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Illustrator CS2 Pen Tool woes. Please help!
I’m finally making the jump into learning Illustrator (CS2 trial) from being fairly competent with PS but I’m having a torrid time with the Pen Tool! 🙁
As far as I can tell it should work exactly like PS’s paths tool but I just can’t get the same amount of control!
For instance how do I move an anchor point around without moving the entire curve….!!?? I can’t find any tool or combination of shift/control/alt that allows me to do this simple thing!?
Also when I edit a control handle (by selecting ‘convert anchor select tool’) why does the handle the other side of the anchor point, dissappear!? The only way to get it back seems to be to select the anchor point again, at which point the bezier curve resets itself!? Madness!
Could somebody please take pity on me and explain what it is I’m doing wrong! 🙁
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2 Replies
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Use the white arrow tool (the “direct selection point” tool) to manipulate a single point, as opposed to a whole path.
The Convert Selection Point will turn it from a curved point with handles to an angled point. Clicking on a curved point will get rid of the handles and make it a sharp angle. If it’s a sharp angle and you want to make it a curve, click on the point and drag to create the handles.
All of this takes some practice and is hard to explain. Let me know if you have further frustrations.
-Kim
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Aha! I never noticed the direct selection tool! I kept mistaking the selection tool for it! Meaning I’ve only been using the pen tool and convert anchor point tool!
Good grief I feel pretty dumb!
Thank you Kim for your help!
I may be asking another dumb question regarding brushes soon so please come to my aid if you see it! 😉
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