The Tweak Tool

Icon for Tweak Tool Shift + F2 or W

The Tweak tool is the ideal tool for illustrators who first draw their designs on paper, then scan and vectorize their work. With it, you can modify paths on the canvas, using numerous options, without ever switching tools.

As the tool only works on selected objects, first select the path that you would like to modify. Then switch to the Tweak tool and click on the area that you wish to edit, or click and drag the tool over the canvas.

First, let’s have a look at its general options:

Width

Determines the size of the tool. If you only want to edit a small region on the canvas, make the circle smaller, else, make it bigger.

Force

Determines how strong the effect of the tool will be.

Icon for activating pressure sensitivity Pressure sensivity

Activate this button to use the pressure sensitivity of your graphics tablet to dynamically change the force of the applied effect. However, the tool can be used well without a graphics tablet.

Now let’s look at the heart of the tool, its different modes:

Icon for pushing objects with Tweak Tool Icon for attracting objects with Tweak Tool Icon for moving objects randomly with Tweak Tool Move objects

The first three icons move the selected objects in various directions. Read the hint in the status bar to learn about additional key presses that change how the tool works.

Icon for shrinking objects with Tweak Tool Shrink/Grow objects

Reduces the size of the paths, or, when you hold down Shift, enlarges the paths.

Icon for rotating objects with Tweak Tool Rotate

Rotates the paths.

Icon for duplicating objects with Tweak Tool Duplicate

Creates duplicates of the selected paths. These will be placed directly above the originals, so remember to move them, if you want to see the effect.

Icon for pushing path parts with Tweak Tool Push path parts

Deforms the paths by pushing the nodes like a snow shovel.

Icon for shrinking parts of paths with Tweak Tool Shrink /Icon for growing parts of paths with Tweak Tool grow path parts

The borders of a part of a path will be moved closer to each other, with Shift, they will be moved farther away from each other.

Icon for roughening paths with Tweak Tool Roughen path parts

Roughens the contours of a path.

Icon for painting objects with Tweak Tool Paint color and Icon for randomizing colors of objects with Tweak Tool Jitter colors

These modes modify the color of the paths.

Icon for blurring objects with Tweak Tool Blur objects

Adds blur to the paths.

Chameleon image to be tweaked

This drawing will serve as an example. The chameleon was drawn with a pencil, and afterwards it has been vectorized with Inkscape.

Chameleon tail editing with tweak tool

The tail needs to be edited, so it will gradually become thinner. Here, the effect has been exaggerated for demonstration purposes.

The chameleon's tongue is being roughened with Tweak Tool Some roughening has been added to the tongue, to emphasize the beast’s dangerous side.