Editing a closed path

D
Posted By
davsf
Apr 7, 2006
Views
1094
Replies
4
Status
Closed
I used the "NEW" option to create a new image, selected paths and the pen tool, and then created a closed path. After selecting the last point (to conicide with the first point), the path closed automatically for me.

Now I would like to go back and edit many of the points (and slopes = control points), but, I can’t figure out how to get Photoshop to light up my points AND MY control points. I just want to make a few minor adjustments to the exact placement of some of the points, and make precision changes to the slopes defined for some of the points. Also, I need to zoom in on the area around the points I am making the adjustmensts to, without distrubing seeing all my points and slope-ponts lit up.

Can someone walk me through getting photosho to light up my points and slope-points and then let me make individual changes to some of them while zooming in on thsoe points as I go?

thanks, littleberry
Related Tags
close edit path

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.

I
iehsmith
Apr 7, 2006
On 4/6/06 10:12 PM, commented:

I used the "NEW" option to create a new image, selected paths and the pen tool, and then created a closed path. After selecting the last point (to conicide with the first point), the path closed automatically for me.

Now I would like to go back and edit many of the points (and slopes = control points), but, I can’t figure out how to get Photoshop to light up my points AND MY control points. I just want to make a few minor adjustments to the exact placement of some of the points, and make precision changes to the slopes defined for some of the points. Also, I need to zoom in on the area around the points I am making the adjustmensts to, without distrubing seeing all my points and slope-ponts lit up.

Can someone walk me through getting photosho to light up my points and slope-points and then let me make individual changes to some of them while zooming in on thsoe points as I go?

thanks, littleberry

I’m still using ol PS 6.0.1 on Mac OS 9.2.2, but see if you have a white arrow, Direct Selection Tool, in your toolbox. Use it by clicking on the path, then you’ll see your anchor points and when you select an anchor you’ll see the control points.

I believe the shortcut is (a) which you can toggle from the black arrow, Path Component Selection Tool, and back with (Shift+a). Zoom In/Out is (command+/-) on Mac, so maybe (alt+/-), or use the Zoom Tool (z).
E
edjh
Apr 7, 2006
iehsmith wrote:
On 4/6/06 10:12 PM, commented:

I used the "NEW" option to create a new image, selected paths and the pen tool, and then created a closed path. After selecting the last point (to conicide with the first point), the path closed automatically for me.

Now I would like to go back and edit many of the points (and slopes = control points), but, I can’t figure out how to get Photoshop to light up my points AND MY control points. I just want to make a few minor adjustments to the exact placement of some of the points, and make precision changes to the slopes defined for some of the points. Also, I need to zoom in on the area around the points I am making the adjustmensts to, without distrubing seeing all my points and slope-ponts lit up.

Can someone walk me through getting photosho to light up my points and slope-points and then let me make individual changes to some of them while zooming in on thsoe points as I go?

thanks, littleberry

I’m still using ol PS 6.0.1 on Mac OS 9.2.2, but see if you have a white arrow, Direct Selection Tool, in your toolbox. Use it by clicking on the path, then you’ll see your anchor points and when you select an anchor you’ll see the control points.

I believe the shortcut is (a) which you can toggle from the black arrow, Path Component Selection Tool, and back with (Shift+a). Zoom In/Out is (command+/-) on Mac, so maybe (alt+/-), or use the Zoom Tool (z).
Or make a New Window. Window>Arrange>New Window. You can zoom in on one and leave the other unzoomed while you work. Quite a useful feature.

—
Comic book sketches and artwork:
http://www.sover.net/~hannigan/edjh.html
Comics art for sale:
http://www.sover.net/~hannigan/batsale.html
D
davsf
Apr 8, 2006
Thanks, that worked perfectly. I found out that If I just click a point (anchor) while I was creating the path, then NO CONTROL POINTS are available later for editing – is that right? In order to get a control point for a point that I originally created by just clicking (no dragging to create an slope-defining anchor), then the only way to get an anchor point is to go back into the pen tool (after selecting the path), and then click on that point and it disappears – I assume it gets deleted. Then I just click AND DRAG right where it was and then PRESTO I get my anchor points.

It works real good and I can move all my control and anchor points around to get the shape just the way I want it., and then I go ahead and save it as an AI so I don’t lose my work.

Now, before I stroke it, I need to pick a heavier line that I am getting by just picking a black foregournd for the pen tool. Can you help me there? I need to be able to decide for each shape I create, how heavy to make the line I create, but, I don’t see a option to do that. Also, isn’t there a way to select dotted lines, dots and dashes, and dashes (like they report in the GDI tutorials), and get my stroked result to be any of these types of "stroking"?

Thanks for your help. littleberry
D
davsf
Apr 8, 2006
I found a way to get a thicker line (using HELP). There is a small icon right below the FILE EDIT pull-downs that has the little icon for my pen tool – if I click the little down arrow just to its right, I get a grayed out dialogue box with a clicked box at the botton that says "Current Tool Only". If I ucheck that little box, then a whole bunch of entries show up, and the top one is labled "Healing Brush 21 pixels"). If I click it, then this dialogue box goes away, and the leftmost icon has the brush icon, and there is asmall window just to the right that says "Brush" with a small box that has the number 21 and a down arros. If I click that down arrow I get three sliders for "diamter, hardness, and spacing, and then a option to chose an angle and a roundness, with a small picture to the left of the brush shpae.

This is so much in such a small area, and it is somewhat overwhelming for a newbie – BUT, I went ahead and stroked the path with this 21 pixel brush and I got a nice thick line that I can save as a bmp.

Is there an explanation for what they mean by hardness and spacing?

Is there a book to explain all the other tools that could be chosen? (like one that can give me dots and dashses?

Thanks, littleberry

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections