Using the PEN TOOL in Photoshop

This next Photoshop selection method works best if you have a smooth, curved object, with
hard edges. When you want to keep the edge of a selection nice and smooth, this is your tool!
This is VERY hard to do using the lasso tool, is impossible with the polygonal lasso tool, and is
not necessarily super accurate with the magnetic lasso tool.
AND, if you get used to using it then your transition into Illustrator will be even easier, since it is
a main tool used in the creation of designs in that program.

First, open the banana image in Photoshop (enlarge it from the calendar, then right-click on it.
Choose OPEN WITH > Adobe Photoshop). Double click on the “Background” layer to rename it
as Layer 0, and hit “OK”. You should be learning that you need to either NOT manipulate the
background layer, leave it locked, and design on TOP of it. OR if you want to work on it you will
have to unlock it, which basically means you have to rename it.

Now, select the plain ol’ Pen Tool from the tool bar.

Pick a place on your bunch of bananas to start; click & drag in the direction of the edge of the
banana for a short distance, and then release your mouse. Then move down a little bit, and do
the same thing - slick and drag a bit, then release. You'll see that this is creating points along the
edge of the banana that have "handlebars". Try this a few times. If you want to undo what
you've done, you can press the ESC key. Feel free to practice!
You will see what are called ‘handlebars’ extend out from each point that your Pen Tool creates.
These are what change the appearance of the curve of the path you are creating. If you drag
your mouse in a different direction, the path will curve in a different direction depending on
where these handlebars extend outwards to.

Here is an example: you can see what direction you have to drag your mouse in to create a circle
or a heart shape. Note that the handlebars all extend in different directions.

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Do this along the edge of the entire bunch of bananas until you meet up with the place you
started. When you get back to the very first point you created and you hover over it with your
Pen Tool, you should see a little “O” next to your mouse icon. This means that if you click back
on this original starting point, you will create a complete and closed path. This is what you want
to do!

Once your path is complete around the object, choose the Direct Selection Tool. It’s hiding
under another tool, the Path Selection Tool– you want the WHITE arrow, which is the Direct
Selection Tool (the 2nd one down!).

With this tool, you can click on any of the points along the path you just created and move them
to make them more accurate! Click one time on a point first, and then click again on it and hold
down with your mouse to drag it to where you want it to go. You can also click on the
handlebars themselves to move them in a different direction.
In the example below, I can click on the furthest left point on the edge of the circle to move it
more to the left to turn the circle into an oval. I can also click on the handlebar end itself and
drag it around! You will see that this completely changes what the curve looks like that the point
sits on.

Once your path is finished, right click on the path itself and choose ‘Make Selection’.
This will make the path you just drew into a ‘marching ants’ selection – and a really accurate one
at that! With your object now selected, you have choices as to how you want to proceed,
depending on what you'd want to do with this image. You can go to Select > Inverse which will
now select everything around the bananas, and you can then delete the background. OR you
can COPY the bananas and paste them onto another layer that has another setting or
background on it. You could even paint over the bananas and know that your paintbrush will
ONLY paint within the selection and won't go 'outside the lines'.

When you are done, press Command + D to deselect.

For now, try simply inverting the selection to delete the background.

Then let’s add a drop shadow to it. Double-click on the banana’s layer. On the option box that
pops up, look at the top of the left vertical menu and click on the words “Drop Shadow”. This
will check the box next to it, but it will also give you the Drop Shadow options in the middle to
play around with. Play with the Distance, Spread, and Size, as well as the Angle to find
something you like!

When you are done, raise your hand to show me!!!