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Hi
Just right click on the path and select fill path
"how do you fill a path with color?"
By @mindyt743513
Ged's answer is correct for the question that was asked "how do you fill a path with color" and the path does not need to be closed.
When you choose "Fill Path" with the Pen tool selected, PS jumps by itself to the Eyedropper. (I had not noticed this before!)
The path is then filled with pixels on the current layer and the Pen tool is selected again.
Jane
I like Jane-E's answer because it doesn’t require converting the path to a selection first. I did not account for this in my reply, so we’ve come up with three ways to do it!
Fill Path is actually a variation on using a path to fill a region of a pixel layer, so it’s still less flexible than using a shape layer. But I also wanted to mention that for those who are not used to right-clicking, or are using a Mac mouse or trackpad where right-click hasn’t been enabled, you can get to the commands such as Fill Path by clicking the Paths panel menu.
Be aware that there are two ways to fill a path.
The older way is where you convert the path to a selection and fill that. You end up with filled pixels on a layer. The disadvantage is that it’s no longer a vector path, so if you need to change the filled area, you have to go back and edit the path, convert it to a selection again, and fill it again.
The newer way is fewer steps, faster, and much more flexible: Before you draw, you make sure the Pen or shape tool is set to Shape in the options bar, so when you draw, it creates a shape layer (a layer with vector objects, like Adobe Illustrator). You can control the fill and outline of shape layers directly, using the Fill and Stroke settings in the options bar. And when you edit a shape layer’s path directly (if it is selected in the Paths panel), the fill and stroke update along with the edited path because they are attached to it.
So start by deciding whether you want to end up with a pixel layer or a vector shape layer, and set the options bar to Path or Shape accordingly. Then use the fill method that goes with how you set it up.
And it’s useful to understand that a path alone is not fillable because a path alone cannot be printed or exported; a path is just a framework. If you want a path to create an object that you can fill, print, or export, what you fill with the path must be a pixel layer or shape layer. Only layers can be printed or exported.
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