ALLAN MACDONALD
PHOTOSHOP PATHS

On the previous page you learned the basics of the path tool and its functions. This page will however show some of the ways that you may wish to use this tool in a car rendering. The two main methods I personally use, and will demonstrate here, are to draw lines, and to select areas to mask when rendering. By combining the theory of the path tool from the previous page with these practical examples of how I use the tool, you should be well on your way to understanding the power of the paths tool.

 

The image above has been created by drawing lines using the path tool.  The first thing I have done in this image is to scan a sketch to use as reference.  Then, with the sketch faded down using the opacity tool, I have used the pen tool to draw out the design.  You can actually find more details about these stages in my previous tutorial Photoshop Taping.  Remember to keep your paths as simple as possible, and use a different path for each line.  Once you have created all your paths you can now use a function called STROKE.  Create a new layer, and select one of your paths.  In the PATHS WINDOW you will see in the bottom left hand corner a small white circle.  Clicking this will stroke a line along your path using your currently selected brush, brush size and colour.  Once you have done this, deselect your path (click on a blank area in your paths window).  You can now take a soft erasure and rub out the ends of your line.  This helps give a more sketch like feeling to the line.  You may also want to duplicate this layer then move and rotate it just a little.  This will also help give the line a more sketchy feel.  If you continue to do this you should end up with an image of taught and clean linework, yet still retaining a fast sketchy feeling.  From there it is a simple task to render your image in the usual manner.  Luckily this is also an area where paths can be useful.

This image has been sketched and then lined out using a similar method to the one described above. To show an example of how paths can be used to mask areas however I have removed the white reflection from the windshield. Using a path to "mask" the area will allow us to be very soft with our airbrushing, but give us the opportunity to remove unwanted overspray. This is in effect similar to using masking film when rendering with a real airbrush. To do this I have created a new layer above all the others. Onto this I have then generously sprayed some white. When doing this you do not need to worry about the overspray. Just concentrate on getting the colour gradient correct in the areas where you will keep the colour......the windshield. Once you have done this you can create a path around the window (hopefully you know how to do this now). This time however, go to the paths window and click on the little menu tab in the top right (where you normally select save path). Under here you will find an option to "make selection". Choose this. Something to note here is that where it asks you for a feather radius it is a good idea to put in a very small figure....but not zero. This will ensure that you do no get a jagged stepped edge to your selection. I usually use 0.2 as a figure. Once you have made this selection you now need to invert it, in effect selecting everything except the window. You can do this by pressing CTRL, SHIFT and I at the same time. Now hit delete. You should now be left with only your white reflection and no overspray. The final thing I did in this image was to lower the opacity of this layer just to tone down the reflection slightly. This is just a small example, yet it should show how using the paths tool will help you control your soft gradients a lot better.

CONCLUSIONS

You should now have a good understanding of how the pen tool works, and some of the functions it can be used for in car sketching and rendering. From the knowledge gained in this tutorial you may want to go back and look at some of the other tutorials on this site. Your fresh way of looking at the pen tool and paths should give you a new insight into how the designers have achieved such impressive results. As always however, the main thing is to now practice, practice and practice. Good luck!!