How to Use Bezier Curves in Adobe Illustrator

If you know how to draw a straight line in Adobe Illustrator, you can transform that line into a curve using a Bezier curve. Bezier curves are different than freehand drawing. These curves allow you to precisely adjust the slope and depth of your curve's line. Using variations of the pen tool, you can make a straight line curve in Adobe Illustrator.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Illustrator on Mac or PC version 10 or more recent

1. Use the white arrow to select the endpoints on the straight line you want to curve. The white arrow is in the top right corner of the Toolbox window in Adobe Illustrator. This will make the endpoints on the line appear filled in.

2. Select the "Convert-Anchor-Point" button, which looks like an upside-down "V," in the Pen tool bar. You can get to this Illustrator tool by left clicking and holding over the Pen tool, which looks like a quill-tip pen button on the Toolbox, and moving your pointer over the "Convert-Anchor-Point" button. Release your left mouse button to select the tool.

3. Open the Adobe Illustrator Bezier bars. Left-click on and drag the Convert-Anchor-Point tool over an endpoint on the line. As you drag, little blue lines, called Bezier bars, should appear from the endpoint and the line should begin to curve.

4. Make your curve steep by moving the Bezier bars at a 90-degree angle from the straight line. The longer your Bezier bar, the taller your curve.

5. Create a gradual curve by moving the Bezier bars between a 0 and 90 degree angle. Again, the longer your Bezier bar, the taller your curve.

Tips & Warnings

• The curve will appear on the opposite side of your Bezier bar. For example, if you pull your Bezier bar down, the line will curve upward.
• If your curve has a kink in it, it could be because you pulled your Bezier bar in the wrong direction. Each endpoint in Adobe Illustrator has two Bezier bars. You may have pulled one bar in a circle over the original straight line. Select one of your bars and move it in a circle around your endpoint. If that does not remove the kink, move the bar in a circle going the opposite way. If this has not worked, try the same with the second Bezier bar.

[joesan]

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