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Katie Stern 2
Participating Frequently
October 27, 2017
Answered

Can't merge sublayers with Illustrator CC 2017

  • October 27, 2017
  • 5 replies
  • 71462 views

Hi everyone, I am selecting three sublayers within one layer. When I click the Layers submenu to merge these sublayers into a group, the "Merge Selected" option is grayed out. These are simple geometric shapes without anything fancy. It's just a test file. Nothing within the file is grouped before I try to merge the selected sublayers. The Merge Selected option is available if I'm merging layers, but that's not what I'm trying to do. Thanks for any help you can give!

      This topic has been closed for replies.
      Correct answer draganv

      I've had the same problem and I just found out a solution. First open "window -> pathfinder". Then select "direct selection tool". Now shift click on the colored part and also shift click the white part. In the pathfinder menu select "trim", click away, click the white part and delete it. Problem solved!

      5 replies

      draganv
      draganvCorrect answer
      Participant
      June 3, 2018

      I've had the same problem and I just found out a solution. First open "window -> pathfinder". Then select "direct selection tool". Now shift click on the colored part and also shift click the white part. In the pathfinder menu select "trim", click away, click the white part and delete it. Problem solved!

      happie_97
      Community Expert
      happie_97Community Expert
      Community Expert
      October 27, 2017

      You're welcome.

      happie_97
      Community Expert
      happie_97Community Expert
      Community Expert
      October 27, 2017

      The article below might help clear your confusion with layer groups and sublayers, especially with flatteniung and grouping.

      How to use layers in Illustrator

      Consolidate layers and groups

      Merging and flattening layers are similar in that they both let you consolidate objects, groups, and sublayers into a single layer or group. With merging, you can select which items you want to consolidate; with flattening, all visible items in the artwork are consolidated in a single layer. With either option, the stacking order of the artwork remains the same, but other layer-level attributes, such as clipping masks, aren’t preserved.

      • To merge items into a single layer or group, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click the names of the layers or groups that you want to merge. Alternatively, hold down Shift to select all listings in between the layer or group names you click. Then, select Merge Selected from the Layers panel menu. Note that items will be merged into the layer or group that you selected last.Layers can only merge with other layers that are on the same hierarchical level in the Layers panel. Likewise, sublayers can only merge with other sublayers that are within the same layer and at the same hierarchical level. Objects can’t be merged with other objects.
      • To flatten layers, click the name of the layer into which you want to consolidate the artwork. Then select Flatten Artwork from the Layers panel menu.
        K
        Katie Stern 2Author
        Participating Frequently
        October 27, 2017

        Thank you!

          happie_97
          Community Expert
          happie_97Community Expert
          Community Expert
          October 27, 2017

          Hi Katie,

          Merge selected is for selecting layers. You have all three items on one layer. Try placing them on separate layers and then you will be able to merge them.

            Kurt Gold
            Community Expert
            Kurt GoldCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            October 27, 2017

            Well, one could do that, but you could just do nothing at all because you would get the same result as shown in the initial post …

              happie_97
              Community Expert
              happie_97Community Expert
              Community Expert
              October 27, 2017

              True Kurt.

                Kurt Gold
                Community Expert
                Kurt GoldCommunity Expert
                Community Expert
                October 27, 2017

                They are not (true) sublayers. They are objects, that's why the command is not available.

                Why not just group them?

                  K
                  Katie Stern 2Author
                  Participating Frequently
                  October 27, 2017

                  Thanks for everyone's input. I think it will help if I step back and explain my purpose in grouping anything in AI. My goal is to create an AI file that animates properly in After Effects. In the example I initially used, I want to animate the red, yellow, and green lights separately from the rest of the file. For some reason I thought I needed to group the sublayers in the Background layer to have that layer properly display as an individual layer within After Effects. Having done more trial and error, I don't think that's going to be necessary. I think I can simply import the AI file without grouping the sublayers and everything will be fine.

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