How To Use The Pen Tool In Photoshop For Beginners

In this video, learn how to use the pen tool to make pen tool selections. Use keyboard shortcuts to use the pen tool to cut out shapes and people from photos. Create anchor points to shape curves for your pen tool selections.

Have you ever thought the pen was too confusing to learn? I did! Well, today you are going to learn how to use the pen tool in Photoshop.

Todays video is all about the pen tool. I’m going to show you the benefits of using the
pen tool, how to actually start using the pen tool, how to edit the selections you create
using the pen tool and finally how to cut something out of their background.

The pen tool is very useful in photoshop. Its the most advanced and accurate way to make a selection in photoshop. It takes a little bit
longer to cut out something but it is very accurate.

So to start off I’m going to show you the basics of the pen tool then
we will go to an image

We are going to use keyboard short cuts while working with the pen tool. It’s much easier.

So click “P” for the Pen tool. Make sure you choose path from the top menu

When working with the Pen tool make sure that the Auto Add/Delete box is checked in
the Options bar, so that when you hover over an existing path, the Pen tool toggles
to the Add Anchor Point tool or to the Delete Anchor Point tool when you
hover over an anchor point.

Demo Starts here:

1. Show how to use the pen tool to connect points. These are called anchor points.
   Then right-click to show how you can
   make a selection. CMD D to deselect
2. Show how the path is saved in Paths Tab – Note paths are separate from selections
   but these are used to make selections
3. create a new path then draw a square while holding the shift key

I wanted to show you how to get back to working on the path just in case you click
off of it. This was frustrating to me I was always worried about clicking somewhere
and losing all my work
4 To select the path hit Command or Ctrl and click on the path

5 To move points around use Command or control and click on a point and move.
also you can click on a line and move it.

So we just got done drawing straight line now let make a curve

Draw a shape.

1 hit command or ctrl and click on a point and move. Click on handle and move
Click on the curve to move

2 if I wanted to change to curve into a straight line I could click alt/option
of any point.

1. to change a point to a curve click alt/option on a point and click and drag

4 to delete a point just click on it to add a point click on a line

So thats just the basics. We just created some shapes. What the pen tool is really
good at is cutting out shapes or people from a photo

Cut someone out of the background

5 Reasons to use the pen tool in photoshop

1. The most accurate way to create cutouts
   2 Paths are always editable
   3 Saves your paths for return access
   4 Makes accurate selections from paths
   5 Its selection can cut anything out.

Tip 1 Use as few points as possible
Tip 2 For angle create a point then change direction

Convert Anchor Point
ALT / OPTION make curve into a point or point into a curve

Direct Selection Tool – Move a point on a curve at anytime
CMD / CTRL

After cutting out with the pen tool. Right-click and make a selection feather by 0.5
Click on layer mask and subject is cut out

create white layer and put beneath so she is on a completely white background

also show using saved path hit cmd/ctrl and click on the path. This will make a
selection. Then click on make a new layer mask.

Create a layer below and fill with gray

Go back to the path and click then click on path, then adjust path

Then click cmd/ctrl on path to make a selection

inverse selection and paint black where you made the change.

——————- Outro ————————–
So now you know how to use the pen tool. The more times you use this tool the quicker
you will become at it. You can now cut anything out of its background.