Illustrator Reshaping Part 3: Bending a Straight Path

By Sheila Pen, Shutterstock Contributor

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Now that we have an understanding of anchor points and the Reshape tool, let's examine how to bend a straight path.

Bending a Straight Path

The Reshape tool is great for stretching complex paths in one move, but most of the time you'll probably want to use it for the simple task of making a straight path segment into a curved one.

All that you have to do is select the path with the Direct Selection tool and then use the Reshape tool to click and drag the path segment, changing it into a curve instantly.

There's no need to go through most of the steps outlined in Part 2 - the Reshape tool automates all these three steps into one, so you get your curve much faster.

Three steps in one

Now that you know the drill, practice stretching some paths with the Reshape tool for just 10 minutes every day. After two weeks, you'll notice remarkable results – if only physical fitness could be so easy!

Also see:

Illustrator Reshaping Part 1: Anchor Point Types
Illustrator Reshaping Part 2: Using the Reshape Tool

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