Edit Anchor Points with the Direct Selection Tool

You can edit objects by selecting and moving anchor points with the Direct Selection tool. If the anchor selected with the Direct Selection tool is associated with a curved line, that smooth anchor will have control handles that allow you to manipulate the curve of the line.

Editing smooth anchors can be quite complex. In later chapters of this book, you ll be introduced to various ways of tweaking anchor points. But the short story is that by clicking and dragging anchor points, you can change the angle of the curve, and by lengthening or shortening the handle, you can alter the size of the curve.

As mentioned earlier, clicking on the Direct Selection tool on a path between smooth anchor points, handles appear connected to each anchor. Clicking and dragging on these handles changes the angle of the curve, as shown in Figure 4-9.

Figure 4-9: Dragging on an anchor point with the Direct Selection tool to alter a path