How to Average a Shape Into a Line in Illustrator
Few people take advantage of the Average tool in Adobe Illustrator because the way it works can seem mysterious. It can be a useful tool, however, for positioning points together in order to join them. If you use the Average tool on an entire object, all of the points will appear as a single point or the object will appear as a line, which may not be your intent. However, averaging a shape into a line can be useful if you want to find the center of an object.
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Instructions
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Select the object. Press "Control" and "C" to copy it. Press "Control" and "F" to paste it in front of the original object. Then, press "Control" and "2" to lock the copied object in place. This ensures that you maintain the original image while finding the center of the shape.
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Select the "Direct Selection" tool. Select the curved points in the object. Click on the "Convert selected anchor point to corner" icon in the control panel.
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Select the "Selection" and select the object.
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Click on the "Object" menu and hover over "Path." Select "Average."
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Click on the circle next to "Horizontal" for a horizontal line or the circle next to "Vertical" for a vertical line. Then, click "OK." All of the points in the shape will merge into the center of the shape based on the points selected and you will see an averaged line on the screen.
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Tips & Warnings
You will not be able to convert the line back into a shape after averaging it to a line.
References
- Adobe Illustrator CS5: Smooth and Simplify Paths
- Vector Tuts+: The Hidden Power of the Average Command: Creating Swirly Type; Diana Berg; Oct 2009
- Vector Diary: Illustrator Tip #15: Converging Points Together Using Average FunctioneIllustrator Tip #15: Converging Points Together Using Average Function; Tony Soh; April 2009
- Photo Credit Burke/Triolo Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
