Editing Path Points

Choose the Path Selection tool to select and modify the points and curves of a path. You can modify shapes by moving and deleting path points, and adjusting the curved sections of a path. Click on an anchor point to select it, and then drag to move it.

Hold down the Shift ⇧ key while dragging to constrain the movement of your selection to the vertical or horizontal axis.

Tip: Use the A keyboard shortcut to quickly select the Path Selection tool.

Direction handles that appear on either side of a selected anchor point control the curvature of the path at that location. Moving a direction handle will modify the shape of the curve at that anchor point.

Direction handles are shown as a filled circle with a line extending to the anchor point. Click and drag on a direction handle to modify a curve. Holding the Shift ⇧ key will constrain the direction handles to 45˚ increments.

Selecting Multiple Points

Multiple points on a path can be selected and edited at the same time. To select multiple points, either click and drag on the canvas to create a selection rectangle or hold down the Shift ⇧ key while clicking on each point.

The Path Selection tool can also be used to select multiple paths at once. However, to edit the anchor points of a path, only a single path (or compound path) should be selected.

Modifying Curves

Moving a direction handle with the Path Selection tool will adjust the curvature of the path segment at a specific point. Anchor points with two direction handles, one at each side, are smooth points. Moving the direction handle on one side of these points will automatically move the opposite direction handle to maintain the smoothness of the curve at that point.

To create a sharper angle at an anchor point, you can drag a direction handle or an anchor point while holding down the Option ⌥ key.

Next: Converting Path Points >