photoshop

Paths

hold spacebar while drawing a path (for example an ellipse) to move it
''A'' for ''Path Selection Tool'' or ''Shift+A'' to toggle between ''Path Selection Tool'' and ''Direct Selection Tool'' to select points.
''Ctrl+T'' = ''Free Transform Path''
''Window'' > ''Paths'' to get the ''Paths Panel'' beside the ''Layers Panel''
To create outline from bitmap make selection with the ''Magic Wand Tool'' (''w''), then right-click > ''Make Work Path''
Use ''Quick Mask'' (''q'') while creating selections with the ''Magic Wand Tool'' to see the result better and use ''Brush'' to fix some pixels for better selection.
to create another work path from a selection rename the first work path in paths palette, then make another work path.
''Path Operations'' in ''Path Properties'' are very useful: Combine, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude.
nice tutorial from Lynda.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt5nw8fco74

Starting from Photoshop CC 14.2, you can create SVG files directly from Photoshop:

Create a file named ''generator.json'' with the content below in your user home folder.
Restart Photoshop and open your PSD file.
Activate the generator: ''File > Generate > Image Assets''.
Rename your layer to .svg.
The svg file will be created in the assets directory next to your PSD file. Content for ''generator.json'':
```
{
"generator-assets":  { 
    "svg-enabled": true
}
}
```
Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5413719/photoshop-custom-shape-to-svg-path-string Source: http://creativedroplets.com/generate-svg-with-photoshop-cc-beta/

You can have larger thumbnails in your panels by using ''Panel Options'' from the panel's toolbar.

use ''Stroke'' -> ''Inside Blending Option'' to create thicker lines for example for country borders