User Guide

Chapter 4: Drawing And Vector Effects
To place multiple objects in edit mode:
Place two or more objects in edit mode by selecting them with the Direct edit lasso selection tool or
by selecting them with the Selection tool and then choosing Path | Edit Path.
To return from edit mode:
When you finish editing an object, click outside the object with either the Direct edit selection tool
or Direct edit lasso selection tool. You can also double-click outside the object with the Selection
tool. In addition, you can press the Esc key to leave edit mode.
To edit special vector objects:
Some Canvas drawing tools create specialized objects. When you double-click one of these
objects to place it in edit mode, Canvas displays special editing handles or configuration options,
rather than the anchor points and segments of a regular path object.
The tools that create special vector objects are the Concentric Circles, Cube, Polygon, Grid Maker,
Multigon, or Spiral. Also, when you modify objects with the Envelope or Extrude commands, Canvas
creates specialized objects.
If you want to use path-editing techniques to modify these objects, convert them to paths. This
usually produces a group of objects. After you ungroup these objects, you have regular paths that
can be edited using the techniques that follow. You can also convert text characters to paths so that
you can edit the shapes of individual characters (see "Converting objects and text to paths" on page
343).
Editing paths with the context menu
When a path is in edit mode, use the context menu to quickly add, delete, and change anchor points
and tangent lines. To see this menu, right-click with at least one object in path edit mode. The
available options vary depending on the location of the pointer. Each option is described next.
Delete Point: Available when the pointer is on an anchor point and appears as a crosshair.
Removes the anchor point from the path, and connects the adjacent anchor points with a
new segment.
Cusp: Available when the pointer is on a tangent line handle or an anchor point. On anchor
points, this option deletes the point’s tangent lines. On tangent line handles, this option
makes the path either smooth or cornered at the anchor point. To be smooth, the anchor
point must have both sides of a tangent line. When smooth, the halves of the tangent line are
always 180° from each other and rotate around the anchor point like a propeller. When the
anchor point is a corner, the tangent line segments can move independently around the
anchor point, like the hands of a clock.
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