VERY simple Illustrator question...

[mlkedave]

I am creating a simple design using a variety of squares and lines and I just want to select part of a line or square, not all of it. With all of the selection tools, whenever i click on a line or square, all of object is selected. I want to be able to highlight or use some tool to only select parts of the different objects. Please tell lme how I can do this. Thanks.

Mike

[DDD]

well if you use the direct selection tool and click the line not the point that will work. The line does not light up like the points. But it is selected. To try it click a line then press delete the line should disappear. Be sure to cntrl+z after that to get your line back. I really wish the edges lit up when you selected them.

[mlkedave]

When I used what you said it just deleted the whole line. I want to be able to highlight part of a line and delete just one section. It seems like the points are left but the line is still deleted. Any other suggestions what I might be doing wrong?
Thanks.

Mike

[DDD]

you are going to need to add segments or points on the line if you want to take away a part of the line. You can you post an example of what you are trying to do?

[mlkedave]

well i cant post the example but it is basically just a bunch of lines and i want to level the ends of all the lines (without using a mask). I just want to be able to make it so they all line up the the edge and arent un even. If you know how to select the ends of the lines with a selection tool and then delete them so they are even I would be very appreciative. Thankyou for being so patient, I am a PS newbie.

[DDD]

Ok I have a solution for you. Make a line. Then alt+drag your line to copy it, while you are dragginf hold shift to drag it on a axis. Now use your blend tool to create the lines in between. How you do that is double click the blend tool to bring up the options. Select specify step option. Then enter the number of reporductions. Press okay. Now with your blend tool select the first point on the first line (you may not see anything happen yet just trust me) now select the same point but on the other line....then boom instant reproduction and they are even. You can play with technique to do many things. good luck. BTW at the end of your post you mention PS...Are you using ILL or PS?


You can also just use the transform pallete to set the starts and ends of your lines as wells as the height. Look in the help files they have stuff on this.

[mlkedave]

I am using Illustrator. Thanks for the help

[lunatic]

Draw a line. Select it. Hold down the <ctrl> key AND the <alt> key at the same time. Click on your line and drag it. This will duplicate the thing selected. You can keep clicking and dragging or you can select both lines and repeat. Then you can select the four lines and repeat, etc. (this way you can duplicate many at once instead of having to duplicate just the one a bunch of times).

Then select all your lines and use the align feature (shift f7 is the shortcut) to match up the ends.