How to use the Pencil and Smooth Tools in Illustrator

[@GDHT]

Learn how to ETHICALLY get Adobe CC free (or cheap) here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5OVo5-JaMmGoLM

[@naamaaviad8170]

thnxx i sent you :)

[@evadesignagency]

5 years later and your videos are still phenomenal and relevant. Thank You for this one!

[@GDHT]

Awww thank you so much!!

[@dkarcade_]

Awesome tutorial! Thank you so much for this! I love how you mention the keyboard commands too for those of us unfamiliar!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!! And thank you!

[@2danniegrl]

First of all thank you so very much for posting these tutorials! I just found your channel, and I realize this is several years old, but let me say OMG.... I have had AI for a few years now, but I do not use it much. I am a crafter and got into design because of that. Cricut and Silhouette Design programs have always been a hassle for me, so I tried AI. I used it a lot at first, but then stopped this past year so I am rusty. I say that to say I never saw any tutorials that showed how to do what this video showed and I am having a horrible time cleaning up an image of words LUCKY MAMA and I am like HEYYYYYYYY I can think of A MILLION projects I wish I had known about these tools! I am so excited to have found your channel. Going to watch more now. Thank you!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - I'm so glad the videos are helping!! If you're struggling with anything else, we do have a free Facebook group where you can include images of your problem along with your question: facebook.com/groups/adobeillustratorusershelp

[@lynneholman891]

Hands down the best Pencil tool tutorial I have found - thank you

[@GDHT]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@charlesjosef6045]

I appreciate the useful information without the silly fluff that others offer. This channel looks like a great place to brush up on skills and learn new ones. THANKS!!!

[@GDHT]

Thank you so much!!

[@jfosterdesigns]

Oh my goodness. I did not know you could use the pencil tool for this! This completely changes my typography game!!! Thank you 3000!!!

[@GDHT]

Aww you're welcome 3000! :D

[@duplinestephanus1603]

Wow, this is the clearest tutorial on the pencil tool. Thank you

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - and thank you so much!!

[@Mikeyalbum]

I always use the pencil tool but never knew about the option key/smooth tool shortcut (in fact I forgot the tool even existed). This is going to be such a big help :)

[@GDHT]

Oh that is great! I actually didn't know about it till recently (I had an extra shortcut set up specifically for the Smooth tool!).

[@cagdastopcu6352]

The best KZbin channel.. You taught me a lot, dear Anne.. Endless thank you..

[@GDHT]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!

[@tbmadeitt]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I’ve been frustrated for days

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - I'm so glad the video helped!!

[@thrice911]

Awesome tutorial Anne, thank you! A quick comment about 5:50... I believe the Cmd-E shortcut is set to toggle GPU performance by default in Illustrator, not to expand objects. However, I love your idea of using Cmd-E to expand objects since that's something I do all the time. Definitely going to remember that one. Thanks!

[@GDHT]

I just checked and on my version of Illustrator (CC 2019), CMD E is the default for Expand. I do have a custom shortcut for Expand Appearance (Shift CMD E). Are you on an older version of Illustrator? Maybe it's a somewhat recent change.

[@DonatoGreco]

one of the best explanation on the subject, complete and simple. 👍👍👍

[@GDHT]

Thank you so much!!

[@DolbroDan]

thanks for all the help. i love shortcuts and getting to the point. So your advice was priceless :)

[@GDHT]

Thank you so much!!

[@isabellewest3013]

Amazing! Thanks! I usually either use the pen tool and take some time to smooth out the design manually or the paint brush tool, at a preliminary stage, which doesn’t connect paths so well.

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - I'm so glad the video helped!

[@joaquind.cabezas5832]

This is A REALLY GREAT tutorial!!! Congrats

[@GDHT]

Thank you!

[@rajithahettige]

Awesome tutorial! clean & clear

[@GDHT]

thank you!!

[@ElszyRocks]

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!!

[@dalakishvili]

Straight to the point tutorial. Thank you!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - I'm so glad it was helpful!

[@anthonye.2553]

Great tutorial! I’ve always struggled with the smooth and pencil tool.

[@GDHT]

Thank you- so glad it helped you!

[@RituSharma-zq6dz]

Thank You for your videos. It actually helps me a lot in understanding Illustrator.

[@GDHT]

You're welcome! I'm so glad to hear that!

[@Antonina81]

So good but fast vid. I learned a lot froom you. Thank you.

[@GDHT]

This is one of my first videos - I'm sorry it's a bit fast!! I do try to slow the pacing a bit now. :D

[@beaazu826]

You are such a great teacher!

[@GDHT]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@SusanBarrettPrice]

Very helpful. Thanks for your generosity in sharing.

[@GDHT]

You're very welcome!!

[@nicktyler2572]

maybe not the greatest art, but it is a great demonstration of Pencil & Smoothing tools! I work in Illustrator for like 10 years, and pretty much never used pencil smooth tool... I mean I tried it and it always seemed kinda useless. But your demo showed it is quite useful, thanks! 👍

[@GDHT]

Agreed on the art! Yes, the smooth tool is sooo useful in my workflow (but of course it depends on how you use Illustrator).

[@nicktyler2572]

@@GDHT I was a designer in printing house, but mostly did technical stuff, never did illustrations myself. Recently I discovered Astute plugins for Illustrator and figured out it can be actually fun to draw and sketch in vectors! Have you seen their Dynamic Sketch plugin? It's like combo of Pencil and Brush on steroids. 😄 With pressure and pulled string stroke smoothing it is super nice.

[@GDHT]

I've heard so much about the Astute plugins and everyone says they're great! But I still haven't taken the plunge. :)

[@nicolray1]

You are a great instructor! Keep making videos!!!

[@GDHT]

Awwww thank you so much!!

[@Heazito]

Great video!! thanks for the help, I can create unique logos now!!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - and thank you!!

[@gelatinskeleton8745]

Jesus. I really needed this.

[@GDHT]

I'm so glad it was helpful for you!!

[@chekromlek1918]

I start from scratch how to use AI, Your tutorial is extremely useful for me. Much appreciate.

[@GDHT]

Thank you!!

[@naamaaviad8170]

hey im doing the exact same thing on 1:30 with my pencil tool I creat outlines and than draw with the pencil tool to make a nice curly shape but it doesn't connect the shape to the letter. and yes Im starting and finishing on the path. i would love some help.

[@GDHT]

Is your letter is outlined (not live text)? Other than that, open your Pencil tool options, and check the bottom option. Make sure it's selected, and the 'Within' part is about 6-7 pixels. Let me know if that doesn't fix it.

[@naamaaviad8170]

@@GDHT its better' now it becomes one compact path ' but it still doesnt look like yours, i can see both paths' not as on path. i mean i see the line of the letter and the line i added

[@GDHT]

@@naamaaviad8170 hmm, can you send the file? [e-mail] I'll take a look.

[@mannyfilmsinc]

AWESOME LESSON!! THANK YOU!!!

[@GDHT]

Thank you - I'm glad you liked it!

[@stevesculptor1]

I love your tut's. I'm using some old WMF (Windows meta file) they open in Ai but are covered in anchor points, is there a way to smooth these in 'bulk' other than using the Smooth Tool? Thx

[@GDHT]

Thank you! Yes - you can go to Object > Path > Simplify and mess with the settings. I also have a video for that if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqTLeISHeb1gd8U

[@jenduart]

Really helpful! Thank you!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@TinaDerby01]

Super well done! Thank youuuuu :)

[@GDHT]

Tina Derby thank you!!

[@montrymanuel]

Thank you so much :) It's helped me cheers

[@GDHT]

You're welcome - I'm glad it helped!!

[@artxaryan]

Can I ask how do I turn off the blue line I I having in pencil tool while sketching, very frustrated. And how to turn on pressure sensitivity option

[@GDHT]

The blue line just helps you see what you've drawn - when you release, it goes away. Just make sure you have a stroke color. For pressure sensitivity, you have to have a Wacom tablet or other tool that supports it (a mouse won't work).

[@dankemo3169]

Great video

[@GDHT]

Thank you!!

[@bilbob7624]

is there a way to have the pencil tool close the path after drawing? or connect the first and last points?

[@GDHT]

Yes - once you get close to the starting point, your cursor will change, then you can release and it'll connect.

[@bilbob7624]

@@GDHT Thanks so much!

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!

[@SivaKumar-fw1wi]

thank you for the video.

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!!

[@abidhossainmanu7827]

very helpful. please make a new video tutorial in illustrator

[@GDHT]

Thank you - I upload a new video every Thursday! :)

[@kwaku_2023]

Crtl + E (windows) not working for Expand. Dont have it as an options in keyboard shortcuts too.

[@GDHT]

Hmmm that's weird. You can go to Object > Expand too. It sounds like you might need to reset your preferences, but just know that resets your whole Illustrator setup.

[@kwaku_2023]

Hello@@GDHT, it must be set as keyboard shortcut before it works. Just tried it and it works fine after that. Thank you.

[@GDHT]

@@kwaku_2023 that keyboard shortcut comes standard in Illustrator, but it could be you changed it at some point, or sometimes Preferences get out of whack (a reset will fix them).

[@ActiveMoxie]

good lesson thanks

[@GDHT]

Thank you!!

[@blackboss9447]

thank you lot miss :3

[@GDHT]

You're welcome 😊

[@jenniferlambert3886]

You’re good!

[@GDHT]

Thank you!!

[@fvxwthis]

thank you so much

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!

[@janiceyan5928]

why I can't find the smooth tool?

[@GDHT]

It's under the Pencil tool. But your toolbar might also just not be showing it. Click the 3 dots at the bottom of the toolbar, go to the upper right of the flyout, click those 3 dots, and click Reset.

[@Grace-hr3qi]

how to add selection once we use pencil it deletes the path how to add next path

[@GDHT]

You'll need to deselect / click off to add a new line (if you're too close to the other pencil line)

[@Grace-hr3qi]

how maam can u tell me i m begineer

[@Grace-hr3qi]

beginner

[@GDHT]

Hold Shift CMD a, or Shift CTRL a on PC to deselect all. Then draw your next path.

[@zozix4116]

Leela from Futurama

[@GDHT]

Ha!

[@ang.giselle2024]

Hello, I just noticed your channel. Good content. Do you think it is too late for an adult 50+ to start a new career as a graphic designer? Your opinion is greatly valued.

[@GDHT]

Hi there, thank you!! No, I don't think it's too late, but I do think it will be a little harder - some places have bias towards the younger crowd - they also like hiring people they think they can pay less. It's not cool, but it's (somewhat) reality. Thankfully there are plenty of places that value a more mature workforce.

[@sajjadabouei6721]

thanks a lot

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!

[@soniyawawhal7234]

Thanks Ma'am

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!!

[@vamboo8918]

Thanks

[@GDHT]

You're welcome!

[@penyusupbumi215]

Your welcome

[@GDHT]

...Thank you....I think! :D

[@stacyforbes6139]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was getting so frustrated and now I'm not. Great tutorial!

[@GDHT]

Aww thank you!! That is great to hear!

[@sonny5196]

As a natural artist Penicl tool is my choosen tool. Never use the pen tool.

[@GDHT]

I love the pencil tool, but I find it hard to use when you want to create something really exact. It works well for lots of other stuff, though! :D

[@sarsky22]

my pencil tool just create a new object and never agglomerate to the original object...

[@GDHT]

There could be two issues. First you might not have had the original object selected. Second, in Pencil Tool options, make sure the "Edit Selected Paths" is within about 6 pixels or so.

[@sarsky22]

@@GDHT Thanks for the answer, it works now ! Nice

[@GDHT]

@@sarsky22 awesome 👏

[@d.o.a9236]

Nothing work

[@GDHT]

What are you trying to do?