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Deb League
Deb League
Participating Frequently
October 17, 2020
Question

Need help using vector path

  • October 17, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 285 views

I have watched countless videos, but none seem to answer what I think is my basic question.  After I make a curved line on my image using the pen tool, how do I get it to show up on my image?  I understand that the vector line is not made up of pixels, and is not "on" the image.  But I have tried everything to combine the two - Layer with image and vector line - to no avail.  I use a Mac btw.

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3 replies

Semaphoric
Community Expert
SemaphoricCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 17, 2020

There's a couple of different ways. If you select Shape in the options for the Pen, you can add a fll and stroke to your path. These are "Live": if you alter the path, they will follow along. These are tied to the individual Shape layer.

 

If you have a plain old Path (not a Shape), you can apply a stroke with the Brush, or any othe painting tool - Eraser, Smudge, etc. There are a number of ways to do this: via the Paths panel menu, or by right-clicking on the path name to open the context menu. With either, if you select Stroke Path , you can stroke with a tool from a drop-down list. If you click on the hollow circle icon at the bottom of the Paths panel, it will stroke the path with the last tool used for stroking. And if you have any painting tool active, pressing Enter will stroke the path with that tool. These are raster stokes which do not update along with the path.

    c.pfaffenbichler
    Community Expert
    c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 17, 2020

    You can »Stroke path with brush« (second from left button at the bottom of the Paths Panel) or you can create a Shape Layer and apply a Stroke. 

    The second option is »better« in that the Path and its Stroke maintain editability. 

      Deb League
      Deb LeagueAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      October 17, 2020

      How do I create the shape layer please?   Once I create this layer, do I need to stroke the vector with a brush?  If so, how do I do that?  I am, obviously, new to ps.

      Semaphoric
      Community Expert
      SemaphoricCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      October 17, 2020

      The Shape layer will be created when you start using the Pen

      A
      Anonymous
      October 17, 2020

      Hi

      Maybe I'm not understanding what you're trying to achieve but you can set the Pen Tool to shape with no fill and set the required stroke size

       

        Deb League
        Deb LeagueAuthor
        Participating Frequently
        October 17, 2020

        Does creating a shape with no fill put the line on my image?

        A
        Anonymous
        October 17, 2020

        When you create a shape with no fill it creates a path on it's own layer, you can then edit the path using the direct Direct Selection Tool

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