Drawing > Drawing freeform paths |
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Drawing freeform paths
With the Pencil tool, you can draw freeform paths that follow the direction of your hand movements. The three modes of operation for this tool are Freehand, Variable Stroke, and Calligraphic Pen.
To set Pencil tool options:
1 |
Double-click the Pencil tool.
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2 |
In the Pencil Tool dialog box, choose a Tool Operation option: |
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Freehand draws a simple line as you move the cursor. |
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Variable Stroke resembles a brush stroke. |
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Calligraphic Pen resembles a calligraphy pen stroke. |
3 |
Enter a value from 1 to 10 in the Precision text box, or adjust the slider control. Choose a higher value to follow minor variations as you draw. Choose a low value to smooth minor variables as you draw. |
4 |
Select Draw Dotted Line to draw paths faster by displaying a dotted line as you draw. The final path is still solid. |
5 |
Select Auto Remove Overlap to remove unnecessary path segments and create a composite path.
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Original (left) and Auto Remove Overlap applied (right) |
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Note: Using the Auto Remove Overlap option may slow the redrawing of an image. You can also remove overlap by selecting the path and choosing Modify > Alter Path > Remove Overlap or clicking the Remove Overlap button on the Xtra Operations toolbar. |
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6 |
For Variable Stroke, set a path width, measured from the centerline, between 1 and 72 points. |
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For the Calligraphic Pen, select additional Width and Angle options: |
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Click Fixed to set calligraphic paths to a constant width, or click Variable to specify a path width between 1 and 72 points.
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Set the angle of the Calligraphic pen by entering a value or dragging the Angle dial between 0° to 359° . The actual width of a stroke at a given location on the path depends on the direction in which you drag. |
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Click OK. |
Use the stroke and fill color selectors in the Tools panel to set color attributes for the path. For a Calligraphic Pen, select no stroke and a basic fill to most closely resemble a real calligraphy pen. For more information, see Applying color in FreeHand. |
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To draw a path with the Pencil tool:
1 |
Click the Pencil tool in the Tools panel.
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2 |
Drag to draw a path. |
3 |
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) to draw a straight line. |
4 |
For the Variable Stroke or Calligraphic Pen option, vary the path width by 1/8 the tool's Width setting as you draw: |
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To decrease the path width, press the Left Arrow key (Windows) or Left Bracket key (Macintosh). |
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To increase path width, use the Right Arrow key (Windows) or the Right Bracket key (Macintosh). |
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If you're using a pressure-sensitive tablet, the width of the path segments increases or decreases according to the amount of pressure applied. |
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To continue a selected path, position the Pencil pointer over a path's end point; a solid plus sign indicates that drawing will continue the path.
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