Path Selection and Direct Selection in Paint by Zaweba

Drawing a path is only half the job. The other half is adjusting it: moving a shape into place, lining up a row of icons, nudging an anchor so a curve fits, or breaking a handle to make a sharp turn. Paint by Zaweba splits that work between two tools, Path Selection and Direct Selection, and both edit paths, shape layers and vector masks in place.

Path Selection

Path Selection picks whole components. A component is one closed shape or open line within a path; a path or shape layer can hold several. Click a component to select it, and drag to move it.

Shift+click adds more components to the selection. Alt+drag makes a copy as you drag, the quickest way to duplicate a shape. Dragging a marquee round several components selects them all at once. The arrow keys nudge the selection in small steps for fine positioning.

With more than one component selected, the options bar offers align and distribute. Align lines up their edges or centres; distribute spaces them evenly. That is how you get a neat row of buttons, a column of evenly spaced icons or a shape centred exactly on another.

Direct Selection

Direct Selection works inside a component. Click an anchor point to select it, then drag it, or drag its handles to change the curves on either side. Click a segment and drag to reshape the curve between two points.

Handles normally move together, keeping the curve smooth through the point. Hold Alt while dragging a handle to break them apart, so each side can point in its own direction. That turns a smooth point into a sharp corner with curves leading in and out, which you need for shapes such as a heart or a leaf tip.

Select several points with Shift+click or a marquee and move them together, useful for stretching part of a shape without distorting the rest.

Shapes, paths and masks alike

Both tools work on all three kinds of vector in the app. On a shape layer, they edit the shape itself, and its fill and stroke follow. On a path in the Paths panel, they edit the outline you might later turn into a selection. On a vector mask, they edit the edge of the mask, so you can refine a cut-out made with the Pen long after you drew it.

That last case is worth knowing. If a vector mask cuts slightly into a product, select the mask's path and nudge the offending points out with Direct Selection. The cut-out updates instantly, with a perfectly crisp edge.

A tidy way to work

Use Path Selection for position and arrangement, and Direct Selection for shape. Switching between them quickly becomes second nature.

Zoom in for point editing. At normal size it's easy to grab the wrong point or handle. Close up you can see exactly what you're moving.

Use the arrow keys for small moves. Dragging can be imprecise; nudging gives exact, small steps, especially when lining up shapes by eye.

If a curve keeps looking lumpy, there are probably too many points. Delete a few with the Delete Anchor Point tool from the P group and reshape the rest with handles. Smooth curves come from few points with well-placed handles.

Where they fit

These two tools work alongside the Pen tools for drawing and the Paths panel for storing and converting paths. For shapes, the Properties panel handles the fills, strokes and corner radii, while Path Selection and Direct Selection handle the geometry.

Together they make vector work in Paint by Zaweba as flexible as you need: draw something roughly, then refine it until it is exactly right.