The Pen tool and Subselect tool in Flash are used to create and manipulate paths and shapes. The Pen tool is used to place anchor points that form straight or curved lines when connected. These points can be corner points or curve points with tangent handles. The Subselect tool selects points and allows them to be moved, converted between point types, or deleted. It can also modify curve handles. Both tools can be used to edit shapes drawn with other tools by manipulating their anchor points.

1. Flash
Toolbox
Pen Tool and Subselect Tool
The Pen and Subselect tools made their debut in Flash 5. The Pen tool is used to construct
straight lines and curves in open or closed
shapes by placing anchor points that connect
together. The points can be manipulated with
the Pen and Subselect tools to adjust the type
of point and the angle of curves. You can also
add, delete and reposition points. These tools
can also be used to manipulate shapes drawn
with other tools such as the Oval or Rectangle
tool.
A path is a line segment or series of
connecting line segments. When the start and
end points of a path are joined together, it is
called a closed path. An open path doesn't
join. The interior of a closed path can be filled
with colour while an open path cannot as it is
only a stroke or line.
The Pen tool can be accessed by clicking on it or by using the keyboard shortcut P. It
has no modifiers.
The Subselect tool can be accessed by clicking on it or by using the keyboard
shortcut A. It has no modifiers.
Drawing Straight Lines
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2. To draw shapes composed of straight lines with the Pen tool:
1. Select the Pen tool and click on Stage where the first line is to begin.
2. Click in another spot where you want the first line segment to end. A line will be
shown connecting the two points in the same colour as the layer outline colour.
3. Continue clicking to add additional points/line segments. (above, left)
4. To constrain line segments to multiples of 45-degree angles, hold the Shift key
while placing the end point of a line segment.
5. To complete the path as an open path, double-click the end point with the Pen tool,
Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) elsewhere on Stage, or click the Pen tool in the
Toolbox.
6. To complete the path as a closed path (above, middle), position the Pen tool over
the path's starting point. An open circle will display beside the cursor to indicate that
you're within range to close the path. Click to close it. (above, right)
7. To deselect the path so that it displays in its actual colour(s), click another tool in
the Toolbox.
Drawing Curves
Curved lines are created using a process called Bezier curves, named after its inventor,
mathematician Pierre Bezier. Instead of constructing a curve using multiple points, a
Bezier curve can consist of as few as two points - one point on each end of the curve
segment. One or both points can have tangent handles that are used to modify the
shape of the curve.
Points that create curved lines are different from those that
create straight lines in two ways. Curve points, when selected,
display as hollow circles while corner points that create
straight-line segments display as hollow squares. Each curve
point has tangent handles that dictate the depth and angle of
the curve. The length and position of the tangent handles can
be manipulated using the Subselect tool.
To draw a curved path, select the Pen tool and position the pointer on the Stage
where you want the path to begin. When you hold down the mouse button, the
first point appears and the cursor turns into a white arrowhead, which is actually
the Subselect tool. Click and drag in the direction you want the curve to slope. To
constrain tangent handles to multiples of 45 degrees, hold down the Shift key while
dragging. Release the mouse button.
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3. To complete the first curve segment, click on the Stage to
place an anchor point and drag away from the curved line to
create tangent handles.
Keep adding curve points as desired. You can alternate between
adding curve and corner points when drawing a path. To finish or
close a path with curve points, follow the same procedure given for
straight line paths.
Points
As mentioned above, you can add both corner and curve points
along the same path. Points that are part of a straight-line segment
are always corner points, even if they also connect to a curved
segment. This is illustrated by the outer corner points in the
diagram at the right. Sometimes corner points will "sprout" one
tangent handle on the curve side. This can happen after the shape
has been edited with the Pen tool. Another known issue is that editing may add
unexpected points to the path.
Moving Points
To move an anchor point, drag it with the Subselect tool. Only one
point at a time can be moved this way. Alternately, you can select a
point with the Subselect tool, release the mouse button, and use the
arrows on the keyboard to move the point. This is helpful when you
want to move the point very short distances. Using this method, you
can also use Shift with the Subselect tool to select multiple points and then move them
all at once with the arrow keys. To move in larger distance increments, use the Shift
key along with the arrow keys.
Adding Points
To add a point along a path, hold the pointer over a line
segment. A plus symbol will appear beside the pen icon.
Click on the line to add a point.
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4. Converting Points
To convert a corner point to a curve point, first select the point with the
Subselect tool then hold down the Alt (Option) key, click on the
point and drag out the tangent handles.
To convert a curve point to a corner point, hold the Pen
tool over the point and note that a corner icon is
displayed beside the pointer. Click on the point to convert
it to a corner.
Deleting Points
Points can be deleted by using the Pen tool or, more
directly, by using the Subselect tool. To delete a curve
point using the Pen tool, you must first convert it to a
corner point. Click once to convert it and then click again
to delete it. You'll notice that before the second click, a
minus sign appears by the pointer. If the point is already a corner point, one click with the
Pen tool will delete it. You can use the Subselect tool to select any type of point and then
press the Delete key to delete it.
Modifying Shapes Made With Drawing Tools
Objects drawn with the other drawing tools can be modified using the Pen and Subselect
tools. The example above shows how to transform a rotated square made with the
Rectangle tool into a triangle. Only the Subselect tool is required. This is particularly useful
for making buttons.
1. This is the image we started with.
2. Click on the path of the object with the Subselect tool. The filled black box displayed
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5. by the pointer means the pointer is over a line segment.
3. The square has been selected and its points are displayed.
4. Click on one of the points to select it and then press the Delete key.
5. The point disappears, leaving a triangle.
6. Click on the Stage with the Subselect tool to deselect the path.
Pen Tool States
The Pen Tool pointer can take on seven different appearances, depending on the context
in which it is being used.
Hovering over the Stage away from objects
Over an end point of a path
Over a path segment
Over a corner point
Over a curve point
Over a path when used with the Ctrl (Cmd) key (allows a quick toggle to the
Subselect tool)
Over a point when used with the Ctrl (Cmd) key (allows a quick toggle to the
Subselect tool)
Pen Tool and Subselect Tool Summary
The Pen tool is used to create paths by placing anchor points that are connected by
straight or curved lines. The two types of points that can be placed are corner points and
curve points. Curve points have tangent handles that can be used to manipulate the angle
and depth of a curve. Corner points can either have no tangent handles or, if the point lies
between a curve and a straight line, it can have a handle on the curve side. Points can be
added or deleted and their point types can be changed.
The Subselect tool is used to select paths and points, move points, and adjust tangent
handles to modify curve segments. Objects drawn with other drawing tools can be
selected with the Subselect tool to display its points and then manipulated with the Pen
and Subselect tools.
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6. Pen Tool and Subselect Tool Keyboard Shortcuts:
Pen tool: P
Subselect tool: A
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Flash - TOC - Introduction - Books -
Toolbox - Links - Questions - Quiz -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - [ 8 ] - 9 - A - B - C - D - E -
Flash - TOC - Introduction - Books -
Toolbox - Links - Questions - Quiz -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - [ 8 ] - 9 - A - B - C - D - E -
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