Chapter 11 Using the Paths Panel 271 The Magnetic option changes the Freeform Pen tool into a magnetic vector drawing tool.. Using the Magnetic Option with the Freeform Pen Tool Use th
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The Magnetic option changes the Freeform Pen tool into a magnetic vector drawing tool For example, selecting the Magnetic option forces the tool to follow the visible edge of an object in the document window
The Magnetic option instructs the Freeform Pen tool to identify the shifts in brightness between an object and its background It's a great way to make a difficult path Once you click to define the starting point, it's not necessary to hold down the mouse; just move the mouse while closely following the visible edge of the image If you get to a tricky point where the Freeform Pen doesn't know what to do, just click your mouse to add a user-defined anchor point
Using the Magnetic
Option with the
Freeform Pen Tool
Use the Magnetic Option with
the Freeform Pen Tool
Open a document
Select the Freeform Pen tool on
the toolbox
Select the Magnetic check box on
the Options bar
IMPORTANT When using the
Magnetic option with the Freeform
Pen tool, you cannot create an
open shape
Click the Shape Layers or Paths
button
Position the Freeform Pen tool
over the edge of a shape, and then
click and release the mouse
Drag in the document window
using your mouse or drawing
tablet pen to follow the visible
edge
The magnetic option helps you
follow the edge more precisely
Close the shape by dragging the
Freeform (magnetic) Pen tool over
the shape's starting point, and
then releasing when you see a
small circle appear underneath the
tool, or by double-clicking
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Starting point
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From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Creating a path is not necessarily the end of the job; in fact, there are many ways you can modify a path once it's been created For example, you can add, subtract, or delete anchor points on an existing path You can also modify those points to conform to any desired shape In addi-tion, existing anchor points can be modified to change the segments connecting the points Just like anything else in Photoshop, paths are flexible They can be modified to meet whatever design considerations are needed to make the job successful
Adding and Deleting
Anchor Points
Add Anchor Points
Open a document that contains an
existing path, or create a new
path
Select the Paths panel.
Select a path
Select the Add Anchor Point tool
on the toolbox
Click once on the path to add, not
modify, a new anchor point
Click and drag on the path to add,
and modify the segment
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Did You Know?
You can move anchor points using
your arrow tools Select the Direct
Selection tool, and then click on an
anchor point Click your arrow keys to
move the anchor point up, down, left or
right one pixel at a time To move 10
pixels at a time, hold down the Shift
key while using the arrow keys
From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Delete Anchor Points
Open a document that contains an
existing path, or create a new
path
Select the Paths panel.
Select a path
Select the Delete Anchor Point
tool on the toolbox
There are no additional options for
the Delete Anchor Point tool
Click once on an existing anchor
point to remove it from the path
The anchor points on either side of
the deleted point are now used to
define the segment
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From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Modifying Anchor
Points
Modify Anchor Points
Open a document that contains an
existing path, or create a new
path
Select the Paths panel.
Select the path you want to
modify
Select the Path Selection tool on
the toolbox
Click on the path to move, without
modifying, the entire path
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Anchor points can be added or deleted, and existing anchor points can
be modified In reality, the anchor points are used to define the length and curve of the segments, or lines that connect the anchor points together Just think of a farmer who strings up a line of barbed wire to protect his cattle by placing posts in the ground and stringing the wire between the posts The more posts he uses, the more complex the path
of the barbed wire In Photoshop, the posts are the anchor points, and the barbed wire corresponds to the segments However, we have one advantage over the farmer; we can cause a segment line to curve between the anchor points, while the farmer must stretch the barbed wire in a straight line between posts
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Did You Know?
You can move a path using the
key-board Click the path and then use the
arrows on the keyboard to move it
From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Select the Direct Selection tool on
the toolbox
Drag an individual anchor point to
move the anchor to another
location
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Did You Know?
You can use one tool to add or delete
anchor points Press the Alt (Win) or
Option (Mac) key when using the Add
or Delete Anchor Point tool This
reverses the display The Add tool
becomes the Delete tool
From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Anchor points are composed of two elements—the anchor point and direction lines The anchor point is the fence post that connects seg-ments together The direction lines influence the amount of curve applied to the segment The farther away a direction point is from the anchor, the more aggressive the curve Conversely, the closer the direction lines are to the anchor point, the more gradual the curve If an anchor point does not have any direction lines, it is said to be a straight anchor point
Modifying Existing
Direction Lines
Modify Existing Direction Lines
Open a document that contains a
path, or create a new path
Select the Paths panel, and then
select the path you want to modify
Select the Direct Selection tool on
the toolbox
There are no additional options for
the Direct Selection tool
Click the very end of the direction
line, and then drag to change the
curve of the segment
Hold down the Alt (Win) or Option
(Mac) key, and then click at the
very end of the direction line to
break the line at the anchor point
This lets you independently control
each end of the direction line as it
extends out from the anchor point
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From the Library of Wow! eBook