Reshaping objects
Pick Color From You can choose to color objects using the color swatches or the colors used in existing artwork. Use the Pick Color From drop-down list to select the Color Swatches or Artwork option.
If you select the Color Swatches option, you get the Cursor Swatch Preview option. You can select the Cursor Swatch
Preview check box to preview and select colors. A Live Paint style cursor swatch is provided when you select this option.
It allows iteration (using the arrow keys) and selecting colors from the swatches panel.
note : You can iterate using the arrow keys even if the Cursor Swatch Preview is disabled.
To change the color of the stroke, move the pointer over object edges to highlight and change the color of the stroke.
This option works only if the option, In Merge Mode, Clicking Stroke Splits the Path is selected.
You can select the fill color of a region by pointing anywhere on the document.
note : The Cursor Swatch Preview is not displayed while merging, to ensure that the shapes are clearly visible.
If you select the Artwork option, Illustrator uses the same rules that are used for other art styles on merged objects. For more information, see step 6 in Creating shapes using Shape Builder Tool .
Fill The Fill check box is selected by default. If this option is selected, the path or region that you can merge, is highlighted in gray, when you mouse over the selected path. If this option is not selected, the selected region or path appears as normal.
Highlight Stroke When Editable If this option is selected, Illustrator highlights the strokes that you can edit. The editable stroke appears in the color that you choose from the Color drop-down list.
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Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles
After you create a rectangle or rounded rectangle using the Shape tool, you can now continue to modify its properties such as width, height, rounded corners, corner types, and radii (individually or collectively). These shape properties are now editable using either the on-art controls or the numeric fields in the Transform panel, which now has a separate
Rectangle Properties section.
For more help, see the article on working with Live Corner widgets .
Capabilities of Live Rectangles
Note:
To view the bounding box when you select an object, ensure that the setting is set to display the bounding box (View
> Show Bounding Box).
1 Draw one or more rectangles or rounded rectangles, using the Shape tool.
Corner and Scale/Rotate widgets appear along the boundary of the Live Rectangles.
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Reshaping objects
A
Corner widgets (four per rectangle)
B
Dragging a Corner widget causes the corner radii to change
C
Scale/Rotate widgets (eight per rectangle)
2 The Transform panel is displayed (or, comes into focus if already open). If the Transform panel does not open:
• Press Shift + F8, or,
• Click Windows menu > Transform.
Note: To specify if the Transform panel appears or not when you create a rectangle or rounded rectangle, use the Show on Shape Creation option in the Transform panel's flyout menu.
A
Rectangle width
B
Rectangle angle
C
Scale corners proportionally
D
Link Corner radius values
E
Radius of the corner
F
Constrain rectangle width and height
G
Rectangle height
H
Corner type dropdown
3 If multiple Live Rectangles are selected:
• When the Rectangle or Rounded Rectangle tool is selected, you can modify properties of individual shapes using the on-screen widgets.
• You can modify the properties of multiple shapes, using the Transform panel.
4 Use your mouse on the Live Rectangle or the fields in the Transform panel (Rectangle Properties area) to do any of the following:
• Change the height or width of the rectangle. The corners are maintained, and the radii do not change.
• Rotate the rectangle, using the Scale/Rotate widget.
• Use the Scale Corner Radii For Shapes checkbox to ensure that corner radii increase or decrease in direct proportion to the object's transformation.
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Reshaping objects
• Use the Corner type drop-downs in the Transform panel, to change the Corner type of any of the corners of the rectangle.
• Use the stepper control or type in an absolute value in the Transform panel, for each of the corners of the rectangle.
Note: Irrespective of which tool is selected, when rectangles are selected, editing properties in the Transform panel will modify the selected artwork.
5 In the Rectangle Properties area, use the Angle field to rotate the selected rectangle(s). The value of this field is the angle by which the selected rectangle is rotated from the horizontal axis.
Accessing Live rectangle and rounded rectangle properties
You can access the properties of Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles from more different places in Illustrator CC.
The Control panel
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The Transform panel
Selecting Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles
Layers panel
Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles are displayed as a different object type in the Layers panel. For example, when you draw a Live Rectangle, the layer is named <Rectangle>, in the Layers panel. This helps in identifying the available
Live Shapes, for purposes of selection and modification.
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Reshaping objects
Select menu option
A new menu item, Shape, has been added to the Select > Same menu. When you select Select > Same > Shape option, all the available Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles are selected.
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Maximum radius
When you drag the corners of a Live Rectangle or Rounded Rectangle to the maximum possible limit, the preview of the rounded corners is displayed in red.
A
Dragging a corner to the center
B
The preview of the shape is shown in red when the maximum possible radius is reached
Converting rectangles
• When you open a document saved in an older version of Illustrator, the rectangles in that document are not automatically editable as Live Rectangles. To convert a rectangle into a Live Rectangle, select the rectangle, and then click Object > Shape > Convert to Rectangle.
• To convert a Live Rectangle into a rectangle, select the Live Rectangle, and then click Object > Shape > Expand
Rectangle.
CSS support
Last updated 10/3/2014
