In PS CS 6 it used to be possible to draw a shape, like a rectangle, and then use the direct selection tool to select and move one corne of the rectangle. However, in PS CC this does not work anymore. When I try to use the direct selection tool, all anchor points remain selected and so I can't move a single point, just all of them at once. What might I be doing wrong? Did something change in the CC version?
It works that way in CS 6, but in the creative cloud version all anchor points remain selected no matter where I click, or whether I change tools or not. I've tried different documents and different shapes, but nothing worked. Selecting single points on an open path works, but not if the path is closed.
You can definitely edit a shape in CC, pretty uch as before, but using the Direct selection tool, and holding down the Ctrl (Cmd) keys. But I don't seem able to drag the Path selection tool around _some_ of the points in a shape, to select just them for deleting or similar.
I didn't find the help file particularly 'helpful' regards CC
You, my friend, have just saved me a lot of time. That is probably the simplest answer that I could have imagined. But it has easily solved the most annoying of problems.
I seem to be able to use the Direct Selection tool to edit points, e.g., on a rectangular shape, to select one only and move it around.
When I select the shape layer then choose the Direct Selection tool (white arrow), the path shows.
When I click on the path all the points show, with "hollow" handles.
When I click on only one point it turns black, then I can move it with another click and drag. In fact, just one click, hold until the point turns black, then drag seems to work.
Of course, you've got to be VERY accurate where you click.
And Trevor, I seem to be able to drag a box around several points, then move them. What am I doing right, accidentally or on purpose? Is there some kind of bug being invoked in certain documents maybe that I'm not seeing in my testing here?
As a follow-up, I just encountered a situation where I had the Direct Selection tool active, then clicked on one of the shapes in a multi-layer shape document. All the points showed up as filled-in black, and I had to drag a box around one point to get it selected alone. Then I could manipulate it separately.
This happened with only one of 5 shapes in the document.
Here's the document if you'd like to try with it... It happens only with the blue checkmark. The other shapes behave as I discribed in my prior post above.
I've gotten one step closer to the problem and there really seems to be something odd: I can only select one point and move it, if I use the Path Selection Tool (black arrowhead) to select the whole shape and then hold CMD (for Direct Selection Tool / white arrowhead) to select a single point and move it. After that, it works like it used to work in CS 6, just click and move points with the white arrowhead.
It also works, if I have other tools active and select the shape, then hold CMD to move one point.
Nothing else worked for me though. Especially, when I switch to the Direct Selection Tool, it doesn't respond without having to do what I described earlier.
OK, I think I was confusing myself. I had it in my mind that dragging the direct selection tool around 'some' of the point would select them, and that they would be the only visible points, and I could delete them. I just tried CS6 and CC, and ALL the points are visible, and you can delete just those points you drag a box around with the Direct Selection tool. My bad.
Same observation Xarbrough! - maybe this is a "new feature" in CC but I found it annoying that there is a difference between editing a shape and path in CC (not in CS6).
I've experienced the same problem, not being able to select an anchor point with direct selection tool. Found out that if the "Extras" are hidden (in another words guides and so on), even though the right layer is selected Photoshop will also hide the anchor point.
Try this:
Select the shape layer
Turn on the extras with Cmd+H (Mac) or Ctrl+H (Win)
Select an anchor point with direct selection tool
If you have a lot of guides in your project file and don't want to display them every time you edit an anchor point you can also use Shift+Cmd+H to only turn on/off "Target Paths".
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