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Poll Do you always use Pen Tool?


Do you always/love using Pen tool?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 100.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    3
  • Poll closed .

Hoogle

Guru
Messages
8,334
Likes
2,587
Depends what the job entails yes it makes nice paths but wouldnt always say I would use it, more a case pof whichever 1 is right for the job or whichever 1 is quickest without loosing on quality.
 

hawkeye

Guru
Messages
2,378
Likes
1,113
I probably use the pen tool at least 2/3's of the time. I use it for most everything including layer masks.
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
Messages
11,034
Likes
4,638
I use it a lot, especially for important and complex selections. I'll use the quick select and masking for less important or quick edit ideas. Maybe use the polyganol lasso with that. I might even use the pen tool to clean up a quick selection edge or two.

I use it pretty much every time I do anything in the design area. It's great fun to use if you want to make unique shapes, fonts, etc.

Great tool!
 

IamSam

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Messages
22,721
Likes
13,258
Like Hoogle and others have stated, I feel that the Pen Tool is only one of many great tools Photoshop provides. I use it when the situation calls for it. For me the love is more for the program as a whole.
 
Messages
4,139
Likes
6,062
It is the best PS tool. I use it every day. Without it I couldn't meet the quality standard for my high end customers.
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
Messages
11,034
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4,638
Agree. If you want clean lines and elegance, it is the best tool. I very much like the quick and dirty quick select (better than the wand) used with refine mask/edge for less meticulous work.

But if the pen tool weren't in PS, how would we do those selections which need to be intricate, demanding, "perfect" selections. I use the pen tool with masking - always - then it is easy to fix any imperfections. I often use the pen tool again to describe those areas to "paint" in or out on the mask.

So, go pen tool.
 

ALB68

Dear Departed Guru and PSG Staff Member
Messages
3,020
Likes
1,332
I use the tools necessary to get my job done, pen tool, magic wand, clone stamp, clone pattern, etc etc. They all work great if you know how to use them.
 

SPWA

Power User
Messages
450
Likes
301
I would say for the type of stuff I do, it's the most important tool at my disposal. It was definitely the 1st tool I used over & over until I mastered it. There is a slight difference in usage between PS & Ai, but I find Ai just that little bit easier to use, so tend to draw there & export to Ps.
 

ALB68

Dear Departed Guru and PSG Staff Member
Messages
3,020
Likes
1,332
I find myself doing that more and more. I am a fairly new user of AI, but got it with the Adobe CC. Took an online course on how to use it, and I really really like it for some things. I especially like the text handling capability and the ease to create and manipulate text. Once done, you can simply paste your AI work into PS with several options, including as paths, smart object, pixels or shape layer. The two of them together are just fantastic. I agree, the pen is a bit better than in PS.
I would say for the type of stuff I do, it's the most important tool at my disposal. It was definitely the 1st tool I used over & over until I mastered it. There is a slight difference in usage between PS & Ai, but I find Ai just that little bit easier to use, so tend to draw there & export to Ps.
 

MikeMc

McGuru
Messages
1,871
Likes
1,202
But if the pen tool weren't in PS, how would we do those selections which need to be intricate, demanding, "perfect" selections. I use the pen tool with masking - always - then it is easy to fix any imperfections. I often use the pen tool again to describe those areas to "paint" in or out on the mask.

So, go pen tool.

Clare, I will say masking with a large magnification you don't need the pen. I live with refine edge and Topaz remask. I then get out my brushes and work on my masks. I only do photos, so the pen is not as needed as if I was doing vectors.....
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
Messages
11,034
Likes
4,638
Clare, I will say masking with a large magnification you don't need the pen. I live with refine edge and Topaz remask. I then get out my brushes and work on my masks. I only do photos, so the pen is not as needed as if I was doing vectors.....

Hi Mike, Just saw this reply from you.

I agree. When I work with other selection tools, I do so, at some point, down to pixel or near pixel depth. But ... I do this after making my pen tool tracings as well, not as closely unless I see an edge imperfection, then I zoom in and blow it out of the water. I use refine edge as I said when I use most other tools.

But I still recommend playing around even more with the pen. Try different tutorials. You will find yourself saying, that wasn't in the other but this is, and vice versa. Then you will just discover by trial and happy error how the thing works. So I said: I'll be damned, so that's how it is.
 

Hobbstoons

New Member
Messages
2
Likes
1
i love the pen tool, i used it for mainly silhouetting but if the background is light enough like white...you can uses channels and alpha channels to make a transparent tiff a lot faster.
 

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