Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 570 FIGURE 17.34 Use the Save Path dialog box to name the path something meaningful. The working path with be changed to the saved path name in the Paths panel. FIGURE 17.35 Select the path and flatness when creating the clipping path. 7. Click OK to make the path a clipping path. 8. Save the file as a format that supports clipping masks, typically EPS or TIFF. The file is created with the clipping path data. Creating vector masks In this example, we create a vector mask that will be added to a layer to mask part of the pixels using the following steps: 1. Open an image in Photoshop. 2. Use the Pen tool to create a path around an object in the image, as shown in Figure 17.36. In this case, the path is a simple ellipse around the dog’s face. 3. Select the working path in the Paths panel. 4. Select Save Path from the Paths panel menu to save the path. Photoshop doesn’t allow you to make a vector mask from the path until you have saved the path, as shown in Figure 17.36. 25_584743-ch17.indd 57025_584743-ch17.indd 570 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Chapter 17: Working with Paths and Vector Shapes 571 FIGURE 17.36 Create a path around the area of the image that you want to include in the vector mask. 5. If you are using a background layer, convert the background to an unlocked layer by double-clicking it, and then select it in the Layers panel, as shown in Figure 17.37. 6. Select the saved path in the Paths panel so Photoshop uses the selected path to cre- ate the vector mask. 7. Open the Masks panel if it is not already open. 8. Select the Add vector mask option in the Masks panel to add the vector mask to the image, as shown in Figure 17.37. The layer mask is added to the layer, and a copy of the layer vector mask is added to the Paths panel. On the Web Site The image shown in Figure 17.37 can be found on this book’s Web site as Figure 17-37.psd. It has a good shape to practice using vector paths to create masks. n 25_584743-ch17.indd 57125_584743-ch17.indd 571 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 572 FIGURE 17.37 Using the selected path to create a vector mask on a layer in the image Vector Shape Layers The easiest way to describe a vector shape is a vector path applied as a mask to a fill layer. Unlike paths, vector shapes apply pixel data to the document. Vector shapes can be applied to a document either by directly painting the shape pixels onto a layer or as their own layer, called a vector shape layer. When you use the Fill Pixels option, shown in Figure 17.39, to apply vector shapes to documents, the vector shapes you apply are immediately rasterized and painted onto the pixels in the selected layer in the Layers palette. This replaces the pixel data below them. When you use the Shape Layers option, also shown in Figure 17.39, to apply vector shapes to doc- uments, the vector shapes are added as vector shape layers. The vector shape layers can be edited later. 25_584743-ch17.indd 57225_584743-ch17.indd 572 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Chapter 17: Working with Paths and Vector Shapes 573 This section discusses the vector shape layers, although most of the tools work the same with either the Shape Layer or Fill Pixels option set. Using vector shape tools Creating vector shapes is almost identical to creating vector paths with the exception that a color is used to fill in the contents of the vector shape. Vector shapes can be added to a layer either by selecting the Pen tool from the options menu or by selecting one of the vector shapes from the Shape tools in the Toolbox shown in Figure 17.38. FIGURE 17.38 Using the Shape tools, you add vector shapes to images. The keyboard shortcut U selects the shape tools, and Shift+U toggles between the Shape tools. When you select a vector shape, a Shape tool options menu similar to the one in Figure 17.39 is displayed. Click the Shape Layers mode to add the vector shapes as shape layers. Note The principles you learn in this section using the Shape Layers mode apply the same way to the Fill Pixels mode. The only difference is that in Fill Pixels mode, you are directly writing to the background or layer instead of as a shape layer. n Notice that the Shape tool options menu for Shape Layers mode is almost identical to the Pen tool options menu for Paths mode. It has the same Path, Shape Layers, and Fill Pixels modes, as well as the Add to Shape Area, Subtract from Shape Area, Intersect Shape Areas, and Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas buttons to control how the vector path and shapes interact with each other to create the areas. 25_584743-ch17.indd 57325_584743-ch17.indd 573 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 574 FIGURE 17.39 The Shape tool option menu is identical to the Pen tool option menu. However, when you select the Shape Layers option, additional options are available. Shape Layers Fill Pixels Create New Shape Layer Change Layer Properties The big difference when using the Shape Layers mode is that because we are adding the vector shapes as a fill layer, we have the following new options: l Create new shape layer: When this option is selected, a new shape layer is created when you use the vector shape tools to draw shapes on the image. l Change layer properties: When this option is selected, the properties of the selected layer are altered when changing the Color or Style option. When this option is not set, the properties of the new layer are changed. l Style: This option allows you to set the style used for the fill from the available Styles palette. l Color: This option specifies the color to use as the background of the fill for the current layer. In the paths section, we discussed the additional options for the Pen and Freeform Pen tools. So in this section, we discuss only the options available for the vector shape tools. The following list describes the options available in the options menu for each of the Shape tools: l Rectangle: This option creates a rectangle by dragging the mouse between two diagonal corners. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse creates a square. The Rectangle tool provides the following options by clicking the down arrow next to the custom shape but- ton to open the drop-down shown in Figure 17.40: l Unconstrained: This option allows the rectangle to be created any size. l Square: This option forces the creation of a square instead of a rectangle. l Fixed Size: This option allows you to set the height and width of the rectangle. l Proportional: This option forces the rectangle to match the proportions of the height and width specified. l From Center: Instead of dragging from corner to corner, the first location you select is used as the center and then you select one of the corners to create the rectangle. l Snap to Pixels: This option snaps to the corners to the pixel grid. 25_584743-ch17.indd 57425_584743-ch17.indd 574 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Chapter 17: Working with Paths and Vector Shapes 575 FIGURE 17.40 Additional options for the Rectangle tool l Rounded Rectangle: This option creates a rectangle with rounded corners by dragging the mouse between two diagonal corners. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse creates a square. When this option is selected, a Radius option is available in the options bar that allows you to set the radius of the corners of the rectangle. This option provides the same additional options in the options drop-down as the Rectangle tool. l Ellipse: This option creates an ellipse by dragging the mouse between two diagonal cor- ners. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse creates a circle. This option provides the same additional options in the options drop-down as the Rectangle tool, with the exception that the Square option is a Circle option and there is no Snap to Pixels option. l Polygon: This option creates a polygon with the number of sides specified by the addi- tional Sides option. The polygon is created by dragging the mouse between two diagonal corners. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse forces the polygon to 45-degree angles. The Polygon tool provides the following options from the options drop-down shown in Figure 17.41: l Radius: This option allows you to set the radius of the polygon in inches. l Smooth Corners: When this option is selected, the corners of the polygon are smooth anchors instead of corner anchors. l Star: When this option is selected, the line segments between the corner anchors of the polygon are indented toward the center by the amount specified by the Indent Side By setting. l Smooth Indents: When this option is selected, the corners of the indents are smooth anchors instead of corner anchors. FIGURE 17.41 Additional options for the Polygon tool 25_584743-ch17.indd 57525_584743-ch17.indd 575 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 576 l Line: This option creates a line with the thickness specified by the additional Weight option. The line is created by dragging the mouse between two points. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse forces the line to 45-degree angles. The Line tool provides the following arrowhead options from the options drop-down shown in Figure 17.42: l Start: When this option is selected, an arrowhead is added to the first point selected. l End: When this option is selected, an arrowhead is added to the last point selected. l Width: This specifies the width of the arrowhead relative to the weight of the line. l Length: This specifies the length of the arrowhead relative to the weight of the line. l Concavity: This specifies how concave to make the arrowhead relative to the weight of the line. FIGURE 17.42 Additional options for the Line tool l Custom Shape: This option creates a custom shape selected from the additional Shape option shown in Figure 17.43. The custom shape is added to the image by selecting a shape from the list and then dragging the mouse between two diagonal corners. Using the Shift key while dragging the mouse creates the shape in even proportions. FIGURE 17.43 Additional options for the Custom tool 25_584743-ch17.indd 57625_584743-ch17.indd 576 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Chapter 17: Working with Paths and Vector Shapes 577 Adding vector shape layers Now that you have a good understanding of the available vector shape tools from the previous sec- tion, you should try adding a few to a document to get the hang of it. The following examples take you quickly through the steps to add the vector tools in a few different ways. The first example we look at is just creating a simple square by keeping the Rectangle tool in pro- portion using the Shift key. The technique here is similar for creating all the vector shapes in pro- portion. Use the following steps: 1. Select the Rectangle tool from the Toolbox. 2. Click the Shape Layers option in the options bar to create a new layer with the shape. 3. Hold down the Shift key and drag diagonally across the screen to create the square, as shown in Figure 17.44. Notice that the shape is forced into a square and that a new shape layer is added to the Layers panel. FIGURE 17.44 Using the Shift key to create a square shape layer Drag mouse diagonally In the next example, we look at using the Polygon tool to add an eight-sided star with an overspray technique to give it more depth. Use the following steps: 1. Select the Polygon tool from the Toolbox. 2. Click the Shape Layers option in the options bar to create a new layer with the shape. 25_584743-ch17.indd 57725_584743-ch17.indd 577 5/3/10 10:38 AM5/3/10 10:38 AM . between the corner anchors of the polygon are indented toward the center by the amount specified by the Indent Side By setting. l Smooth Indents: When this option is selected, the corners of. AM5/3/10 10:38 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 576 l Line: This option creates a line with the thickness specified by the additional Weight option. The line is created by dragging the. contents of the vector shape. Vector shapes can be added to a layer either by selecting the Pen tool from the options menu or by selecting one of the vector shapes from the Shape tools in the Toolbox