Drawing with the pen tool, Pen tool drawing states, Draw straight lines with the pen tool – Adobe Flash Professional CC 2014 v.13.0 User Manual
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Drawing with the Pen tool
Pen tool drawing states
Draw straight lines with the Pen tool
Draw curves with the Pen tool
Add or delete anchor points
Adjust anchor points on paths
Adjust segments
Pen tool preferences
To draw precise paths as straight lines or smooth, flowing curves, use the Pen tool. When you draw with the Pen tool, click to create points on
straight line segments and drag to create points on curved line segments. Adjust straight and curved line segments by adjusting points on the line.
The following video tutorial demonstrates how to use Pen tool in Flash Professional:
Pen tool drawing states
The Pen tool provides feedback about its current drawing state by displaying different pointers. The various drawing states are indicated by the
following pointers:
Initial Anchor Point pointer
The first pointer you see when you select the Pen tool. Indicates that the next mouse click on the Stage will create
an initial anchor point, which is the beginning of a new path (all new paths begin with an initial anchor point). Any existing drawing paths are
terminated.
Sequential Anchor Point pointer Indicates that the next mouse click will create an anchor point with a line connecting it to the previous anchor
point. This pointer is displayed during the creation of all user-defined anchor points except the initial anchor point of a path.
Add Anchor Point pointer
Indicates that the next mouse click will add an anchor point to an existing path. To add an anchor point, the path
must be selected, and the Pen tool must not be over an existing anchor point. The existing path is redrawn based on the additional anchor point.
Only one anchor point can be added at a time.
Delete Anchor Point pointer
Indicates that the next mouse click on an existing path will remove an anchor point. To remove an anchor point,
the path must be selected with the Selection tool, and the pointer must be over an existing anchor point. The existing path is redrawn based on
the removal of the anchor point. Only one anchor point can be removed at a time.
Continue Path pointer
Extends a new path from an existing anchor point. For this pointer to be activated, the mouse must be over an existing
anchor point on a path. This pointer is only available when you are not currently drawing a path. The anchor point does not have to be one of the
terminal anchor points of a path; any anchor point can be the location of a continued path.
Close Path pointer
Closes the path you’re drawing on the starting point of the path. You can only close a path that you are currently drawing,
and the existing anchor point must be the starting anchor point of the same path. The resulting path does not have any specified fill color settings
applied to the enclosed shape; apply fill color separately.
Join Paths pointer
Similar to the Close Path Tool except that the mouse must not be over the initial anchor point of the same path. The
pointer must be over either of the terminal points of a unique path. The segment may or may not be selected.
Note: Joining paths may or may not result in a closed shape.
Retract Bezier Handle pointer
Appears when the mouse is over an anchor point whose Bezier handles are displayed. Clicking the mouse
retracts the Bezier handles and causes the curved path across the anchor point to revert to straight segments.
Convert Anchor Point pointer
Converts a corner point without direction lines to a corner point with independent direction lines. To enable the
Convert Anchor Point pointer, use the Shift + C modifier keys to toggle the Pen tool.
For a video tutorial about the Pen tool, see
Draw straight lines with the Pen tool
The simplest path you can draw with the Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two anchor points. Continue to click to
create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.
1. Select the Pen tool
.
2. Position the Pen tool where the straight segment is to begin, and click to define the first anchor point. If direction lines appear, you
accidentally dragged the Pen tool; choose Edit > Undo and click again.
Note: The first segment you draw is not visible until you click a second anchor point (unless you’ve specified Show Pen Preview in the
Drawing category of the Preferences dialog box).
3. Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of 45°).
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