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MahaB82A
MahaB82A
January 5, 2023
Answered

Expand & Ungroup

  • January 5, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 1026 views

If you want to ungroup certaing shape straight away you can do it. But if you want to ungroup certain shape, you have to Expand it before then only ungroup/group switch will become active. What is reason for that?       

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Correct answer Monika Gause

Here is the example of using only Ungroup.

 

 

 


The Pathfinder Divide doesn't create a live object, but just a group.

 

Take a look at your objects in the Layers panel. There you see what it is. And then also please read about the Blend in the documentation, so you understand what it does. https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/blending-objects.html

2 replies

Doug A Roberts
Community Expert
Doug A RobertsCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 5, 2023

'Expand' means to separate an object's fill/stroke or gradient fill into individual objects (or a mesh).

'Expand appearance' means to convert an object's appearance effects into individual objects.

In each case, a single object (as far as Illustrator is concerned) may be converted into a group of several objects.

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 5, 2023

    Can you please give an example?

     

    Illustrator has a wide array of "live" objects. They are editable even years after having been created. They can have effects, but they also can be a special kind of container that has several paths in them which are connected in a specific way (such as charts, blends, live paint groups, Intertwines, Repeat objects, compound shapes and others). Those cannot be easily pulled apart, but first that live object must be expanded, then it's a group and then you can ungroup it.

    But it's no longer easily editable.

      MahaB82A
      MahaB82AAuthor
      January 5, 2023

      I have attached video shows using Expand before ungrouping it. I do not have any example at the moment to show using Ungroup without expand. 

       

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      January 5, 2023

      Yes, that is a Blend. A live object. Before expanding, the intermediate steps don't even exist as paths.

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