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The Pen tool takes a little longer to learn than tools like the Magic Wand or Lasso, but it is the most accurate way to make a selection in Photoshop. This tutorial covers the fundamentals, straight lines, curves, editing and converting points, and why fewer anchor points make a cleaner path, then puts all of it to use tracing a subject, cutting her out with a feathered mask, and brushing hair detail back in.
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How to Use the Pen Tool in Photoshop
The Pen tool takes a little longer to learn than tools like the Magic Wand or Lasso, but it’s the most accurate way to make a selection in Photoshop. This tutorial covers the basics, straight lines, curves, and editing points, before putting it all to use tracing and cutting a subject out of her background.
Creating a Basic Path and Turning It Into a Selection
A simple path made of straight-line clicks works like the Polygonal Lasso tool, and closing it converts it into a usable selection.
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Select the Pen Tool
Press P for the Pen tool, choosing the regular Pen tool rather than one of its related tools like Add Anchor Point or Convert Point.
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Click to Place Straight-Line Points
Click several times around the canvas to connect a series of straight-line segments.
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Close the Path
Click back on the original starting point, watching for the small circle icon that indicates the path is about to close.
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Turn the Path Into a Selection
Right-click the path and choose Make Selection, setting the feather radius to zero pixels for a hard-edged shape.
Why the Pen Tool Is the Most Accurate Selection Tool
Paths exist entirely separately from selections, layers, and channels, which means a path can be stored, reopened, and turned into a selection again at any time without losing precision. That separation is part of what makes the Pen tool the most reliable option whenever a cutout needs to be as accurate as possible.
Editing Points on an Existing Path
A saved path can be reopened and adjusted at any time, since its points remain fully editable long after the path was first drawn.
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Reopen a Saved Path
Open the Paths panel and click on a saved work path to bring it back onto the canvas.
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Select the Path With the Pen Tool
Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click directly on the path to select it.
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Move Individual Points or Whole Lines
Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click a specific point or a line segment to drag it into a new position.
Creating and Adjusting Curves
Clicking and dragging, instead of just clicking, pulls a path into a curve using anchor point handles that control the direction of the line.
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Click and Drag to Create a Curve
Click and drag in a direction to create a curved segment, watching the anchor point handle pull the path along that direction.
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Adjust a Point’s Position
Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click a point to move it, reshaping the curve around it.
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Adjust a Handle to Reshape the Curve
Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click an anchor point handle to move it, adjusting how the curve bends without moving the point itself.
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Click Directly on a Curve to Adjust It
Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click and drag directly on the curved line itself to reshape it.
Converting Between Curves and Straight Lines
Holding Alt or Option while clicking a point switches that point’s behavior between a smooth curve and a hard, straight-line corner.
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Turn a Curved Point Into a Straight Corner
Hold Alt/Option and click directly on a point to remove its curve handles, turning it into a sharp, straight-line corner.
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Turn a Straight Point Back Into a Curve
Hold Alt/Option and click and drag out from that same point to pull curve handles back out from it.
Tracing a Subject’s Outline With the Pen Tool
Cutting a subject out of a photo with the Pen tool is simply tracing a series of connected shapes around their outline, staying just slightly inside the actual edge.
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Start at a Simple Point and Work Around the Subject
Begin at an easy starting point, like the bottom of the frame, and click and drag to build curves following the subject’s outline.
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Stay Slightly Inside the Actual Edge
Trace the path a little inside the subject’s true edge rather than exactly on it, to make sure the background doesn’t get included in the final cutout.
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Simplify Wardrobe and Small Details
Skip over small creases or details in clothing that aren’t essential to the overall shape, keeping the path simpler.
Changing Direction With Anchor Point Handles
Every time the outline changes direction sharply, such as at a shoulder or the edge of a hand, holding Alt or Option while placing that point keeps the curve from swinging out into an unwanted shape.
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Hold Alt/Option at Sharp Direction Changes
Hold Alt/Option and click-drag at any point where the outline changes direction sharply, forcing a clean break instead of a continuous curve.
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Skip This Step for Smooth, Continuous Curves
Click and drag normally, without Alt/Option, anywhere the outline curves smoothly without a sharp change in direction, such as around fingernails.
Why Minimizing Anchor Points Makes for a Cleaner Path
Since curves always want to continue smoothly from one point to the next, adding a new point only where the outline genuinely changes direction keeps the path efficient and easy to edit. Using fewer, well-placed points, rather than clicking constantly along the entire outline, produces a cleaner result that’s simpler to adjust afterward.
Adding and Deleting Points as You Go
A path never has to be perfect on the first pass, since points can be added or removed at any time while tracing continues.
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Delete an Unwanted Point
Hover the cursor over an existing point until a minus sign appears, then click to delete it.
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Add a New Point on an Existing Line
Hover the cursor directly over a line segment and click to add a new point at that spot.
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Name and Save the Finished Path
Double-click the work path in the Paths panel and give it a descriptive name, such as Subject.
Feathering and Applying the Final Selection to Cut Out the Subject
A small amount of feathering on the finished path softens the selection’s edge to better match the naturally soft edge of a photographed subject.
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Turn the Finished Path Into a Selection
Right-click inside the path and choose Make Selection, this time adding a small amount of feathering, such as 0.5 pixels, for a softer edge.
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Load the Selection as a Layer Mask
Click the layer mask button with the selection active to load it directly as a mask, cutting the subject cleanly from the background.
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Add a Background Layer to Check the Cutout
Create a new layer beneath the subject and press Shift+Delete to fill it with white, gray, or any solid color to check the edge of the cutout.
Why a Slight Feather Matches a Photographed Edge
A path made entirely of hard, mathematically precise lines produces a selection with a perfectly sharp edge, which rarely matches how a real subject was actually photographed. Adding a small amount of feathering when converting the path to a selection, just half a pixel in this case, softens that edge just enough to look natural rather than obviously cut out.
Refining Hair Detail on the Layer Mask
Because a Pen tool path traces the general shape of hair rather than every individual strand, a soft brush on the mask can bring some of that fine detail back in afterward.
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Select a Soft Brush at Low Opacity
Choose the Brush tool with a soft edge, set to around 20 percent opacity.
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Paint White to Reveal Fine Hair Detail
Paint white directly on the layer mask around the hairline to bring back some of the fine, wispy detail the path alone couldn’t capture.
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Return to the Path to Make Further Changes
Reopen the saved path with the Pen tool at any time to adjust a specific area, then Cmd/Ctrl-click the path in the Paths panel to load it as a selection, inverse the selection and paint black on the layer mask to update it.
Why This Approach Works
Storing a cutout as a separate, editable path rather than committing directly to a selection is what allows a Pen tool selection to be revisited and adjusted at any point, even after the layer mask has already been created. Holding Alt or Option specifically at sharp changes in direction is what keeps continuous curves from swinging out into unwanted shapes along an outline. Using the fewest anchor points necessary, rather than clicking constantly along the entire edge, produces a cleaner path that’s easier to edit and reuse later.
Final Thoughts
The Pen tool takes more practice than a quicker tool like the Magic Wand, but the payoff is a selection with hard, precise edges that holds up on subjects with distinct outlines, like a person, a car, or a mug. It’s less suited to something soft and undefined like a cloud, but for a subject with real edges to trace, it remains the most reliable option in Photoshop.
Quick Reference: Keys, Menus and Settings
- Pen toolP; click for straight lines, click and drag for curves
- Edit the pathCmd/Ctrl-drag a point, handle or line
- Curve or cornerAlt/Option-click a point for a corner, Alt/Option-drag at a change in direction
- Add or delete pointsHover over a line and click to add; hover over a point (minus sign) and click to delete
- Make the selectionWindow > Paths, double-click to name; right-click > Make Selection, Feather 0.5 px; or Cmd/Ctrl-click the path
- Mask and checkLayer mask button; new layer below, Shift + Delete to fill white or 50% gray; soft brush at 20% for hair
No AI, no generative credits.
The Pen Tool: Common Questions
Why use the Pen tool instead of the Magic Wand or Lasso?
It is the most accurate way to make a selection in Photoshop. It takes longer, but it gives clean, precise edges on subjects with real edges, like a person, a car or a mug. It is less suited to something soft like a cloud.
How do I close a path?
Click back on the first point. A small circle appears next to the Pen cursor when you are over it.
How do I turn a path into a selection?
Right-click inside the path and choose Make Selection, then set the Feather Radius. You can also Cmd/Ctrl-click the path in the Paths panel.
Where did my path go?
Paths are stored separately from layers, selections and channels. Open the Paths panel (Window > Paths) and click the work path to bring it back. Double-click it to name and save it.
How do I move a point or handle?
Hold Cmd/Ctrl with the Pen tool and drag a point, a handle or the line itself. Cmd/Ctrl-clicking the path also selects it.
How do I switch a point between a curve and a corner?
Alt/Option-click the point to remove its handles and make a sharp corner. Alt/Option-drag from the point to pull curve handles back out.
Why does my curve swing out the wrong way?
Curves always try to continue smoothly. Wherever the outline changes direction sharply, like a shoulder, hold Alt/Option as you drag the handle to break the curve. Smooth runs, like fingernails, don’t need it.
How do I add or delete a point?
Hover over a point until a minus sign appears and click to delete it. Hover over a line and click to add a point there.
How much should I feather a Pen tool cutout?
Just a little: 0.5 pixels in the video. Photographed edges are slightly soft, so a perfectly hard edge looks cut out. Trace slightly inside the edge so no background gets in.
Master Photoshop, Lightroom and Photography
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