What It Does
Hej Stylus! is a macOS-only control system for graphic tablets that processes stylus input before it reaches your software. It smooths position, pressure, tilt, and rotation data to remove jitter and create more natural-looking strokes. Works globally across all applications, including After Effects, Photoshop, and other creative software.
The plugin was previously sold on aescripts.com but is now available directly from hejstylus.com.
Key Features
Position Pull. The original V1.0 smoothing method, now free for all users. Provides basic stabilization of cursor movement.
New Position Smoothing. Compares current cursor position to previous positions to remove noise. Light settings remove small jitters while maintaining speed. Maximum settings force straight lines. Catches up to your final line-ending position, making it suitable for both quick sketches and deliberate painting.
Pressure Smoothing and Buffer. Smoothing works like position smoothing for pressure input, useful for casual drawing. The pressure buffer collects values and averages them based on buffer size, creating smooth line build-up for techniques like crosshatching. The buffer has adjustable cooling-off time.
Pressure Mapping. Remaps pressure output using linear or bezier functions. Emulate different media behaviors, invert pressure curves, or create custom responses for specific effects.
Tilt and Rotation Smoothing. Applies the same smoothing algorithm to tilt and rotation data from your stylus. Particularly useful when painting with rake-style brushes.
Ruler and Perspective Tools. Includes five ruler types (Instant, Vanishing Point, Linear, Bendy, Circular/Elliptic) and four perspective tools (ISO with up to six directions, One VP, Two VPs, Three VPs). French Curves and Composition tools are planned for future updates.
Presets. Save, load, and share complete settings as .hej files. Includes keyboard shortcuts to cycle through presets and an onscreen indicator showing the active preset. Useful for switching between different drawing styles without adjusting individual parameters.
Who It’s For
Designed for digital artists who work with graphics tablets. Particularly useful for After Effects users doing cel animation or rotoscoping work where smooth, controlled pen input matters. Also benefits Photoshop users on older versions without built-in smoothing, or those who want more control than Photoshop CC 2018’s native smoothing provides.
Requires macOS 10.10 or later. No Windows version exists.
Pricing
Hej Stylus! V3 costs $30 as a one-time purchase from hejstylus.com. The basic Position Pull stabilizer is always free. A two-week trial with full features is available. Major version updates are paid upgrades offered at a discount to existing users. Minor updates and bug fixes are free.
