Creative Tools in Illustrator 9 - Part 2

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by Don Herion

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Now that you have a fair idea of the vector toolset available in Illustrator 9 the question becomes what can you do with them. The answer is just about anything. In Part 2 I will demonstrate how you can edit, combine, subtract, join various shapes into more complex objects.

Scissor Tool Options
These two tools allow you to cut up a path.

Scissor Tool
You can split a path using the Scissors tool . Simply select any anchor point or any segment (for citizens of Palm Beach County that's the path in between the anchor points) and it will cut the path. You can then use the 'Direct Selection Tool' to pull the new anchor points apart.

Knife Tool
This tool slices grouped and ungrouped objects along a freehand path (Hold down - Alt - for a straight cut) you draw, dividing the object into their component filled faces.

An example of the knife tool in action

Join Anchor Points
After cutting the path you can rejoin two anchor points. Select the two anchor points you want to join using the 'Direct Selection Tool' and right click. Choose the 'Join...' option. If the points are apart a segment will join the two anchor points. If the anchor points are occupying the same position you will get a smooth joining.