Illustrator

Smooth and simplify paths

You can smooth the appearance of paths as well as simplify paths by removing excess anchor points.

Smooth paths

  1. Select the object.
  2. Select the Smooth tool .
  3. Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to smooth out.
  4. Continue smoothing until the stroke or path is the desired smoothness.
    Using the Smooth tool

    A.
    Original path

    B.
    Dragging across path with the Smooth tool

    C.
    Result

  5. To change the amount of smoothing, double-click the Smooth tool and set the following options:
    Fidelity
    Controls how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before Illustrator adds a new anchor point to the path. For example, a Fidelity value of 2.5 means that tool movements of less than 2.5 pixels aren’t registered. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels; the higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path.

    Smoothness
    Controls the amount of smoothing that Illustrator applies when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to 100%; the higher the value, the smoother the path.

Simplify paths

Simplifying a path removes extra anchor points without changing the shape of the path. Removing unnecessary anchor points simplifies your artwork, reducing the file size, and making it display and print faster.

  1. Select the object.
  2. Choose Object > Path > Simplify.
  3. Set the Curve Precision to control how closely the simplified path follows the original path.
    Select Preview to show a preview of the simplified path and list the number of points in the original and simplified paths.
  4. Select additional options, and click OK:
    Curve Precision
    Enter a value between 0% and 100% to set how closely the simplified path should follow the original path. A higher percentage creates more points and a closer fit. Any existing anchor points are ignored except for endpoints of a curve and corner points (unless you enter a value for Angle Threshold).

    Angle Threshold
    Enter a value between 0 and 180° to control the smoothness of corners. If the angle of a corner point is less than the angle threshold, the corner point is not changed. This option helps keep corners sharp, even if the value for Curve Precision is low.

    Straight Lines
    Creates straight lines between the object’s original anchor points. Corner points are removed if they have an angle greater than the value set in Angle Threshold.

    Show Original
    Shows the original path behind the simplified path.

Average the position of anchor points

  1. Select two or more anchor points (on the same path or on different paths).
  2. Choose Object > Path > Average.
  3. Choose to average along the horizontal (x) axis only, the vertical (y) axis only, or both axes, and click OK.