary_Politzer
Aug 12, 2008
Views
193
Replies
9
Status
Closed
I put off learning how to control the Pen Tool far too long, but recently, I dug in & spent about 4 hours getting the hang of it. After about an hour, I had the basics, so I decided to practice on a complex outline. I spent several hours outlining a very intricate object with great precision. The tool was set on Path. What I did not realize is the Path I was creating was not being saved when I saved my work. It completely disappeared when I closed the file, much to my dismay. So obviously, I missed something in the instructions. Here are my questions:

1. How should I have saved my Path?

2. My goal was to complete a complex outline & use it for a mask or selection to remove the background – to extricate a complex object from a complex background. Was Path the best setting for this goal? What if I had used Shape, or Pixel Fill?

I really loved the control the tool gave me, like a digital Exacto knife, but would appreciate some suggestions to help further my exploration of the Pen Tool.

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P
Phosphor
Aug 12, 2008
In the Paths Palette you will see Work path.

Double click on it and rename it.

Save.
JJ
John Joslin
Aug 12, 2008
Was Path the best setting for this goal?

By implication Phos answered that with a yes.

This cheat sheet is quite handy (you can download it as a PDF):

<http://creativetechs.com/iq/adobe_pen_tool_cheatsheet.html>
P
Phosphor
Aug 12, 2008
Hmmmm. In my experience if a file is Saved, the Path is saved as well, even if you don’t specifically Save it. It won’t be visible when you reopen the file, but if you look at the Paths palette it should be there.
JM
J_Maloney
Aug 12, 2008
Not if you make the work path inactive and then start to draw a new path. Gone. Presto. Not my favorite "feature".

J
P
Phosphor
Aug 12, 2008
That’s true. I always double-click on the Path in the Paths palette to get teh Save dialog.
KN
Ken_Nielsen
Aug 12, 2008
"I dug in & spent about 4 hours getting the hang of it."

That should be enough, for one day that is. Keep with it. Use it often over the next few years. Take on jobs that need paths. You will find the pen tool to be one of Photoshop’s most valuable tools.

Best,

Ken
GP
Gary_Politzer
Aug 13, 2008
Ahhh… The Paths Palette. I always saw that there but never paid any attention to it. Man was I sorry to see all that work evaporate. But I am excited about the potential of this tool. I agree it will be invaluable. Thank you all.
S
StevieV
Aug 13, 2008
The Photoshop pen tool shatz all over Illustrators pen tool for simplicity and ease of use, it’s more Freehand like than any other Adobe created tool. 😉
PC
Paul_Cutler
Aug 14, 2008
Don’t agree with that last statement but each to their own.

Remember in order to get smooth curves the fewer points the better. The placement is also important.

pbc

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