[CS4] Gradient Mesh- uneditable "helper" points

How do I delete the extra points that appear along a path when using the Gradient Mesh tool?
If you create an organic shaped object then convert it to a gradient mesh you get a cross pattern with handles at the mesh points. Adding more paths creates more paths. But sometimes these paths have invisible helper points which cause kinks when you try to edit the line. They try to maintain their original shape when the path is moved via the mesh point handles. Anyone who's worked with gradient meshes knows this. By deleting these extra points, the line becomes smooth and workable. It's absolutely essential for example when an additional line is added with the gradient mesh tool and the line takes a shortcut extending it beyond the parameters of the artwork. By deleting the points, the line can be edited and guided back inside the artwork's edges.
To see these extra points, press the + or - key while the mesh object is selected.
Previous versions of Illustrator allowed these extra points to be deleted. In CS you merely had to click the - key to change the pen tool to the delete pen tool. Clicking the points was identical to removing anchor points. Simple, easy and absolutely necessary.
In CS3 the minus-pen tool stopped working until after many hours of searching on the internet I found that by unchecking the "Snap to Point" in the preferences, made it work again.
I make my living by illustrating. The gradient mesh tool is a huge part of what I do. Without the ability to edit these points the tool is useless.
I hope they are still editable or I'll have to go back to CS3.
Thank you.
BD

StrongBeaver wrote:
Using the remove points pen tool does not work for me on gradient mesh points. The gradient mesh adds vertical or horizontal lines I want to remove either a point or an entire line.
rcraighead - Already tried your suggestion before asking, didn't work.
Use the direct select tool to select the anchor point you wish to delete then hit delete. The mesh will be deselected after you hit delete so you have to reselect it and you will see that the anchor point and mesh line associated with it are gone.
Ray-
The need to deselect the snap to point option in the preferences persists for CS 5 *** well.
this is how the direct select to and the delete key work out.
If you want just one line you have to select the point that intersects with the outer path.

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I ended up watching a video with no sound at YouTube…
What the person did was/sound similar to what you're telling me…
Lock the image layer and create a new layer >used the square tool >added points and move them where needed >while holding down the control key this person clicked on the eyeball of layer 2…
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http://snk.to/f-chcig8s9
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[URL=http://img515.imageshack.us/my.php?image=surefiremusicnote.jpg][IMG]http://img515.ima geshack.us/img515/9348/surefiremusicnote.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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I ended up watching a video with no sound at YouTube…
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Lock the image layer and create a new layer >used the square tool >added points and move them where needed >while holding down the control key this person clicked on the eyeball of layer 2…
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...and aside from what Monika said, consider the limitations of transparency handling in web image formats as well as what impact the differences in handling of transparancies between browsers may have on the web site design.
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[CS4] Gradient Mesh- uneditable "helper" points

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