Article Edit Discuss

Use the Convert Direction Point Tool in Adobe InDesign CS6

Edited by Freya, VisiHow, Eng, Visihow Admin

3 Parts:

Steps

Video: Use the Convert Direction Point Tool in Adobe InDesign CS6

Comments

You're watching VisiHow. In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to use "Convert Direction Point Tool" in Adobe InDesign CS6 in Windows 7.

Use the Convert Direction Point Tool on Adobe InDesign CS6.mp4-canvas142 217897.jpg

Steps

1
To begin, you should open Adobe InDesign
.
You can do it either from your desktop or by coming down to the bottom-left corner and clicking the Windows icon once. Clicking it will bring up a list of the recently used programs.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Click "Adobe InDesign CS6" if you see it on the list
.
InDesign has a pink-and-purple icon with the letters "ID" on it.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Alternatively, click the search bar at the bottom of the screen and type "Adobe InDesign"
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Then, click "Adobe InDesign CS6"
.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
From the workspace, click on "File" in the top-left corner
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6
You can move the cursor to "New" and click "Document..."
.
This will create a new document. You can also do this with the shortcut "Ctrl" + "N". Alternatively, you can click "Open..." to open an existing document from the "File" menu as well. For more information, refer to our tutorials on ]how to create a new document and on how to open an existing document.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7
Let's click "OK"
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
8
Click "Pen Tool"
.
It is in the vertical toolbar on the left side of the window. "Pen Tool" is about halfway down the toolbar. In the bottom-left corner of the icon, you may notice a small black triangle, which indicates that when you click and drag the icon, a menu of similar tools will appear.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
9
Create lines on canvas
.
You will see that the cursor has changed to a fountain pen. For more information, refer to the tutorial on how to use the pen tool.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
10
Next, click and drag the "Pen Tool" to select the "Convert Direction Point Tool"
.
The icon of this tool is a bent line. Alternatively, press "Shift" + "C" on the keyboard. Using keyboard shortcuts is recommended, as it is easier to manipulate objects with the key combinations while anchor points are selected. Clicking this tool will change the cursor to the icon of the tool, letting you know that you can begin to manipulate anchor points.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
11
Click anchor points
.
This tool changes the direction of a line or curve that has been created using the "Pen Tool". When an anchor point has been selected, it will turn blue. A blue anchor point will be the one that is edited with "Convert Direction Point Tool".
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
12
Click and drag the first anchor point that you've created
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
13
Click the "Selection Tool" black arrow
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
14
Click the object and press "Delete" to start from scratch
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
15
Click and drag "Convert Direction Point Tool" to select "Pen Tool" again
.
It's on the vertical toolbar.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
16
Start drawing another set of lines
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
17
Click and drag the "Pen Tool" to select the "Convert Direction Point Tool" again
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
18
Click and drag anchor points to manipulate the direction of the line at the highlighted anchor points
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
19
You can continue to alternate "Pen Tool" and "Convert Direction Point Tool" to draw more
.
This is especially useful when creating cloud patterns.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
20
You can create an outward curve, for example
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
21
Then, you can create an inward curve
.
It will be directed inwards automatically.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
22
Continue using "Convert Direction Point Tool" to make the line go the desired way
.
Become familiar with these tools in InDesign. They are very similar to the ones in Illustrator. This helps you to create the required curves in InDesign and not copy them from Illustrator, which will help to avoid any conversion problems.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

This concludes our tutorial showing you how to use "Convert Direction Point Tool" in Adobe InDesign CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments regarding this video or the program used, then just add them to the comment section below. Thank you for choosing VisiHow!

Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help