How to Remove Multiple Nodes in Glyphs Without Losing the Curve
Meet Node Brush, an outline editing tool for Glyphs. Remove multiple nodes while preserving curves, add points, and adjust stroke thickness faster.
If you edit Bézier curves in Glyphs, you’ve probably selected a handful of redundant nodes, pressed Delete, and watched a carefully drawn outline shift. Removing points one at a time gives you more control over the result. On a single letter that’s manageable, but across hundreds or thousands of glyphs, the extra clicks and checks add up.
That’s why I built Node Brush, an outline editing tool for Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4. You can sweep across several unwanted nodes in one pass while keeping the curve as close as possible to its original shape. The same brush can add nodes, move Bézier handles, and adjust stroke thickness.
Removing Multiple Nodes While Preserving the Curve
I’ve worked in CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, and Figma, and Glyphs is still where I feel most at home editing font outlines. Even there, clearing several points at once can change the shape more than I want.
With Node Brush, click to remove a single node or drag the circular brush along the outline to remove several in sequence. There’s no need to select points first. Use [ and ] to change the brush size so you can work between closely spaced nodes or cover a wider section in one pass.
Adding Nodes to Paths in Glyphs
Hold Command and click to add a node directly on the curve while preserving its shape. Add Shift to place nodes at extrema, where a curve reaches its horizontal or vertical limits.
You can also add two nodes on opposite sides of a stroke. I use this when preparing masters for interpolation, where corresponding points make it easier to adjust the same section across weights. It works on a single closed outline, such as an I, and on parallel sections of separate outlines, such as the inner and outer contours of an O.
Moving Nodes and Bézier Handles
Hold Option and drag to move nodes and Bézier handles inside the brush. This is useful when you want to refine a small area without selecting each point by hand. With Option + Shift, the handles move along their original direction, so you can change their length while keeping their angle. I use this to smooth the transition between adjoining curves.
Adjusting Stroke Thickness
Click with Control to increase the distance between two nodes inside the brush by a preset amount. Add Command to bring them closer together. The nodes can be on the same outline or on separate contours, like the two sides of an O. In the tool settings you can set the step size and a minimum distance, so the brush stops narrowing the stroke at the limit you choose.
This came in handy while drawing different weights of Ledgewood. When I’m refining several masters, I adjust the thickness of small sections of letters over and over. A few clicks with the brush replace many of the individual node moves I used to make by hand.
Focus on Selected Path
Node Brush respects the Glyphs setting Focus on Selected Path. When it’s enabled, the brush edits only the selected contour, even when nearby nodes from another outline fall within its radius. That makes it easier to work on letters with closely spaced contours.
Why I Built Node Brush
For years I relied on the Smart Remove Brush Tool from Astute Graphics in Adobe Illustrator. It let me clean up outlines quickly while keeping their shape. As more of my work moved into Glyphs, I missed having a brush that could do the same thing.
I felt that gap most while preparing Ledgewood for interpolation. Imagine that the Thin master is finished and you need to draw Bold with compatible outlines so Glyphs can generate the weights in between. Across thousands of nodes, keeping track of curve shape, stroke thickness, and point compatibility can make this one of the most time-consuming parts of drawing a typeface.
I wanted one tool for the edits I kept repeating: deleting and adding nodes, moving points and handles, and adjusting stroke thickness. I tested early versions while drawing the font, fixing what got in the way and adding what I needed as I worked. Over time, Node Brush became the tool I reach for first when editing outlines.
Why Node Brush Makes Outline Editing Faster
Glyphs already gives me ways to do most of these jobs. The time adds up in the steps between them: selecting and deleting points one at a time, moving opposing nodes by hand, or adding matching points on either side of a stroke. With Node Brush I can stay on the outline and use modifier keys to switch between those edits. That saves the most time on repetitive work across many glyphs.
Node Brush for Glyphs — Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Function |
|---|---|
| Click | Remove a node while preserving the curve as closely as possible |
| Click + drag | Remove multiple nodes in one pass |
| [ / ] | Decrease or increase the brush size |
| Command + click | Add nodes to the path |
| Command + Shift + click | Add nodes at extrema |
| Option + drag | Move nodes and Bézier handles |
| Option + Shift + drag | Change handle length while keeping its direction |
| Control + click | Increase the distance between two nodes |
| Control + Command + click | Decrease the distance between two nodes |
You can assign X to switch to Node Brush in the tool settings. That’s also where you set the stroke adjustment step and minimum distance between nodes.
Try Node Brush Free
Node Brush is available for Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4. The 14-day trial includes every feature, so you can see how it fits into your own workflow. After the trial, you can activate it with a serial number from a one-time purchase.
