Adobe’s pen tool works pretty much the same across Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Yet, as important as this ubiquitous tool is, many people get confused with how to handle certain tasks, and the differences between the various pen symbols.

Adobe Pen Tool Cheatsheet.pdf

Creativetechs’ resident Adobe Certified Expert, Jason Hoppe, has put together a quick Adobe Pen Tool cheat-sheet to help keep some of the basic techniques straight. Download the PDF, and pass it along to a friend.


Tip: Photoshop CS2/CS3 includes an “Auto Add/Delete” checkbox in the pen tool options palette that must be turned on to activate some of these pen features.

Source: Jason Hoppe teaches Adobe Creative Suite classes each quarter at Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts. For a list of upcoming summer courses, check back at SVC’s class schedule page in the next couple weeks. Every month we publish a new Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign cheat-sheet. Look for new CS3 cheat-sheets starting next month!