Elena Rossi
Adobe Illustrator offers two ways to paint: you can select a fill, stroke, or both for an object, or you can convert the object(s) into a Live Paint group and assign fills and strokes to the separate edges and faces of paths within. Live Paint groups are editable, and colours are reapplied to new regions formed by edited paths. To cut a Live Paint group, you can use the Live Paint Bucket tool, which targets and colours the fill and stroke of face and edge objects.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To colour objects with different colours for each edge or intersection |
| Editing | Paths remain fully editable, and colours are automatically reapplied to new regions formed by edited paths |
| Paintable Parts | Edges and Faces |
| Edge | Portion of a path between where it intersects with other paths |
| Face | Area enclosed by one or more edges |
| Filling Faces | Use the Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Strokes | Each path segment can be stroked with a different colour |
| Fills | Each enclosed path can be filled with a different colour, pattern, or gradient |
| Paths | Treated as though they are on the same flat surface |
| Commands | Work on an entire Live Paint group, but not on individual faces and edges |
| Brushes | Can be applied to an entire Live Paint group by adding a new stroke using the Appearance panel |
| Gaps | To deal with gaps, execute the Object > Live Paint > Gap Options command |
| Grouping | Group objects into one uniformed object with Ctrl+G |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Converting artwork to a Live Paint group
To convert artwork into a Live Paint group, you must first select the artwork you want to convert. Then, go to Object > Live Paint > Make, or use the Live Paint Bucket tool to click once on an area of the selected artwork. This will create a Live Paint group that contains the selected paths.
The paintable parts of Live Paint groups are called edges and faces. An edge is the portion of a path between where it intersects with other paths, and a face is the area enclosed by one or more edges. You can stroke edges and fill faces with different colours, patterns, or gradients.
You can also use brushes on a Live Paint group by adding a new stroke to the group using the Appearance panel. Additionally, you can set the options for the Live Paint Bucket tool by double-clicking on the tool. This will launch the Live Paint Bucket Options dialog, where you can update the Paint Fills and Paint Strokes checkboxes to target and colour a face's fill or stroke.
Keep in mind that once you convert artwork to a Live Paint group, you cannot return it to its original state. However, you can expand the group into its individual components or release the group back to its original paths.
Copying from Word to Paint: A Step-by-Step Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Editing Live Paint groups
Once you’ve made a Live Paint group, each path remains fully editable. When you move or adjust a path’s shape, Illustrator automatically reapplies the colours to the new regions formed by the edited paths. The paintable parts of Live Paint groups are called edges and faces. An edge is the portion of a path between where it intersects with other paths. A face is the area enclosed by one or more edges. You can stroke edges and fill faces.
To use the Live Paint Bucket tool in Adobe Illustrator: Go to the Swatches Panel and define a Swatch Group. The Live Paint Bucket tool has a widget that makes it easy to switch colours without leaving the tool, but it is only useful if you define a Swatch Group to function as a palette for the colouring. In the Swatches Panel, go to the Swatch Group, and select a colour. Adobe Illustrator will use this as the initial colour setting of the Live Paint Bucket tool. Select all the overlapping shapes that you want to colour. Create the Live Paint Group by doing one of the following: Execute the Object > Live Paint > Make command. Get the Live Paint Bucket tool, and click once on an area of the selected overlapping shapes. Adobe Illustrator will create a Live Paint Group that contains the selected paths, and in the Layers panel will give it the default name "Live Paint."
When you modify a path in a Live Paint group, Adobe Illustrator colours the modified or new faces and edges using fills and strokes from the existing group. If the results are not what you expect, you can reapply the colours you want using the Live Paint Bucket tool. When you delete edges, the fill floods across any newly expanded face. For example, if you delete a path that divides a circle in half, the circle is filled with one of the fills previously in the circle. You can sometimes help guide the results. For instance, before deleting a path that divides a circle, first move it so that the fill you want to keep is larger than the fill you want to remove.
To deal with gaps in Live Paint Group paths in Adobe Illustrator: With the Live Paint Group selected, execute the Object > Live Paint > Gap Options command. Adobe Illustrator will launch the Gap Options dialog. Check the Gap Detection checkbox. Go to the "Paint stops at" dropdown, click the down-pointing arrow, and choose a gap preset, or define a custom gap value. The Gap value specifies the largest gap in a path that Live Paint will ignore and still consider the path to be closed. When you paint a face that has a gap that is smaller than the Gap setting, the colour will stop at the Gap (as if the end points were connected by a straight line).
Quick Guide: Adding Text to Images with Paint 3D
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Using the Live Paint Bucket tool
The Live Paint Bucket tool is used for colouring closed-path artwork. It is an intuitive way to create coloured drawings, allowing you to use the full range of Illustrator's vector drawing tools.
To use the Live Paint Bucket tool, first select all the overlapping shapes you want to colour. Next, create a Live Paint Group by executing the Object > Live Paint > Make command. Alternatively, you can get the Live Paint Bucket tool and click once on an area of the selected overlapping shapes.
Before you start using the Live Paint Bucket tool, you can set its options by double-clicking on the tool. This will open the Live Paint Bucket Options dialog, where you can update the Paint Fills and Paint Strokes checkboxes. The Paint Fills checkbox enables you to target and colour a Face's Fill, while the Paint Strokes checkbox enables you to target and colour a Face's Stroke.
The Live Paint Bucket tool has a widget that makes it easy to switch colours without leaving the tool, but you must first define a Swatch Group to function as a palette. To do this, go to the Swatches Panel and select a colour. Adobe Illustrator will use this as the initial colour setting for the Live Paint Bucket tool.
You can also use the Live Paint Bucket tool to reapply colours if you modify a path in a Live Paint Group and the results are not what you expected.
Brighten Dark Hallways: Paint Color Ideas and Tricks
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Filling and stroking edges and faces
To fill a face, first, select a Live Paint group using the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool. Next, click the Fill box in the Tools panel, the Properties panel, or the Color panel. Then, apply a fill colour using the Tools or Properties panel. You can also use the Eyedropper tool to apply the current fill and stroke attributes.
To stroke an edge, first, select the Live Paint group. Then, select a stroke weight from the pop-up menu. You can apply one colour, pattern, or gradient to the entire object, or use Live Paint groups to apply different colours to different faces within the object.
To select faces or edges with the same fill or stroke, triple-click an item. Or, click once, choose Select > Same, and then choose Fill Color, Stroke Color, or Stroke Weight on the submenu. To add or remove items from the current selection, Shift-click or Shift-drag a marquee around the items.
You can also assign different stroke colours and weights to portions of a path between intersections (edges). To do this, use the Live Paint Bucket tool. First, set the options for the tool by double-clicking on the Live Paint Bucket tool icon. In the Live Paint Bucket Options dialog, update the Paint Fills and Paint Strokes checkboxes to enable filling and stroking of faces and edges.
Installing Textures in Paint Tool SAI: A Manual Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Dealing with gaps in Live Paint groups
Gaps in Live Paint groups can cause colours to leak outside the intended area. To deal with this, you can use the Gap Options dialog box in Adobe Illustrator.
To access the Gap Options, select the Live Paint group, then execute the Object > Live Paint > Gap Options command. This will launch the Gap Options dialog box. Here, you can specify how you want Illustrator to handle gaps in your artwork.
First, check the Gap Detection checkbox. This tells Illustrator to recognise gaps in Live Paint paths and prevent paint from flowing through them. You can also set the "Paint stops at" value, which specifies the largest gap that Live Paint will ignore and still consider the path to be closed. If you want to be more precise, you can specify an exact size for the gap by checking the "Custom" checkbox and entering a number.
If you want Illustrator to close the gaps automatically, click the "Close gaps with paths" button at the bottom of the dialog. However, note that Illustrator always uses straight paths to close gaps, so check your results closely.
Additionally, you can adjust the Gap Preview Color to set the colour for previewing gaps in Live Paint groups. This will help you easily identify any gaps in your artwork.
Cultured Marble Vanity Top: Painting Guide
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Live Paint groups allow you to colour your artwork freely, as you would on a canvas or paper. You can fill each enclosed path with a different colour, pattern, or gradient.
First, select all the overlapping shapes that you want to colour. Then, create the Live Paint Group by going to Object > Live Paint > Make or by getting the Live Paint Bucket tool and clicking on an area of the selected overlapping shapes.
With the Live Paint Group selected, go to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options. Check the Gap Detection checkbox and set your desired Gap value.
To fill the faces, you will need to create a new Live Paint object. First, make sure all the shapes are selected, then click and hold on the Shape Builder tool in the Tools panel to select the hidden Live Paint Bucket tool. Position the cursor over the selected shapes, and when the message appears, click to make a Live Paint group.
To ungroup a Live Paint group, use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+G.
