Edit path points and curves
Last updated: September 8, 2026 · 4 min read
Reshape a drawing by moving, adding or removing points and adjusting curve handles.
Follow the steps for the change you need. Selecting the whole object and selecting its individual points are different actions.
Follow these steps
- 1
Enter point editing
PropertiesEdit path
Select the path and choose Edit path in Properties. Points and curve handles become visible.
- 2
Select one or more points
EditorCanvas
Click a point. Shift-click others to add them; Shift-click a selected point again to remove it from the selection. You can also drag a selection box from an empty part of the path editing area.
Start the box away from the line: clicking a segment adds a point. Hold Shift while drawing a box to add to the existing selection.
- 3
Move the selection
EditorCanvas
Drag a selected point. Multiple selected points move together. Arrow keys move them by 1 pixel, or 10 pixels with Shift.
Shift while dragging constrains the movement to 45-degree increments.
- 4
Adjust the handles
EditorCanvas
Drag a handle’s end to change the curve’s direction and length. At a smooth point, the opposite handle stays aligned. Hold Alt or Option to adjust only the handle you are dragging.
Double-click a corner point to create smooth handles. Double-click a smooth point to remove the handles and make a corner.
- 5
Add or remove points
EditorCanvas
Click a segment between two points to add another point. Select points and press Delete or Backspace to remove them.
Removing points can change the outline. The last remaining path retains two points; this is not a command for deleting the entire object.
- 6
Round a corner
PropertiesCorner radius
With point editing active, select one or more points and set Corner radius. The value applies to every selected point. Set it to 0 to remove rounding.
The stroke Join setting controls the appearance of a stroke junction. Corner radius changes the geometry at the selected path points.
- 7
Leave point editing
PropertiesDone
Choose Done in Properties. Enter or Escape also leaves point editing when the canvas has focus.
Escape here does not undo your edits. Use the regular Undo command to reverse a change.
Controls
The controls used in this lesson.
| Control | Where? | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Edit path / Done | Properties | Enters or leaves point editing. |
| Shift-click | Editor | Adds or removes a point from the selection. |
| Click a segment | Editor | Adds a point. |
| Double-click a point | Editor | Switches between corner and smooth. |
| Corner radius | Properties | Rounds selected points. |
Result
The outline is updated. Choose Done to return to object selection and check its placement.
Troubleshooting
- Corner radius is missing
- Enter Edit path and select at least one point.
- Double-click opens image cropping
- Use Properties → Edit path on an image-filled path.
- Delete affects the whole path
- Enter point editing and select the points first. Selecting an object and selecting its points are different actions.