About selecting paths (photoshop)

A path does not have to be all one connected series of segments. It can contain more than one distinct and separate path components. Each shape in a shape layer is a path component, as described by the layer's clipping path.

Separate path components selected

Selecting paths (Photoshop)

---

Selecting a path component or path segment displays all of the anchor points on the selected portion, including any direction lines and direction points if the selected segment is curved. Direction points appear as filled circles, selected anchor points as filled squares, and unselected anchor points as hollow squares.

To select a path:

1. Do one of the following:

·         To select a path component (including a shape in a shape layer), select the Path Selection tool , and click anywhere inside the path component. If a path consists of several path components, only the path component under the pointer is selected.

To display the bounding box along with the selected path, select Show Bounding Box in the options bar.

·         To select a path segment, select the Direct Selection tool , and click one of the segment's anchor points or drag a marquee over part of the segment.

Drag a marquee to select segments.

                        To select additional path components or segments, select the Path Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool, and then hold down Shift while selecting additional paths or segments.

When the Direct Selection tool is selected, you can select the entire path or path component by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac OS) inside the path. To activate the Direct Selection tool when any other tool is selected, position the pointer over an anchor point, and press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS).

To change the overlap mode for the selected path component:

Using the Path Selection tool , drag a marquee to select existing path areas, and then choose a shape area option in the options bar:

·         Add to Shape Area to add the path area to overlapping path areas

·         Subtract from Shape Area to remove the path area from overlapping path areas

·         Intersect Shape Areas to restrict the area to the intersection of the selected path area and overlapping path areas

·         Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas to exclude the overlap area

To show or hide the selected path component:

Do one of the following:

·         Choose View > Show > Target Path.

·         Choose View > Extras. This command also shows or hides a grid, guides, selection edges, annotations, and slices.

Moving, reshaping, and deleting path segments

---

You can move, reshape, or delete individual segments in a path, and you can add or delete anchor points to change the configuration of segments.

Note: You can also apply a transformation, such as scaling, rotating, flipping, or distorting, to a segment or anchor point. See Applying transformations.

To move a straight segment:

1. Select the Direct Selection tool , and select the segment you want to adjust. To adjust the angle or length of the segment, select an anchor point.

2. Drag the selected segment to its new position.

To move a curved segment:

1. Select the Direct Selection tool , and select the points or segments you want to move. Be sure to select both points anchoring the segment.

2. Drag the selected anchor points or segments to new positions. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the movement to multiples of 45°.

Select points anchoring a curve. Then drag to move the curve.

To reshape a curved segment:

1. Select the Direct Selection tool , and select the curved segment you want to adjust. Direction lines appear for that segment.