User's Manual

449
Chapter 16: Drawing
About vector graphics
About shapes and paths
Vector shapes are lines and curves that you draw using the shape or pen tools. Vector shapes are resolution-
independent—they maintain crisp edges when resized, printed to a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF file, or
imported into a vector-based graphics application.
Paths are outlines that you can turn into selections, or fill and stroke with color. The outline of a shape is a path. You
can easily change the shape of a path by editing its anchor points. You can draw shapes in ImageReady, but you can’t
work directly with paths.
When you work with the shape tools in Photoshop, you can draw in three different modes. You choose a mode by
s
electing an icon in the options bar when you have a shape or pen tool selected.
Shape Layers Createsashapeonaseparate layer. Youcan useeitherthe shapetools or thepen toolstocreateshape
layers. Because they are easily moved, resized, aligned, and distributed, shape layers are ideal for making graphics for
webpages.InPhotoshop,you canchoosetodrawmultipleshapesonalayer. Ashape layerconsistsofafill layerthat
defines the shape color and a linked vector mask that defines the shape outline. The outline of a shape is a path, which
appears in the Paths palette.
Paths Draws a work path on the current layer that you can then use to make a selection, create a vector mask, or fill
and stroke with color to create raster graphics (much as you would using a painting tool). A work path is temporary
unless you save it. Paths appear in the Paths palette.
Fill Pixels Paints directly on a layer—much as a painting tool does. When you work in this mode, you are not
creating vector graphics. You work with the shapes you paint just as you do with any raster image. The Pen tools don't
work in this mode.
ABC
Drawing options
A. Shape Layers B. Paths C. Fill Pixels
See also
“About work paths” on page 450