Pencil tool options, Drawing with the pen tool, Draw straight line segments with the pen tool – Adobe Illustrator CS3 User Manual
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ILLUSTRATOR CS3
User Guide
63
Using the Pencil tool to edit a closed shape
Note: Depending on where you begin to redraw the path and in which direction you drag, you may get unexpected
results. For example, you may unintentionally change a closed path to an open path, change an open path to a closed
path, or lose a portion of a shape.
Pencil tool options
Double-click the Pencil tool to set any of the following options:
Fidelity
Controls how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before a new anchor point is added to the path.
The higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path. The lower the value, the more the curves will match
the pointer’s movement, resulting in sharper angles. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels.
Smoothness
Controls the amount of smoothing applied when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to
100%. The higher the value, the smoother the path. The lower the value, the more anchor points are created, and the
more the line’s irregularities are preserved.
Fill New Pencil Strokes
(Illustrator only) Applies a fill to pencil strokes you draw after selecting this option, but not
to existing pencil strokes. Remember to select a fill before you draw the pencil strokes.
Keep Selected
Determines whether to keep the path selected after you draw it. This option is selected by default.
Edit Selected Paths
Determines whether or not you can change or merge an existing path when you are within a
certain distance of it (specified with the next option).
Within:
_ pixels
Determines how close your mouse or stylus must be to an existing path in order to edit the path with
the Pencil tool. This option is only available when the Edit Selected Paths option is selected.
Drawing with the Pen tool
Draw straight line segments 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. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.