Converting objects and text to paths Some vector objects have specialized properties and unique edit modes instead of the standard path edit mode. For example, you can- not directly edit the path segments of macros, concentric circles, grids, multigons, spirals, and objects modified by the Envelope or Extrude commands. However, you can convert these objects to paths so you can edit them the same as any other vector object. If you create paths from a specialized vector object, the new shape does not have the same unique editing capabilities as the original. For example, if you convert a multigon star object to paths, you can no longer use the edit handles that let you adjust the depth and twirl of the points. Similarly, placed macros are no longer linked to their par- ent macros in the Gallery palette after you convert them to paths. You can also convert text so you can reshape characters as vector objects. This has the benefit of making the characters independent of their fonts; the font is no longer required to view and print the charac- ters properly. However, once you convert text to paths, you can no longer perform text operations, such as editing, spell-checking, and formatting, on the text. Also, characters with “holes” in them (such as a, b, d, e, g, o, p, r, and q) are converted to composite paths, which cannot be extruded. Constrain tangent line to 45-degree increments Shift-drag tangent line handle Move tangent line segment independently (change anchor point from smooth to cusp) Tab-drag tangent line handle Align tangent line segments (change corner point with two tangent lines to smooth point) Tab-drag tangent line handle Add tangent line to an anchor point Tab-drag an anchor point Delete an anchor point’s tangent lines Tab-click the anchor point or endpoint Close an open path Click an endpoint with a Path drawing tool Alt-click an endpoint Reshape a segment without changing the tan- gent line angles Press Tab and drag the segment Reshape A segment and adjacent segments Press Command and drag a seg- ment Press Alt and drag a segment To do this Shortcut (Mac) Shortcut (Windows)
Canvas 8 Help: Drawing and editing paths (23 of 28)                                                 Page #441