![illustrator illustrator](https://cdn.domestika.org/c_fill,dpr_auto,f_auto,h_674,pg_1,t_base_params,w_1200/v1592409726/course-covers/000/000/499/499-original.jpg)
If it does, then vote for a fix and log this as a bug here: Copy & Paste not always working - randomly – Adobe Illustrator () You can also search for other posts with the copy and paste topic to see if there is something closer to your exact situation. I'd try a rollback to the earlier version if you are stable there and see if that fixes the problem. I encourage you to explore the Pathfinder for a few minutes on your own.Hi Adam, no worries. Getting better at hand with few tools like Pathfinder will give you an extra edge over your competitors. You have to use different tools and pathfinder itself to make things happen in the virtual world of designing. You may have tried doing all such stuff manually but it is not possible. For example, the “Divide” button will divide the bottom shape with the top shape, AND the top shape with the bottom shape all at the same time. Essentially the bottom row buttons perform a number of combinations of the top buttons. I didn't cover the bottom row of buttons in the Pathfinder palette because it would get extremely confusing. It isn't the case here, but if your shapes are complex and you see extra paths in the excluded areas, click the Expand button to get rid of the paths left behind. Illustrator excludes any shape areas that were overlapping at all, like this: Now, with BOTH shapes selected, click on the “Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas” button in the Pathfinder. Instead of getting rid of everything that isn't overlapped, it gets rid of everything that IS. This Pathfinder feature is the exact opposite of #3. You notice the paths from the original 2 shapes still there, so immediately click the “Expand” button in the Pathfinder to make a single path around your overlapped shape, while getting rid of the 2 original paths.Īnd you now have a single, clean path made out of the overlapping section of the original 2: Illustrator gets rid of everything except the parts of the 2 shapes that were overlapped: Now, with BOTH shapes selected, click the “Intersect Shape Areas” button in the Pathfinder. So to start, overlap your 2 shapes similar to below. What this means is overlapping 2 shapes, and getting rid of anything that ISN”T overlapped. The next Pathfinder feature is the ability to intersect shapes. You'll probably notice that the path from the top shape is still there, so immediately click the “Expand” button in Pathfinder to get rid of the extra paths left behind from your cookie cutter.Īnd you should now have a single clean path to work with: The shape doing the subtracting must be on top. What this does is Illustrator subtracts the top shape from the bottom shape. Now, with BOTH shapes selected, click the “Subtract from Shape Area” button in the Pathfinder. This is a neat one because you can basically use any shape as an eraser or “cookie cutter” so to speak. (Note, if you don't hit the Expand button immediately after the Add to Shape Area button, it will get grayed out, so you have to do it right after)Īfter clicking Expand, you should see a single path: Now, If you immediately hit the “Expand” button, Pathfinder actually creates a single path to define the compound shape.
![illustrator illustrator](https://pic.chinesefontdesign.com/uploads/2013/01/B94E904FD18BCF4CF94525C1A0C5C623A047FD528A437_639_960.jpeg)
Notice that the pathfinder changes the fill color of both shapes to the color of the top shape.Įssentially, all pathfinder did was it made a compound path out of your 2 shapes and made them have the same fill color. Now, with BOTH shapes selected, click the “Add to Shape Area” button in the Pathfinder: When you are working on a complex project, Pathfinder tool can be the perfect bet for you to achieve your desired results. The best bet is to practice with these tools and different geometrical shapes so that you get a better idea of how it works. If you are aware of some of the basic functions of Pathfinder, then you can achieve a lot of results from this tool. Unlike conventional editing software, the Pathfinder tool in Photoshop is a shortcut to your complicated editing problems. The pathfinder tool makes it quite simple and easy to do away with different geometrical shapes. The pathfinder tool enables you to edit and customize a variety of shapes in a neat and clean way. It makes it easy to combine paths, divide objects, subtract shapes, etc. First, of all let me say that “Pathfinder” is a horrible name for this palette. If you aren't familiar with Illustrator's extremely handy “Pathfinder” palette, you might sit down for a few moments to play with it, because it is a true time saver and an excellent tool for manipulating paths.