Now as you click or drag over shapes, they will be removed. Alternatively, you can hold down the Option key (Mac OS) or Alt key (Windows) to switch to subtraction mode. While using this tool, you can click and drag over areas you’d like to unite. Shape Builder ToolĪn alternative method to achieve some of these same results is to use the ”Shape Builder Tool.” After selecting all of the shapes you want to manipulate, select this tool found on the left toolbar or by using the shortcut (Shift+M). You can also use The Boolean Game to practice trying to make shapes using these four tools. These tools may seem a little complicated at first glance, but after using them a bit, you will quickly discover how useful they can be. Leaving you with a new shape that consists of the areas where your two shapes did not overlap. The ”Exclude” tool is the opposite of the intersect tool. The ”Intersect” tool leaves you with a new shape that consists only of the areas where your two shapes overlap The ”Minus Front” tool removes the front shape and all areas that overlapped with the shape behind it. The ”Unite” tool simply joins all selected shapes into one single shape. If you are using multiple boxes that are the same color, make sure to look at your layers panel so you know which layer is on top. Some of these tools have different outcomes based on your layer order. If you don’t see the pathfinder toolbar, then you can open it by selecting the “Window” drop-down at the top and selecting “Pathfinder.”

I would have saved myself tons of time if I had just slowed down for a minute and researched how each button works. If you’re anything like I was when first learning the program, then you’re probably familiar with clicking each button in this toolbar until you get the results you were hoping for. How to use Adobe Illustrator’s Shape Building Toolsįirst things first: find the “Pathfinder” tool bar.

Don’t forget, you can access the entire Adobe Creative Suite for free in Ignite Studio’s Digital Media Labs. Read on to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator’s shape building tools. In this article, I’m going to discuss some of the features that I use very frequently that I remember struggling with when first getting started in the program.

When start learning Adobe Illustrator things can be overwhelming.

Pathfinder tool adobe illustrator