Add Anchor Point tool makes entire selection disappear

I've encountered this off and on over the last few years from Flash CS3 to CS5. It doesn't happen on everything but right now I've got some hair I'm creating and I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to add anchor points and only successfully been able to add 3 or 4. Most of the time, adding an anchor point just makes my entire drawing disappear. Has anyone else encountered this? My work has all but come to a stop because of this problem.

Problem Solved.
Turned on Smart Guides (cmd-U) and that seems to have taken care of it.

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How do I switch to "Add Anchor Point Tool" and "Convert Point Tool" with shortcuts? (CS6)(Windows 7)

I would like to know if there’re shortcuts to switch to" Add Anchor Point Tool" and "Convert Point Tool" on Photoshop CS6 while using a Windows 7 PC.
Thank you for your time!!

What I usually do is use the pen tool. Clicking anywhere on the path adds points, clicking on a point removes it and holding down the alt key while over a point is the convert point tool. Ctrl key is the direct selection tool and ctrl+alt key while dragging the object duplicates it.

I am getting this message: "Please use the add anchor point tool on a segment of a path" -- need help!

Hello guys,
I am new to illustrator and am trying to trace one of my scanned sketches on Illustrator CC. I have been watching tutorials on Youtube.com and have followed every step, but when it comes to using the pen tool, I receive a pop up message reading, "Please use the add anchor point tool on a segment of a path." I researched Adobe forums and came across another discussion with someone who had the same problem. After making the changes that people suggested to the other person's discussion, the problem still occurred with me. I am still getting the same message even after making sure I have deselected Snap to grid, etc. Can anyone please help me out!?

It sounds to me like you're using the Add Anchor Point tool instead of the Pen tool. If you are trying to trace a scanned sketch, you'll be creating content from scratch in which case you want to use the Pen tool. The Add Anchor Point tool can only modify an existing path, it can't create one. Switch to your Pen tool and see if that helps.

Illustrator cc 2014 adds anchor points to guides

What is happening with illustrator CC 2014!!! I have placed a guide to know where to add a anchor point cliked on the add anchor point tool but when i select the object i want to add the anchor point to it adds an anchor point to the guide!!!! so i locked the guide thinking that this would solve the problem it then gives me a warning sign saying please use on a segment of the path it still thinks the guide is a path!!!

wozza,
Are you sure you are selecting the path, not the guid?
It may be time to look at the list.
The following is a general list of things you may try when the issue is not in a specific file (you may have tried/done some of them already); 1) and 2) are the easy ones for temporary strangenesses, and 3) and 4) are specifically aimed at possibly corrupt preferences); 5) is a list in itself, and 6) is the last resort.
1) Close down Illy and open again;
2) Restart the computer (you may do that up to 3 times);
3) Close down Illy and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (easy but irreversible);
4) Move the folder (follow the link with that name) with Illy closed (more tedious but also more thorough and reversible);
5) Look through and try out the relevant among the Other options (follow the link with that name, Item 7) is a list of usual suspects among other applications that may disturb and confuse Illy, Item 15) applies to CC, CS6, and maybe CS5);
Even more seriously, you may:
6) Uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool (if you have CS3/CS4/CS5/CS6/CC), and reinstall.
http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html

How do I fix my Pen Tool/Delete Anchor Point Tool in Illustrator?

Problem One - I'm trying to change the form of my shape, and all of a sudden my Delete Anchor Point Tool isn't working. I'm clicking (and zoomed in A LOT) and it's not clicking on or deleting any of my anchor points.
Problem Two - I'm not sure if it's just the slow speed of my work computer, but I'm trying to trace a shape in a photo that I have locked in the background, and when I click my pen tool it makes the point like 2 to 5 pixels away from where I'm clicking, so I can't precisely trace the shape that I would like to.
Any tips and help on this ASAP would be great! Getting stuck like this is throwing off my productivity and it's very frustrating!
Thank you!

The problem was Google Chrome browser! As soon as I quit Chrome my pen tool started working again. I didn't even need to restart Fireworks. I wonder if it is a conflict with one of my plugins/add ons. Most likely.
UPDATE - I did narrow it down to one specific Google Chrome extension. It was "Google Play Music"

Flash Auto-Adds Anchor Points

Hey, Forum;
I'm trying to set up a basic shape tween of a sheet of paper
moving through the air. I start with a rectangular shape that has a
single curve point on each corner (curved so I can show the arcing
& bending of the sheet). After setting a new keyframe and
moving the sheet to the next position, I find that Flash has added
several acnchor points between the corners of the sheet, requiring
me to go in and delete them. What I'm asking is how to disable this
'Auto Add Anchor Points' feature.
Thanks for any and all help.
Cayce

wozza,
Are you sure you are selecting the path, not the guid?
It may be time to look at the list.
The following is a general list of things you may try when the issue is not in a specific file (you may have tried/done some of them already); 1) and 2) are the easy ones for temporary strangenesses, and 3) and 4) are specifically aimed at possibly corrupt preferences); 5) is a list in itself, and 6) is the last resort.
1) Close down Illy and open again;
2) Restart the computer (you may do that up to 3 times);
3) Close down Illy and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (easy but irreversible);
4) Move the folder (follow the link with that name) with Illy closed (more tedious but also more thorough and reversible);
5) Look through and try out the relevant among the Other options (follow the link with that name, Item 7) is a list of usual suspects among other applications that may disturb and confuse Illy, Item 15) applies to CC, CS6, and maybe CS5);
Even more seriously, you may:
6) Uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool (if you have CS3/CS4/CS5/CS6/CC), and reinstall.
http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html

Add Anchor Points by Distance?

I often need to add anchor points to a shape when I bring it into Cinema 4D to extrude and warp.
The Object>Path>Add Anchor Points just adds an additional anchor between existing anchor points, effectively doubling the density every time its run.
This isn't great for shapes with very long segments and very short segments. The short segments don't need subdividing, but the long segments need more subdivisions.
Is there a script or plug-in that can add anchor points based on distance? Such as: Add an extra anchor point to a path every 10 mm?

Navarro,
You may do it in this roundabout way:
1) Select the object and Select>Object>Direction Handles;
2) Ctrl/Cmd+X to Cut;
3) Press Delete;
4) Ctrl/Cmd+F to Paste in Front;
Now you have changed the path segments into separate paths;
5) For each (path segment) path apply Object>Path>Add Anchor Points as needed or maybe (depending on version) use the more versatile free Divide script, see below;
6) Select the paths and Ctrl/Cmd+J to join them (use Direct Selection in older versions).
With the rectangle shown, it would be changed into two long horizontal paths and two short vertical ones; you can select each pair and add Anchor Points, or maybe just leave the vertical ones as they are.
You may download the Divide script here:
http://park12.wakwak.com/~shp/lc/et/en_aics_script.html

Convert Anchor Point Tool Won't Remove Handles

I have handles on a point in Illustrator CC 2014. I am trying to click on the point with the "convert anchor tool" to remove the handles, but it is not working. I can manipulate the handles with the tool and move the points, but it will not delete the handles like normal.

Brad,
There may be something you are unaware of (Anchor Point(s) on top of Anchor Point(s) or something).
If you deselect (click an empty spot or another object), then click the Anchor Point with the Direct Selection Tool, does the Anchor Point show normally with two Handles?
If it does, can you ClickDrag each Handle into the Anchor Point and convert it that way?

Help! I can't delete anchor points with the Delete Anchor Point Tool

I have a shape in illustrator CS6 that I'm trying to edit. When I try to click on a point with the Delete Anchor Point Tool nothing happens however I am able to select the point using the Direct Selection Tool and then remove it using the "Remove selected anchor points" option in the Control palette. Same issue with trying to use the Convert Anchor Point Tool.
Any ideas what's going wrong here?

Another thought. If there are multiple nodes in that one spot, you may have to use the remove anchor point repeatedly to get rid of them all. It looks like you deleted the point and nothing happens, but really you are just seeing another node that was very close to the one you just deleted.
If you select drag over them with the white arrow tool and choose remove anchor points it will remove them all at once.

New feature: pressing alt while using the anchor point tool

Hello,
New feature doesn't work at my side ==> pressing alt while using the anchor point tool would allow to pair the handles again while dragging a handle. But if i press alt or if i do not press it, it does not change the working of my anchor point tool or handles. When i press alt i see the little sign apearing next to my cursor and that's all. Someone an idea what could be the problem?
Thank you for your help.
Tommy

thank you!!!!! I clicked and dragged before..didn't understood apparently the function of the new feature for 100% ;-)

Anchor point tool doesn't work properly

When I use the anchor point tool and want to adjust a path line, Adobe Flash often doesn't react until the 2nd or 3nt try. Does anyone know a solution for this? I use Adobe Flash CS6.
Thanks for help

This bug made its way into flash CC as well. Not exacly sure how to reproduce it, but the anchor point/point relocation preview doesnt work on shapes/lines when you try to pull or move them.
The buged lines were created at 0.1 thickness and didnt work outright. A line created with 1.0 thickness worked as expected.
My guess its in thickness + hiearchy (groups/objects) related?
Here is a screencast of the bug: https://www.monosnap.com/file/SDxHRkqOAXE7QjOSetAsMyPhdbub1F/# I managed to create buggy and normal lines on one hiearchy level.

Anchor Points and Intersect Guide Lines Disappeared

Hi! I must have hit some type of command on my keyboard but now my anchor points and intersect guides have disappeared that would normally appear when I roll my mouse over the anchor point or the intersecting paths. I have hit Ctrl + H as well as went to the menu manually and my edges are showing. How do I turn back on this ability to see my anchor points and intersecting lines guide in Illustrator?
Thanks in advance!!
Edit: I run on Adobe Illustrator CS5

Is View > Smart Guides turned on? If not, enable it.
If Smart Guides are already turned on, check if Align to Grid is enabled in the View menu and turn it off.

Anchor points move and entire shape gets distorted from changing stroke thickness

I have a fairly simple drawing that I drew at a larger size so I could be precise with it, and now I want to reduce it down to the finished size, and thicken the stroke, but when I make the stroke thicker, my anchor points move and the entire drawing gets distorted.
In 24 years of using Adobe Illustrator, I've never seen this happen. When I click on the "up" arrow on the Stroke palette a bunch of times to incrementally increase the stroke thickness, I can watch the anchor points "walk" around as my shape gets distorted.
If I instead enter a numerical value for the stroke thickness, this doesn't happen.
However, if I use the Scale tool to shrink the drawing down to 10% or 20% size or whatever, with Scale Strokes and Effects UNCHECKED, again, the anchor points move and the drawing is distorted.
This is all on a brand new installation of Illustrator CS 6 for Mac (though I've been using CS 6 for about 2 years now, my hardrive crashed this past weekend and I had to reinstall everything).
Did I miss a little checkbox somewhere that I've never seen before that's making this happen?
Editing this post to add:
Also, some of the objects in my drawing will not allow me to change the stroke to less than 1 point thickness. If I choose .5 or .25 pt from the pop-up menu, or even if I enter the numerical value, it jumps back to 1 point. Other objects in the drawing do not.
These objects in question are "rounded rectangle" shapes that I've used the scissor tool on to cut and then used the "join" command to put them together with parts of other shapes that were "scissored' as well.
All of the "Ellipse" and "Rounded Rectangle" shapes that I left intact do not exhibit this problem with stroke and distortion.

You are being bitten by the Align-to-Pixel-Grid. Select everything and go to the Transform panel and turn off Align-to-Pixel-Grid at the bottom of the panel; then go to the panel flyout (small triangle, upper right) and turn off Align Objects to Pixel Grid.

Can't manipulate single anchor point - only move entire path

Neither using the direct selection tool nor holding command (I'm on OS X) while using the pen tool will allow me to move individual achor points, I am only able to move the entire path.
I can add and delete anchor points, but I am only able to control the handles on newly formed anchors, holding the space bar does not allow me to move new points either.
Is there a setting somehwere that I'm missing that will allow direct selection to work properly?
Thanks

Problem Solved.
Turned on Smart Guides (cmd-U) and that seems to have taken care of it.

Convert anchor point tool problem

I'm new to illustrator.. when I want to move tangents independently it only works with the first one I grab, the other one disappears, and reappears while I hold the first one.. bug?

1) Both handles reappear and I can move them as I should be able to with the convert tool
2) that also works fine with the direct select tool,I don't even have to convert so that kinda solves my problem
3) when point is converted I can drag handles with the direct select tool
Thx!

Add Anchor Point tool makes entire selection disappear

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