How to Combine in "Illustrator"
You can use Adobe Illustrator to combine different objects create new shapes and designs by using the Pathfinder panel. There are 10 ways of combining two or more objects, including merging them together and subtracting the top or bottom shape from the others. When experimenting with the different effects remember to color in the objects you have drawn. A blank or white object makes it difficult to see how some of the combining effects change the objects.
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Instructions
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Open a new Illustrator document. Select the "Ellipse Tool" from the Toolbox and draw a circle by dragging the tool over the document while holding down the "Shift" key. Select a color from the Swatch panel and click it to color in the circle.
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2
Press "Ctrl-C" on the keyboard to copy the circle, then "Ctrl-V" to paste a copy on the document. Click the selection tool in the Toolbox and drag the second circle to a position where it overlaps the first by about half.
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Press "Ctrl-A" on the keyboard to select both circles.
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Click the "Window" menu select "Pathfinder" if it does not have a checkmark beside it. This makes the Pathfinder panel visible. Hover your mouse over each box in the Pathfinder panel to see the different ways you can combine the objects.
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Click on any button in the Pathfinder panel. The "Unite" button, for example, will unite both objects into one. The "Exclude" button removes the overlapping area when combining the objects, whereas the "Intersect" button keeps the overlapping area and removes the rest from both objects.
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Combine shapes while retaining the paths in the objects by holding down the "Alt" button when you click on any button in the Pathfinder panel. For example, holding down "Alt" while clicking the "Intersect" button will make only the overlapping portion of the circles visible, but the lines of both circles are still intact when you click on the object.
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