
Now that we’ve covered the different Pen tools, let’s look at creating shapes, selections, and strokes.

Currently, you need to activate the Content-Aware Tracing tool by going to Preferences > Technology Previews > Enable Content-Aware Tracing tool. Unlike the Magnetic Pen tool, you do not drag the Content-Aware Pen. Contact-Aware Tracing tool - The Contact-Aware Tracing tool creates automatic paths, tracing hard edges and defined pixels. You can find the Magnetic Pen tool in the Freeform Pen tool’s options bar.ĥ. Unlike the other pen tools, it is not found in the Pen tool group. The Magnetic Pen tool - The Magnetic Pen tool creates a path that snaps to the edges of denied objects or subjects. It excels in making script-like shapes, paths, and designs.Ĥ. It’s often considered to be more intuitive than the Standard Pen tool.

You can use the Curvature Pen tool to create selections and extractions. The Curvature Pen tool - The Curvature Pen tool was explicitly designed to help create curved paths. It’s ideal for creating freeform shapes like swirls or other abstract designs.ģ. The Freeform Pen tool - The Freeform Pen tool allows you to create paths as if you were drawing using the Pencil tool. It’s the most commonly used Pen tool and the one I recommend learning first.Ģ. It’s ideal for extracting human subjects or objects with smooth edges. The Standard Pen tool - The standard Pen tool lets you create both curved and straight segments with unmatched precision. You can use the Shift + P key to cycle through the other tools in the Pen group.ġ. There are multiple, different Pen tools in Photoshop, each excelling at different creative styles or use cases. A path will not appear in an image when exported, if not converted into a shape, stroke, or otherwise. However, you can convert paths into vector shapes and vice versa as well. If using a path to create a stroke, the stroke will be pixel-based, but the path will remain until deleted. This means you can create and adjust a path without it degrading in quality. The paths created by the Pen tool are vector-based, as opposed to pixel-based. You can then convert the path into selections, strokes, or shapes. Using the Pen tool, you create paths connected by anchors. The Pen tool in Photoshop can create both selections and vector shapes.
#How to make smooth lines in photoshop with a tablet how to#


