I need a little help using the Pen Tool in Illustrator

[abstruseOni]

I know how to use photoshop's pen tool like the back of my hand and illustrator's is very similar. my issue is that, if i nudge a point while drawing a path, i can't continue the path i was drawing...it starts a new path after the nudge. in PS you can just click the last anchor point and keep drawing that same path right from where you left off, but i have yet to figure out how to continue a path in AI.

i refuse to believe it's just not possible...AI should have a BETTER pen tool since it's vector...so what gives?

 

[Matzki]

If the open arrow tool (white arrow) is used before selecting the pen tool, holding command key reverts to the open arrow tool, letting you move points around.

 

[abstruseOni]

Thanks Matzki, but i don't think that answers my question, unless my version of illustrator isn't working properly..

let me try to explain my question better. imagine you're drawing an outline of a person with the pen tool. so you start to outline the hand, then the arm, then the head, but you make a mistake and click in the wrong spot and now you want to nudge the point you just made using the arrow keys on the keyboard. so you nudge it over, get the point where you want it, and now you're ready to continue your outline, but when you click to make the next point, instead of it continuing the outline, it starts a NEW path.

how do i make it continue the original path?

in photoshop, you're right, you can use the white arrow tool to select the last point you made, then switch to the pen tool...click...and continue your path. but that doesn't work for me in illustrator. is that not normal? is it suppose to work like photoshop's?

 

[Pixelchik]

After you have nudged that last point to where you want it, then click again on that point and then you can continue to click to make your next point(s).

 

[CincyScott]

When you nudge a point using the arrow keys, it does end the current path. This is indicated by a small "X" near the pen cursor, meaning that a new path will be started from wherever you click or click and drag. To continue the existing path, hover the pen cursor over the endpoint until the "X" turns into a slash "/", which indicates that the path containing that endpoint will be continued. Click the point once, then click or click and drag wherever you wish to create the next point in your path.

That said, I agree with Matzki about using the direct select (white) arrow to move points. Before beginning work on a path, I click the white arrow to select it, then the pen tool. The Ctrl key brings up the last-used selection tool, so if I'm off a bit with a point I just hold Ctrl and move it with the direct select tool, then release and continue, since that action does not end the current path. Your choice...

cheers,
scott

 

[abstruseOni]

Thanks guys, using the pen tool to select the last point does allow me to continue the path. guess i saw the slash / and thought it was a minus -

This will save me much frustration in the future