Draw straight, dotted, and curved lines in Photoshop with the Pen Tool
This tutorial shows how to draw lines in Photoshop using the Pen Tool in Shape mode. You’ll create straight and dotted lines, then make and edit curved lines using anchor points and handles. You’ll also adjust stroke weight, color, and cap styles for clean results.
Step-by-step instructions
Create a new document
Go to File → New.
Choose your preferred size and click Create.
Select the Pen Tool and set it to Shape
Press P to select the Pen Tool.
In the options bar, set Mode to Shape.
Set Fill to None, choose a Stroke color (e.g., black), and set a Stroke Weight (thickness).
Draw a straight line
Click once to place the first anchor point.
Click again elsewhere to create a straight segment between the two points.
In the stroke options, choose a cap style (Round or Square) and adjust thickness as needed.
Make a dotted line
With the shape layer selected, click the Stroke settings in the options bar → More Options.
Enable dashed line and enter: 2 (dash), 1 (gap), 3 (dash), 2 (gap).
Set Cap to Round for rounded dots, then click OK.
Draw a curved line (method 1: add and move a point)
Deselect the previous shape layer (click in an empty area of the Layers panel) to start a new line.
Click to place two points, forming a straight segment.
With the Pen Tool active, click to add a point in the middle of the segment.
Hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) to temporarily use the Direct Selection Tool and drag the point to curve the line.
Draw a curved line (method 2: click‑and‑drag Bezier handles)
Deselect the layer and start a new line.
Click and drag to place the first point with direction handles.
Click and drag to place the next point, shaping the curve as you go.
To edit, click and hold the Pen Tool → choose Convert Point Tool; hold Ctrl/Cmd to move points or handles.
