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This is related to drawing symmetrical curves. In the example below, I want to get the present handle to be on the same horizontal level as the handle on the opposite side. I have always eyeballed it, which can be imperfect. I don't think handles work with smart guides or snap to guides, but I'm happy to be corrected.
Thanks in advance.
Turn on "Construction Guides" and try again what I showed in my second .gif.
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You can turn on Snap to Grid under the View menu. That makes it easier to align the handles.
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Once they are aligned, you can drag on the arc with the Direct Selection tool to increase or decrease the height of the curve while keeping the handles even.
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Direction Handles usually do snap to guides (and used to snap to them in older versions of Illustrator as well).
Also, direction handles are smart guides sensitive, but an extra step is required: You'd first have to drag one handle precisely onto the other handle to set some kind of reference point, then drag it to the desired position following the horizontal or vertical smart guide until the "Intersection" indicator appears.
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Femke,
From now on you may find it hard to resist the temptation to start with an asymmetrical curve, just for the sheer joy of using the exquisite Smart Guide solution by Kurt.
Your first sentence makes me curious: This is related to drawing symmetrical curves.
If you wish symmetrical, the Anchor Points will need to be aligned (relative to the relevant direction) to begin with, or the Handle lengths will be different if the Handles are aligned. If the Handles are vertical orhorizontal, this can be done in different simple ways albeit less exquisite ways.
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@Barbara Ash Thanks. I wanted to avoid the grid since it's restrictive and defining it adds an extra step, but that may be the way I'll end up going.
@Kurt Goldand @Jacob Bugge Thanks. You're correct in that I can snap one of the handles, the handle under the cursor, to a guide, but not the opposite handle. More troubling is that I can't emulate what you showed with the smart guides. I can get the handle under the cursor to interact with anchor points, the bounds of the curve and the centre of the curve, but not with handles.
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Femke, can you show your settings in the Smart Guides section of the Illustrator preferences?
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I should mention that I'm using CS6.
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Turn on "Construction Guides" and try again what I showed in my second .gif.
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That's it. Thank you very much. You're the best.
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Kurt,
It was a pleasant surprise to see the GIFs appear out of nowhere, especially the second one.