When most people think of stroking a path, they think of adding a frame around an image. But don’t forget, you can stroke a path with any of the painting tools set to any brush tip shape! I have used the feature in a variety of ways from adding a highlight with the dodge tool to cloning an image to a new document, using the path to limit area that I want to display.
If you have a .tif or .psd file in Lightroom and want to export the image in order to resize the file (perhaps to give a low res, layered version to an art director) be aware that Lightroom will remove any clipping paths. This can be solved in a variety of ways including using Photoshop’s Image Processor script to resize instead or using actions and droplets as a Post processing step in Lightroom. For more information on using Photoshop Actions with Lightroom click here…
In order to simulate pressure sensitivity when stroking a path, select the path in the paths panel, choose Stroke Path from the fly out menu and check Simulate Pressure. Note, it is important to set up your brush (or whatever tool you want to use), as well as its attributes BEFORE you stroke the path.
In this illustration, the first path was stroked with a brush with the Simulate Pressure option unchecked. The second and third paths both had the Simulate Pressure option checked; the middle illustration demonstrating the brushes Opacity (under Transfer on the Brush Panel) set to Pen Pressure , the right illustration demonstrating Size (under Shape Dynamics on the Brush Panel) and Opacity set to Pen Pressure.
After creating a path (with the pen tool) you can select the path and Choose Edit > Define Custom Shape to add the shape to your Shape Library.
To create a stroke of paint or create a smooth path for dodging and burning, first create a path with the pen too. Then, make sure that the painting tool that you want to use is set up with the correct options (such as brush size and opacity etc.). Finally, from the Paths panel fly-out, menu, select Stroke path and select the desired tool. This can be extremely helpful for example, when trying to follow curves in a object such as an edge on a car to add a highlight to. Note that you can also choose the simulate pressure option to simulate pressure sensitivity of the tool.
Using either the Shape tools or the Pen tool, create a closed path or shape (such as a circle) to contain the type. Then, select the Type tool and position the cursor with in the shape. The cursor appears to have parenthesis around it indicating that any added text will be constrained within the shape. Resizing the shape will reflow the type.
Using either the Shape tools or the Pen tool, create a path keeping in mind that the type that you will add will flow in the direction that anchor points were added to the path. Then, select the Type tool and click on the path where you want the text to begin (when the cursor is properly positioned above the path, the type insertion point icon will display a horizontal line – the baseline indicator, through it) and start typing.
When working with an open path (an arc for example), Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -drag the small “x” icon at the beginning of the type change where on the path the type begins.
When working with a closed path (a circle for example), use the same shortcut as above, and you’ll notice that there is an additional “o” icon on the path which can be dragged with the same shortcut and will act as an end point, restricting the type to flow beyond it.
When moving the starting point for type on a path, you will probably notice that you can flip the orientation of type on a path by Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -dragging either I-beam at the beginning of the type, or the flashing insertion point within the type, from above the path to below the path. Note that the text will flow the text the other direction. If you simple want to move the type above or below the text (without flipping it), use the baseline shift in the Character panel.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + H will hide a path. When working with Vector layers, clicking on the vector layer’s mask thumbnail (in the layers panel) will also hide the path.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on the path name in the Paths panel to convert the path to a selection.
To convert an additional path and add it to the selection, Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift -click the secondary path name in the Paths panel.
To subtract a secondary path from a selection, Command + Option (Mac) / Control + Alt (Win) -click the secondary path name in the Paths panel.
To intersect a secondary path from a selection, Command + Option (Mac) / Control + Alt (Win) + Shift -click the secondary path name in the Paths panel.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) to toggle from the Path Selection, Pen, Add, Delete or Convert Anchor Point tool to the Direct Selection tool.
When using the Freeform Pen tool with the Magnetic Option checked in the Options bar, double-click to close the Path. Add the Option (Mac)/ Alt (Win) to close the path with straight-line segment.
With a path selected, Option (Mac)/ Alt (Win) to toggle the Pen/Freeform Pen tool to the Convert Point tool (when pointer is over anchor point or direction line).
Using the Path Selection tool will select an entire path. However, clicking on a path using the Direct Selection tool will select an anchor point, a direction line or path segment (depending on what part of the path is clicked on). Shift-click to select multiple anchor points, or add the Option (Mac)/ Alt (Win) with the Direct Selection tool to select an entire path.
The next time that you want to transform a path or selection choose Select > Transform Selection (or Select > Transform Path) instead of Edit > Free transform which always transforms the content of the layer.
