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208
Adobe Photoshop Help
Drawing
Using Help
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Contents
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208
Drawing with the freeform pen tool
The freeform pen tool lets you draw as if you were drawing with a pencil on paper. Anchor
points are added automatically as you draw. You do not determine where the points are
positioned, but you can adjust them once the path is complete.
The magnetic pen is an option of the freeform tool that lets you draw a path that snaps to
the edges of defined areas in your image. You can define the range and sensitivity of the
snapping behavior, as well as the complexity of the resulting path. The magnetic pen and
magnetic lasso tools share many of the same options.
To draw with the freeform pen tool:
1
Select the freeform pen tool
.
2
To control how sensitive the final path is to the movement of your mouse or stylus, click
the inverted arrow
next to the shape buttons in the options bar, and enter a value
between 0.5 and 10.0 pixels for Curve Fit. A higher value creates a simpler path with fewer
anchor points.
3
Drag the pointer in the image. As you drag, a path trails behind the pointer. When you
release the mouse, a work path is created.
4
To continue the existing freehand path, position the freeform pen pointer on an
endpoint of the path, and drag.
5
To complete the path, release the mouse. To create a closed path, click the initial point
of the path (a circle appears next to the pointer when it is aligned). For more information
on closed and open paths, see
“About anchor points, direction lines, direction points, and
components” on page 210
.
To draw using the magnetic pen options:
1
To convert the freeform pen tool to the magnetic pen tool
, select Magnetic in the
options bar, or click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons in the options bar, select
Magnetic, and set the following:
•
For Width, enter a pixel value between 1 and 256. The magnetic pen detects edges only
within the specified distance from the pointer.
•
For Contrast, enter a percentage value between 1 and 100 to specify the contrast
between pixels required to be considered an edge. Use a higher value for low contrast
images.
•
For Frequency, enter a value between 5 and 40 to specify the rate at which the pen sets
anchor points. A higher value anchors the path in place more quickly.
•
If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or deselect Pen Pressure. When this option
is selected, an increase in pen pressure causes the width to decrease.
2
Click in the image to set the first fastening point.
3
To draw a freehand segment, move the pointer or drag along the edge you want to
trace.
The most recent segment of the border remains active. As you move the pointer, the
active segment snaps to the strongest edge in the image, connecting the pointer to the
last fastening point. Periodically, the magnetic pen adds fastening points to the border to
anchor previous sections.
