Adobe® Illustrator® CS6 on Demand, Second Edition

6. Working with Points and Paths

What You’ll Do

Draw with the Pen Tools

Set Anchor Point Preferences

Move Points and Segments

Convert Points

Add and Delete Anchor Points

Align and Join Anchor Points

Reshape Paths

Erase to Reshape Paths

Smooth Paths

Simplify Paths

Divide Paths

Split Paths

Merge Paths

Work with Shape Mode

Work with Pathfinder

Create a Compound Path

Create a Clipping Set

Edit a Clipping Set

Introduction

When you use Illustrator’s vector drawing, or pen tools, Illustrator creates a path to store that information. Paths are defined mathematically using anchor points and segments. Once created, they can be precisely modified to fit any design situation.

Working with the various Pen tools, it’s possible to create precise paths, and ...