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Adooby-doobie
Known Participant
March 31, 2024
Answered

Pen tool basics

  • March 31, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 841 views

Hello

I've been trying to master the Pen tool but seem to have hit a basic roadblock. How do I get the two handles on the latest point after releasing the click?
For eg, When one clicks and drags the left mouse button, the two handles(are they called the bezier handles?) create a handle whose curves we can define and which affects the upcoming path. How do I get those two handles back after accidentally releasing the click? I try to press the option or command or the shift button but it creates only one handle. I either have to delete the point and create another in its place to get those two handles.

Thank you

 

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Correct answer Bojan Živković11378569

Hover the Pen tool over the anchor point, hold down the Alt key, then click and drag to transform a straight point into a curved one.

1 reply

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 31, 2024

When working with the Pen tool, keep two fingers on the keyboard.

 

Meanwhile, in the toolbar, have the Direct Select tool (the white arrow) active; not the Path Select tool (the black arrow). Then go back to the Pen tool.

 

Pressing ctrl switches to the Direct Select tool (the white arrow). When you click an anchor point with the white arrow, both handles pop up and become visible. This anchor point is now selected, the other points not.

 

Pressing Alt switches to the Convert Point tool, which "splits" the two handles and lets you move them independently.

A
Adooby-doobieAuthor
Known Participant
March 31, 2024

Thank you for your reply.
A following question:
The circle is the anchor point which allows the pen tool to create the bezier handles; meanwhile, the square ones are the path. Suppose I want to change a certain square along the path. When I take my pen tool to it, the only option is to delete it and then create a new path(square in its place) and then change it accordingly.
Is there a way to target that point(the square) and create bezier handles out of it without deleting it? Or, is deleting it and creating a new one the only way?

Thanks 

Attaching an image for a better visualisation of my query.

Bojan Živković11378569
Community Expert
Bojan Živković11378569Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
March 31, 2024

Hover the Pen tool over the anchor point, hold down the Alt key, then click and drag to transform a straight point into a curved one.

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