How to Use the Photoshop Pen Tool to Extract an Image

One of the Jobs you will most often need to be able to do in Photoshop is to cut out a section of an image for use in another. Unfortunately, most people's first attempt at this usually involves using the Polygon Selection Tool, with disappointing results. The Photoshop Pen Tool is the tool of choice when attempting to extract part of one image from another. It is vastly superior to the polygonal selection tool; in that is far more flexible and adjustable. When you use the Pen Tool, you get a series of points that can be fine tuned easily, and that create a curved shape instead in one with jagged edges.

To actually use the Pen Tool in Photoshop, you must first have an image loaded up that you want to work with (anything you like). Then go over to the Tools Panel and select the Pen Tool. When you have selected the Pen Tool, you will see at the top of the window, below the menu) the settings for this tool. With experience, you can adjust these to suit your needs. But for now, just go with the presets.

Go to you image and, zooming in if necessary, click near the edge of the section you want to select. Click again to create the next point. This new point has adjustment bars, but to use them you have to first hold down the control key. When you do this, the cursor changes to white and you get access to the Direct Selection Tool. Now you can change the curve of to suit your needs. Now you should hold down the ALT key. This will bring up the Convert Point Tool. Again, you can now click and drag to change your curve. Now you continue extending your selection by making more points around the area you want. Next, when you want to close the selection, just work your way back to your starting point, and click on the first point you created. This will create a Path in Photoshop. Now you want to be able to cut this out, so right click on the path in the image, and click Make Selection. Go with the default settings, unless you have a good reason to change the settings, and click OK. Next, you go to Edit, and then click Copy.

Now you should go to File, New Document. If you look at the size settings that come up, you will notice that Photoshop helpfully and automatically sets the new document size to match the size of the image you have just saved to the clipboard. Now just paste it in, and there you go.