Adobe

Editing paths


 

    Select paths, segments, and anchor points

    Before you can reshape or edit a path, you need to select the path’s anchor points, segments, or a combination of both.

    Select anchor points

    • If you can see the points, you can click them with the Direct Selection tool  to select them. Shift-click to select multiple points.
    • Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor points to select them.
    • You can select anchor points from selected or unselected paths. Move the Direct Selection tool over the anchor point until the pointer displays a hollow square for unselected and filled square for selected paths in a magnified state, and then click the anchor point. Shift-click additional anchor points to select them.
    • (Illustrator only) Select the Lasso tool, and drag around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor points to select them.

    Select path segments

    Do any of the following:

    • Select the Direct Selection tool , and click within 2 pixels of the segment, or drag a marquee over part of the segment. Shift-click or Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.
    • (Illustrator only) Select the Lasso tool , and drag around part of the path segment. Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.

    Select all anchor points and segments in a path

    1. Select the Direct Selection tool  or, in Illustrator, the Lasso tool.
    2. Drag around the entire path.

      If the path is filled, you can also click inside the path with the Direct Selection tool to select all anchor points.

    Copy a path

     Select a path or segment with the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool and do one of the following:

    • Use the standard menu functions to copy and paste paths within or between applications.

    • Press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag the path to the desired position, and then release the mouse button and Alt/Option key.

    Adding and deleting anchor points

    Adding anchor points can give you more control over a path, or it can extend an open path. However, it’s a good idea not to add more points than necessary. A path with fewer points is easier to edit, display, and print. You can reduce the complexity of a path by deleting unnecessary points. Adding and deleting anchor points works similarly in Adobe applications.

    The Tools panel contains three tools for adding or deleting points: the Pen tool , the Add Anchor Point tool , and the Delete Anchor Point tool . In addition, the Control panel has a Remove Selected Anchor Points button 

    By default, the Pen tool changes to the Add Anchor Point tool as you position it over a selected path, or to the Delete Anchor Point tool as you position it over an anchor point.

    Note: Don’t use the Delete and Backspace keys or the Edit > Cut and Edit > Clear commands to delete anchor points: these keys and commands delete the point and the line segments that connect to that point.

    Add or delete anchor points

    1. Select the path you want to modify.

    2. To add an anchor point, select the Pen tool or the Add Anchor Point tool, position the pointer over the path segment, and click.

    3. To delete an anchor point, do either of the following:

      • Select the point with the Direct Selection tool and click Remove Selected Anchor Points  in the Control panel.

      • Select the Pen tool or the Delete Anchor Point tool, position the pointer over the anchor point, and click.

    Find and delete stray anchor points

    Stray anchor points are individual points that are not connected to other anchor points. It is a good practice to find and delete stray anchor points.

    1. Deselect all objects.

    2. Choose Select > Object > Stray Points.

    3. Choose Edit > Cut or Edit > Clear commands, or press Delete or Backspace on the keyboard.

    Disable or temporarily override automatic Pen tool switching

    You can temporarily override or disable automatic switching to the Add Anchor Point tool or Delete Anchor Point tool.

    • To temporarily override switching, hold down Shift as you position the Pen tool over the selected path or an anchor point. This is useful when you want to start a new path on top of an existing path. To prevent Shift from constraining the Pen tool, release Shift before you release the mouse button.

    • To disable switching, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select Disable Auto Add/Delete.

    Smooth and simplify paths

    You can smooth the appearance of paths as well as simplify paths by removing excess anchor points.

    Smooth paths

    1. Select the object.

    2. Select the Smooth tool .

    3. Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to smooth out.

    4. Continue smoothing until the stroke or path is the desired smoothness.

      Using the Smooth tool
      A.
      Original path

      B.
      Dragging across path with the Smooth tool

      C.
      Result

    5. To change the amount of smoothing, double-click the Smooth tool and set the following options:

      Fidelity
      Controls how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before Illustrator adds a new anchor point to the path. For example, a Fidelity value of 2.5 means that tool movements of less than 2.5 pixels aren’t registered. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels; the higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path.

      Smoothness
      Controls the amount of smoothing that Illustrator applies when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to 100%; the higher the value, the smoother the path.

    Simplify paths

    Simplifying a path removes extra anchor points without changing the shape of the path. Removing unnecessary anchor points simplifies your artwork, reducing the file size, and making it display and print faster.

    1. Select the object.

    2. Choose Object > Path > Simplify.

    3. Set the Curve Precision to control how closely the simplified path follows the original path.

      Select Preview to show a preview of the simplified path and list the number of points in the original and simplified paths.

    4. Select additional options, and click OK:

      Curve Precision
      Enter a value between 0% and 100% to set how closely the simplified path should follow the original path. A higher percentage creates more points and a closer fit. Any existing anchor points are ignored except for endpoints of a curve and corner points (unless you enter a value for Angle Threshold).

      Angle Threshold
      Enter a value between 0 and 180° to control the smoothness of corners. If the angle of a corner point is less than the angle threshold, the corner point is not changed. This option helps keep corners sharp, even if the value for Curve Precision is low.

      Straight Lines
      Creates straight lines between the object’s original anchor points. Corner points are removed if they have an angle greater than the value set in Angle Threshold.

      Show Original
      Shows the original path behind the simplified path.

    Average the position of anchor points

    1. Select two or more anchor points (on the same path or on different paths).

    2. Choose Object > Path > Average.

    3. Choose to average along the horizontal (x) axis only, the vertical (y) axis only, or both axes, and click OK.

    Convert between smooth points and corner points

    You can convert the points on a path between corner to smooth points. Using options in the Control panel, you can quickly convert multiple anchor points. Using the Convert Anchor Point tool, you can choose to convert only one side of the point, and you can precisely alter the curve as you convert the point.

    Convert one or more anchor points using the Control panel

    To use the anchor point conversion options in the Control panel, only relevant anchor points, not the entire object, should be selected. If you select multiple objects, one of the objects must be only partially selected. When entire objects are selected, the Control panel options change to those that affect the entire object.

    1. To convert one or more corner points to smooth points, select the points and then click the Convert Selected Anchor Points To Smooth  button in the Control panel.

    2. To convert one or more smooth points to corner points, select the points and then click the Convert Selected Anchor Points To Corner  button in the Control panel.

    Convert an anchor point precisely using the Convert Anchor Point tool

    1. Select the entire path you want to modify so that you can see its anchor points.

    2. Select the Convert Anchor Point tool .

    3. Position the Convert Anchor Point tool over the anchor point you want to convert, and do one of the following:

      • To convert a corner point to a smooth point, drag a direction point out of the corner point.

        Dragging a direction point out of a corner point to create a smooth point

      • To convert a smooth point to a corner point without direction lines, click the smooth point.

        Clicking a smooth point to create a corner point

      • To convert a smooth point to a corner point with independent direction lines, drag either direction point.

        Converting a smooth point to a corner point

      • To convert a corner point without direction lines to a corner point with independent direction lines, first drag a direction point out of a corner point (making it a smooth point with direction lines). Release the mouse button only (don’t release any keys you may have pressed to activate the Convert Anchor Point tool), and then drag either direction point.

    Erase artwork

    You can erase portions of your artwork using the Path Eraser tool, the Eraser tool, or the eraser on a Wacom stylus pen. The Path Eraser tool  lets you erase parts of a path by drawing along the path. This tool is useful when you want to limit what you erase to a path segment, such as one edge of a triangle. The Eraser tool  and the eraser on a Wacom stylus pen let you erase any area of your artwork, regardless of structure. You can use the Eraser tool on paths, compound paths, paths inside Live Paint groups, and clipping paths.

    Using the Path Eraser tool to erase portions of a path (left), using the Eraser tool to erase part of a grouped object (right)

    For a video on using the Eraser tool, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0036.

    Erase part of a path using the Path Eraser tool

    1. Select the object.

    2. Select the Path Eraser tool .

    3. Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to erase. For best results, use a single, smooth, dragging motion.

    Erase objects using the Eraser tool

    1. Do one the following:

      • To erase specific objects, select the objects or open the objects in isolation mode.

      • To erase any object on the artboard, leave all objects unselected.

      When you have nothing selected, the Eraser tool erases through and across all layers.

    2. Select the Eraser tool .

    3. (Optional) Double-click the Eraser tool and specify options.

    4. Drag over the area you want to erase. You can control the tool by doing any of the following:

      • To constrain the Eraser tool to a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line, Shift‑drag.

      • To create a marquee around an area and erase everything inside the area, Alt‑drag (Windows) or Option‑drag (Mac OS). To constrain the marquee to a square, Alt‑Shift‑drag (Windows) or Option‑Shift‑drag (Mac OS).

    Erase objects using a Wacom stylus pen eraser

    When you flip a stylus pen, the Eraser Tool automatically becomes active. When you flip the stylus pen back over, the last active tool becomes active again.

     Turn over the stylus pen and drag across the area you want to erase.

    Press harder to increase the width of the erased path. (You may need to select the Pressure option in the Eraser Tool Options dialog box first.)

    Eraser tool options

    You can change the Eraser tool options by double-clicking the tool in the Tools panel.

    Note: You can change the diameter at any time by pressing ] to enlarge or [ to reduce.
    Angle
    Determines the angle of rotation for the tool. Drag the arrowhead in the preview, or enter a value in the Angle text box.

    Roundness
    Determines roundness of the tool. Drag a black dot in the preview away from or toward the center, or enter a value in the Roundness text box. The higher the value, the greater the roundness.

    Diameter
    Determines the diameter of the tool. Use the Diameter slider, or enter a value in the Diameter text box.

    The pop‑up list to the right of each option lets you control variations in the shape of the tool. Select one of the following options:

    Fixed
    Uses a fixed angle, roundness, or diameter.

    Random
    Uses random variations in angle, roundness, or diameter. Enter a value in the Variation text box to specify the range within which the brush characteristic can vary. For example, when the Diameter value is 15 and the Variation value is 5, the diameter can be 10, or 20, or any value in between.

    Pressure
    Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the pressure of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used with Diameter. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet. Enter a value in the Variation text box to specify how much more or less the original value the brush characteristic will vary. For example, when the Roundness value is 75% and the Variation value is 25%, the lightest stroke is 50% and the heaviest stroke is 100%. The lighter the pressure, the more angular the brush stroke.

    Stylus Wheel
    Varies in diameter based on manipulation of the stylus wheel.

    Tilt
    Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the tilt of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used with Roundness. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect the direction in which the pen is tilted.

    Bearing
    Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the pressure of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used to control the angle of calligraphic brushes, especially when you’re using the brush like a paintbrush. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect how close to vertical the pen is.

    Rotation
    Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on how the drawing stylus pen tip is rotated. This option is most useful when used to control the angle of calligraphic brushes, especially when you’re using the brush like a flat pen. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect this type of rotation.

    Split a path

    You can split a path at any anchor point or along any segment. When you split a path, keep the following in mind:

    • If you want to split a closed path into two open paths, you must slice in two places along the path. If you slice a closed path only once, you get a single path with a gap in it.

    • Any paths resulting from a split inherit the path settings of the original path, such as stroke weight and fill color. Stroke alignment is automatically reset to center.

    1. (Optional) Select the path to see its current anchor points.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • Select the Scissors tool and click the path where you want to split it. When you split the path in the middle of a segment, the two new endpoints appear on top of the other, and one endpoint is selected.

      • Select the anchor point where you want to split the path, and then click the Cut Path At Selected Anchor Points button  in the Control panel. When you split the path at an anchor point, a new anchor point appears on top of the original anchor point, and one anchor point is selected.

    3. Use the Direct Selection tool to adjust the new anchor point or path segment.

    Note: You can divide an object into separate component faces by using the Knife tool (a face is an area undivided by a line segment).
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