3

Chapter 12 Using Shapes and Masks 1027
To switch a B-Spline control point among three degrees of curvature, do one of the
following:
m Command-click one or more selected B-Spline control points to toggle three
progressively sharper amounts of curvature.
m Control-click a B-Spline point, then choose Very Smooth, Smooth, or Linear from the
shortcut menu.
You can also adjust B-Spline control points along a sliding scale by pressing the
Command key and dragging.
To adjust the amount of curvature in a B-Spline control point by dragging:
m Command-drag one or more selected B-Spline control points to make their curves
progressively sharper.
 Dragging to the right makes the curve progressively sharper.
 Dragging to the left makes the curve progressively looser.
Note: Once the handle appears, you can modify the curve without the Command key.
Drag the handle to the right to make the curve sharper. Drag the handle to the left to
make the curve looser.
If you later decide you don’t like the B-Spline curve adjustment you made, you can
always reset the degree of curvature by Command-clicking the point (or Control-
clicking and choosing an option from the shortcut menu) to toggle it to the default
curvature amount.
Using a Shape Outline as a Paint Stroke
You can convert a shape outline into a paint stroke by modifying the Brush Type in the
Inspector. Once a shape outline is assigned a different brush type, all of the paint stroke
parameters become available. You can modify and animate its brush parameters, as
well as apply the Sequence Paint behavior.
To convert an existing shape into an editable paint stroke:
1 Select an existing shape.
2 In the Shape HUD or Inspector, select the Outline checkbox.
Very Smooth B-Spline point
Smooth B-Spline point Linear B-Spline point