Auto Select Path Points - Can't Drag Select

[Omer_R]

Hi All,

Since I've installed AE 2018, whenever I try to drag-select several points on a path I created from a shape, it automatically selects the closest point/side of the shape and moves it (even when I click outside the selected shape). Does anyone know how can I turn this option off?

Thanks!

Omer.

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

This sounds more like user error than a feature.

If you have created shapes with the parametric tools (Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon ...) then you must convert the parametric shapes to a bezier path before you can edit the points.

To edit path points on a shape layer or mask you should have the pen tool selected(g). Trying to use the selection tool to edit vector paths is ineffective and frustrating.

Use the Ctrl/Cmnd and Alt/Option keys as modifiers.

If one point, multiple points, or no points are selected hovering over a path will give you the Add Point tool, hovering over an anchor point will give you the select point (black arrowhead) selection tool for selecting that point. Hovering over a bezier handle will give you the selection tool to grab the handle.

If all points are selected holding down the Ctrl/Cmnd tool will change the pen tool to the group select tool (white arrowhead) which will give you the option of dragging a selection around multiple points or just selecting a new single point. If you have multiple points selected pressing Ctrl/Cmnd + t will enable the transform rectangle allowing you to scale rotate and move multiple points. The escape key or enter/return key will exit the transform tool. Using the transform feature changes the tool back to the selection tool so you have to remember to activate the pen tool for further editing. I am in the habit of pressing the "g" key right after enabling transform so I don't forget to go back to the pen tool after transforming vertices. Holding down the Ctrl/Cmnd key will also change the tool to the delete point tool if you hover over a vertex.

Holding down the Alt/Option key will change the pen tool to the Convert Path tool and allow you to select bezier handles, modify the tension on Rotobezier paths or remove the curve on a selected vertex. The Add Point tool pops up when holding down the Alt/Option key when you hover over a line segment.

I don't think I missed anything. If this workflow does not work for you make sure you are running the latest build of AE. If you are still having problems let us know.

[torid79165468]

I am having the same issue using AE CC2018. I do not believe it is user error, as I have worked extensively with shape layers and have never had this type of issue in the past. All my paths are bezier paths, and I find that when I click and drag outside of the shape's area in order to lasso and select several points, instead of dragging a lasso around the points to select them as it has worked in the past, AE chooses the closest vertex to the cursor and moves it. I have also found that if I simply click in a random area (not on path or even necessarily in the shape's area) AE will select the closest vertex. This is extremely unhelpful and limiting my workflow severely. Wondering if auto selecting the closest vertex is a setting that can be toggled off or if it is a new "feature" that doesn't work the way it should.

[Rick Gerard]

That sounds like display issues. Is your version of AE up-to-date? How about your GPU drivers? What os? Dual monitors?

[torid79165468]

I do not understand how it could possibly be a display issue. AE and drivers are both up-to-date. Running windows 7 professional with dual monitors.

[Rick Gerard]

If I can't duplicate the problem and many others cannot duplicate the problem then the problem is in the display, driver or mouse controls. I spend the better part of last week doing a bunch of animated masks and had no problem at all. Worked on a Windows machine Monday for about 6 hours running a 5K monitor, also no problems and probably drew and edited about a hundred masks. I've seen display drivers foul up selections several times in my career.

If you Reboot, launch AE, select the pen tool and start drawing and editing a shape layer and you are getting unexpected behavior then there is a version or hardware problem somewhere.

[torid79165468]

After further testing it appears that the issue is only with certain paths that have been brought into ae from illustrator (using layer>create shapes from vector layer). Because of this I am still under the impression that it is a software issue. I will continue to test to see if I can discern why the problem occurs with some illustrator-sourced paths and not others.

[pacey-j]

Are you using Ease and Wizz? I found it locked my mask, after I removed it I was able to edit the mask again. I'm going to add it back on at the end

[ffaabb]

Yep it looks like ease and wizz was involved in this. It was driving me nuts

[Aaron Rudd]

Yes, this is exactly the problem i was having. Ease and Wizz was preventing me selecting the points. Disabling the expression and then moving the points worked. Then just enable the Ease and Wizz expression when finished. Thank you, this was driving me mad.

[mikeyz97469717]

Did you ever solve this? I think I'm running into the same exact issue as you.

[shimi1622]

Me too

[Adorable_sincerity98A2]

Same issue.
In was just editing paths fine, drag-selecting my points as needed... and then suddenly it was dragging everything without selecting and all points were selected at the same time. It's totally random. I tried to restart AE, deleted the cache and everything, even duplicated the whole file, restarted the PC, opened the newly duplicated file. Same damn thing. And I've been working with bezier paths in the projects already for hours before this nonsense suddenly occurred. It seems to me that there's a trigger, some key shortcut that leads to this but I don't know what it is.

[tdoherty0610]

Go to the layer, find the shape path and right click to convert to bezier path. Then you can select individual anchor points

[benj18988325]

i also had this issue and found that htis worked right away.

im using CC2018

After Effects CS6 || Converting a Shape into a Bezier Path - YouTube

basically redraw your shape but hold down ALT while your drawing your shape, it makes it a bezier shape.

[Adorable_sincerity98A2]

From what experiments I tried now, this only happens when you have keyframes applied to that shape layer and then try to modify the paths. The moment I removed the keyframes, I was able to drag-select the points again as before.

[thejohnnyluu]

THIS SOLVED IT FOR ME!

[Noble_Lando]

Holy expletive! This solved it for me, too, after searching desperately for a solution. DEFINITELY a bug.

[RFred]

Having the same problem in AE 2022 This solved it, then the problem of not being able to select individual points for editing came back. Creating one keyframe on the path, then deleting it allowed me to select points and edit again. so the workaround is to make a keframe, then delete it on the problematic path. Tedious but functional.

[Jordan22711833mrfs]

Just commenting that this solved it for me as well.

[TheScotsman86]

I seem to be having serious issues where i can't move individual points like in other Adobe programs. Very inconsistent and very frustrating. I have no idea how to edit a single point in a shape and have to rely on importing custom shapes made in Illustrator and imported as PNGs. Absolutely ridiculous and a terrible example of a poor UI. Sort it out Adobe and create some consistency within your software programs.

[Rajovo]

It's still the same. I work with AE for almost 20 years, yet I have huge issues keyframing shape layers (paths) precisely because of this. You select two points on a path, yet the whole thing moves. You then shift-select two points, yet a single f***ng point moves. I can't wrap my head around this. I dread working with shape layers.

[dskessler]

I've also been using AE for 20 years and am currently experiencing this bug with AE2021. This is not user error, Rick. I know how to work with bezier shapes and select individual points.  It's simply not working the way that it used to, Rick.
The shapes that were giving me problems were imported over from Illustrator. They are bezier shapes but individual points can't be selected. The only solution for me was to redraw the shapes that weren't working in AE. Fortunately, they were simple shapes. Hopefully, AE will fix this soon.

[Zamboni4231]

Would also like to confirm this unexpected behavior in hopes that Adobe will take notice. This is not a driver issue nor a simple failure to ensure the shape is created with bezier paths. They are infuriatingly unpredictable and selections most often require outlandish workarounds due to the inability to marquee select. Haven't tested extensively enough to vouch for whether or not this issue is isolated to Illustrator imports, but it is present and makes editing shapes a true nightmare.

[RFred]

It is not exclusive to AI imports. I created simple chat bubble starting with ae rectangle, convert to bezier, edit. Then later try to edit again and I can not select a single point any longer unless i create a key frame then delete it. Then I can edig for a few moments until it stops and i make a keyframe and delete it again.