About Using Seemless Patterns

Question

I have an EPS file from a designer that is a seemless pattern.I would like to know how to make a skirt with this pattern. Do I make the pattern into a "pattern swatch" to be able to use it across the whole dimensions of the new artboard for the skirt? I don't want to tile it, just use the entire pattern across the entire artboard for the skirt. Please let me know the best tutorial for this or YouTube video. Thanks in advance!

barbara_a7746676 · Accepted Answer

I adjusted to the -.5, but unfortunately, those lines are real. I tried a test by exporting it to Photoshop as a jpg, and the lines appear there, too. Therefore, they would probably show up on the finished product. The screenshot I have here is from Photoshop. Maybe there is a way to do this outside of the swatch? Like with another tool or something?

I like to start with a pattern that has numbers with even dimensions, no decimal points. You can resize it if necessary in a number of different ways. The Transform panel is one way. The height and width don't need to be the same dimension, but the tile does need to be a rectangle.

Click on the artboard with the Rectangle tool to bring up the Rectangle dialog box and type in the exact dimensions of the pattern tile.

The rectangle should have no fill and no stroke.

Select both the rectangle and the pattern tile and use the Align icons to align them horizontally and vertically.

Since the rectangle was the last object drawn on the artboard, it will be on top of the pattern tile. Select just the rectangle. You will need to click on the edge, not the center, of the rectangle. You can tell if the rectangle is selected because the fill and stroke icons will indicate no fill no stroke.

With the rectangle selected, choose Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

Select both the rectangle and the pattern tile. Be careful not to move them while selecting.

Drag them into the Swatches panel.

Now the pattern should tile without gaps.

Jacob Bugge · Answer

Stella,

Based on a different interpretation, will you get what you wish if you:

1) Simply create a rectangle that has the same proportions (W to H ratio) as the pattern and is at least as large as the Artboard in both directions (it can be larger in either or both);

2a) If you wish just one instance of the pattern, (presuming it is vector artwork) scale it up to fit the rectangle; or

2b) Make it a new Pattern Swatch as suggested by Barbara and apply that to the rectangle;

3) Place the skirt path(s) on top of the rectangle and then Ctrl/Cmd+C+B (to create a copy below the original and carry on with the copy);

4a) If there are multiple skirt paths, apply Pathfinder>Unite to turn all the skirt paths into one path following the outer shape, then ShiftClick the rectangle somewhere outside the skirt shape and Ctrl/Cmd+7 to create a Clipping Mask with the outer parts of the pattern hidden;

4b) If there is only one skirt path, skip the Pathfinder>Unite and just ShiftClick the rectangle somewhere outside the skirt shape and Ctrl/Cmd+7 to create a Clipping Mask with the outer parts of the pattern hidden?

The above ought to give you an unchanged/proportionally scaled pattern shown within the skirt with the skirt path Stroke(s) in front of it.

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