Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
you go (with a Swatch preview cursor), or use the colors already in the
highlighted object (double-click the tool to choose which method to use). If
you choose “Pick Color From Color Swatches” in the Options dialog, you can
enable the Cursor Swatch Preview. Now you can use the left and right arrow
keys to switch the current color to the next color in any selected color group
in the Swatches panel, or the up and down arrow keys to move to another
color group. If you choose “Pick Color From Artwork,” the first object you
click on will determine the color that fills the others as you drag. Separate
objects can easily become merged into a single object. The rules for filling
objects can be complex, so see the Tip “
Shape Builder & appearances
”
Shape
Builder Appearances if an object's appearance isn't what you expected.
Shape Builder & appearances
Changing the order and direction with which you drag to apply the Shape Builder tool can alter
the appearance of the resulting objects. If you aren't getting the results you want, undo and try
starting the merge with a different object.
One of the most powerful aspects of Shape Builder is that you are actually
reconstructing how objects are made and filled, not just how they look on the
surface. When working with strokes, those you keep remain live and editable,
whereas Live Paint or Pathfinder commands might result in strokes that have
become unexpectedly expanded or deleted. You can continue to modify the
appearance of your Shape Builder strokes. Your new objects do not become a
special kind of group, either, so you can freely switch between regular editing
tools and the Shape Builder tool.
Handling gaps in Shape Builder
In Shape Builder Options, (double-click on the Shape Builder tool), you can choose a Gap
setting, whether to fill open paths as if they were closed, and whether you want to click on a
path to split an object into two or more areas.
Using Shape Builder to transform a batch of ovals into a bowl: (upper left) a series
of ovals drawn with the Ellipse tool; (upper right) auto-
matically coloring all objects using the Premedia Sys-
tems WOW! Artwork Colorizer script
(
WOW!
ONLINE
); (lower left) after deleting and combining ob-
jects using the Shape Builder tool; (lower right) return-
ing to regular editing tools, shown after changing the
colors and setting the stroke weight to None
