Pen Tool - Curve drawing under Object Lock

How do you draw a smoother curved line as described in this tutorial in Steps 6 and 7?
http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/create-a-glowing-neon-sign-using-the-appearance-palett e--vector-3791

Thank you - As it turns out, I was using the tutorial here as a guide http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/create-a-glowing-neon-sign-using-the-appearance-palett e--vector-3791
I was trying to use Steps 6, 7, and 8 to draw lines with the Pen tool that traced the interior of letters to generate a neon sign effect to keep applying new strokes to build up the glowing effect.
I am having difficulty recreating smooth lines inside the trace of the letters – my lines look choppy and not at all like the tutorial suggests.
I was using the Appearance Palette, which stressed using simple paths that can be turned into vector artwork simply by using multiple fills and effects. The approach was to use the approach outlined to avoid having to use complicated Bezier curves or stacking multiple vector shapes on top of one another.

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CS4: Pen tool won't fill object when closed

Now i know everyone wants to tell me to fill with the paint bucket ... or make sure i have a fill color selected. I have already tried that. Everytime i make an object, and close it off, it doesnt fill. And if i try to fill the object, it fills everything. And yes, i double check to make sure i am closing the object. After i get done drawing the shape, i can right-click with the pen tool and open the "Fill Path..." option, and tell it to fill it, and it will. But i want it to fill in when i am done drawing each shape. Is there anything that i can do to make this happen. Thanks in advance for your help.

Check the options on the pen/path tools option bar.
Here's visual aid from an older version but it hasn't changed:

Using pen tool to draw a particular shape...

Hi all,
I'm pretty new to Illustrator and just wanted some advice.
I'm using the pen tool to try and draw a specific shape () but finding it hard trying to 'smooth' out the points where I connect my lines.
The pen tool can't draw this all in one go, so when I try to do it in several stages, the lines don't connect up smoothly so it looks a bit... rubbish.
Anyone got any tips or how to do this simply? Sorry if this is a total idiotic question but, I'm trying...!
Cheers

Somehow your picture won't show.

Brush tool is drawing under the previous mark rather than above - thinking there must be a toggle preset somewhere?

drawing on one layer the brush will only make a mark that goes underneath any previous made mark, rather than on top which you'd expect - is there a preset option that's making this happen? can't seem to see anything, or any reference to this issue on forums

drawing on one layer the brush will only make a mark that goes underneath any previous made mark, rather than on top which you'd expect - is there a preset option that's making this happen? can't seem to see anything, or any reference to this issue on forums

How to draw 2 seperate lines w/Pen tool?

Hello: Level: New Newbie OS: Windows 7 64bit
It's me again w/the same tut at: http://designinstruct.com/drawing-illustration/how-to-make-a-golden-compass-in-illustrator /
Thank you everyone for all your help thus far!!
Please refer to step #8 and the picture below
Where I am confused is that once the line is drawn from top to bottom and I go to draw the line across the upper area the anchors stay connected.
I tried the Alt key + click to cut the path but (as you advanced folk probably already know) it didn't work.
So, I searched the manual, forums and other places for a way to make the bottom Anchor an end Anchor ... ?? Does that even exist?
I don't know if I am explaining this correctly or well enough but I sure would appreciate your guidence
Honestly I am not even sure what I ought to be looking for in the manual etc.
I tried just drawing the shape for the Glossy effect and then filling it with the required gradient but frankly it just looks odd ... it looks flat and basically UGLY
Below is a picture of what I need help accomplishing. The blue line that goes across is the problem for me.
I should also mention, if you go to the tutorial ... it says that I am suppose to Duplicate the Inner Circle but I made too many goofs and somehow all my layers ended up on one layer so rather than doing what the tut instructs I just made a New Layer and then drew a new circle with the Ellipse tool.
Even so, I actually couldn't grasp why or how I was suppose to go about intergrating the new circle with using the Pen Tool to draw the Glossy effect object. So, I skipped that part and just used the Pen tool to draw the needed shape as shown above in pink.
Thank you again!!
wow ...

Kara,
Or just press the P key.
This will reselect the Pen Tool, implying a deselection.
Edit: And now I realized: In the other thread I never looked at anything but the actual question, so I was unaware that it was all about a compass.
There are a few things in the tutorial that could create inaccuracies, and some might be done in easier ways, but differeent users prefer different ways. That is one of the reasons for the pleasant great variation in suggestions here.

Drawing with the Pen tools

This question was posted in response to the following article: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-73a0a.h tml

Correction: same issue -- pen tool drawing shows up only on the digital image on the screen. Not when printed. Well sounded like a good theory.
Problem remains: how to get pen tool drawing, made on photographs, to print.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Drawing with the Pen tools o photographi
Date: Sat, 5 May 2012 20:08:05 +0000
Curt, believe I found the answer:
Create a new blank page, the size of the photograph to be worked on. The blank page is what the pen tool responds to only.
Add the photographic image to the new blank page (same size).
Now you can use the pen tool over the photographic image. When finished drawing, flatten the image with drawing, and print.
Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 21:00:54 -0600
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Drawing with the Pen tools
    Re: Drawing with the Pen tools
    created by Curt Y in Photoshop General Discussion - View the full discussion
Perhaps you are talking about stroking the line?
Set the color and size with brush, then in Path window click on Stroke Path with Brush.
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Fill drawing created with pen tool

How do you do this? I use my pen tool to draw out a shape,
and I close it's path, but I can only control the stroke. Surely
there's a way to fill that space in right? What am I missing? If
drawings made by the pen tool cannot be filled, that is definitely
something Flash developers need to look at improving in CS4.

OK nevermind. just like always, it only works until after I
post.

Pen Tool and Pathfinder Problems

Help.....I am trying to follow a tutorial creating a leaf vector image(first time) I use the pen tool to draw the curve in a an elipse shape and then divide in pathfinder but it always adds an extra line when I hit the pathfinder button from the last pointto the first and fills my path instead of remaining as one line that I can remove from the shape...anyone help please.

This is a link to the tutorial....http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects/creating-an-environmentally-friendly-gre en-type-treatment/comment-page-5/
It is part 3, divide. The image shows what happens after I hit divide in pathfinder, prior to that it is just a single line path with 2 anchor points using pen tool from left to right. I know its basic but its frustrating as helland I am sure its a simple fix!. Thanks so much for looking

How to hide the extra line when use the AI pen tool

When I use AI CC pen tool to draw a line, when i click the 1st anchor point, " - " shows next to the Poniter ( I did not drag ) ,I tried to move, but an extra line coming out before I click another point. So I could not draw lines or curves! That extra line just follow the Pointer direction. I am using Window 32 bit, will it affect this? please help.

suetsuetwong,
Apologizing for my being so slow in the uptake, I believe I have finally grasped the meaning.
As I now (mis)understand it, you are seeing the (maybe overly) helpful Smart Guides in action.
You may ignore the line or untick Smart Guides in the View dropdown, or change their settings as desired.
The Smart Guides are trying to help you with snapping to directions, paths, Anchor Points, whatever, and also telling you where you are.

Pen Tool in PhotoShop CS3 VERY Slow

I just installed CS3 on my laptop and am trying to use the pen tool to draw a path. I have to wait between 30 seconds and 2 minutes for each point to show up. Needless to say it's impossible to create a curve because I can't see the path. I'm using PhotoShop CS3, Windows XP Professional on an IBM Thinkpad T42. I'm not using a tablet, although I do hve one available to use.
Thank you for your time.

As usual could be a variety of things depending on your system. Try a search for "slow tools" to see some of the posts. Here is one on slow pen drag.
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3bc80a0f/0

Pen tool filling problems

Hello!
Who can help me out. I'm a CS2 user and want to use the pen tool to create an object. Thats a piece of cake but then I like to fill the object with lines, crosses or something like that. Only I'm not capable of finding that kind of fillings. With this link you can find a example of the filling i'm searching for: (it shows that you can select the filling separately from the object.)
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/2377/49610002wl9.jpg
Thanks
Maarten (netherlands)

One quick way would be to make the pattern (or find one) and use a copy of your shape as a clipping mask. Or, if the pattern is vector art, you could use the Shape Modes under Pathfinder to actually cut the pattern to the size and shape of your object.

Pen tool cursor is different from the anchor point

Hi, I'm using flash cc 2014, I'm having this issue, which is when I use pen tool to draw something, the anchor is different from the pen cursor. I need help !

Kyle
as suggested but not quite defined what you want to do is after you have drawn a curve path with the pen tool you now want to add a straight segment, so you press down the option tool drag the end of the leading anchor handle while still holding down the option key and drag the handle into the anchor point. Nothing else will move but the anchor point handle.
Once the handle is withdrawn into the anchor point you can now position the pen tool, first of course releasing the option key, and clicking and the segment will be a straight path unless of course you drag as you click.
I agree it would be nice to have a keyboard toggle to allow for a straight segment.
Perhaps there is but I do not know of it. It is a good complaint. I believe there are ways of accomplishing this in other applications.
There is another way as well. Just hold the command key to get a select tool and click anywhere to deselect the path. Then click where you want the straight segment to end and the click the pen tool on the last anchor point of the segment you previously created.

LACK OF FULL PEN TOOL FUNCTIONALITY WHEN CREATING A SHAPE LAYER

Hello, I'm going through Chris Meyer's video course on being an AE apprentice and have spent over an hour on the following issue.
Here is what I know.
I know I am trying to create a shape layer, not a mask, to create a frame to surround the video of the green field on the attached screenshot. Therefore, I pressed "F2" to make sure I am doing so.
I want to define the borders of this picture frame by using the pen tool to draw a path on the layer entitled "Windy Peak".
I have highlighted that layer in my timeline.
This video was pasted on to a placeholder shape that I had created using Command Option "/" on my Mac.
I do have limited use of the pen tool, because it displays properly when I hover it above the borders of the video to be framed.
But I lack access to the toolbar controls I want to complete my assignment.
For example, I would like to create a gradient to define the internal coloration of this frame, but I have no use of the eyedropper when I click on the Color Picker.
Also, I am unable to access or manipulate any of the standard fill or stroke options for use of my pen.
This is what I know.
Thanks for your help! Matt
Message was edited by: Matt Dubuque to add the fact that the video had been pasted on to a placeholder shape image by pressing Command Option "/" on my Mac.

Thanks for pitching in Todd and Rick, I appreciate it very much.
As previously stated, I do have use of the pen tool, but it only has limited functionality as demonstrated by the path I created on the green meadow. My Tools Panel remains activated .
My core problem remains that I am unable to adjust the fill or stroke settings for my pen.
I have tried changing and resetting various work spaces and this has not helped.
I'm scratching my head here.
Matt

Photoshop CC - Making the Pen Tool on a new layer?

So I've never had this problem in previous versions of PS. When selecting the Pen Tool and drawing on the document usually leads to it making a new shape layer. However for some reason this option is greyed out in CC. As a workaround I've had to draw a shape box, then draw with the pen tool and delete the shape box afterwards. Is there a reason for this, a bug or something I'm missing?
Thanks

It should not be grayed out Pixels are grayed out.

What happened to the 'Shape Mode' shortcut keys on the Pen Tool?

For the longest time I've used both the Shape and Pen Tools for drawing vectors in Photoshop, but with CS6 I noticed a lot of weird behaviours. The one that is really getting to me is the lack of 'Shape Mode' shortcut keys when using the Pen Tool. When on the 'Shape Tool', fo example Cirle or Rectange, you can press the Shift to change the Shape Mode to 'Add', Alt to change it to 'Subtract' or both together to get 'Intersect'. This functionality used to exist on the Pen Tool too, but in CS6 I can't seem to get it working.
A collegue suggested to move over to Illustrator for all my Vector needs, and I know that this a good advice. However the lack of quick/integrated changing between 'Shape Modes' in either product (now) makes drawing things alot slower (for me).
Am I missing something, or is this feature now ommited in Photoshop CS6. If it is does anyone know if its possible to script something to allow this kind of behviour in Photoshop or Illustrator?
cheers,
Jon

The modifier keys "Alt|Opt", "Ctrl|Cmd" and "Shift" work differently depending on the tool being used but the individual keys seem to provide somewhat related functions.
For example the "Shift" key tends to be a constraining key Rectangle tools are constrained to square ellipse tools to Circles. However if there is an Active selection when you hold down the skey when you drag out a new selection it does not reset the current selection instead the new selection is not constrained and is added to the current selection. Shift constrains Transform tool to current aspect ratio, Shift constrains Line tools to vertical, horizontal or 45 degree angles. Pen tool like line tool shift constrains the angle.
The "Alt|Opt" key changes the way tools operate. Transforms are from the center not from the side or corner being dragged. Selection tools like the rectangle and ellipse will cause the intal drag out be from the center however it there is a Active selection dragging out a new selection will be subtracted from the current selection. This key changes the Pen tool from draw mode to anchor point adjusting.
The "Shift" and "Alt|Opt" modifier keys can be used together to have an operation be both constrain and from the center.
The "Ctrl|Cmd" key seems to change the way a tool works on a control anchor point. The Pen Tool changes from Pen Draw mode to Direct Selection tool to facilitate moving the point. Transform can be distorted a single corner point can be moved and distort the rectangle bounding box.
These keys may have other functions I don't know about. Photoshop has many features so many I don't know if any one person know and uses all of them. For the rest of us they seem to be Photoshop hidden secrets.

Pen Tool - Curve drawing under Object Lock

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