Painting a popcorn ceiling

Hello, I am new to this site and need help I am getting ready to paint the ceiling in my family room and have not a clue what type of roller to use or type of paint. It is a vault ceiling. Also, a couple of years back, we had a very bad storm that loosen some shingles on the roof (which I had fixed) however, a small leak occurred due to this. I painted over the leak and did not know that I should not have put so much pressue when painting it, NOW it is like a small smooth section. I was told I could spray some popcorn stuff on that small area and it would be fine. Do I do this before I paint the ceiling or after? I really need to know how to paint this ceiling before I paint the rest of the room. Thanks

Remove any loose popcorn around the area to be patched. Tape off the spot to be patched - with some plastic hanging from the tape - this will take care of any over spray of the new popcorn installation. Mix new popcorn mix making sure you bought the same texture because popcorn comes in different courses. First spray the immediate area to be fixed and allow to dry. Remove tape and plastic and spray area again so to blend into existing area. Allow to dry for atleast 24 hours and paint. Painting popcorn ceilings can be a very tricky thing. The variables consist of was the ceiling primed before the original popcorn ceiling was installed - how much water was used in the mix when it was originally installed - was paint mixed into the popcorn mix when installed and how many coats of paint have been added, if any, over the years. Most people these days just hate the popcorn ceiling look. They collect all the dust, dirt and grease in the house. Most popcorn ceilings have been scraped away with new up to date textures installed -- mostly a hawk and trowel finish. Having said that, if you are going to paint a popcorn ceiling, your best bet is to use a heavy napped paint roller that is heavily load with paint. Roll the popcorn ceiling with the "get on it and get off of it" method. Do not keep going back over the same areas like you may do with a "normal" wall or ceiling. If you continue going over the same area with the roller, the popcorn finish will end up on your roller. This is why you use a heavy loaded paint roller so you can paint the areas with 2 swipes of the roller and move on. Do not find yourself using a dry roller or you might find yourself with more areas to patch.
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Thanks Deacon,

If I decide to get the popcorn stuff off the ceiling (which I would love to do), what do I need to do including the tools needed to get it off?

Just spray some water on the popcorn - allow to penetrate and use a scraper. If many coats of paint has already been used on the popcorn and water will not penetrate, a scraper will still do the job. A hawk and trowel texture will take care of any left over discrepancies.