Recently I was contacted by Shona Tiger with a question about how to achieve this effect on Veerle's blog. I wasn't really clear on what Shona wanted, but it seemed she was having trouble understanding the pen tool techniques being used. I visited that page and read through the tutorial and then the comments and most of the people (including Veerle) seemed to be confused. This is not uncommon for of all the tools in Photoshop the pen is the hardest one to grasp (pun intended).
In the following tutorial I will attempt to remove some of the mystery of working with the pen tool and hopefully make it easier (and more fun) for you to use. Everything I talk about in this tutorial (or any other tutorial on this site) is from my own experience with Photoshop CS. I do not know if the newer versions have changed things or not so if you encounter any discrepancies you'll have to refer to your help files or Google for an answer.
Ok, my first suggestion - practice. I know this may seem tedious, but it is vital to learning the pen tool and how it operates.
I highly recommend visiting Mike's Sketchpad and reading through his list of tutorials there. This is where I first learned to use the pen tool myself. Mike has some excellent pen tutorial templates which you can download and open right in Photoshop so you can practice drawing with the pen. Be sure to check out the Tutorial 6 template - a four leaf clover which is great for practicing your bezier curves (one of the hardest things for first-timers to figure out).
Here are some other links for you to check out...
Pen Tool Tutorial - Creating Selections With Photoshop's Pen Tool
The Beastly Bezier curves
Creating Curved Lines With the Pen Tool
Photoshop Pen Tool Tutorial - Learn Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop Tutorials : Paths and the Pen Tool
Using Photoshop Shape Tool and Pen Tool
Next let's take a look at the pen tool options bar. This is where all the settings for the operation of the pen are located and it is the main area where most people get confused, because they will select the pen in the toolbar and start drawing without checking which options are selected here first. Normally, the first selection (shown below) is the one most often selected when you grab the pen tool. This is the shape layers option and this will create a shape out of whatever you draw with the pen tool.
The color option is automatic, so whatever you draw with the pen tool while the shape layers option is selected will result in a color filled object on your canvas.
You can also choose to have a layer style applied to your path as you draw it. To use a layer style click on the little black arrow next to the style option (shown below), then select a style from the style drop down menu.
As you can see this is pretty cool - the style will apply itself as you draw on the canvas (shown below) and in the Layers Palette you can see that it appears as a shape layer.
If you don't want to use the style option anymore just open the style drop down menu again and select the white square with the red line through it.
The second selection on the pen tools option bar is the paths option (shown below). This is the main option for drawing regular paths, bezier curves, and anything else you want.
Another option associated with the paths is the Rubber Band (shown below), which will show you the predicted path you're going to make before you click on the canvas.
You might not always know what direction or position you want your path to go, but with the Rubber Band option selected you can see a visible hint of where your next anchor point will leave you.
There is one other selection here that I would like to share with you and that is the freeform pen tool (shown below). It is located right next to the regular pen tool on the options bar. The freeform pen tool allows you to create paths by just drawing freehand with the mouse (somewhat similar to Illustrator's pencil tool).
The freeform pen tool is not a precise instrument, but it's great for beginners who want to get familiar with using the pen tool. You can adjust the frequency of the anchor points created on the path you draw by altering the value in the Curve Fit box (shown below). The higher the value the less anchor points and segments will be created, but the less accurate the finished path will be.
On the options bar is another nifty little feature which will turn the freeform pen tool into the magnetic pen tool. Once this box is checked then a whole new set of options will open up to you (see image below).
The magnetic pen option lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can see this in the photo below as I begin to trace around the furry head of my niece's ferret 'Storm'. The precision of your path will depend on the settings you choose in the magnetic options box.
You can also drag the options bar away from where it's situated up under the File menu and then place it anywhere you want (as I did for this tutorial).
Now that we have a basic idea of some of the selections available in the pen tool options bar let's practice drawing something. Taking a cue from Veerle's tutorial let's start by making something that most beginner's have a tough time with; curved paths (also known as bezier curves).
Since we are going to be using the simulate pressure option take a moment to refer to my previous tutorial - Stroke That Puppy! - and make sure you have those settings selected in your Brush Palette options.
Next create a new Photoshop document, 300px by 300px, resolution 72dpi, RGB color mode, white background. Select your Pen Tool and make sure the paths option is selected in the options bar. Now follow the steps below to create a curved path...
Step number 4 is more important than it looks, because quite often I will receive e-mails from people asking me, "Doug, I drew a path, but after that how do I turn the pen off?" Once you're done drawing a curve or any other object with the pen tool the best way I've found for "turning it off" is to hold down your Crtl key and then click once on your canvas.
Now that you have your curve drawn go to your toolbar and choose your Brush, then from the options bar open your brush panel and choose a 9 pixel hard round brush. Make sure the Opacity is set at 100% and that the painting Mode is 'normal'. I'm using the default foreground black color for this, but you can use whatever color you want.
It is especially important when using the simulate pressure option that you choose a brush size that will work on the path you've drawn. So often I get e-mails from people saying, "Doug! Help! I stroked my path but ...
[a] ...there's nothing there!" - (brush size too small)
- or -
[b] ...it's a big black glob!" - (brush size too big)
Some other possible culprits are...
- Opacity not set at 100%
- Blend Mode not set to 'normal'
- Brush color is the same as the background color
- Brush settings need to be adjusted (refer to tutorial mentioned above)
- Brushes may need to be reset (refer to tutorial mentioned above)
After picking your brush go to your toolbar and grab the Path Selection Tool (black arrow), click once on your path, then right click and select Stroke Path from the flyout menu.
A little dialogue box will appear. Make sure the "Brush" is selected and that the simulate pressure checkbox is ticked.
Click OK and your path will now be stroked.
To turn the path off so you can see your newly stroked line just click the checkmark in the options bar.
You can also turn your path off by clicking once in the empty gray space below your path layer in the paths palette (see below).
Pretty cool, eh? Now hopefully you have enough information to tackle the 'ol pen tool on your own and start making some wonderful mind-bending creations. There is no limit to the things you can do with this useful tool once you know how to use it.
As always if you have any questions, suggestions, or critiques please leave them for me in the comments section.
In the following tutorial I will attempt to remove some of the mystery of working with the pen tool and hopefully make it easier (and more fun) for you to use. Everything I talk about in this tutorial (or any other tutorial on this site) is from my own experience with Photoshop CS. I do not know if the newer versions have changed things or not so if you encounter any discrepancies you'll have to refer to your help files or Google for an answer.
Ok, my first suggestion - practice. I know this may seem tedious, but it is vital to learning the pen tool and how it operates.
I highly recommend visiting Mike's Sketchpad and reading through his list of tutorials there. This is where I first learned to use the pen tool myself. Mike has some excellent pen tutorial templates which you can download and open right in Photoshop so you can practice drawing with the pen. Be sure to check out the Tutorial 6 template - a four leaf clover which is great for practicing your bezier curves (one of the hardest things for first-timers to figure out).
Here are some other links for you to check out...
Pen Tool Tutorial - Creating Selections With Photoshop's Pen Tool
The Beastly Bezier curves
Creating Curved Lines With the Pen Tool
Photoshop Pen Tool Tutorial - Learn Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop Tutorials : Paths and the Pen Tool
Using Photoshop Shape Tool and Pen Tool
Next let's take a look at the pen tool options bar. This is where all the settings for the operation of the pen are located and it is the main area where most people get confused, because they will select the pen in the toolbar and start drawing without checking which options are selected here first. Normally, the first selection (shown below) is the one most often selected when you grab the pen tool. This is the shape layers option and this will create a shape out of whatever you draw with the pen tool.
The color option is automatic, so whatever you draw with the pen tool while the shape layers option is selected will result in a color filled object on your canvas.
You can also choose to have a layer style applied to your path as you draw it. To use a layer style click on the little black arrow next to the style option (shown below), then select a style from the style drop down menu.
As you can see this is pretty cool - the style will apply itself as you draw on the canvas (shown below) and in the Layers Palette you can see that it appears as a shape layer.
If you don't want to use the style option anymore just open the style drop down menu again and select the white square with the red line through it.
The second selection on the pen tools option bar is the paths option (shown below). This is the main option for drawing regular paths, bezier curves, and anything else you want.
Another option associated with the paths is the Rubber Band (shown below), which will show you the predicted path you're going to make before you click on the canvas.
You might not always know what direction or position you want your path to go, but with the Rubber Band option selected you can see a visible hint of where your next anchor point will leave you.
There is one other selection here that I would like to share with you and that is the freeform pen tool (shown below). It is located right next to the regular pen tool on the options bar. The freeform pen tool allows you to create paths by just drawing freehand with the mouse (somewhat similar to Illustrator's pencil tool).
The freeform pen tool is not a precise instrument, but it's great for beginners who want to get familiar with using the pen tool. You can adjust the frequency of the anchor points created on the path you draw by altering the value in the Curve Fit box (shown below). The higher the value the less anchor points and segments will be created, but the less accurate the finished path will be.
On the options bar is another nifty little feature which will turn the freeform pen tool into the magnetic pen tool. Once this box is checked then a whole new set of options will open up to you (see image below).
The magnetic pen option lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can see this in the photo below as I begin to trace around the furry head of my niece's ferret 'Storm'. The precision of your path will depend on the settings you choose in the magnetic options box.
- For Width, enter a pixel value between 1 and 256. The magnetic pen detects edges only within the specified distance from the pointer.
- For Contrast, enter a percentage value between 1 and 100 to specify the contrast between pixels required to be considered an edge. Use a higher value for low contrast images.
- For Frequency, enter a value between 5 and 40 to specify the rate at which the pen sets anchor points. A higher value anchors the path in place more quickly.
- If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or deselect Pen Pressure. When this option is selected, an increase in pen pressure causes the width to decrease.
You can also drag the options bar away from where it's situated up under the File menu and then place it anywhere you want (as I did for this tutorial).
Now that we have a basic idea of some of the selections available in the pen tool options bar let's practice drawing something. Taking a cue from Veerle's tutorial let's start by making something that most beginner's have a tough time with; curved paths (also known as bezier curves).
Since we are going to be using the simulate pressure option take a moment to refer to my previous tutorial - Stroke That Puppy! - and make sure you have those settings selected in your Brush Palette options.
Next create a new Photoshop document, 300px by 300px, resolution 72dpi, RGB color mode, white background. Select your Pen Tool and make sure the paths option is selected in the options bar. Now follow the steps below to create a curved path...
Step number 4 is more important than it looks, because quite often I will receive e-mails from people asking me, "Doug, I drew a path, but after that how do I turn the pen off?" Once you're done drawing a curve or any other object with the pen tool the best way I've found for "turning it off" is to hold down your Crtl key and then click once on your canvas.
Now that you have your curve drawn go to your toolbar and choose your Brush, then from the options bar open your brush panel and choose a 9 pixel hard round brush. Make sure the Opacity is set at 100% and that the painting Mode is 'normal'. I'm using the default foreground black color for this, but you can use whatever color you want.
It is especially important when using the simulate pressure option that you choose a brush size that will work on the path you've drawn. So often I get e-mails from people saying, "Doug! Help! I stroked my path but ...
[a] ...there's nothing there!" - (brush size too small)
- or -
[b] ...it's a big black glob!" - (brush size too big)
Some other possible culprits are...
- Opacity not set at 100%
- Blend Mode not set to 'normal'
- Brush color is the same as the background color
- Brush settings need to be adjusted (refer to tutorial mentioned above)
- Brushes may need to be reset (refer to tutorial mentioned above)
After picking your brush go to your toolbar and grab the Path Selection Tool (black arrow), click once on your path, then right click and select Stroke Path from the flyout menu.
A little dialogue box will appear. Make sure the "Brush" is selected and that the simulate pressure checkbox is ticked.
Click OK and your path will now be stroked.
To turn the path off so you can see your newly stroked line just click the checkmark in the options bar.
You can also turn your path off by clicking once in the empty gray space below your path layer in the paths palette (see below).
Pretty cool, eh? Now hopefully you have enough information to tackle the 'ol pen tool on your own and start making some wonderful mind-bending creations. There is no limit to the things you can do with this useful tool once you know how to use it.
As always if you have any questions, suggestions, or critiques please leave them for me in the comments section.
nice tutorial! i will give it a try :)
I really like this tutorial! Very in depth. I'm always amazed at what can be done with Photoshop (or as I use, Gimp).
By the way, I really like your theme. Did you desing/tweak it? Just curious. Eric.
Pat, Eric, thank you. This is a Thisaway theme which I have tweaked to fit my own tastes. I did a massive four part tutorial here which describes the whole process. Start at the beginning with 'The Making of TBODC - Part 1' and work your way through.
This sounds totally awesome to me, but on the other hand I don't have a clue. You know mom thinks everything you figure out just blows my mind, I wish I was as smart as you. mom
Wow, nice in-depth article on the pen tool. I remember the pen tool being a difficult thing to grasp when first learning Illustrator (I know this article is on the PS pen tool, but they function more or less the same). And then I had to learn about curves in Maya (3D), which is different yet again! Ooo, my poor head!
You're right on Veerle's article, things were very confusing (and it turned out that it was because she didn't explain ALL of her steps). I like the final illustration you did!
Clear and useful tutorial Doug. I think this will help the beginners to understand better of how to use pen tool.
I use Adobe Illustrator to draw graphics, since it is difficult for me to control the path with pen tool :P By reading this tutorial, I wish I can create better and smooth path using Photoshop.
Mom, I got all my smarts from you :)
Lauren, thank you. I did that design probably four years ago. It was after reading a letter from Gary Godby on iStock who told me I could create intricate scrolls using the Pen Tool. So I gave it a shot and spent about three days making the scrolls in the frame. Thought it was appropriate for this tut.
Audee, I'm glad you found it useful.
Thank you. I will apply it to my work
thanks for ur sharing :)
thank you for this very long tip, i will follow you in my email id...
I'm glad the tutorial has helped and inspired everyone. Thanks for taking the time to leave your comments. I appreciate your feedback.
thanks for this great tip, do you know any site that gives video tutorials..
wow! this lengthy post gave me very intersting lesson on pen tool..
Thank your very much..
good tip thats interesting..
Great information you have shared through this tutorial!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Regards,
photoshop restoration and retouching
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