To create a compound shape, you can hold your Option key on Mac (or Alt key on Windows) when clicking on the shape modes. Think of all the shape modes that we have covered (Unite, Minus Front, Intersect, and Exclude), except the final result being dynamic/live. You can create a compound shape using any shape modes (first row) from the Pathfinder Panel. It is a live shape, which means that you can still move the original objects around without committing to a final result. Outline - This function divides the shapes across their intersecting lines and turns the solids into stoked paths, or outlines (hence the name.Minus back in action A Quick Word on Creating a Compound ShapeĪ compound shape is a temporary shape that is made from selected objects.

By taking the shape of your foreground and masking the background shape only in that area. For example, with merge, if your foreground element also has a stroke around it, when selecting it and the background element merging will remove the stroke entirely and cut the paths where they intersect.Ĭrop - this function works a lot like a clipping mask. Merge - this function works a lot like trim, and to the naked eye they seem almost exactly identical except for a few slight differences. The Trim tool is ideal when preparing vector designs for vinyl cutting and screen printing, it works by cleaning up lines and overlaps throughout the design!

Trim - this function TRIMS the background shape with the foreground shape. Six functions that are listed as true pathfinder optionsĭivide - this function ultimately divides the shapes you have selected among their intersecting lines

Pathfinder tool illustrator