Photoshop Top 40, Feature #32: The Pen Tool

Submitted by deke on 8 September 2009 - 12:13am.

If you're anything like me, you just finished celebrating Labor Day by not laboring in the least. Happily, the same cannot be said of Photoshop Top 40. Tuesday after Tuesday, this proud and relentless podcast marches on.

Fittingly, today marks Feature #32, The Pen Tool, one of the most powerful but labor-intensive tools in all of Photoshop. Newbies select images with the likes of the quick select and magic wand tools. Both are highly automated, but they rarely work. Experts use the pen tool. It takes some work to master, but it always works in return. In other words, learn to use the pen tool and you'll be prepared for any masking job.

The base photograph comes to us from Stas Perov of image vendor Fotolia.com. Click this link for a special deal.

(For a list of all Photoshop Top 40 videos thus far, click this link.)

Incidentally, Photoshop Top 40 is now available as a downloadable podcast from iTunes. Click here to subscribe.

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Comments

Photoshop top 40

Submitted by Booojum on 17 September 2009 - 12:35pm.
Deke, ma'man: In the past year or so, since transitioning to digital after 50+ years of film, I've spent approx. $2500 on printed matter (er, uh, books), but it I could keep only one, it would be you CS3 one-on-one. OK, that should do for the sucking-up part of this missive herewith. Question: might I assume that when you've worked your way to #1 in the Top 40 series, you will make the whole set available on DVD? Might I assume that you are at least considering doing so? Might you be swayed by a few hundred emails like this one encouraging you to do so? Might I assume that I will alienate you if I continue with these inane questions? I have enough to do for the moment. I've worked my way through everything you have to offer on Lynda.com that relates to Photoshop and photographers, and am getting ready to start over (at my age, Half-heimers is the norm, not the exception. Half-heimers? the faculty for remembering about half of what you see, hear and read about half the time). Try to avoid getting old, Deke; I can't recommend it.

I like the pen tool

Submitted by capuccino7 on 14 September 2009 - 2:36pm.
I love using it. Thanks for video.

thank you thank you!!

Submitted by wood5y on 15 September 2009 - 5:32am.
Thanks for putting the tips on iTunes for subscription. Its great to have them playing on the computer or on my ipod when I am trying to sort something out. Thanks a bunch deke and minions!

Still a newbie with photoshop

Submitted by sundarama on 12 September 2009 - 7:05am.
Thanks deke for the free Vid, Im somewhat new to photoshop and your tutorial on lynda.com really help out. I can tell that you are an expert at what you do.

I love using the pen tool

Submitted by ValkyrieStudio on 8 September 2009 - 7:12pm.
I love using the pen tool for masking, even though it's a bit more work than most methods and not everything warrants that level of detail. But when it does, there's nothing better. One thing I've always wanted in PS was to be able to click the last point you drew to remove the second handle, ala Illustrator - I did NOT know you could hold alt and position the second one as you drew it (I've always just continued to the next point, then gone back and tweaked it). I almost wasn't too excited about this one, since I figured I knew all I needed about the Pen, but that one nugget is very helpful, so thanks for sharing!

I'm with smacky doodle

Submitted by Fangoriously on 8 September 2009 - 2:15pm.
I figured the pen tool would be like top 10 for sure.

I don't seem to understand

Submitted by ParisT on 8 September 2009 - 1:03pm.
I don't seem to understand how it works! :(

You may need more than an 8:30 video

Submitted by deke on 8 September 2009 - 2:58pm.
I devote an entire chapter to the pen tool (Lesson 11, "The Pen Tool and Paths Palette") in my book, Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One. If you're a lynda.com customer, you can check out Chapter 15: "The Pen Tool and the Paths Palette," in mt video series Photoshop CS3 Channels & Masks: Advanced Techniques. I believe there's about 90 minutes of content there.

My fav feature of all time!

Submitted by gabrielmelvoin on 8 September 2009 - 12:27pm.
My fav feature of all time!

getting excited

Submitted by smackydoodle on 8 September 2009 - 12:21pm.
The powerful Pen Tool falls in at a low #32... man I can't wait to see the awesomeness that is ahead because the Pen Tool rules!