Am I losing it? The Direct Selection Tool and Path Selection Tool used to be able to move elements?

[evermint]

I feel like I always used to use the Direct Selection and Path Selection tools to move objects as well as edit them. Now moving with it requires me to hit Command T to transform first. This is how I've always used PS for the last 15 years so my brain is like, did something change or was there an update? I know the Move tool moves objects/elements, but I could have sworn that the Direct Selection and Path Selection tools do this as well. Anybody else have this same issue? I tried support but they said those tools never had this function.

[davescm]

You can use those tools to move path based elements, such as paths or shapes. But raster based elements require the move tool.

Dave

[evermint]

OK so it should be able to move a vector based logo or some text (without me hitting Transform first)? Because it's not working, and I wonder if there's a setting off that I need to fix? Thanks!

[davescm]

No - not text, although text is drawn as vector it is font based and not path based in the conventional sense. That would require you to Convert to Shape first which of course means it is no longer editable text.

As for a vector based logo - path selection and direct selection should work provided it is still a vector shape.

Dave

[evermint]

OK. Hmm, so weird, yea no idea why it's different now. I guess I'll just have to retrain my brain to use the move tool instead. Thanks!

[davescm]

It is not different, nothing has changed in Photoshop with those two tools. Perhaps you are looking back and thinking of Adobe Illustrator?

Dave

[Conrad_C]

I agree that I don’t think anything has changed in this area for a while. The demo below shows my understanding of it.

Path Selection tool:

You can move a shape if you first select it in the Layers panel.

Direct Selection tool:

Because this tool is for editing points and segments, clicking with it doesn’t select a whole path like the Path Selection tool does.

That’s why it can’t select or move by clicking and dragging on the canvas.

That’s also why it doesn’t help to select the shape in the Layers panel or Paths panel.

For the Direct Selection tool, what does work is the last thing I do in the demo: When the shape is selected in the Paths panel, Option-click any point or segment, which selects the entire path. When the entire path is selected, dragging any point or segment moves the whole path. (Do not keep Option held down when starting the drag itself, because that copies the path. Option-click the path to select all points, then release the mouse button, then start the drag.)

[Trevor.Dennis]

If you activate all of its points, you can move a workpath or shape layer with both Path and Direct Selection tools.  Is that what Dave and Conrad have already said?