Page 28 - CC2018_ID_Look_Inside

3. Click the second point on the line, press Shift, and drag right until the ruler
shows that the cursor is at 5.625″.

When you click a point with the Convert Direction Point tool and immediately drag,
you add direction handles to the point. Those direction handles define the shape of the
line segments that are connected to the point. As you drag farther away from the point,
the affected segment’s curve increases.
Pressing Shift constrains the new direction handles to 45° angles — in this case, exactly
horizontal. If you look closely, you can see that the direction handle on the left side of
the point is exactly on top of the line.

By default, clicking and dragging creates a smooth, symmetrical point in which equal-
length handles are added to each side of the point directly opposite each other. As long
as a point is symmetrical, changing the angle of one handle also affects the handle on the
other side of the point.

Click the point and drag The connected line bends in the
right to add handles. direction in which you pull the handle.

Note:

If you add points to a
curved line segment, the
new points automatically
adopt the necessary
4. Click the third point, press Shift, and drag right until the ruler shows that direction handles to
the cursor is at 6.5″. maintain the original
As we just explained, the affected curve gets larger as you drag farther away from the curve shapes.
point. Because you’re dragging exactly horizontally, the horizontal segment on the right
is not curving.
Note:
On the left side of the point, however, you can see the effect of converting Point 3 to
a symmetrical point. Dragging to the right side of the point adds direction handles on The lines that connect
both sides of the point; the length and position of the left handle defines the shape of the anchor points based on
curve on the left side of the point — which is the one you want to affect in this step. the angle and length of
the control handles are
called Bézier curves.

Note:
When you drag direction
handles, the blue lines
5. Choose the Pen tool in the Tools panel. (It is now nested under the Convert preview the effects of your
Direction Point tool.) changes.
When you choose a nested tool variation, the nested tool
becomes the default option in that position on the Tools panel. Note:
If you move an anchor
6. Move the cursor over the left endpoint of the line. When you see a diagonal point that has direction
line in the cursor icon, click to connect to the existing endpoint.
handles, the handles don’t
change angle or length.
The related curves change
This icon indicates that
clicking will connect to shape based on the new
the open endpoint. position of the point.

38 Project 1: Letterhead Design