Editing paths, Select paths, segments, and anchor points, Select anchor points – Adobe InDesign CS4 User Manual

Page 336: Select path segments, Select all anchor points and segments in a path, Copy a path, Adjust path segments

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Drawing

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.

•

Make sure the path that contains the anchor points is not selected. Move the Direct Selection tool over the anchor
point until the pointer displays a hollow square, 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.

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.

Updated 18 June 2009

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