Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Manual (Page 381)

374 USING PHOTOSHOP CS4
Drawing
Last updated 1/10/2010
Draw 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. To draw with greater precision, use the 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 pen pointer on an end point of the path, and drag.
5 To complete the path, release the mouse. To create a closed path, drag the line to the initial point of the path (a circle
appears next to the pointer when it is aligned).
More Help topics
“ Path segments, components, and points ” on page 377
Draw using the magnetic pen options
The Magnetic Pen is an option of the Freeform Pen 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.
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 required between pixels for that
area to be considered an edge. Use a higher value for low-contrast images.
• For Frequency, enter a value between 0 and 100 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.