How to Cut and Crop Objects in Illustrator Using Pathfinder

would you like to know how cropping objects in illustrator Using Pathfinder? Illustrator Pathfinder is one of the basic tools that you should get familiar with if you are a beginner in Illustrator. Pathfinder is a group of tools that is used to create compound shapes by using two or more shapes.

In simple terms, it is similar to a pair of scissors or a paper cutter that can cut one shape into two or more different shapes. But it also has tools that work like a glue stick to join two or more shapes together.

Illustrator, or really any design software, gives you the most basic shapes, like squares or circles, and it's your job to use them to create more complex shapes. You can combine basic shapes like two ovals and a rectangle to create a cylinder.

That's where you can use the Pathfinder tool to join the shapes together to create the new shape. The Pathfinder palette has many tools that can be used to combine, split, and crop objects in Illustrator. Each tool has its own utility in different situations.

Eg Crop tool in the Pathfinder Palette can be used as a cookie cutter. If you place one object or shape on top of another, it would cut a hole in the bottom layer in the shape of the top shape.

Here you can learn about: How to Use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator

How to Use the Pathfinder Tool to Crop Objects in Illustrator

1. Step 1:: The Pathfinder group of tools can be accessed from the menu Window.
2. Step 2:: Go to Window and select Pathfinder.
3. Step 3:: You can also press the shortcut Shift+ Ctrl+ F9 so that he Pathfinder panel.

You get two sets of tools in the Pathfinder panel. The shape modes and Pathfinder Tools. The tools and their functions are explained below.

Link

The Join Tool would combine two shapes to create a new shape. You must select the shapes you want to combine with the Selection Tool (V) and then click Link in the Pathfinder Panel. The two shapes would be combined with their paths joined.

Selection

This tool would remove the overlapping areas of the top shape from the bottom shape. It allows you to subtract or subtract the top shape from the bottom shape.

1. Step 1:: You must select the two shapes with the Selection Tool (V) or you can hold Shift and then click on both shapes to select them.
2. Step 2:: After selecting the shapes, click on the negative front.

Minus Front can work with more than two shapes. If you place two shapes on top of the bottom shape, the path information for both will be removed from the bottom shape.

Intersection layer

The tool Intersection layer would select the path or area where the layers intersect each other.

1. Step 1:: You must select the layers with the selection tool (V)
2. Step 2:: and then click on the tool Intersection in the path finder panel.

Intersect Tool You can work with more than two shapes and only the area intersected by all the shapes will be selected to create the new shape.

Delete

The Exclude Tool has the exact opposite functionality of the Intersect Layer tool. Instead of selecting the intersection area of ​​two or more shapes, you would exclude it from the final shape. The final shape is grouped together, and if you want to edit these shapes separately, right-click and select ungroup.

Split

The tool Split would split the shapes along the intersecting paths and create more shapes. The tool would split the shapes but group them together. So if you want to separate the resulting shapes, you would right-click on it and then select ungroup in the context menu.

Cutout

The cropping tool works like a cookie cutter. The top layer or shape would be used to cut out the layers below. The layers below would be cut out to the shape of the top layer.

1. Step 1:: Place the trimmer shape on top
2. Step 2:: then select the trimmer shape and the bottom one with the selection tool
3. Step 3:: Click the Crop tool in the Pathfinder palette.

Merge (Merge)

The Merge tool is similar to the Crop tool, however, there is one difference. If the Merge tool If applied to two or more shapes with the same color, those two shapes will merge. If applied to multi-colored shapes, it would behave exactly like the crop tool.

Cut out

The Crop tool would crop the shapes leaving the overlapping area and path information of the top shape intact instead of removing it.

Scheme

As the name suggests, this tool would select the contours or paths of all the shapes. These contours can be selected individually. After applying the Contour tool, the resulting contours are grouped together.

• To select and separate them, right click and select.

Another method to cut, split and trim objects in Illustrator

Make sure your file has been downloaded and unzipped to use it.

• Step 1:: Open your file. For this tutorial, we will use basic shapes to clearly show you how the cut, split, and trim functions work. So, we have opened a new blank file.

• Step 2:: Now draw a circle like my first shape using the shape tool.

• Step 3:: Now create a second shape with the shape tool.

• Step 4:: Using the selection tool, drag one shape over the second shape.

• Step 5:: Click on the window option in the top toolbar, then in the drop down box select Pathfinder and make sure it is checked. The Pathfinder palette will appear in your workspace.

To split objects

• Step 6:: Make sure both shapes are selected. Click on the first icon at the bottom of the Pathfinder palette. This is the Split Shape tool. It will split the 2 overlapping objects into all separate pieces.

To cut out objects.

• Step 7:: Select both objects and overlap them. Select both with the selection tool.

• Step 8:: Select the crop tool. This is the second icon at the bottom of the palette. Pathfinder. You will see that with the crop tool, the top shape will come out of the bottom shape. So in this case, the square was the top layer, so it cut off the corner of the circle. If the circle had been the top layer, it would have cut the curved shape of the circle out of the rectangle.

Cutting an object (using the knife tool)

• Step 9:: Select the knife tool from the toolbar. You will find it if you right click on the eraser tool.

• Step 10:: Draw a line where you would like to cut your object. If you want a straight line, hold down the key Alt while drawing the cutting line. this will keep the line straight.
• Step 11:: Make sure you cut all the way through your object so that the cutting line goes through both edges of your object.

• Step 12:: When you are done drawing your line with the knife tool, simply select the selection tool at the top and you will be able to separate your now split object.

You may also be interested in reading about: Illustrator Looks Like Lines: Correcting Lines In Illustrator Patterns

Conclusion

As you can see, these are the simplest methods for you to be able to cropping objects in illustrator using Pathfinder. There are thousands of ways to split, cut and trim objects in this editing tool. We only recommend that you practice constantly until you can handle the cutting tools like a pro. We hope we have helped you with this information.