Pen tool is not working properly/paths arereversed/pen tool creates masks or shapes insteadof paths

Thanks to improvements and advancements with the pen tool in Photoshop versions 6 and above - the pen tool operates a little differently than it did in previous versions. It now has the ability to invert paths, ‘select from path area’, as well as a few other new features. Reference your user manual for more information about those features.

To set the pen tool to function as it did in previous versions of Photoshop, do the following:

With no documents open, select the pen tool.

In the options bar there is a set of three boxes on the left, and there is a set of four boxes on the right.

In the set of three boxes on the left, select the middle option. This enables the pen tool to operate as it did in the past.

Now on the set of four boxes on the right, select the box on the far right. The four options here enable different ways that the pen tool makes it’s selection. The box on the right is the way that Photoshop functioned in previous versions.