Creating a work path (Photoshop)
- You can use a path as a vector mask to hide areas of a layer. (See Masking layers.)
- You can convert a path to a selection. For more information, see Converting between paths and selection borders (Photoshop).
- You can edit a path to change its shape. For more information, see Managing paths (Photoshop).
- You can designate a saved path as a clipping path to make part of an image transparent when exporting the image to a page-layout or vector-editing application.
A work path is a temporary path that appears in the Paths palette and defines the outline of a shape. You can use paths in several ways:
Create a new path in the Paths palette before you begin drawing to automatically save the work path as a named path.
To create a new work path:
- Select a shape tool or a pen tool, and click the Paths button
in the options bar. - Set tool-specific options, and draw the path. For more information, see Using the shape tools and Using the pen tools (Photoshop).
- Draw additional path components if desired. You can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool button in the options bar. Choose a path area option to determine how overlapping path components intersect:
- Add to Path Area
to add the new area to overlapping path areas. - Subtract from Path Area
to remove the new area from the overlapping path area. - Intersect Path Areas
to restrict the path to the intersection of the new area and the existing area. - Exclude Overlapping Path Areas
to exclude the overlap area in the consolidated path.
Use the following keyboard shortcuts while drawing with a shape tool: Hold down Shift to temporarily select the Add to Path Area option; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to temporarily select the Subtract from Path Area option.