Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
ALIGNING, JOINING, AND AVERAGING
Align and distribute objects
Even though most Align and Distribute controls also appear in the Control
panel, Distribute Spacing controls are found only in the Align panel. With an
active selection, you can align objects to that selection, or the edges of the
artboard, and you can Align to a Key Object (heavy outlines show you which
object the others align to). To distribute the space between objects, designate
one as the key; in the Align panel, enter an amount in the Distribute Spacing
input box; then click either the Vertical or Horizontal Distribute Space icon.
Align controls in the Align panel (top) and on the Control panel (bottom)
Easier joins
It's now easy to join open endpoints without getting an error dialog, and you
can even join multiple pairs of endpoints together at the same time. To join
you must first either select one pair of points with the Direct Selection tool,
or select one or more open paths with the Selection tool. Next, if a pair of
points are
exactly
on top of each other, you can join them without a dialog by
using -J/Ctrl-J or Object> Path> Join. Use the Control panel to change a
join from corner to smooth, or vice versa. If points are not
exactly
on top of
each other, choosing join will connect them with a line, or you can average
them together first (see below for more on averaging). If you select multiple
open objects and choose Join, one object will join to the next (paths won't
close upon themselves). At any time you can convert points from corner to
smooth, or smooth to corner, by selecting the anchor points with the Direct
Selection tool and clicking the appropriate icon from the Convert section in
the Control panel. Below are some rules about joining and averaging:
•
Endpoints that are precisely on top of one another join
with a corner point unless
you choose “Smooth” in the Join dialog ( -Option-Shift-J/Ctrl-Alt-Shift-J).
•
Joining two or more open endpoints on separate paths that are not precisely on top
of each other
connects the points with a straight segment using corner points.
If your paths have different appearances applied, the path topmost in the
