7 Paths Palette
Used
for working with vector paths
Grouped with the Layers, and Channels palettes
In the default arrangement, this one will be in the group at the bottom of your column of palettes. If the Paths palette is hidden behind the Channels or Layers palettes, click on its title tab to bring it to the front, or choose Window > Show Paths.
The Paths palette is used to save, edit, and manage vector shapes and outlines (paths) created with the pen tools.
Saved paths are listed by name, with a thumbnail, in the palette. To select a path, click on its name. To deselect, choose Turn Off Path from the palette menu [shown below], or click in a blank area in the palette.
To hide a path, choose View > Hide Path, or toggle between hiding and showing by holding down the Shift key, and clicking the path’s name in the Paths palette.
Information on how to create, and save paths is given on the pen tools page. Note that subpaths, or unconnected lines and shapes can be saved as the same path as long as that path’s name is selected in the Paths palette when the subpaths are drawn.
If no path exists, or no path is selected in the Paths palette, a line or shape created with one of the pen tools will generate a work path in the Paths palette. This is not saved until you name it, so be sure and do so by choosing Save Path from the palette’s menu, or by dragging the work path to the New Path button at the bottom of the palette. If you deselect an unsaved work path, and start a new path, the new one will replace the previous, unsaved one.
Saved paths can be made into selection borders, or can be stroked with color. Closed shapes can have fill color applied. Selections can be converted to paths.
The pen tools, and paths are better left until after you’ve learned how to use the other Photoshop tools. With (a lot!) of practice, you will get the hang of how to use them, but they’re difficult at first, and are not really necessary for most Photoshop image creation and editing.
Please note that this entire palettes section has been updated from a Photoshop 6 version (which was updated from a 5.5 version). Wherever the palette is essentially the same as it was in 6, I have continued to use the screen capture illustrations made using that version. So if you notice cosmetic discrepancies in the illustrations, that’s why. In all instances where features were added or changed, I have made new screen captures.
The illustration on the left, below, shows the Paths palette with
numbers added at the bottom for ID purposes. The numbered buttons are:
1) Fill Path - fills the path with the the current foreground color
2) Stroke Path - strokes the path with the current foreground color; repeated
clicking will build up the color
3) Make Selection - creates a selection outline from the path
4) Make Work Path - creates an unsaved work path from a selection
5) New Path - makes a new, unnamed path in the Paths palette; dragging
an unsaved work path to this button will save it
6) the Trash, or delete button.
On the right below, is the Paths palette’s options menu. This is found by clicking on the arrow at the top right corner of the palette
The Make Selection dialog box shown in the white section below left, provides options for how the path will interact with an existing selection. It is found by choosing Make Selection from the Paths palette’s options menu, shown above right. If there is no active selection, then all radio button options except for New Selection will be grayed out.
The dialog box shown in the white section at right below, is found by choosing Fill Path from the palette’s options menu, shown above, right.
Feathering, if used, will apply a slight transition between the selected, or filled area, and its surrounding colors. Usual values are 2-5 pixels. Anti-aliasing smooths curvy, or slanted lines. Blending mode choices, found in the Fill Subpath box will determine how the applied color blends with the existing colors. Preserve Transparency, if checked, will prevent pixels from being added to any transparent areas.
The last illustration in the white section below shows
the tools that can be used to stroke a path. Find this menu in the Stroke
Path dialog.
Please note the Simulate Pressure checkbox. Since neither the Adobe User
Guide nor their online help explains what it does, I’ll show you an illustration
and let you puzzle it out. I created a work path with the rectangle tool.
I then copied the box three times, rotating each box 90°. I then stroked
each box with the same brush. You figure it out.
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