Scotty
07-26-2007, 09:20 PM
Mastering The Pen Tool and Paths
The Pen Tool
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8401/pentoolts3.png
One of the most powerful and most useful tools in Photoshop it is also one of the hardest to learn.
It can be used for:
Creating selections around objects where other selection tools fail.
Create custom shapes with ease.
Random lines for stoking
And a lot more if you know what you want.
Basically this tool can do a lot of jobs, that’s one great thing, but if you can’t use it well or at all then you aren’t using Photoshop to its full capabilities.
The Basics
So first lets create a new document (I’ve just done 800x800, 72DPI) and grab the Pen Tool http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8401/pentoolts3.png
The first step is to create your first anchor point.
Anchor Point – This is a point in the path, the path will always touch an anchor point. These can also have one or two Control Points from them each. A control point can be moved this can then effect the line drawn with the pen tool, moving these can allow to change a corners length, sharpness of a turn and when well mastered allow you to make the Pen Tool much easier to use.
In the image below you can clearly see what a Anchor Point is both selected and not selected and a control point. A control point will always have a single straight line connecting it to an anchor point.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8251/31940193yy4.png
The curved path between the two anchor points is what has been created with the Pen Tool.
That’s the simple stuff and a quick break down, using that you should be able to do a few traces of objects if you wish to cut them out.
Cutting and More Advanced Use
To help me show you how to cut out ‘difficult’ objects I have grabbed an image off sxc.hu (invaluable image resource site). A cute little puppy (Buckely the beagle/cross cavalier at 8 weeks old), every one say ‘awwww’. Lol.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/3628/50133602as5.png
Now I will attempt to select this puppy (only the pup) With the Polygon Lasso, Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Magic Wand (some people says its awesome… it isn’t) and the Quick Selection Tool (CS3 only) Then I will do it with the pen tool. I will only do a small section I don’t want to waste years.
Magic Wand – Tolerance = 20
Half way through I got annoyed it was leaving bits behind, so I upped the Tolerance to 30. Then it does this…. Which is one reason why I hate the damn tool, it isn’t easy to control unless you constantly change the Tolerance, a image with colours close to each other like this with a brown on the object your cutting out and brown directly behind it can cause problems in the process.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6237/80865468mu2.png
And finally done.
Result = BAD. There is a messy edge and sometimes you miss a pixel or two in the middle of the image, not good (This happened a lot with the puppy, a lot of colours close makes it happen and its not fun, in the end I gave up and selected these bits with the marquee tool on top of what I already had). Also during the process you may find it hard to realise which area is selected and which isn’t.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/3560/66206347eg6.png
Quick Selection Tool (basically a revamped and smarter Wand) – Tolerance = 20 (has to be set under the Wand)
This is MUCH faster than the Magic Wand, makes the tool pointless… but it was anyway. The fact you can change the brush size allows you to do larger areas much faster and smaller more detailed areas too.
So a quick and I mean quick job and you have a nicer finish than the Wand, the edges are nicer, but you still don’t get that much control unless you set the tolerance to 1… you never want to work with that.
Also notice that there are no flat edges really that's a result of using a round brush, so you can have alot of variety in the brush you use too.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4734/19771951cq1.png
Polygon Lasso – A style of pen tool, but straight lines only, not as editable as Pen Tool paths.
A result can be achieved very quick with a tool like this, there is a lot of control available but because you can only use straight lines good results take too long to do. All of the work is yours the computer doesn’t judge anything from the image and expand the selection, so it can be easier to work with, but if you slip up it isn’t nice to undo at all usually you may have to start again, there are ways round it but never easy. If you accidentally double click the path closes.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/9761/78816900lf2.png
Lasso Tool – A style of the pen tool, basically creates an un-editable anchor point ever pixel. Not easy to use with a mouse easy with tablet but still not perfect.
Again results easily achieved but at a cost, you need amazing hand-eye coordination to achieve a half decent result, as you can’t stop to rest a hand. Basically the same as the Polygon Lasso, but harder to control. Even though you are in full control.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9282/72659190ui7.png
Magnetic Lasso – A mix of the Magic Wand tool and Lasso tool, which means one thing (OMFG what were they thinking!) yes you may have guessed I hate it…
The Magnetic Lasso can notice colour difference (Magic Wand) and there for creates it’s own points, you can’t make the points ( :x hate that) you are control the ‘Magnet’ which picks up points and then creates its own path.
This means if you have very strong contrasting colours its OK, if not you’re ruined. Look how it ruined out poor poor puppy :’(
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7523/81674638xg0.png
The Pen Tool – Thank god someone made this. Every Photoshop user should <3 the Pen Tool.
Before you start with the Pen Tool make sure that the Tool menu looks like this, the two blue items need to be selected. This means you have a pen tool with anchor points not freehand and the pattern you draw only shows a line it isn’t filled in.
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/5664/11op8.png
The Pen tool offers the most control out of any selection tool in the program, you create each individual anchor point, if you missed something you can go back and then add in another anchor point on the path and move that around. Each anchor point adds a new item to the History list. So where as the others don’t really, with this you can undo and redo as you wish because this isn’t a selection you’re making at the moment it is a path these can be edited easily and are great to use, once you finish your path, close it off and then right click, you are shown a set of options click Make Selection, then joy, ‘Feather Radius’ this allows you to ‘fade’(smooth) off your edges to create a nicer effect.
The finish you see wasn’t as long as it took to do the Magic Wand but the result is much nicer, the edges can be neatened with the help of ‘Feather’ so the cut is clean.
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8428/10vg4.png
More to come tommorrow but its 2am here...
The Pen Tool
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8401/pentoolts3.png
One of the most powerful and most useful tools in Photoshop it is also one of the hardest to learn.
It can be used for:
Creating selections around objects where other selection tools fail.
Create custom shapes with ease.
Random lines for stoking
And a lot more if you know what you want.
Basically this tool can do a lot of jobs, that’s one great thing, but if you can’t use it well or at all then you aren’t using Photoshop to its full capabilities.
The Basics
So first lets create a new document (I’ve just done 800x800, 72DPI) and grab the Pen Tool http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8401/pentoolts3.png
The first step is to create your first anchor point.
Anchor Point – This is a point in the path, the path will always touch an anchor point. These can also have one or two Control Points from them each. A control point can be moved this can then effect the line drawn with the pen tool, moving these can allow to change a corners length, sharpness of a turn and when well mastered allow you to make the Pen Tool much easier to use.
In the image below you can clearly see what a Anchor Point is both selected and not selected and a control point. A control point will always have a single straight line connecting it to an anchor point.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8251/31940193yy4.png
The curved path between the two anchor points is what has been created with the Pen Tool.
That’s the simple stuff and a quick break down, using that you should be able to do a few traces of objects if you wish to cut them out.
Cutting and More Advanced Use
To help me show you how to cut out ‘difficult’ objects I have grabbed an image off sxc.hu (invaluable image resource site). A cute little puppy (Buckely the beagle/cross cavalier at 8 weeks old), every one say ‘awwww’. Lol.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/3628/50133602as5.png
Now I will attempt to select this puppy (only the pup) With the Polygon Lasso, Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Magic Wand (some people says its awesome… it isn’t) and the Quick Selection Tool (CS3 only) Then I will do it with the pen tool. I will only do a small section I don’t want to waste years.
Magic Wand – Tolerance = 20
Half way through I got annoyed it was leaving bits behind, so I upped the Tolerance to 30. Then it does this…. Which is one reason why I hate the damn tool, it isn’t easy to control unless you constantly change the Tolerance, a image with colours close to each other like this with a brown on the object your cutting out and brown directly behind it can cause problems in the process.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6237/80865468mu2.png
And finally done.
Result = BAD. There is a messy edge and sometimes you miss a pixel or two in the middle of the image, not good (This happened a lot with the puppy, a lot of colours close makes it happen and its not fun, in the end I gave up and selected these bits with the marquee tool on top of what I already had). Also during the process you may find it hard to realise which area is selected and which isn’t.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/3560/66206347eg6.png
Quick Selection Tool (basically a revamped and smarter Wand) – Tolerance = 20 (has to be set under the Wand)
This is MUCH faster than the Magic Wand, makes the tool pointless… but it was anyway. The fact you can change the brush size allows you to do larger areas much faster and smaller more detailed areas too.
So a quick and I mean quick job and you have a nicer finish than the Wand, the edges are nicer, but you still don’t get that much control unless you set the tolerance to 1… you never want to work with that.
Also notice that there are no flat edges really that's a result of using a round brush, so you can have alot of variety in the brush you use too.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4734/19771951cq1.png
Polygon Lasso – A style of pen tool, but straight lines only, not as editable as Pen Tool paths.
A result can be achieved very quick with a tool like this, there is a lot of control available but because you can only use straight lines good results take too long to do. All of the work is yours the computer doesn’t judge anything from the image and expand the selection, so it can be easier to work with, but if you slip up it isn’t nice to undo at all usually you may have to start again, there are ways round it but never easy. If you accidentally double click the path closes.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/9761/78816900lf2.png
Lasso Tool – A style of the pen tool, basically creates an un-editable anchor point ever pixel. Not easy to use with a mouse easy with tablet but still not perfect.
Again results easily achieved but at a cost, you need amazing hand-eye coordination to achieve a half decent result, as you can’t stop to rest a hand. Basically the same as the Polygon Lasso, but harder to control. Even though you are in full control.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9282/72659190ui7.png
Magnetic Lasso – A mix of the Magic Wand tool and Lasso tool, which means one thing (OMFG what were they thinking!) yes you may have guessed I hate it…
The Magnetic Lasso can notice colour difference (Magic Wand) and there for creates it’s own points, you can’t make the points ( :x hate that) you are control the ‘Magnet’ which picks up points and then creates its own path.
This means if you have very strong contrasting colours its OK, if not you’re ruined. Look how it ruined out poor poor puppy :’(
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7523/81674638xg0.png
The Pen Tool – Thank god someone made this. Every Photoshop user should <3 the Pen Tool.
Before you start with the Pen Tool make sure that the Tool menu looks like this, the two blue items need to be selected. This means you have a pen tool with anchor points not freehand and the pattern you draw only shows a line it isn’t filled in.
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/5664/11op8.png
The Pen tool offers the most control out of any selection tool in the program, you create each individual anchor point, if you missed something you can go back and then add in another anchor point on the path and move that around. Each anchor point adds a new item to the History list. So where as the others don’t really, with this you can undo and redo as you wish because this isn’t a selection you’re making at the moment it is a path these can be edited easily and are great to use, once you finish your path, close it off and then right click, you are shown a set of options click Make Selection, then joy, ‘Feather Radius’ this allows you to ‘fade’(smooth) off your edges to create a nicer effect.
The finish you see wasn’t as long as it took to do the Magic Wand but the result is much nicer, the edges can be neatened with the help of ‘Feather’ so the cut is clean.
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8428/10vg4.png
More to come tommorrow but its 2am here...