Drawing Bezier Curves with the Pen Tool

One of the functions of the Pen tool is to draw Bezier (point to point) curves.

To draw a Bezier curve object:

From the Tools toolbar, choose the Pen tool .
In the Materials palette, set the desired Foreground/Stroke property. This determines the color/material used for the object's stroke. If you want the curve to have a fill, you'll also need to set the Background/Fill property. If you do not want the curve to have a fill, set the Background/Fill property to Transparent.
In the Tool Options palette's Mode section, click the Draw Point to Point - Bezier Curve button .
Set other tool options:
Connect Segments: Mark this check box to automatically connect each curve segment. If you do not mark this check box, the curve will end after you've placed the second segment.
Show Nodes: Mark this check box to display the objects nodes during creation.
Create on Vector: Mark this check box to place the object on the current vector layer. If no vector layer exists, this option will create a new one for the object. If this option is not checked, the line will be placed on a raster layer (making it more difficult to subsequently edit).
Line Style: From the drop-list, choose the style to use for the line. For a plain, standard line, choose +Solid.
Width: Set the desired line width in pixels.
Anti-alias: Mark this check box to apply anti-aliasing to the object, giving the edges a smoother appearance.

Place the cursor where you want the first node, hold down the left mouse button and then drag the mouse. As you drag you'll see the node's control arm handles with the arrow-end of the handle pointing in the direction you dragged the mouse. Release the mouse button when the first control arm reaches the desired length.
Place the cursor where you want the second node, and drag the mouse. As you drag, you'll see the curve segment on the image canvas.
If you checked the Connect Segments option, you can continue adding segments in this manner.
You can complete the Bezier curve object in two different ways:
For an open shape (where the first and last segment are not connected), click the Create New Contour button in the Tool Options palette.
For a closed shape (where the first and last segments are connected), click the Close Contour button in the Tool Options palette.

In the Tool Options palette, click Apply to complete the creation of the shape and deselect it.
To edit the shape, click the Edit button in the Tool Options palette's Mode section, and then click the shape. Edit mode allows for a variety of ways to modify the shape. Note that you can also choose the Object Selection tool and modify the shape in other ways (such as move, rotate, stretch, etc.).

Saving a Preset

Save an often-used set of Tool Options palette settings for subsequent use as follows:

Set the Tool Options to the desired settings.
Click the Presets drop-list, and then click the Save preset button . The Save Preset dialog appears.
In the Preset Name field, enter a name for the preset.
Optionally, you can click the Options button to enter more information about the preset, such as the Author, Copyright, and Description. You can also choose to exclude particular preset properties by clicking the associated button (a red "x" will appear over excluded properties).
Click OK to save the preset and close the Save Preset dialog.

To load a preset, click the Presets drop-list and then click the desired preset from the list.

To reset the Tool Options palette to the default values, click the Presets drop-list and then click the Reset to default button .