1.1 Introduction

[SOUND] The pen tool is one of the most avoided tools in Photoshop. Yet, it is also one of the most useful tools in the program. If you need to create a smooth, easily controllable curve, whether that's in an illustration or a selection, there's no better method than the pen tool. It might seem intimidating at first, but once you understand the basics of how to use it, you'll probably surprise yourself with how often you reach for it. In this course, we'll go over the basics of how to handle the pen tool in the best way to make it work for you. Closely related to the pen tool is the paths that it creates, it's almost impossible to learn one without the other. So this course will also show you how to work with various path functions and features to create complex shapes and detailed illustrations. These would be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish with any other tool in the program. By the end of this course, I think you'll find the pen tool isn't something to be avoided. But with just a little bit of practice, you'll find that it's an extremely useful tool that will make you wonder how you ever managed to get by without it.