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Adjust path segments



You can edit a path segment at any time, but editing existing segments is slightly different from drawing them. Keep the following tips in mind when editing segments:

  • If an anchor point connects two segments, moving that anchor point always changes both segments.

  • When drawing with the Pen tool, you can temporarily activate the Direct Selection tool (InDesign and Photoshop) so that you can adjust segments you’ve already drawn; press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while drawing. In Illustrator, pressing Ctrl or Command while drawing activates the last-used selection tool.

  • When you initially draw a smooth point with the Pen tool, dragging the direction point changes the length of the direction line on both sides of the point. However, when you edit an existing smooth point with the Direct Selection tool, you change the length of the direction line only on the side you’re dragging.

Move straight segments

  1. With the Direct Selection tool , select the segment you want to adjust.
  2. Drag the segment to its new position.

Adjust the length or angle of straight segments

  1. With the Direct Selection tool , select an anchor point on the segment you want to adjust.
  2. Drag the anchor point to the desired position. Shift-drag to constrain the adjustment to multiples of 45°.
    In Illustrator or InDesign, if you’re simply trying to make a rectangle wider or narrower, it’s easier to select it with the Selection tool and resize it using one of the handles on the sides of its bounding box.

Adjust the position or shape of curved segments

  1. With the Direct Selection tool, select a curved segment, or an anchor point on either end of the curved segment. Direction lines appear, if any are present. (Some curved segments use just one direction line.)
  2. Do any of the following:

    • To adjust the position of the segment, drag the segment. Shift-drag to constrain the adjustment to multiples of 45°.

      Click to select the curve segment. Then drag to adjust.

    • To adjust the shape of the segment on either side of a selected anchor point, drag the anchor point or the direction point. Shift-drag to constrain movement to multiples of 45°.

      Drag the anchor point, or drag the direction point.

    Note: You can also apply a transformation, such as scaling or rotating, to a segment or anchor point.

Delete a segment

  1. Select the Direct Selection tool , and select the segment you want to delete.
  2. Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS) to delete the selected segment. Pressing Backspace or Delete again erases the rest of the path.

Delete the handle of an anchor point

  • Using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Illustrator) or the Convert Direction Point Tool (InDesign), click the anchor point of the handle.
  • Drag the end of the handle and drop it onto the anchor point.

Extend an open path

  1. Using the Pen tool, position the pointer over the endpoint of the open path you want to extend. The pointer changes when it’s precisely positioned over the endpoint.
  2. Click the endpoint.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • To create a corner point, position the Pen tool where you want to end the new segment, and click. If you are extending a path that ends at a smooth point, the new segment will be curved by the existing direction line.

      Note: In Illustrator, if you extend a path that ends in a smooth point, the new segment will be straight.

    • To create a smooth point, position the Pen tool where you want to end the new curved segment, and drag.

Connect two open paths

  1. Using the Pen tool, position the pointer over the endpoint of the open path that you want to connect to another path. The pointer changes when it’s precisely positioned over the endpoint.
  2. Click the endpoint.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • To connect the path to another open path, click an endpoint on the other path. When you precisely position the Pen tool over the other path’s endpoint, a small merge symbol  appears next to the pointer.

    • To connect a new path to an existing path, draw the new path near the existing path, and then move the Pen tool to the existing path’s (unselected) endpoint. Click that endpoint when you see the small merge symbol that appears next to the pointer.

In InDesign, you can also use the Pathfinder panel to join paths. To close the path of an open path, select the path and click Close Path in the Pathfinder panel. To close the end points between two paths, select the paths and click Join Path. You may want to click Join Path a second time to join the second endpoint.

Move or nudge anchor points or segments using the keyboard

  1. Select the anchor point or path segment.
    Note: In Photoshop, you can move only anchor points in this manner.
  2. Click or hold down any of the arrow keys on the keyboard to move 1 pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow.

Hold down the Shift key in addition to the arrow key to move 10 pixels at a time.

Note: In Illustrator and InDesign, you can change the distance of a nudge by changing the Keyboard Increment preference. When you change the default increment, holding down Shift nudges 10 times the specified distance.