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Author Pathfinder
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-23, 7:06 pm



I don’t know how to explain this. See the lower part of the spiral (outside of the box)? I would like to have that part black while leaving the upper part (inside the box) of the spiral white. I know it has something do with the pathfinder but I can seem
to figure it out.
Scott_Falkner@adobeforums.com

2006-08-23, 7:06 pm

Select both shapes and click the top right button (Exclude overlapping shape areas).
Teri Pettit

2006-08-23, 7:06 pm

A simple compound path would also work for that case.

For more complex colorings, like if you wanted the part of the spiral outside of the rounded rectangle to be blue instead of black (or whatever the color of the rounded rect was), then Live Paint is a very good choice in CS2.

The file "Two-Color Knockout Text" on my web site shows how to achieve similar results in earlier versions of Illustrator.

<http://tpettit.best.vwh.net/adobe/index.html>
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-23, 7:06 pm

Thanks Teri and Scott

Teri, I selected the spiral path and expanded it. Then I selected everything and made a compound path. I got my desired result. That was an example though, what I am actually doing is a lot more complex. Is there a better way to do this? It has to be more
flexible. Oh and I played around with the combination of a compound path and live paint and couldn't get that to work the way I wanted it to.
Teri Pettit

2006-08-23, 7:06 pm

Compound shapes (which are what are created by the Pathfinder palette's top row of buttons) are quite flexible as long as your design does not need more than one fill color for the whole object. Live Paint would be used when you need multiple colors in di
fferent areas.

Beyond that, without some kind of clue about what unexpected results you are getting from those two features with your more complex cases, there is no way anybody can know what kind of suggestions might be helpful. "I can't seem to figure it out" and "I c
ouldn't get that to work the way I wanted it to" doesn't say anything about what results you're getting that you don't want.
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:03 pm

Take a look at the head of the girl. That's my problem.

Philip_Peterson@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

That is not the effect I get.

Did you have both parts of the girl selected when you used pathfinder?
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

lol... that’s because I did that intentionally just to show my problem. It works for some and other it doesn't. I checked the properties between those that work and those that don’t and I can seem to figure it out. I will try to recreate the ones that don
’t work.
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

hmmm... I just tried "Exclude overlapping shape areas." And it's working now, I guess I forgot to expand my paths before.

I still don't know what's going on with the compound paths.
Stephen_Fish@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

Flux:

I just tried Compound Path on two circles with an overlapping outlined stroke and got what you showed. Selecting Use Odd Even Fill rule in the Attributes Palette fixed it. Teri can probably explain why (one path direction may get changed during the Compou
nd Path operation). steve
BlackFlux@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

Thanks Stephen, I read something about that on Teri's site. I guess I better read it again.
Stephen_Fish@adobeforums.com

2006-08-24, 7:04 pm

You are welcome BlackFlux
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