Creating a work path (Photoshop)
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.
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