Pen Tool for drawing paths and making selections in Photoshop
The Pen Tool creates precise paths made from anchor points. In the original workflow shown here, a path is drawn around an object, closed by joining the first and last anchor points, and then converted into a selection.
Select the Pen Tool
Select the Pen Tool from the toolbar before starting a path.
Create anchor points
Position the pointer where the path should begin and click to create the first anchor point. Continue adding points to build straight or curved segments, then close the path by joining the last point to the first.
Choose the object to isolate
The original example uses an image containing a butterfly and demonstrates selecting the butterfly area for removal or editing.
Trace around the object
Draw the path along the object edges and join the end point back to the starting point to make a closed path.
Convert the path into a selection
After closing the path, right-click it and choose Make Selection. The dialog allows a feather value to be set before confirming the selection.
Edit the selected area
After the path is converted, the outlined area becomes a selection and can be deleted or edited as needed.
Further Reading
Subhendu Mohapatra
Author & Instructor at plus2net
I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.
