Learning the Adobe Pen Tool

Creating precise lines, curves, and shapes with the Pen tool is challenging to learn and even tougher to master, but the power it gives your drawings is worth the effort. Even though the technology has been in Adobe products for decades, there are countless people who have yet to learn the proper way to use it. In this course, Deke McClelland introduces the basic features of the Pen tool and its functionality across the three main graphic design programs in the Creative Cloud suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. He covers the structure of a path outline, reviews the different kinds of anchor points and control handles, and dedicates a chapter to the Pen tool's peculiarities in each program. He also introduces some alternatives to the Pen tool, so you can choose what works best for your drawing needs.

Learning objectives
Understanding how anchor points, segments, and control handles work
Adding and deleting anchor points
Working with smooth and cusp points
Selecting and deselecting with the arrow tools
Drawing vector-based paths
Connecting open paths
Repositioning points and segments as you draw
Inserting and deleting points on the fly
Converting multiple points with a single click