Closing path now loses bezier handle

Using Photoshop CC 14.1.2 I notice that I no longer see the vector control handle when I close a path. I hope this is a bug, and not an intended UI change. Visualizing the control wing is an important feature for accuracy etc. Please restore.
While on the subject of lost functionality, in earlier PS versions when a fill layer was created, the alpha mask was active by default. This allowed for immediate alteration of the mask. Now the default is to have the fill active, which makes less sense as the fill is mostly intended to not be edited directly. Sounds like a quible, but in a fast production setting, this adds an unnecessary step, which did not exist in an earlier iteration.
Also, many generations ago, (in a distant century) there was a "turn off path" button -which could be given a keyboard shortcut via actions. Could never understand why this disappeared. Now, turning off a pth requires that the pen tool be selected & hit ESC or to click into a blank area in the path pallette -which may not exist when many paths have been created. I see there is now a keyboard shortcut for this, but it is buried in the key commands list. So much easier to have that little button (and custom key option) Again, is a busy prodcution workflow, this is a speedbump.
Thanks (from a V1 beta tester)

Use the Ctrl/Cmd key to spring load the Selection tool after closing the path, and there are the handles. Or Ctrl/Cmd click the first point to see its handles before closing. I'm not trying to be funny, but it is what it is, and for the time being at least, we have to get on with stuff. I nearly always find changes to be an improvement after that initial frustration of having to change how I work. Heck, I had a right strop when the Crop tool changed with CS6, but I'd hate to go back to the old way now.

Similar Messages

Lost bezier handle on closing path with pen tool

Can any of you please instruct me how to avoid losing the first point’s backwards bezier handle when closing a path with the Pen Tool?
This is a longtime annoyance for me, but I cannot rule out that I simply have failed to find the proper way of turning off this behaviour.

I just did!
See my last post with the picture. I rotated not just the anchor point but the straight line that it was coupled to.
Steve.
Steve, you can rotate anchorPoints and adjacent straight segments all day long, and you will still not be replicating the behavior and intent of FreeHand's Connector Points.
We're not talking about rotating straight segments here. (I would hope that everyone knows you can do that.)
Forget rotating things. Draw a path with a curved segment and an adjacent diagonal straight segment. The straight segment has no extended handles; only the curved segment does. Now adjust the length of the handle of the anchorPoint that joins to the straight segment in such a way that you cannot break tangency of the curve with the straight segment. In other words, the handle is always constrained to the angle of the adjacent straight segment.
Don't bother coming back with the workaround of scaling the handle. That still does not ensure tangency.
Example: This is Fontographer (FreeHand's progenitor). The highlighted point at the bottom of the motorycycle's skid plate is a Corner Point. The segment to the left of it needs to be curved, while maintaining perfect tangency with the straight segment to the right of it. In the inset, the Corner Point has been converted to a Tangent Point, and its handle is being dragged out (all with one selection tool, I might add.) The handle cannot be dragged out at any angle other than that which is tangent to the right segment.
That's just an example of converting a pre-existing Corner Point to a Connector Point. But now consider ensuring tangency fluidly as you draw with the Pen. In Illustrator, click to place a CornerPoint. Click or clickDrag to place a second anchorPoint oriented at any angle from the first point such that you are guaranteed that the first segment is straight, and that the next segment will be curved and tangent to the first segment. Can you do that in Illustrator?
While we're at it, note that in FOG, as in FH, you always know what kind of point you are dealing with. Corner Points are displayed as squares, Curve Points as circles, and Connector Points (Tangent Points in FOG) as triangles (regardless of whether their handles are extended or retracted).
JET

A way to "re-connect" bezier handles and other path editing techniques

I've searched and rummaged through tutorials for days but I haven't found a way to do a few things that I've come to think of as essential when it comes to path manipulation.
I'm using Illustrator CS4 (on Windows XP SP3) and I'm coming from a background of Inkscape. Within Inkscape, there are several handy tools that are missing from Illustrator that I haven't found workarounds for. Here's a list of these tools and a brief description for each of how they work within Inkscape:
]- "Shift + C" with anchor point selected: this will make the bezier handles of the point move independently of each other.
]- "Shift + S" with anchor point selected:
b this will "connect" the bezier handles
so that moving one side moves the other side relatively (and opposite to each other so that the bezier handles form a straight line).
(note: in Inkscape there is no way to make the bezier handles relative and not form a straight line, which is something I know would be useful)
]- "Shift + Y" with anchor point selected: this will make the bezier handles collinear (like shift + S) plus make the lengths of both handles the same.
(note: another possible feature would be to make the handle lengths relative, but not the same)
]- "Shift + Click + Drag" on a selected anchor point with the path selection tool: this creates one bezier handle in the direction you drag. This is very useful if you don't want to change the curve of the other side.
With these functions (preferably including the suggestions I've noted), path editing in Illustrator would be much easier.
On the topic of Inkscape's path editing abilities, there is also a way within the program to delete anchor points in two ways:
]The default way is to press "Del," which deletes the anchor points and makes the anchor points around the deleted points attempt to fill the area as close as possible to how it was with points.
]The second way is to press "Ctrl + Del," which deletes the points and does nothing to the surrounding points.
Inkscape's default deletion method is a huge time saver when you simply have a surplus of anchor points; you can the excess and the shape maintains itself (often the result is for the shape to smooth itself out).
I hope that these suggestions are described well enough to be understood. I also hope that, in understanding these potential techniques, you can see their potential usefulness within Illustrator.

Lee,
All those functions are present in Illustrator. I personally think their interface stinks in some ways, but they are there.
> "Shift + C" with anchor point selected: this will make the bezier handles of the point move independently of each other.
Convert AnchorPoint Tool. Press Alt to invoke it when the Pen tool is active. Otherwise, switch to it with Shift C. Use it to drag a smoothPoint's handle, and it will convert the point to a cornerPoint, letting you move the handle you click independently.
> "Shift + S" with anchor point selected: this will "connect" the bezier handles so that moving one side moves the other side relatively (and opposite to each other so that the bezier handles form a straight line).
Again, the Convert tool. Mousedown on an anchorPoint and drag. The point will become a smoothPoint and both handles will extend symmetrically.
There are also buttons to convert selected points between smooth and corner in the Control Panel when anchorPoints are selected.
> (note: in Inkscape there is no way to make the bezier handles relative and not form a straight line, which is something I know would be useful)
In my musings about Bezier drawing interfaces, I've often imagined a metaphor of "joints" rather than points. (That's really what they are: two adjacent Bezier curves with coincident endpoints.) Joints can be "hinged" or "locked"; "bent" or "straight". They can also be "dislocated". Joints can be locked bent or locked straight, and can be moved either way.
> "Shift + Y" with anchor point selected: this will make the bezier handles collinear (like shift + S) plus make the lengths of both handles the same. (note: another possible feature would be to make the handle lengths relative, but not the same)
See second item, above.
> With these functions (preferably including the suggestions I've noted), path editing in Illustrator would be much easier.
They are there; thier interface is just different.
> On the topic of Inkscape's path editing abilities, there is also a way within the program to delete anchor points in two ways:
> The default way is to press "Del," which deletes the anchor points and makes the anchor points around the deleted points attempt to fill the area as close as possible to how it was with points.
Not present in AI. (Not associated with a direct point manipulation tool, anyway. Commands like Simplify try to remove points while retaining the shape.)
> The second way is to press "Ctrl + Del," which deletes the points and does nothing to the surrounding points.
The Delete AnchorPoint Tool. Invoke it by pressing the minus key. Similarly, there is an Add AnchorPoint Tool, invoked by pressing the plus key. By default, the Pen Tool does that automatically to selected paths, but you can turn it off in prefs (unlike the infuriating auto join behavior, which affects UNSELECTED paths.)
> Inkscape's default deletion method is a huge time saver...I hope that...you can see their potential usefulness within Illustrator
Just about every user of programs like Illustrator, FreeHand, Draw, Canvas know very well the advantages of keyboard modifiers for such things, and all such programs provide them. (Although I do consider AI's treatment considerably more tedious than FreeHand's.)
You need to spend some time looking at the keyboard shortcuts described in the Help files, and carefully practicing them. You need to know how to invoke them while in the process of drawing paths with the Pen.
JET

Blends: Difference between open and closed paths modifying spine

Okay, just had a discovery today about the blend tool.
The difference between closed paths and open paths is critical when you want to modify a blend spine, such as make it curve. Between open paths, there is no spine shown when a blend is created. Ever notice this? Between closed paths, there is a spine, which can be modified, such as making it curved. Now, the trick is how to modify a spine with open paths when there is no spine shown. Found out today that starting with a closed path, segments can be deleted to make the path open, then the spine can be modified and the open path state maintained!
This is a huge bug in Illustrator and makes no sense to me. Wanting Adobe to fix this in the next major release. Hope this helps anyone struggling with this issue.

One thing you should be aware of concerning open ended splines:
It makes an enormous difference as to how the blend behaves whether the endpoints have handles or not.
Give them handles and you will find that you can alter the distribution of the blend objects just by adjusting the handles or by dragging on the spline itself.
Give it a try.

Rejoin path without removing anchor handle?

Im wondering if it is possible to rejoin an open path without removing the bezier handle of the open point.
I find that I quick switch to the direct selection tool to rotate my previously placed anchor or some other quick edit, and then when I want to carry on with the path I click the last point, which has the adverse effect for me of turning the open point into a mixed curve/corner and I have to redrawn the open anchor handle. Photoshop doesn't behave like this when clicking on open anchors, you have to alt click to achieve such behaviour.
Is there something I'm missing to stop this happening?
Thanks

Dan,
Assume you're drawing a path with the pen, point-by-point, clicking to place corner points; clickDragging to place smooth points. You've just placed a smoothPoint, so both its handles are extended. Now you want to access the white pointer to make an adjustment to that most-recently placed anchor before continuing with the Pen.
Don't make a "hard switch" to the white pointer (by selecting the tool in the Toolbox or by tapping A). Instead, momentarily invoke it by pressing and holding the Ctrl key. Make the desired adjustment. Release the Ctrl key and the Pen comes back. Simply click or clickDrag where you want the next anchor; you do not have to click the last-placed anchor to resume drawing the path. Doing so, the outboard handle of the last-placed anchor will not be retracted.
If pressing Ctrl momentarily invokes the black pointer instead of the white pointer, that's because the black pointer is the one you most recently used before selecting the Pen. (That nonsense is part and parcel of AI's endlessly tedious two-selection-tool interface, to which AI still clings, despite its having been prooved both unnecessary and undesirable about three decades ago by FreeHand's far better selection interface.)
Pressing the Alt key similarly momentarily invokes the Convert tool to make adjustments, and releasing the Alt key lets you resume with the Pen (desipte AI's display of selected anchors failing to reflect that).
JET

Selecting bezier handles and moving by increments

Does anyone know if there is a way of selecting an individual bezier handle and moving it by increments using the arrow buttons on the keyboard, (in a similar way to moving an individual point)? At the moment, I have two handles on different adjacent points selected, and am able to move them incrementally using the direct selection tool and the arrow keys, but I don't know how they originally came to be selected (I discovered that they were accidentally), or how to transfer the selection to another handle. I'm using CS6. Thanks.

You can nudge handles, but (par for the course in Illustrator) in a completely unintuitive and usually usless way. To see:
1. Ellipse tool: draw an ellipse.
2. Select>Object>Direction Handles.
3. Nudge with the arrow keys.
Now start over, but after drawing the ellipse, rotate it 45 degrees.
Then start over, but after drawing the ellipse:
1. White pointer: Select the bottom anchor.
2. Click the Convert to Corner Point button in the Control Panel. (That anchor's handles are retracted.)
3. Select>Object>Direction Handles.
4. Nudge with the right arrow key. Watch how the handles of the cornerPoint move.
Now try this:
1. Instead of an ellipse, draw any irregular path containing both Smooth and Corner points. Make sure some of the Corner points have extended handles.
2. Instead of using Select>Object>Direction Handles, use the white pointer to click on a segment (not on an anchorpoint).
3. Nudge with the arrow keys.
In Illustrator's unintuitive and uselessly illogical selection interface, "selecting a segment" is really selecting its associated handles. Sort of.
You can occasionally use this nonsense for special-effects and distortions, but as you can see, it's not at all the behavior you're really looking for.
JET

Is it possible to join an open path with a closed path?

I am using Illustrator to show territorial changes to Germany after World War I.
My problem is this: I need to join an open path to a closed path.
With the pencil tool I drew a blue line to illustrate the Rhine river on an SVG map of Weimar Germany.
I need to connect the river (open path) to Germany's borders (closed path) so that a new closed path is formed: the Rhineland (Weimar Germany west
of the Rhine).
I am totally stumped as to how to achieve this. Thank you very much for any help anyone can provide.
- Nicholas

Two ways you can make it a Live Paint Group then you actually d not hvve to join it in order to get it to react like a closed path.
The other way is to the select the portion of the closed path with either the direct select tool or lasso tool and hit Command C the hit Comand F paste in front and in the same position. then select the end points on one end of both path and hit Command J then do the same for the other ends of the path and now you have a new closed path and the old closed path under it still intact.
I think the live paint group though will open up a much more powerful workflow for you if you do this type of work often.

When creating keyframes on timeline, why does it sometimes add bezier handles and sometimes not?

OK, so one of the key steps in my workflow is to do a pass of manual audio 'normalization'. Yeah, I keep getting the feeling that there might be automated tools that could do a better job, but I'm also listening for content.
But what is driving me a little crazy right now is that sometimes, the ctrl-click adds a normal keyframe and other times, it adds a control handle for a bezier curve. This is especially frequent when doing speed ramps, but it's just so inconsistent that it drives me nuts.
I am working on one timeline and halfway through the sequence, it comes to a clip where it ALWAYS adds bezier curves. And when I try to drag the keyframe down, it grabs the bezier handle instead, creating this bizarre S curve.
I just don't know what I'm doing differently in that segment compared to other places. Hundreds, if not thousands of edits like this and I haven't come across a problem like this.
Undo, and do it again causes the same thing.
But one segment over, creating keyframes doesn't create any bezier handles.
Production Premium CS6

This is helpful as it explains why suddenly there are a few in a row that are bezier.
But it doesn't explain what it is that I did to make them bezier in the first place. It just seems random. I'm just control-clicking on the timeline.
When I get back in the office, I'll check on this a bit more carefully.

Combining closed paths in Illustrator CS3

Dunno how simple this one is, but I have two closed paths of the same colour that overlap to appear as one object when printed. I'm trying to combine these two paths into one object so that if I apply a stroke weight to it, it outlines the whole object, instead of individually. Is there a simple way of doing this or do I have to add points manually?
Keep in mind I'm not asking about a compound path.

You use the pathfinder selecting both objects and clicking on the first icon at the top left if you wish you can keep this alive or you can expand it. In either case you can now apply a stroke to the new shape.
Ore you can select both and then click on the live paint bucket and turn it into a live paint group and choose the option to paint both fills and strokes. and paint away.

Bezier handles in CS4 for motion editing

I have watched movies of people using the motion editor, I have read books, I have even consulted the cursory help that Adobe offers. Nothing I do generates Bezier handles that i can see, although the motion lines show evidence of bezier-liek modification. What happens seems largely random.
Just as random is the scatter of keyframes. Put a symbol on the stage. Add a motion tween, Move it to a new location: fine, it works. Bend the path, and look in motion editor: suddeenly, dozens fo keyframes. Prod them with the mouse and they distrot, but with no obvios controls. Shift moves them, Cntl deletes them, Alt does god knows what, but evokes the path edit tool from Photoshop.
The documentation on this package is extremely poor. However, self-teaching is impossible as the system is not at all intuitive. If you don't know that you are supposed to toss salt over your left shoulder whilst pushing Alt-Scroll Lock, you don't see what tehbooks describe. But they always leave out that little detail. Adobe's videos are of the same style - too smallto seeproperly, all done at a tremendous pace by a laconic individual with the teaching capabilities of a firing squad.
So: please, ayone, how doo you get the Bezier handles to appear? Where does one find a decent set of documentation? Why does Flash help keep referring to Illustrator?

Thank you for that.
I discovered that bezier handles are not available for X, Y, Z manipulations in the motion editor (! agast !) but only for things whewre you do not need them, like tint and alpha. Bizarre.
A useful tip for the motion editor is to use the otherwise useless feature of multiple customised interfaces. If you make one called "motion" - or something - and close everything except the motion editor - which you maximise to take the enotre screen - you can then jump to the editor at full scheme. Why the dear,dear Adobe people chose to make this grey on grey is yet another of those mysteries, like the nightmare Microsoft ribbon. Software houses get wedded to the notion of change for its own sake, perhaps: they certainly don't ask the use what they want.
As a further comment on the UI - supposing that Adobe read these things - there is a big problem with the layers in the timelines. The name of the layer is shown in white font (why??) when the layer is selected. Additionally, my usual windows selection colour (light yellow) is superimposed over the whole line. So the name is white on light yellow - unreadable, even if it wasn't in weeny font - and the animation colors are overlayed with a sickly blend of thsi and the underlying blue, etc. A moments thought would say: put an arrow icon (or something) to show which layer is selected, and leave the rest alone.
Flash isa steep cliff to climb, with precious few hand holds. Why Adobe have to make it quite so hard to even see properly is beyondf me.

Can't see the anchor point or bezier handles when editing an effect

Please help! This may be an easy fix, but when editing an effect I can no longer see the anchor point, keyframes, or bezier handles on the timeline image. Specifically, I am keyframing the Brush Position in the Write-on effect, and while I can move the brush position, there is no visual cross-hair on the image nor bezier handles to adjust the curve... every adjustment is therefore a guess as to where the adjustment handle is.
Is there a button that toggles anchor point and keyframe path display? Obviously, not being able to see what you're working on is very frustrating. I tried to click the icon to the left of the Write-on effect bar (4-point square with the selection tool in the upper right), but nothing happens. The write-on effect bar is selected and the Brush Position is in keyframe mode.
Thank you in advance for your help.

I worked with this the other day. Bezier handles and the hot spots are tough to see and the write-on effect is a bit wierd for me. You may have more success placing keyframes at beginning and end of a clip as I had trouble keyframing only part of a clip and still controlling the writing effect. You can then slide the keyframes later to change the duration.
Also, you may want to disable all the other effects while editing this one, as the others keep getting selected instead for me and I end up e.g. moving the image instead of the brush.

Creating closed paths after using Live Trace.

Hi, I am rather new in this, so forgive me if my question doesn't make any sense at all;
When I trace raster images, Adobe Illustrator (CS3) gives me lots of anchor points along the outlines of the image. That's great for use with Live Paint & Live Color.
Is there also a way to automaticly create closed paths/objects from this?
Some kind of tool that seperates one color from another by closing those same paths.
Basicly in a way where I can select one of the many colors within my traced picture, such as the green of a leaf, and have an actual closed path going around that same leaf. ..And then the sky would be a seperated object, and the pink flowers, and the yellow inside the flowers, and so on.
Thanks, Linda

If I understand your question correctly, you could probably accomplish it this way:
1. Ungroup the trace.
2. Select the "leaf" shape. If it consists of many shades of green, you'll have to use the Direct Selection tool, or perhaps the Lasso, or the Group Selection tool.
3. Copy. This will stay in your clipboard, so don't copy anything else until
4. Pathfinder>Add on the selected leaf shapes. Hold down Option to expand while adding.
5. Now you have a solid shape that you can add a stroke to. If you make the stoke wide, or align it to the outside, it'll show around the leaf
6. Paste in Front (Cmd-F). This will paste the original leaf shapes you copied, right on top of the solid shape you just made.

Varying the stroke colour used in a section of a closed path.

Hi
I'm using Illustrator CS6.
I'm working with closed paths on an illustrated character. I have a leg overlapping a body for example. The leg is essentially a 4 sided shape but I only want a stroke on 3 sides. On the 4th side I don't want a stroke on it so that the leg blends with the body. I first thought about using the shape builder tool to merge the 2 shapes to see what that would look like but they won't merge for some reason. Can't see why from the help.
Then I tried to use the width tool to drop the stroke on the 4th side down to a 0 width for the side I want ... but that didn't work either.
Can anyone tell me how I can change a closed shape so that a section of the shape has a different stroke colour (i.e. none!) from the rest of the shape? All ideas gratefully received.
Arisaig67

Hi Everyone
Thanks for the tips to date. I'm going to mull some over, some I've already tried. Note to self - it would have been helpful if I had posted a rough example to illustrate from the outset. So here's one now and a summary of where I'm at. This is a crude example showing my scenario. Jacob's right in that I want the leg on top of the body with the strokes showing.
To have a closed curve, I understand that I have to close the top of the leg off (red line here)? (I'm still quite new to illustrator but have used other packages before). I ideally want to keep the leg separate as I find that easier for using draw inside and using the feathering effect for creating shade and light. However I don't want the top line to actually appear. Since I don't know how to close but not have the top line, I have in earlier examples been clipping and joining the curves where it connects with the body as per earlier suggestions. In this case, with the "jutting out" part of the leg above the body line now essentially a line, rather than a shape. However that's disadvantageous for light and shade as I can't then use the draw inside so accurately for shading on the leg if it becomes one with the body (draw inside compensates a little for my hamfistedness with the tablet!).
I may be banging up against a limitation in illustrator but rather than flounder in my ignorance, I decided it was better to find out once and for all from the collective genius and experience of the illustrator community! My developing sketching skills may alse be limiting the avenues I am trying to explore, so thanks to date for the differetn suggestions that have already expanded my perspective!
When I get home tonight I'll try the suggestions I haven't tried yet and report back.
As for shape builder - I don't know why it's not working. I'm following the same steps as when it does work for me! draw inside is the same - some times it works, sometimes it doesn't and I haven't differentiated why yet. I know draw inside needs just one shape selected but sometimes even that doesn't work. I need to interrogate my stuff more closely. it's a crazy, parrellel learning point ride with illustrator but loving every minute of it!
thanks again!

Bezier handles In Illustrator CC do NOT dislplay

I cannot edit bezier curves - if I select a point the bezier handle appears, but as soon as I try to grab it it disappears.
Works fine in CS6 - I tried matching preferences - seem to be okay BUT I CANNOT USE BEZIER CURVES in Creativ CLOD

Eric,
Have you updated/upgraded to CC2014?
If you have, you may start on the following 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

Re: Closed Path with Text

I hope this is a simple enough question and someone can help me out!
I created a closed path with the pen tool. Then I filled it with text using the 'Text Area Type Tool'. Now I would like to use the closed path as a Shape (in order to fill with color) and I'm not able to reverse it from a Text Shape.
Is there a way to copy the Text Shape and convert it back to a regular path Shape?
Thanks so much for your help! I have a bunch of these Text paths that I would like to fill with color.
~Owen

With the Group Selection Tool (the white arrow with the + sign next to it), drag over a portion of the path enclosing the area text, or click on the path, to select the path without selecting the text itself. You may then copy and paste (or paste behind, etc.) and then fill or stroke the path.
Peter

Closing path now loses bezier handle

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