Clicking on a path segment will auto add a new anchor point and clicking on an existing point will auto delete it. It is worth pointing out here that as long as the Auto Add/Delete box is checked in the pen tool Options bar (see Figure 1), the only tool you really need to access is the pen tool. The pen tool group includes the main pen tool, a freeform pen tool (which in essence is not much better than the lasso or magnetic lasso tools) and modifier tools with which to add, delete or modify path points. For detailed instructions on drawing paths and working with the pen tool, refer to Chapter 9 on layers, selections and masking.įigure 1 The pen tool Options bar, showing the optional Rubber band mode.

You can then convert the pen path into a selection to be used the same way as you would with any other selection. In the long run you will find it is much easier using the pen tool to draw a pen path that defines the outline of an object (especially when you are trying to make a selection of an object that has been photographed against a busy background). But the ability to master the pen path is a skill that is definitely worth learning. Now I am not going to pretend that it is easy to master the art of drawing pen paths, because it is not. But in all honesty, in the time it takes to define an outline with one of the lasso tools, you can often do a much better job by drawing a pen path instead. Any of the above methods might work, but where an outline is a little more complicated and can’t be selected so easily with a marquee tool or the magic wand, you might be tempted to use the freehand or magnetic lasso. You can use the marquee tool, the magic wand tool, or you can make a Color Range selection, the list goes on… When you are faced with a situation where you need to define an outline in an image you need to weigh up which selection technique is the most appropriate to use. There are many ways that you can create a selection in Photoshop. If you are approaching Photoshop for the first time and have never any experience using vector path drawing tools, then the Photoshop path tools will require some getting used to. Photoshop provides a suite of vector path drawing tools that work in the same way as the pen path tools found in Adobe Illustrator and other programs that enable you to draw vector paths.

Photoshop magic lasso point save