Paths in Photoshop
The Pen tool
The Rubber Band option
The Rubber Band option is located in the drop-down menu next to the Custom Shape Tool button in the property bar of the Pen tool. Enabling this options allows you to have a preview of how your paths look like before clicking to position the anchor.
Spring-loaded tools
Spring-loaded tools are hidden from the surface of the Pen tool and are activated through key combination. The combinations are:
| Tools | Combination |
|---|---|
| Convert to Point | Alt while hovering over an anchor point |
| Direct Selection | Control + clicking the path |
| Path Selection | Control + Alt + clicking the path |
| Group Selection | Control + Alt while hovering over a path segment or anchor point |
The Shape tool
The hidden advanced options of the Shape tool (U) can be activated by clicking the down arrow to the right of the Custom Shape tool. If you would like pixel-perfect result of a drawn shape, you should tick the Snap to Pixels option.
The Type tool
Photoshop doesn’t allow as much transformation option on type then path and raster images (there is no distort or perspective transformation options for type). Rasterizing type means possible loss of quality, which makes it really handy to convert type to shape for transformation.
To convert type into paths, right-click on the type layer and select “Convert Type to Shape.” Alternatively, you can convert type into a “work path,” which produces a new path of the shape of type. Making “work path” also works on normal raster shapes; however, it is achieved by first making a selection of the raster shape and then convert that selection into a work path.
Vector mask
A vector mask is basically the same as a raster mask, except that it retains the easy-to-shape nature of a path. To add a vector mask, it’s very much like adding a raster mask (have a selection, select the layer to mask, and click Add Layer Mask). The actual procedure goes like this: select the path, select the layer to mask, and Ctrl + click the Add Layer Mask function.
Type paths
To run text along a path, first draw the path, and then with the Type tool selected, click on the path and start typing. The path can later be further manipulated, and the start point (indicated by an “x”) and the end point (indicated by a black circle) of the text can also be rearranged. You can also type in a close path to create a custom shaped text box.
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