Working with the Illustrator Pathfinder Tool

I like my logos and drawings to be clean and tidy. This is an excellent tool for that. If you have overlapping objects, you can use the Shape Mode buttons on the Pathfinder panel to create compound shapes, which are editable and re-leasable (restoring original attributes).

The Shape Mode buttons (Add to Shape Area, Subtract from Shape Area, Intersect Shape Area, or Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas) on almost any object, except placed or rasterized images, mesh objects, or a single group. Shape Modes can be applied and restored if you decide you made a mistake

Apply a Shape Mode Command

1. Select the Pathfinder panel
2. Choose two or more overlapping objects
3. Select any the following Shape Modes

Mode Buttons:

1. Unite: Add to Shape Area. Use to join the outer edges of selected objects into a compound shape.
   Option-Click to create a compound shape & add to shape area.
2. Minus Front: Subtract from Shape Area. Use to remove objects in front of other objects.
   Minus Front: Option-Click to create a compound shape & subtract to shape area.
3. Intersect: Intersect Shape Area. Use to preserve object areas that intersect.
   Intersect: Option-Click to create a compound shape & intersect shape area.
4. Exclude: Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas. Use to change overlapping areas to transparency.
   Exclude: Option-Click to create a compound shape & exclude overlapping shape areas.

Two Overlapping Objects in Action

Let’s select two overlapping objects in Illustrator in the next exercise. The following are results when we use the Shape Mode Buttons in the Pathfinder Panel.

Unite:
Option-Click to create a compound shape & add to shape area

Minus Front:
Option-Click to create a compound shape & subtract to shape area

Intersect:
Option-Click to create a compound shape & intersect shape area

Exclude:
Option-Click to create a compound shape & exclude overlapping shape areas

Apply a Pathfinder Mode Command

The Pathfinder modes:

The commands in the Pathfinder panel allow you to create a group of separate, non-overlapping closed paths or lines. You start with overlapping objects and you end up with non-overlapping ones. Pathfinder makes it easy to combine paths, divide objects, and subtract shapes. Pathfinder mode, one can not be restored back to it’s original.

Let’s select two overlapping objects in Illustrator in the next exercise. The following are results when we use the Pathfinders Buttons in the Pathfinder Panel.

Select from the following Pathfinder buttons:

• Divide: Use to create a separate, non-overlapping object from an overlapping area.
• Trim: Use to preserve the frontmost object and delete objects behind and overlapping.
• Merge: Use to merge adjacent or overlapping objects with the same fill attributes.
• Crop: Use to crop the frontmost object; similar to a clipping mask.
• Outline: Use to create an outline of the overlapping objects.
• Minus Back: Use to remove objects in the back, leaving only part of the frontmost object.

Cheatsheet for Shape and Pathfinder Modes