Adobe InDesign CS3 - Manual (Page 319)

INDESIGN CS3
User Guide
312
You can select and edit multiple paths simultaneously in Photoshop and InDesign; however, you can add or delete
points to only one path at a time in Illustrator. In Photoshop and InDesign, you can reshape a path while adding
anchor points by clicking and dragging as you add.
Note: Don’t use the Delete, Backspace, and Clear keys or the Edit > Cut or 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 Select the Pen tool, the Add Anchor Point tool, or the Delete Anchor Point tool.
3 To add an anchor point, position the pointer over a path segment and click. To delete an anchor point, position
the pointer over an anchor point and click.
In Illustrator, you can add anchor points to a path by selecting the object and choosing Object > Path > Add Anchor
Points.
Disable or temporarily override automatic Pen tool switching
You can override automatic switching of the Pen tool to the Add Anchor Point tool or the Delete Anchor Point tool.
This is useful when you want to start a new path on top of an existing path.
• In Photoshop, deselect Auto Add/Delete in the options bar.
• In Illustrator or InDesign, hold down Shift as you position the Pen tool over the selected path or an anchor point.
(To prevent Shift from constraining the Pen tool, release Shift before you release the mouse button.)
• In Illustrator, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS),
and select Disable Auto Add/Delete.
Convert between smooth points and corner points
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points—corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly
changes direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. The Convert Direction
Point tool
. lets you change an anchor point from a corner point to a smooth point or visa versa.
1 Using the Direct Selection tool , select the path you want to modify.
2 Switch to the Convert Direction Point tool . (If necessary, position the pointer over the Pen tool and drag to
choose the Convert Direction Point tool.)
3 Position the Convert Direction 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 direction lines out of the corner point.
Dragging direction lines out of corner point to create smooth point
• To convert a smooth point to a corner point without using direction lines, click a smooth point.