Making shapes smoother with the pen tool

Any tips on making your shapes come out smooter (as in their edges) when creating them with the pen tool?

1. This is in the wrong forum. You do not have a "technique to share with us," so don't post in this section.

2. You obviously don't know how to use the pen tool if you're asking this. Sit down with it for a while and just fool around. Make a closed polygon with the pen tool and then drag anchor points and bezeirs around with the convert anchor point tool. Actually do it - you won't learn it by reading this post.

tom

Sorry, I thought this forum was for help on techniques. I apologize. I've been practicing the dang pen tool for a while now and the shapes are always jaggedy. Tried using anti-aliasing but no noticable differnce. I use feathering but it just makes teh edges more blurry.

is it the edge of the shape or the shape itself?
You might have already say it indirectly but I didn't understand it then =)

- Click CTRL-SHIFT-H.
- Make sure your viewing at 100%.

Use the circle tool and see if thats jagged. Post here so we can see what you mean.

tom

why dont yolu just make a saelection and then fill it.... it normally comes out right

Originally posted by lazyroll
why dont yolu just make a saelection and then fill it.... it normally comes out right

You are really ignorant, aren't you? Go do some reading.

http://iatservices.missouri.edu/techknowledge/06-2001/photochops

tom

I normaly select the shape then selection > contract use 1 px and invert the selection shift + crtl + i, then clear. alt + backspace. that helps me with jagged edges.

I really can't get the edges to be smooth, the shape too sometimes but that's just my bad use of the pen tool. I think no fear's method is good.

But then its not vector anymore. And it defeats the whole purpose. Will someone else that does vector please back me up on this one?

tom