Pen Tool
The pen tool is the most precise way to draw paths in programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Animate, or InDesign.
A path is made by clicking with the pen tool. Each click creates an anchor point. Regular clicking creates a corner anchor point. Clicking and dragging creates a smooth anchor point. The points are connected with path segments. Together, path segments create complex lines and shapes.
Resources direct from Adobe:
Watch videos
A path is made by clicking with the pen tool. Each click creates an anchor point. Regular clicking creates a corner anchor point. Clicking and dragging creates a smooth anchor point. The points are connected with path segments. Together, path segments create complex lines and shapes.
Resources direct from Adobe:
Watch videos
- youtube
- lynda.com (free with your public library card
What do the icons mean:
Some Hints About Creating Paths:
Set stroke and fill before drawing
- To start with the Pen tool, select the Pen tool in the Tools panel and, in the Properties panel, set the stroke weight to 1 pt., the color to black, and the fill to none.
- To create straight lines with the Pen tool, click and release to create an anchor point. Move the pointer, then click and release to create another anchor point. You can continue clicking and releasing in different areas to create more anchor points for the path.
- To close a path, move the pointer over the original anchor point, and when a circle shows next to the pointer, press the Shift key and click the end point. To stop drawing a path without closing it, press the Escape key.
- To draw a curve, press and drag away from the point to create direction handles, and then release. Move the pointer, press and drag away to create another anchor point and release. The more you drag when creating or editing anchor point handles, the more curve the path has.
- To change path direction, press and drag to create a smooth point. Release the mouse button. Move the pointer over the end of the handle and when the icon appears, press the Option key (MacOS) or Alt key (Windows) and drag the end of a handle to split them.
- To remove a direction handle as you’re drawing so you can go from a curve to a straight line, click back on the last anchor point created to remove the handle. Then continue drawing.
- When creating straight lines with the Pen tool, by clicking and releasing with the Pen tool selected to make corner points, press the Shift key to constrain the position of the anchor to 45 degrees.
Hints about editing paths:
You can use a host of tools and methods to edit paths you create with the drawing tools: select anchor points, switch selection tools, add and remove anchor points, and more.
Select anchor points
Select anchor points
- Select the Direct Selection tool and click on a path to see its anchor points. Click on a point to select it. Press the Shift key and click to add or remove points from the selection, or drag across anchor points to select them.
- You can select the Direct Selection tool by pressing the “A” key, or the Selection tool by pressing the “V” key.
- You can add points to a selected path by clicking on the path with the Pen tool selected. To remove anchor points, click directly on an anchor point with the Pen tool selected.
- To select and move anchor points while drawing or editing with the Pen tool, press the Command key (MacOS) or the Ctrl key (Windows) to temporarily select the Direct Selection tool. Then drag the anchor points you select.
- To convert a corner point to a smooth point or vice versa, in the Properties panel, click either the Convert selected anchor points to corner or Convert selected anchor points to smooth option.
- Another method for converting from a corner point to a smooth point or vice versa is to click and hold on the Pen tool and select the Anchor Point tool. Click on a point to remove the handles and make it a corner, or drag away from the point to easily drag direction handles out.
Time To Practice - Try a few of these
Assignment: When you are ready
Hints
- Tracing complex images can be tricky for a number of reasons.
- You have to think ahead to where you are making anchor points while you are drawing.
- Remember- the fewer the anchor points, the better the image will look!
- Also, remember to keep the image you are tracing on a separate layer from the paths you are making.