How to use the Pen tool for shapes and cut-outs
The Pen tool has a reputation for being hard. It isn't — it just works differently from a brush. Instead of painting pixels, you place points and the editor draws perfectly smooth lines between them. Once you have the outline, you can use it for almost anything.
Two kinds of points
- Click to place a corner point. Straight lines connect corner points.
- Click and drag to place a smooth point. The direction you drag sets the direction of the curve, and the distance sets how strongly it bends.
A good habit: use as few points as you can, and put smooth points at the widest part of a curve rather than at its ends.
Close it, then fix it
Click the first point to close the path. It rarely comes out perfect the first time — that's expected. Switch to the Direct Selection tool (A) and drag points or their handles until the outline sits exactly where you want it. Alt-click a point to switch it between corner and smooth.
What to do with a path
- A shape: in Shape mode the path becomes a filled shape layer that stays sharp at any size.
- A cut-out: in Path mode, trace around an object, then press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to turn the path into a selection with clean edges.
- A mask: Layer → Add Vector Mask from Path hides everything outside the outline, without deleting anything.
Try it
- Open a photo in Picstea and press P.
- Choose Path in the options bar and click around an object, closing the path.
- Press A and adjust the points, then press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter.
- Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the object to its own layer.
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