Accidental Keyboard Shortcut for Pen Tool?

[Rich54]

This seems to happen to me every few weeks. When I use the Pen Tool, my path selections suddenly become inverted because the icon, where the red arrow is pointing, becomes active. Does anybody know of a keyboard shortcut that would adjusts these settings? My theory is that I am accidentally and unknowingly doing something on the keyboard to make this happen. I don't believe that I'm accidentally clicking with the mouse because it's always the second icon that becomes active, never the third or fourth ones. This keeps happening and it's maddening.

 

[thebestcpu]

HI Rich.
Interesting issue. Sometimes it makes a difference and sometimes not. What version of Photoshop are you running and which OS?
I am exploring possibilities yet have not found something yet.

 

[Rich54]

I have CS5 running on Windows 10.

 

[IamSam]

I had this same issue and it drove me nuts...................which wasn't a long drive.

When the Pen Tool mode is set for "shape", all of the path operations are available and functional.

But when the Pen Tool mode is set for "path", the new layer in path operations is greyed out. You must select combine shapes to make a normal selection (inside the path) and subtract front shape to make an inverted selection (outside the path). You can always invert the selection with Shift + Cmd/Cntrl + I. For me, I have found the Pen Tool's path operations in either mode will always be set where I last used it. I have made it a habit to check the path operations before I start any Pen Tool use.

As far as I know, there's not a keyboard shortcut to toggle or set the path operations back to combine shapes.

I'm still searching.

 

[IamSam]

Sorry, my observations are for CC.

 

[thebestcpu]

Hey Rich, any more clues or clarification. Are you sure you are using the Pen tool in the Path mode vs the Shapes mode etc. Which option key modifiers might you be using at that time.
Are you merging shapes or merging paths. If you path selection is "inverted" are you indicated two completed paths were subtracted from each other. I have seen references to automatically switching to subtract mode yet not sure it relates to you situation. I may be reading too much into the active options in the option bar.

 

[Rich54]

John,
I always use the pen tool in the Paths mode. The only time I use a keystroke in conjunction with paths is that I will sometimes create a selection from two paths. To do that, I activate Path1 in the paths palette and click on the Selection icon. Then I will activate Path2 and Shift+click on the selection icon, which has the effect of combining the two paths into one selection. This is the only keyboard shortcut I ever bothered to learn that relates to paths. I suspect there are others, for example, to subtract two paths, but I don't know them. That is my suspicion... that I occasionally hit the wrong key and unknowingly initiate a keystroke shortcut that changes the default setting on the toolbar to inverted paths.

Thanks for taking the time to investigate.

 

[thebestcpu]

Hi Rich
After looking at this, I think it is the problem to which IamSam is referring yet without a step by step with images from you it is hard to know. And of course you provided step by step is pretty hard because it rarely happens to you. I could be totally off base yet I'm betting the issue could be operator error with a simple oversight. (Of course I could be totally wrong). The reason I say this is because I recreated what I think was the exact same problem and I was surprised too.

First, I just have a simple Layer with white for background and I created two paths (both are activated so you can see the path over the white area:




Then, I just selected the top path and click on the convert to selection button and I got a selection for the first path as in this image:





Then I activated the second lower path shown in the image below:




Now holding down the shift key I click on the convert to selection icon which should add them together yet it subtracts:




In fact, when I back out and look at the whole image, the entire image is selected except for the little triangle in the middle. Is this anything close that is happening to you and in checking the CC Draw mode it is in subtract mode:





Well, as it turns out. When I created this issue, the problem was that when I created the first path, it already was in subtract mode so have an inverse path (note the colors in the Path Panel shown in the images above. The second Path was also inverted. So when I created the first selection it was a "hole" and when I added the second selection (it was a hole too), I just filled in the hole more. So holding the Shift Key worked correctly. It was ll because I was working with inverted Paths.

There are a number of ways to leave the draw mode in subtract so I am suggesting that it was there to begin with just as IamSam suggested. Was easy enough for me to overlook so thought it was worth just putting out in steps to see what you think.
Let us know what you think
John Wheeler

 

[Rich54]

When I created this issue, the problem was that when I created the first path, it already was in subtract mode so have an inverse path (note the colors in the Path Panel shown in the images above. The second Path was also inverted.

When you say "when I created the first path, it already was in subtract mode", I guess my question would be, who put it into subtract mode to begin with? It sounds like you did not deliberately do that. If not, then how did that happen?

The settings for the Pen tool (add mode or subtract mode) are governed by these little icons where the red arrow is pointing. I prefer it to be set on the first icon (add), but as you can see below, it somehow got re-set to the second icon (subtract), which I did not deliberately do. One explanation is that I accidentally clicked on the subtract icon. I'm willing to believe that once or twice, but not 25 times. Once I re-set it back to Add mode, I can't figure out why it doesn't stay there. I can go weeks where it's fine, but then one day it just changes to subtract.

Oh, well.

 

[IamSam]

The settings for the Pen tool (add mode or subtract mode) are governed by these little icons where the red arrow is pointing.

I guess I'm not understanding the term "add".

It's not in the Pen Tool path operations............maybe I'm missing something??????



Are you referring to the Combine Shapes operation? And then for some reason it jumps to the Subtract Front Shape operation?

 

[Rich54]

I guess I'm not understanding the term "add". It's not in the Pen Tool path operations............maybe I'm missing something??????
Are you referring to the Combine Shapes operation? And then for some reason it jumps to the Subtract Front Shape operation?

I have Photoshop CS5, so you guys using CC are 10 years ahead of me, so maybe my path controls are outdated. In the image I attached in post #9, if you hover the mouse over the first of those four icons, it describes the icon as "add to path area". The second icon has the description "subtract from path area". If I create a closed path using the pen tool—let's say in the shape of a triangle—then if the first of the four icons is active, any selection from that path will be the triangle itself. But if the second icon is active, then any new path created from that point forward will default to Subtract mode. A selection from that path will always be the inverse of the triangular shape.

In Photoshop CC, do you have those four little icons available as a pen tool setting? I don't see them in the attachments that you or John have provided here. It could be that I'm asking a question that you can no longer answer because Photoshop has evolved to a different set of controls.

 

[IamSam]

Well................I just made a discovery.

With the Pen Tool set to path.
Path operations set to Combine Shapes.
Create a path and convert to a selection.


Hold the shift key until finished and create another path and convert to selection.
Now you have added to the selection.


Once again and combine the selections.


Now hold until finished the Option key.
Create a path and convert to a selection.
Make a hole in the selection!

 

[IamSam]

In Photoshop CC, do you have those four little icons available as a pen tool setting? I don't see them in the attachments that you or John have provided here.

Yes. They are located on the tools option bar just like yours, the only difference is that they are now in a drop down menu like you see in my post #10

 

[thebestcpu]

Hmmm, without having access to CS5 anymore and the help files and videos for CS5 quite limited, I think I am at the end of my ability to debug this.
For reference, here is a link to the archived help files for CS5 and moving forward. That might help you did in.
Sorry I could not be of more help
John Wheeler

https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/photoshop/archive.html

 

[Rich54]

Thanks for trying. Maybe one day I'll observe the exact moment when this happens and figure out what causes it.

 

[IamSam]

I've done as much digging as I can on CS5 and have come up short. Like John, without access I would have a hard time troubleshooting the matter. One thing this thread and all the research did do for me was to introduce me to some features of the Pen Tool that have changed over time that I have never utilized. These may come in handy since I use the Pen Tool extensively.

I also found some odd glitches when changing path operations that I don't care much for.

At any rate, I was no help at all here.

 

[thebestcpu]

Here is a link to an article that I was looking for on my computer. Ha, it was actually on my iPhone and finally found it.
This gave me a clue for the keyboard shortcuts in PS CC that change the drawing mode. They talk about some actions while working on shapes yet some work when you are working with Paths.

In particular, the "+" and "-" keys change the mode back and forth and will invert the Path (just watch the thumbnail in the Paths panel). There are a couple extra shortcuts that are only in PS CC and I don't know for sure these have the same result in CS5 yet thought it was worth a look. The "+" and "-" key are used for other operations so maybe those are the keys that got you in the wrong starting mode?

I probably should have known those shortcuts yet I don't know all the ins and outs of the pen and related tools that I should.
Fingers crossed this helps
John Wheeler

Here is the link: https://blogs.adobe.com/jkost/2013/09/path-operation-shortcuts-in-photoshop-cc.html

 

[Rich54]

In particular, the "+" and "-" keys change the mode back and forth and will invert the Path

Mister Wheeler... you're a genius! You have solved the problem.

When I use the Pen Tool, I am constantly zooming in/out by pressing Ctrl+plus or Ctrl+minus on the keyboard. I do this by touch, without actually looking at the keyboard. However... the Fn key is immediately next to the Ctrl key. From your post above, I discovered that in CS5, pressing Fn+plus or Fn+minus will toggle the Path Mode back and forth between a positive selection and an inverse selection. So that's been my problem all this time: once every few weeks, I will accidentally press Fn when I'm attempting to zoom in/out.

If you're ever in New York City, I owe you a beer.

Rich

 

[thebestcpu]

You're more than welcome. I learned quite a few things while trying to track down this problem so "genius" does not really apply yet would gladly take you up on a beer if I get to New York City again
John Wheeler

 

[IamSam]

Great find!!!

John - Have you tested the KB shortcuts listed in your link?

In path mode?

In shape mode?

What were your results?