Whomever "redesigned" the PEN TOOL functions should be fired IT'S HORRIBLE!!!

[patricks55392428]

I have been using Adobe Illustrator since Illustrator 88, basically since the beginning. And for the most part I have enjoyed it's improvements. I've watched it grow into a robust program and I've used it daily since 1988 and lately I've become so incredibly frustrated with the pen tool I actually get anxious thinking about having to use the program!!!!!

It has become super difficult to select points/handles and the simple fact that I have to hit "escape" to stop drawing is absolutely retarded! It will snap to points of other shapes located nearby (Yes, I have turned off "snapping" in preferences) and when going back and clicking on a point to stop it from continuing the curve it will create another point right next the one I was trying to click on. It is super difficult to control and causes me to constantly zoom in and out so that I can make sure I clicked on the point, and not right next to it. And it often will not close a path/shape.

I'm pursuing a second career, and attending Art Center College of Design, where I also serve as a "teachers assistant". My experience with Illustrator has caught the attention of my instructors and I'm regularly asked to give demos on it's use. I regularly see the students struggle with using the pen tool. They will often switch over to using Photoshop because it is easier to control. In my demos they will see the issues I presented above and completely reject the program.

I don't know what you guys (Adobe) need to do to fix this problem, but I'm so F@&king frustrated I would gladly jump ship and use/suggest another program if one was available.

In 30 years of use I've never posted in a forum to complain about your products, but I've come to such a point of frustration I can't continue to ignore the problem.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE fix this issue!

[S_Gans]

Hi. I'm afraid you're addressing this to what's really meant to be more of a user to user forum. We ACP's and MVP's are here to help with specific problems, and occasionally, but rarely, Adobe comes in to check on it.

But - to report bugs, complaints, feature requests... the appropriate place is Feature Request/Bug Report Form 

This is a place that's direct to Adobe. If enough people complain about the same issues, Adobe WILL address them.

I'm sorry for your frustration.

[patricks55392428]

Thanks for the link and info!

[N J354965798ucp]

Hi, I am having this issue. I've turned off all snapping I can find but still, unless I'm zoomed right in, the pen tool automatically snaps to the nearest path which is very frustrating - any help would be greatly appreciated! I used to using CS5 and it seems a lot has become harder now I have the up to date version... Thanks!

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @N J354965798ucp,

I'm sorry to hear about the frustration you're experiencing with the Pen Tool functions. Let's try a few steps to troubleshoot this issue:

• Sometimes, issues with tools can be document-specific. Create a new document and see if the problem persists there.

• Go to the View menu and ensure that Smart Guides are turned off, along with the snap option disabled. This may help prevent unwanted snapping behavior.

• If the problem persists, try resetting Illustrator preferences.

• If the issue still persists after trying the above steps, please share a screen recording of the problem along with your system specifications (such as CPU, RAM, and GPU) so that we can investigate further. We'll share this with our product team for investigation.

Let me know if you need further assistance or if you have any questions. We're here to help!

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

"the simple fact that I have to hit "escape" to stop drawing is absolutely retarded!"

Did you try to turn off in the Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display > Enable Rubber Band for: Pen Tool?

[patricks55392428]

That fixed that issue! Thank You very much!

[Ton Frederiks]

Glad to hear that helped (It is actually the first thing I turn off after an update or fresh install).