Pen Tool Design Tips for Photoshop & Illustrator

Posted on September 9, 2009

Here’s a technique that lets have every bezier drawing tool you need at your finger tips via simple key combinations. Great for when you are drawing or have to recreate detailed artwork.

In both apps you can:

  • Hold down space (Hand tool) to navigate your work
    -more effective than using the scroll bars
  • Hold down space + command (zoom tool) then click to zoom
  • Hold down space + option (zoom out tool) then click to zoom out

 

While hovering over a point:

  • Simply click to remove a point when you see a (-) sign
  • Hold down option to edit bezier curve of a point
  • Hold down command to move/drag points
    For Illlustrator: Before using the pen tool, select the “Direct Select Tool”

 

Otherwise you’ll have to:

  • Stop dead in your tracks
  • Go to the toolbar or hit “A” to Swicth to the “Direct Select Tool”
  • Move your point
  • Then go to the toolbar again or hit “P” to select the “Pen Tool”.
  • Then you can get back in your drawing groove with your hands back over the Command, Option, Space Bar

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