Paths are edited by moving the locations of anchor points and adjusting the length or angle of Bezier handles.

After a path has been created, there are other tools for editing, chief among them, the Direct Selection Tool.

As you work with the Pen Tool, the cursor changes will give you visual cues as to what you're about to do:.

Click and hold on the line segment, then drag to 'bend' it. You'll see the cursor change to display an arrow and curved line. After a line segment has been created, you can hover over the center of the line and hold down the Alt key.

In recent versions of Illustrator CC, a Reshaping feature was added to the Pen Tool.

Click and hold on the handle, and drag it to a different position. The cursor will change to an open-ended arrow. To create a two-handled connector point, first create a smooth anchor point, then hover over the handle you wish to change the direction of, and hold down the Alt key. Two-handled points have hinged handles that will move independently. Connector points can have one Bezier handle or two.

Connector Points: Connector points are used to connect straight line segments to curved ones, or to connect curved line segments that meet at an angle.

The handles on a smooth anchor point are reciprocal, and always stay in alignment. Two, opposing Bezier handles will extend from the anchor point which are used to control the bend.

Smooth Points: To create line segments that join in smooth, continuous curves, click, hold and drag in the direction you'll want the next line segment to bend.

Holding down Shift will force additional anchor points to be at the same horizontal, vertical, or 45° plane as the previous anchor point. As you continue to click in new locations, additional line segments form.

Move your cursor to a new location, then click and release again, and a straight line segment forms between the two anchor points. To create a corner point, simply click and release the mouse.

Corner Points: Connect straight line segments to straight line segments and do not need Bezier handles.

The shape of the path is controlled with Anchor Points, which define line segments within the path. Bezier curves employ at least three points: two endpoints that are called anchor points which define the span of the line segment, with at least one additional point called a handle to control the bend of the curve.

Named for Pierre Bézier, Bezier curves are mathematical formulas for defining curved lines, and form the basis for nearly all vector drawing programs. How to Work with Bezier Curves in Adobe Illustrator See Adobe Illustrator: Tips and Tricks for similar articles.

Illustrator curve tool