Photoshop 6.0 clipping path

read me, I like to be read

[DXL]

I am having the most frustrating time with a feature on Adobe Photoshop 6.0. One day I had to reboot my PC, afterwards all my features in photoshop were resent. Before when I used the line tool, I simply click from point A to point B, boom. Now, once I attempt to draw the line, something odd appears. Looking at my layers table, the layer appears as follows: a layer thumbnail, a link symbol to its right (which indicates that the layer clipping path is linked to the layer), and then to the right a layer clipping path thumbnail (a little grey box). To the right of the little box it says Shape 1. If I click the layer clipping path thumnail, then the line looks okay in my image, it changes from a negative color to the original color I wanted it. If I attempt to draw another line on the image, it automatically creates a new layer. Ive looked for help throughout Adobe and still cant figure this one out. I just want to draw lines like I did before without all these weird extra features, does anyone know how to completely disable this? thanks!

[tedster]

What you are describing is the behavior of line tool which is part of the shapes pallete. But it sounds like the behavior you're looking for is the pencil tool: set your brush size hold down "shift" to click from point to point.

[DXL]

Thanks for the input. That new method works, but it was much easier with the line tool given I could actually see the line complete before actually setting it. No other ideas on how to disable this clipping path deal?

[mivox]

Well, I know you can turn off the clipping path in the layer options menu (the little arrow button in the top right of the layers palette), but I don't know how to diable it from the get-go.

If anyone does know how, someone please share... I'd love to permanently 'hide' that little feature myself!

[tedster]

When you have the line tool selected, along the top edge there are three rectangle images you can choose between. The default is a rectangle with small squares in the four corners - that's the "create new shape layer" we've been discussing. The second rectangle also has a pen icon over it - that's "create new work path".

I'm guessing that you're looking for the third icon, the plain rectangle, which indicates "create filled region". If you click that, you can just draw lines without getting into extra layers, etc.

If you reset the line tool to the third, plain rectangle, Photoshop should remember your choice unless all the tools get reset.

[DXL]

Thanks a lot! You know... to be perfectly honest with you, I SWEAR I tried fiddling with those options before but it didnt work. In any case, its working now so Im extremely happy. Thanks!