How to use Gradient Tool

 

Gradient Tool

Step 1: Open your Illustrator program and create new document. Set Size: Custom, Units: Pixels, Width: 500, Height: 500 and Color Mode: RGB.

Step 2: Click the Type Tool or press T and type anything on the artboard. Right click to the text and set Font: Verdana Bold, Size: 48. It should be look something like below:-

Note: I will use a text as an example in this tutorial instead of rectangle or any shape. Once you can apply this effect on text, it will get easier for you to apply it on any shapes. (the text was zoom at 150%)

Step 3: While the text is still on selected, go to Object > Expand Keep the Object and Fill checkbox in checked and click Ok.

  

You'll get something like below:

   

Step 4: Ok, now go to Swatches palette (Window>Swatches) and apply the gradient effect to the text.

Wow, it's really great. Is that all? Of course not. We gonna change that default white, black color to another color. Ok, let's go to the next step.

Step 5: While the gradient text is still on selected and the Swatches palette is still on the artboard, open the Gradient palette (Window>Gradient or F9). Drag the red color from the Swatches palette (or any color) and drop it to the 2nd gradient slider (the one that have black in color). See image below:-

Set the Angle: 45 and you should have some thing like below:

If you drag the red color and drop it beside the 2nd gradient slider (the black one) you'll get something like below:-

Note:

1. Location: 70% is the location of the red slider or handler. Click to the small triangle-rectangle icon to know the location of the handler.

2. Try to drop more color and see how it looks like. Set the Gradient Type: Radial instead of Linear and move the handler left or right. And try a different angle value.

3. If the color you're looking at is not on the Swatches palette, you have to open the Color palette (Window>Color or F6). For example, if you want to change the black handler to dark blue, click to the black handler. Then manually enter the RGB value in Color palette. E.g R: 0, G:51 and B: 102. You also can use the RGB spectrum below it. For more info about RGB color value, visit RGB Color Chart or RGB Color Codes website.

4. To get rid of the handler that you've just added, just drag it to the bottom of the Gradient palette.

Ok, the next steps are optional. I will show you how to apply gradient effect separately on each character using the Gradient Tool (G).

Step 6: Select the gradient text that we have just created. Go to Object>Ungroup (Shift+Ctrl+G).

Step 7: Ok, final step. Click the Selection Tool (or press V) and select any character that you want to make a change. Then, select the Gradient Tool (or press G). Click on the top left of the character (while holding the left mouse click), drag it to the center middle and release the mouse click. You should have something like below:-

               

Try to apply it to another character and use a different direction. Finally apply some drop shadow (Effect>Stylize >Drop Shadow ) to the gradient text or anything you want. DONE.

This is my final outcome:

Maybe next time I'll show you how to create a wave effect on text using Illustrator

Adobe illustrator Shortcuts

illustrator Shortcuts

If you liked my previous article on Photoshop shortcuts, you’ll probably find this post useful. Here are 26 Illustrator shortcuts that can help you to speed up productivity. I use most of them (in fact, I can’t work without them). Most of shortcuts listed in this article aren’t documented in the software, so keep reading and you’re sure to find at least one new trick to put up your sleeve. Enjoy!

Note: this article is written in Mac Illustrator CS3 format. If you are using PC, Cmd key = Ctrl key and Opt = Alt.

1. Change the Unit Setting

   You can quickly change the Artboard unit measurement setting by right-clicking on the ruler.

2. Activate Tool Options

    With the tool selected, (e.g. Blend Tool), press the Enter key to open up the Blend Options          window. Another way to open up the tool option panel is to double-click on the tool icon.

3. Duplicate a Series of Objects

  Select the object, hold down Option key and drag. You now have a copy of the object. Each time   you press Cmd + D (Transform Again) you distribute more copies.

4. Draw Shape with Options

  Select any shape tool, (e.g. Star Tool), click anywhere on the Artboard, it will let you draw a      shape with options.

5. Zoom With Mouse Wheel

  Hold down Option key & scroll the mouse wheel up or down to zoom in/out

6. Gradient Stop Color

  To quickly change a gradient stop color to any color swatch in the library: select a gradient stop,   hold down Option key and click on a swatch.

7.Switch Color Profile

  Hold down Shift key and click on the color bar will let you toggle through the color profiles:    Grayscale, RGB, HSB, CMYK, Web Safe RGB.

8. Layer Visibility

 Cmd + Click Visibility Icon = toggle view mode (Outline/Preview)

 Opt + Click Visibility Icon = hide other layers (Opt + click again will show all)

 Click Visibility Icon & Drag = toggle multi layers

9.New Layer

 Cmd + L = New layer

 Cmd + Opt + L = New layer with options

10.Select All Objects on Layer

 To select all objects on a particular layer, hold down Option key and click on the layer name.

11.Navigate Live Paint Bucket Color

 With the Live Paint Bucket tool selected, click on any swatch in the Color palette, now use the  arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) to navigate through the swatches.

           

12.Fill and Stroke Color

 D = Default color (white fill & black stroke)

 X = Toggle between fill and stroke

 Shift + X = Swap fill and stroke color

 / = None (transparent)

 < = Color fill

 > = Gradient fill

                

13.Saturate or Desaturate Color

  Holding down Cmd key and dragging the color slider will saturate or desaturate a mixed color.

14.Increase/Decrease Input Field Value

 Place the cursor in any input field, press arrow Up or Down to increase/decrease.

        

15Close Pencil or Brush Path

 By default, Illustrator will use close a Pencil and Brush path. To close a Pencil path manually,  hold down Option key when you are about to finish drawing the path.

         

               

 

16.Add or Subtract Sides

 With the Star Tool, drag on the Artboard (do not release the mouse yet), press Up or Down arrow to add/subtract sides. Notes: this shortcut can also works for the Arc, Spiral, Rectangle Grid, Polar Grid, Polygon, and Flare Tool.

17.Inner Radius

 With the Star Tool, drag on the Artboard (do not release the mouse yet), holding down the Cmd  key while dragging will let you control the inner radius. This shortcut also works for the Spiral  Tool.

18.Continuous Duplicates Based on Mouse Movement

 With any shape tool, holding down the Tilde (~) key while dragging will make continuous  duplicates based on your mouse movement. This is a very useful shortcut to create fun and  complex artwork.

      

19.Straight Sided Star

 With the Star Tool, while dragging holding down the Option key will let you draw a straight side  star.

    

20.Lock and Unlock Objects

 Cmd + 2 = Lock selected object(s)

 Cmd + Opt + Shift + 2 = Lock all deselected objects

 Cmd + Opt + 2 = Unlock all

21. Switch Between Move and Selection Tool

  Cmd + Opt + Tab = Switch between Move and Direct Selection Tool.

  Option (Direct Selection Tool selected) = toggle to Group Selection Tool.

     

22.Hide and Show Objects

 Cmd + Opt + Shift + 3 = Hide all deselected objects

 Cmd + Opt + 3 = Show all objects

23. Eyedropper - Sample Photo or Gradient Color

  To sample intermediate color from a gradient or photo: with the Eyedropper tool selected, hold   down Shift key and click on the photo.

           

24.Make and Release Guide

 Cmd + 5 = Convert selected object to Guide

 Cmd + Shift + double-click on Guide = Release Guide

          

25.Font: Size, Leading, Kerning and Tracking

 Cmd + Shift + > or < = Increase/decrease font size

 Opt + Up or Down = Increase/decrease leading

 Opt + Left or Right = Increase/decrease kerning or tracking

 Cmd + Opt + Q = Reset kerning/tracking to zero

26.Add New Fill and Stroke

 Cmd + / = Add new fill

 Cmd + Opt + / = Add new stroke

Install the Illustrator-to-IconWorkshop

Install the Illustrator-to-IconWorkshop

Before using the plug-in, you need to install it on your computer. It can be easily installed from within Axialis IconWorkshop™ in one fast and simple operation.

1. Before installing the plug-in we recommend you to close the Illustrator® application (if it is actually opened in background). Choose File/Install Illustrator® Plug-in...

2. The dialog box Install the Illustrator to IconWorkshopä Transfer Plug-in opens (see below). In the Location edit zone (1), specify the Illustrator plug-in folder. If you don't know the exact folder path, click the browse button (2) to choose the folder in a list.

   

3. If you want to create a subfolder "Axialis" to install the plug-in module (recommended to organize your folder properly), activate the option "Install in a subfolder Axialis" (3). Note that creating a subfolder may fail with some compatible applications.

4. Click OK. When done, a message informs you that the plug-in has been installed.

5. Now you can start your Illustrator® application. The plug-in is visible in Filter/Axialis/Transfer To IconWorkshopä menu. Read this for more info on how to use the plug-in filter.

 If Illustrator® is installed on your computer, the plug-in folder will be automatically added to the edit zone. Also, you'll be prompted to install the plug-in the first time you'll launch IconWorkshop™.

Transferring an Image from Illustrator® to IconWorkshopä® using the plug-in

To use the Illustrator® to IconWorkshop™ plug-in, you must start the Illustrator® application first. The plug-in is accessible from within Illustrator® only. Before using the plug-in as detailed in next topic, you need to install it on your computer as described above.

1. First of all, launch Illustrator® and open or create a document. The Illustrator file used in this topic can be downloaded here: Axialis-Sphere.ai

2. In the document, select the objects you want to transfer to IconWorkshop™ (1). If you don't select objects, the whole document will be transferred.

 You don't need to launch IconWorkshop™ before using the plug-in. It will be automatically launched by the plug-in if necessary.

3. Choose the Filter/Axialis/Transfer to Axialis IconWorkshop™... command in the menu.

4. A dialog box opens (see below). If you have selected some objects in the document, you can choose to export only these objects or the whole document (1).

5. During the transfer, the vector objects will be rasterized (i.e. converted to bitmap images composed of pixels). To perform this, you need to specify the Resolution (2)of the image to produce in DPI (Dots Per Inch). Based on the size of your vector document and the value you specify here, the size of the final bitmap image will be automatically calculated. For example, if your vector object is 2x2 inches and if you specify 128 DPI, the final image will be 256x256.

6. Specify a value for the Antialiasing (3). This parameter permits to create a smoother image, especially on edges. The higher, the better, the longer to compute. Finally, specify a Padding value (4) to create a transparent border around the image. This will avoid to have the objects placed directly on the border of the image. A small border permit to create nicer icons, especially when creating the small image sizes.

7. When done, click OK. Axialis IconWorkshopä is automatically launched (or activated if running in background) and the dialog box Install the Illustrator® to IconWorkshop™ Transfer Plug-in opens (see below).

8. The image is about to be transferred in IconWorkshop™. You can choose one of the following operations: Create a New Icon using this Image (1): You create a new icon with several formats based on the image (see step 4); Create a New Image Document (2): IconWorkshop™ opens a new document containing the image. You'll be able to perform various operations on the image (resize, crop, save...) and even create a new icon from a portion of it; Paste the Image in the Current Icon Document (3): This option is enabled only if an icon document is already opened in IconWorkshopä. It pastes the image in the current editor area (just like the Clipboard paste operation).

9. If you choose the first option (Create a New Icon using this Image), the following dialog box opens (see below). As IconWorkshop™ support creation of both Windows® and Macintosh® icons, you're prompted to choose the format. Select option (1)  for Windows® or option (2)  for Macintosh®.

10. By choosing Windows®, the following dialog box opens (a similar dialog opens if you choose Macintosh®)

11. In the Name group (1), enter the icon project name. Do not specify any extension.

12. In the Image Formats group, select the image formats you whish to add in the icon (2) and unselect the unwanted images (3). Just click on the image preview to select/unselect. To know more about the desired Windows® standard image format, see What is an Icon topic.

13. You can also apply or not the dithering option to the 256/16 color images as well as add a filter effect to smooth/sharpen the resulting images in RGB/A mode (try (4)  and see the results in the preview images).

14. If you wish to start creating your icon with an unlisted format, click the Other Image Format button.

15. When done, click OK. The icon is automatically created with the various image formats you've selected.

Editing Paths in Adobe Illustrator CS4

Selecting Similar Objects

Illustrator CS4 lets you choose from a list of same objects that you can quickly select. For example, if you want to select all objects that, for instance, have the same fill and stroke as a selected object, choose Select > Same > Fill & Stroke (Figure 34a).

 

Figure 34a Selecting objects with the same fill and stroke.

Magic Wand vs. Selecting Similar Objects?

The Select Same options overlap quite a bit with the Magic Wand tool. So, you could select all objects with similar stroke weight using either approach.

In addition to selecting all objects with the same stroke and fill, you can select objects with the same blending mode, fill color, opacity, stroke color, and stroke weight. There are other, more esoteric attributes that you can use to filter selections with as well.

You can also use the Object submenus (Select > Object) to select all of a variety of objects. One of the most useful options on this menu is Stray Points. This feature provides you with the ability to select (and then delete) stray anchors. It is easy to create stray anchors unintentionally—for instance, when you click with the Pen tool and don't end up creating a path. Stray anchors unnecessarily increase file size and your print area. Detect them by choosing Select > Object > Stray Points (Figure 34b).

 

Figure 34b Detecting stray points.

Copy and Paste Shortcuts

Press Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) + C to copy selected objects.

Press Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) + V to paste selected objects.

Press Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) + F to paste selected objects in the position on the artboard from which the selection was copied and in front of other objects.

Press Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) + B to paste selected objects in the position on the artboard from which the selection was copied and behind other objects.

Another selection technique is the Magic Wand tool. It is used to select objects whose fill colors are very similar to the RGB color settings of the fill color of the clicked on object (Figure 34c).

 

Figure 34c Selecting like-colored objects with the Magic Wand tool.

You can tweak how carefully the Magic Wand tool discriminates between shades of fill colors, stroke colors, or stroke weight by opening the little-used Magic Wand panel (from the Window menu). Or, you can open the panel by double-clicking the tool in the toolbar.

Editing with the Bounding Box

You can quickly and easily resize, reshape, and rotate any object (or group of objects) using that object's bounding box. If the bounding box is not displayed, you can make it visible by choosing View > Show Bounding Box. With the bounding box turned on, a rectangular frame appears around selected objects, displaying four corner handles and four side handles (Figure 35a).

 

Figure 35a Displaying a bounding box for a selected object.

You can quickly rescale any selected object by dragging on a bounding box handle. Resizing an object with the bounding box expands or contracts the object using the selected handle (Figure 35b).

 

Figure 35b Resizing an object with the bounding box.

Hold down the Shift key as you rescale to maintain the original height-to-width ratio. Hold down the Option/Alt key as you resize using a bounding box to make the center point instead of a bounding box handle serve as the anchor.

Moving the Selection tool near an anchor in a bounding box turns the Selection tool into a rotation tool. Hold down the Shift key as you rotate to constrain rotation to 45-degree angle increments (Figure 35c).

 

Figure 35c Rotating a star using the bounding box.

Duplicating

There are many ways to duplicate objects in Illustrator. The simplest is to select an object (or objects), hold down the Option/Alt key, and click and drag. When you release your mouse button, you place a copy of the selected paths on your artboard (Figure 36).

 

Figure 36 Copying with the Option/Alt key.

NOTE

When you press the Option/Alt key, a white arrow appears underneath your selection tool, indicating that you are copying.

You can also copy and paste selected objects by choosing Edit > Copy from the menu. Three paste options are available from the menu. In addition to the regular Edit > Paste, you can also paste in front or in back.

Illustrator allows you to manage stacking order as you paste. Edit > Paste in Front stacks pasted objects on top of other objects, and Edit > Paste in Back stacks pasted objects below other objects.

You can use the Copy and Paste commands to transfer objects in and out of Illustrator.

Scaling

The quick-and-dirty way to rescale any object is to select it, view the bounding box, and rescale (resize) using the Selection tool. To do that, first select the object. If the bounding box is not displayed, choose View > Show Bounding Box (for details, see #35, "Editing with the Bounding Box").

The Scale tool has a couple of advantages over sizing freehand with a bounding box or the Free Transform tool. The Scale tool allows you to resize to an exact percentage. For instance, you can resize an object to 200 percent, doubling the size of the original object exactly.

Rescaling from a Fixed Anchor

The Scale tool can also resize an object from a defined anchor. If you hold down the Option/Alt key when you rescale using the Selection tool and a bounding box, the object is anchored on its center point.

But with the Scale tool, you can lock any anchor and rescale an object without moving that locked anchor.

Resizing an object using the Scale tool interactively is hardly intuitive. Instead of clicking and dragging on an anchor or on a path, you click and drag anywhere on the artboard. It takes some practice (Figure 37a).

        

Figure 37a Rescaling with the interactive Scale tool.

If you hold down the Shift key as you resize with the Scale tool, you can click and drag at about a 45-degree angle from a corner handle to maintain the height-to-width ratio of the original drawing. If you hold down the Shift key and drag up or down, you will only change the height. Hold down the Shift key and drag sideways to change only the width of the selected object.

By default, when you resize a selected object with the Scale tool, the center of the object is used as the point from which the object is enlarged or compressed. You can change that point by clicking within a selected object with the Scale tool. Then, when you resize the object, the newly selected point is the pivot and hub from which the object is resized, as shown in Figure 37

Figure 37b Resizing from a selected pivot anchor.

The Scale dialog allows you to rescale an object digitally (defining exact percentages for horizontal and vertical resizing). It also allows you to define how stroke thickness and pattern sizing are affected by scaling.

If you rescale strokes (and effects), the stroke (or effect) changes in accordance with the rescaled object. If you maintain the original stroke thickness when you rescale, the relationship between the stroke thickness and the object changes (Figure 37c).

 

Figure 37c Rescaling while maintaining the same stroke size.

Similarly, when you rescale with the Scale dialog, you can maintain a pattern fill at its original size, or you can rescale it in sync with the resized object. In addition, you can elect to apply scaling only to a pattern fill with interesting results: With this technique, you stretch or shrink only a fill pattern while the object containing the pattern remains unchanged (Figure 37d).

 

Figure 37d Rescaling a pattern while maintaining the same object size.

Here's a recap/summary of the process of resizing with the Scale dialog:

1. Select the object(s) to be rescaled.
   
2. Double-click the Scale tool. The Scale dialog appears. Enter a value in the Scale area of the dialog to resize both height and width to a uniform percentage. Or, to rescale without maintaining the same height-to-width ratio, enter separate values in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes in the Non-Uniform section of the dialog.
   
3. Select the Preview check box to see the object interactively resize on the artboard as you change values.
   
4. Select the Scale Strokes & Effects check box if you want to proportionally resize strokes and effects.
   
5. If you have an object with a pattern fill, you can select the Objects check box to resize objects. You'll almost always want to select this option; otherwise, the object won't resize.
   
6. Select the Patterns check box to proportionally resize patterns within a shape. When your object is correctly resized, click OK.
   

NOTE

The settings that you define in the Scale dialog are maintained and also apply when you use the bounding box to scale.

Rotating

You can quickly rotate any selected object interactively by viewing the object bounding box and rotating with the Selection tool. If you want to activate a bounding box around an object that is part of a group, select that object with the Group Selection tool, and then click the Selection tool. The box will appear around the single object, not the whole group.

NOTE

See #35, "Editing with the Bounding Box," for a discussion of how to edit with the bounding box.

With the bounding box displayed, hover near a corner or side point of an object's bounding box (with the Selection tool). As you do, the Selection tool cursor turns into a double-headed, curved arrow. Click and drag clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate the selected object (Figure 38a).

 

Figure 38a Rotating a selected object.

The Rotate tool rotates objects with more precision and control than you get by simply using the Selection tool. To rotate a selected object precisely using the dialog, double-click the Rotate tool. The Rotate dialog appears. Enter a value in the Angle area of the Rotate dialog to set the degree of rotation. The Copy button in the Rotate dialog allows you to create a second, rotated version of your selected object while leaving the original unchanged.

Select the Preview check box to view changes on the artboard as you make them in the dialog before you click OK (Figure 38b).

 

Figure 38b Rotating with the Rotate dialog.

Rotating Objects or Patterns

Illustrator allows you to rotate either a selected object path or pattern fills, or both. Select the Patterns check box in the Rotate dialog to elect to rotate objects and/or their fill patterns independently. Technique #42, "Using Color and Pattern Swatches," explains how to create and apply pattern fills.

The most powerful and fun application of the Rotate tool is to rotate objects using a selected point as the rotation pivot. To do that:

1. Select the object (or objects) to be rotated.
   
2. Click the Rotate tool.
   
3. Click anywhere on the artboard to define the rotation pivot point.
   

NOTE

Usually, you'll want to click on the path you are rotating to define a pivot point, but the pivot point can be anywhere in the document.

   4.Click and drag anywhere in the document to rotate the object around the selected point            (Figure 38c).

 

Figure 38c Rotating around a selected pivot anchor.

Guides Can Be Rotated

Technique #4, "Defining Guides and Grids," emphasized the usefulness of custom-defined guides in drawing objects. Those guides can be rotated. This is useful, for instance, when you are drawing with perspective and want to align objects along a perspective grid that "fades into the distance."

To rotate a guide, first unlock guides (choose View > Guides and deselect Lock Guides). Then select a guide as you would any other object, and use the Rotate tool to rotate that guide using any of the techniques discussed in this section.

After Rotating

After you rotate a bounding box, you might want to make the rotated state the "new normal" state. To do that, select the object (displaying the bounding box) and choose Object > Transform > Reset Bounding Box.

TIP

Holding down the Shift key while rotating rotates in 45° increments (unless this has been changed in the Preferences dialog), and holding down the Option/Alt key copies while rotating.

Shearing (Skewing)

Shearing (or skewing—they're the same thing) is a hard process to describe in words, but it's something you'll often want to apply to a shape. In general, skewing distorts the relationship between opposite sides of an object. A simple example would be converting a rectangle into a parallelogram with 30-degree angles instead of right (90-degree) angles. You can do this by selecting a path segment and moving it with the Shear tool (Figure 39a).

 

Figure 39a Shearing a rectangle into a parallelogram.

Defining Shearing Digitally

As an alternative to shearing interactively, you can also define shearing for a selected object by double-clicking the Shear tool to open a dialog similar to the Rotate dialog.

When you shear (skew), the affected object distorts around the center point of the object. To skew around a selected point instead, first click with the Shear tool to set a fixed point. The selected point (anywhere on the artboard) remains fixed while the rest of the object shears (Figure 39b).

 

Figure 39b Shearing with a fixed point.

Distorting with Envelopes

A quick, easy, and fun way to edit paths is to place an object in an envelope. Visualize an elephant stuffed into a trapezoid. Ouch! It may be better to visualize something more humane and less painful. The point is you can distort any object to fit into an outline created by a second object. That second object is the envelope.

Releasing an Envelope

To release a warp into its two components (the warp shape and the warped object), choose Object > Envelope Distort > Release.

If you want to edit the result of an envelope distort effect, select the resulting object and choose Object > Envelope Distort > Expand. The resulting object will incorporate the enveloping effect but can be further edited.

Choose Object > Envelope Distort to access three types of distortion. Use Make with Warp to apply preset warps. Meshes are grids with editable anchors that define how colors merge and blend within the mesh.

To use your own, custom-designed envelope, select two objects with the object that will be the envelope on top of the object to be distorted. Then choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Top Object (Figure 40).

 

Figure 40 An envelope and an enveloped object.

Using Pathfinders

Combining and splitting paths in Illustrator is managed by the ten tools in the Pathfinder panel. These tools combine or divide two or more intersecting paths. The tools in the Pathfinder panel are essentially shortcuts to processes you could accomplish equally well, but with much more hassle, by selecting and deleting anchor points.

What Are Pathfinder Effects?

Pathfinder effects are similar to tools in the Pathfinder panel. They are generally applied to groups, entire layers, or type objects.

For example, you could cut a circle out of the corner of a square by creating new anchors on the square and deleting the path segments between those new anchors. A quicker and easier way is to use the Divide pathfinder tool. Open the Pathfinder panel by selecting Window > Pathfinder.

The ten Pathfinder tools are displayed (Figure 41a).

        

Figure 41a The Pathfinder tools.

Stack First

As you apply Pathfinder tools, it is important to be aware of the stacking order of the two or more paths you are combining or splitting. Use the Arrange menu (Object > Arrange) options to move selected objects in front of or behind other objects.

The Pathfinder panel has two rows: the Shape Modes and the Pathfinders. The Shape Mode tools, which have been given new, simpler names in Illustrator CS4, generate new shapes from intersecting shapes:

• Unite combines selected objects into a single shape.
  
• Minus Front deletes the top shape from the bottom shape.
  
• Intersect removes everything but overlapping areas of selected shapes.
  
• Exclude deletes shared areas of two overlapping selected objects.
  

The tools in the second row of the Pathfinder panel are used to combine and cut intersecting paths. The Divide pathfinder is perhaps the most widely used and most useful. You can use it to cut one object out of another, as you would use a cookie cutter to cut dough. To divide two objects, place one on top of the other.

Shape Modes Pathfinders Produce Compound Shapes

After you apply a Shape Modes tool, the resulting path is a compound shape. Compound shapes allow "holes" in the middle of shapes—like a donut with the middle cut out. You can break a compound shape into pieces by choosing Release Compound Shape from the Pathfinder panel menu.

To generate discrete editable paths instead of a compound path, click the Expand button in the Pathfinder panel. Expanding a compound shape frees each of the newly generated paths for individual editing.

With the two objects selected, click the Divide tool in the Pathfinder panel. After you divide the objects, you can ungroup them and separate them (Figure 41b).

      

 

Figure 41b Using a rectangle to cut out a piece of the circle with the Divide tool.

While the Divide tool is probably the most effective and useful, you'll find the other bottom-row pathfinders helpful as well:

• Divide splits selected objects into individual objects created by intersecting paths.
  
• Trim deletes the covered portion of the bottom shape.
  

Ungrouping After Applying a Pathfinder

After you apply one of the tools in the second row of the Pathfinder panel, the result will sometimes be a grouped object. You can split that group and edit the newly generated shapes by choosing the group and selecting Object > Ungroup from the menu.

• Merge is similar to the Trim tool, but it merges contiguous shapes that have the same color fill and removes stroke attributes.
  
• Crop uses the top object like a cookie cutter to cut away parts of the bottom object that do not fit within it.
  
• Outline converts fills to outlines; the color of the fill becomes the color of the outline stroke.
  
• Minus Back uses the bottom object as a cookie cutter to strip away intersecting areas from the front object.