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J
jtaylor7535
Participating Frequently
May 25, 2017
Answered

Intersect tool in pathfinder not working properly

  • May 25, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 6082 views

This is strange, but when I go to intersect open paths in Illustrator that don;t have any fill it acts as if the shapes are filled. It gives me a line connecting the two end points of the paths and then I have to go back, delete the unnecessary shapes created by this anomaly, and merge the fragmented shapes that i needed. I've tried restarting Illustrator, Restarting my computer and even rolled back to a previous version hoping that this would fix the error, but it still persists. Any help would be much appreciated, it's getting on my last nerve.

-Justin T

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Monika Gause

Sorry, it does seem to be an issue with my settings because when an associate opened it, he had the same issue. Here's a link to the file:
Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online.


OK, I can reproduce it.

I selected all, deleted all apearances with the appearance panel and then reapplied strokes. Then it worked.

Don't know what exactly caused this.

2 replies

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 25, 2017

Pathfinders will always act unexpected when you work with strokes only.

So this sounds like expected behaviour.

Please show your artwork and tell us what you want.

Expanding/Outlining the strokes before applying pathfinder functions might already get you there.

J
jtaylor7535Author
Participating Frequently
May 25, 2017

I work with this program daily. This isn't normal. If I expand the paths then they're no longer editable if a client wants a revision so that's not an option.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 25, 2017

jtaylor7535  schrieb

I work with this program daily. This isn't normal. If I expand the paths then they're no longer editable if a client wants a revision so that's not an option.

And if editability is such an important goal: Have you ever tried Live paint?

Srishti Bali
Community Manager
Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
Community Manager
May 25, 2017

Hi jtaylor,

If I get your query correctly, intersect option is not working correctly?

In order to assist you further, we would need some details like:

Operating system (Windows or MAC with exact versions)

Exact version of Illustrator.

Screenshots of artwork (before and after using intersect option) For details, see: How to add a screenshot to a forum message from iPad/iPhone

Regards

Srishti

J
jtaylor7535Author
Participating Frequently
May 25, 2017

ere's all the information. I compiled it into one image for you to make it easier for you. You can see that there are no fills in the paths yet it is treated as if there is when I use the intersect option from the pathfinder. Additionally, The lines that run vertically completely disappear rather than dissecting the lower shape, as it should be doing if it were functioning properly. I did this on two other versions of Illustrator, which I never had an issue with prior to now, and the problem still persists in those versions as well.

Srishti Bali
Community Manager
Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
Community Manager
May 25, 2017

Hi jtaylor,

Would you mind sharing this file?

Regards

Srishti

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