Pen Tool Selection and Action

   Recently I returned to use this method, which is basically a creation of a selection with the Pen tool.
   For those that don't know, the Pen Tool is a tool that enables the creation of more accurate and elaborate curves. You can see it in many softwares such as Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.
    This method can be very useful when you want to make a specific selection, which you hardly could do with other forms of selection (Lasso Tool, Polygonal Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool), because you can edit the points you make , turning them into curves.
    The problem is that in Photoshop, when we create a shape with the Pen Tool, we just creates a "path" and not a selection. So basically we just need to turn it into a selection.

   The steps are very simple:

- Create your "path" or shape with the Pen Tool.
- If the window "Paths" isn't enabled, enable it on Window > Paths
- Notice that inside the window "Paths", there is a layer "Work Path"
- To transform our shape into a selection, just click in "Load path as selection" (third icon from left to right, at the bottom of the window "Paths")

   It's a very easy and practical procedure. But to not make this process every time, we can create a shortcut that does it for us. 

   For this, we should create a command, by an Action:

- Create a "path" with the Pen Tool
- Enable the window "Actions" on Window > Actions
- Create a new command in "Create new action" (fifth icon at the bottom of the window "Actions")
- In "Name", name it the way your prefer (per exemple: pen_to_path)
- In "Function Key:", you put the shortcut that you'll hit to execute the command (in my case, I set to press "F2")
- Then click in "Record"
- Notice that the second icon turned red, which means, that it's going to record everything you do from now on
- On window "Paths", click in "Load path as selection"
- Then drag the layer "Work Path" to the dump, because we won't need it anymore
- On window "Actions", click on the first icon at the bottom, to stop the recording

   Done! Now we have an Action, that will make all the procedure for us, when we hit the hotkey.
   If something hasn't been very clear, for lack of something visual, this video tutorial is very good. I used and it explains everything we saw here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUG26N-YKrM by Matt Kohr