Using the Kinder Freeform Pen in Photoshop

Confession: There is a more amicable incarnation of the Pen tool — the Freeform Pen tool. This tool is kind of a hybrid Lasso/Pen tool. Just drag around the element you want to select, and the tool creates an outline that follows your cursor, exactly like the Lasso.

After you release your mouse button, Photoshop provides the anchor points, lines, and curves for that path, exactly like the Pen.

In my humble opinion, the Freeform Pen rates just an okay. The downside is that you are back to having to have a really steady hand in order to get an accurate selection. The tool is probably one notch better than the Lasso tool because you do get a path that you can refine before you load it as a selection. But I’d rather pay my dues and get skilled with the regular Pen.

Here are some Freeform Pen tips:
-->To create straight segments with the Freeform Pen, press Alt (Option on the Mac) while the mouse button is pressed down and then click to create the anchor point.
-->Pressing Alt (Option on the Mac) temporarily turns the Freeform Pen into the regular Pen. When you want to return to drawing curves, release Alt (Option on the Mac), keeping the mouse button pressed down.

Be careful: If you release Alt (Option on the Mac) while the mouse button is not pressed down, Photoshop ends your path, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Curve Fit
The Curve Fit option lets you adjust the amount of error Photoshop allows when trying to fit your cursor movement to a path. You can enter a value from 0.5 to 10 pixels; the default setting is 2 pixels.

At the default setting, Photoshop doesn’t register any movement of your cursor that is 2 pixels or less. Setting the value to 0.5 pixels makes the Freeform Pen very sensitive to your movement and forces the tool to very closely follow the edge.

The disadvantage of this option is that using it also causes a lot of unnecessary anchor points. Although a value of 10 pixels corrects this problem by making the option less sensitive, your path may not be as accurate.

I recommend trying the Freeform Pen at each of these settings and then getting a feel for the kind of path it makes.

Magnetic
When selected, the Magnetic option makes the Freeform Pen act much like the Magnetic Lasso tool. Click anywhere on the edge of the element you want to select. Release your mouse button and then move the cursor around the edge. The tool snaps to the edge of your element, creating anchor points and segments. You can

-->Manually control the magnetism: If the Freeform Pen tool starts to veer off course, you can manually force down an anchor point by clicking.
-->Create straight segments: To create straight segments, again press Alt (Option on the Mac) and click (you temporarily get the regular Pen). Alt+drag (Option+drag on the Mac) to temporarily access the regular Freeform Pen. To return to the magnetic Freeform Pen tool, release Alt (Option on the Mac), click again, and continue moving the cursor.

To close a path with the magnetic Freeform Pen, you must double-click.

Width, Contrast, Frequency, and Pen Pressure
The Width, Contrast, and Frequency settings are specifically for the Magnetic option and work just like the Magnetic Lasso options. Width specifies how close to the edge (1–256) the tool must be before it detects an edge. Contrast (1–100) specifies how much contrast there must be between pixels for the tool to see the edge. And Frequency (5–40) specifies the rate at which the tool lays down anchor points.

The Pen Pressure option is available only if you’re using a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet and allows you to adjust how sensitive the tool is based on how hard you press down with the stylus.