Planet Photoshop

Using The Pen? Stay Away From The Toolbox

Want to save trips to the Toolbox when using the Pen tool (P)? You’re in luck. Better yet, you don’t even have to hold down any modifier keys (such as Option/Alt, etc.), because Photoshop will do the work for you. Here’s why: When you draw a path, move your cursor over a line segment and your Pen cursor automatically changes to the Add Anchor Point tool, so you can click anywhere along that path to add a point. Move your cursor over an existing point, and it changes into the Delete Anchor Point tool (click on the point, and it’s deleted). This is called Auto Add/Delete, and it’s on by default (you can turn it off, should you want to, using the checkbox in the Options Bar).

Posted by Corey Barker

Corey is the newest education and curriculum developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He is a graduate of the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Fl, with a degree in Illustration. Over the years, Corey has worked as a graphic artist in a variety of disciplines such as illustration, commercial design, large format printing, motion graphics, web design and photography. His expertise in Photoshop and Illustrator have earned him numerous awards in illustration, graphic design and photography. Using Photoshop since Version 2, his expertise and creativity have evolved exponentially with every new version, which makes Corey an invaluable addition to the NAPP team.