Welcome to our Illustrator in 60 Seconds series, in which you can learn an Illustrator skill, feature, or technique in just a minute!

How to Use Compound Shapes

Always wondered what a compound shape is, but never had the courage to try it out? Well, if that's the case, check out our quick video and follow the provided steps and you'll be mastering them in no time!

Compound Shapes

If you’ve ever played with Pathfinder’s Unite Shape Mode, you probably know you can easily unite two or
multiple objects into a single larger shape.

A compound shape allows you to achieve the same result, but in a more
versatile manner, since it lets you select any composing object using either the
Direct Selection Tool (A) or the Layers panel, and then edit its
position, size, and shape at any point in time.

You can easily create a
compound shape by selecting the desired objects and then heading over to Pathfinder’s advanced menu and hitting
Make Compound Shape, or by using Unite Shape Mode while holding down
the Alt key.

As you can see, the
resulting path will take on the color of the topmost object, but since it
behaves as a live effect, you can
easily change its color or even apply different visual effects such as
textures or gradients, and they will seamlessly transition from one composing shape
to another.

If needed, you can easily
return a compound shape to its original components by selecting it and
then heading to Pathfinder’s advanced menu and hitting Release Compound Shape.

Learn More With Our Awesome Tutorials!

Looking to expand your bag of Adobe Illustrator skills? Start right now by checking out these in-depth tutorials that will help you bring your art to the next level!

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  Illustrator in 60 Seconds: What Are Compound Paths?

  Ever wondered what a Compound Path is, or how exactly you should use one? Well if that's the case, give this short video a go and you'll be mastering them in...
  
  


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  How to Create Pixel-Perfect Artwork Using Adobe Illustrator

  As a beginner, creating digital artwork intended for web use can sometimes get a bit frustrating, especially when you put a lot of time into a piece (be it...
  
  


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  Illustrator in 60 Seconds: The Shape Builder Tool

  Creating shapes in Illustrator can sometimes become an unintuitive process, especially if you're doing it using Pathfinder's Shape Modes. Luckily for us,...
  
  

Need Awesome Resources? We've Got You Covered!

Whether you're looking for brushes, textures, or any other creative resource, we've put together an amazing library that's forever increasing, which you can check out by heading over to Envato Elements.

That being said, I'll see you in the next one!