Professional design made simple

Although it's called the Pen Tool, this digital tool is not used like a regular pen.

In the past, it's been called the Bèzier Tool, named after Pierre Bèzier, the person who invented it. It has also been known as the Path Tool, since you can use it to draw a vector path line.

Today, the Pen Tool is perhaps the most powerful and important digital tool for designers out there. Most graphic designers, illustrators, and creatives need and use it every day, which is perhaps the reason it's named after such a common and useful object.

In graphic design, a path is a line that appears when you draw using a vector tool as the Pen , the Pencil , or the Brush Tool. It is made up of a series of anchor points (or nodes).

There are mostly three types of paths:

1. Open path: A single path (or line) with two end anchor points.
2. Closed path: A closed shape that has no end point.
3. Compound path: Two or more open or closed paths connected with each other.

The Pen Tools in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) allow you to draw paths, but there are some subtle differences in how they work.

Unlike Adobe Illustrator and Linearity Curve, Photoshop is a raster-based image editing software. The pen can be used to draw fixed pixel-based shapes, a bèzier path, or a bèzier path-based shape.

In Illustrator, the Pen Tool is used to draw vector paths that can be scaled to any size. Any path can also be edited after it's drawn to take on the qualities of a different brush stroke or effect.

Linearity Curve's Pen Tool is also vector-based and allows you to create custom paths with bèzier curves. Like in Illustrator, any path you draw in Curve using the Pen Tool can be edited. However, we designed our Pen Tool to feel more intuitive, especially when it comes to using an iPad and Apple Pencil. Find out more about our amazing Pen Tool in our user Guide.

Digital vector artists can use the Pen Tool, the Brush Tool, the Pencil Tool, and even the Shape Tool to draw. There are many powerful tools and techniques for drawing digitally, but plotting out points with the Pen Tool is the most precise way to create an accurate line or a smooth curve segment.

Linearity Curve users on desktop can use their trackpad or mouse button to click to add anchor points. And if you're using the iPad or drawing tablet, just tap with your stylus to add points as you draw. You path's direction and angle is determined by the position of the node handles.