How to revert outline stroke to normal path editing mode?

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
November 8, 2016
6 replies
57689 views

Hey! So I'm new at this whole illustrator thingy and i have a question:

I wanted to edit a stroke I've drawn with the drawing tool, and selected Object > Path > Outline Stroke.

After doing so it seemed like i was able to edit the outline of the stroke, but i couldn't figure it out how to revert it to normal path editing mode.

Anyone could help?

Thanks!

Correct answer Mica M.

Hi.

There IS a way though, to get a path back. It won't be exactly the same but almost the same.

You have a path with a stroke. This is the situation in the first image: a path with a coloured stroke.
Go to 'Object > Path > Outline Stroke' to outline it, which is what you did and what you can see in the second image: this is a path with a coloured fill.
If you close the file and then decide you want the stroke back, you will need to do something else. Go to 'Object > Path > Offset Path. Choose the lowest negative option there is, if the value is too low you won't see a result which is helpful. Remember you don't have to use whole numbers, just use the value that works best for your object. You can see the result in image 3, I left it a bit 'thick' so you can see it well. Both objects are left behind which is terrific.
But you can remove the 'thick one' 🙂 You can see this in image 4.
Next, hit 'c' to select the 'Scissors' tool. Cut the thin object in the places where you can visualise the path you had before, I show this in image 5. This is still an object with a fill, so...
You can see what happens in image five: I now have an object with a stroke instead of a fill. This object is similar to the path you had before, before you hit 'Expand Stroke'.
But you might want to make it neater: it's very likely that your path has too many anchor points. So, go to 'Object > Path > Simplify'. Turn on the preview to see if the result will be okay.

Let me know 🙂

Mica M.Correct answer

Inspiring

Hi.

There IS a way though, to get a path back. It won't be exactly the same but almost the same.

You have a path with a stroke. This is the situation in the first image: a path with a coloured stroke.
Go to 'Object > Path > Outline Stroke' to outline it, which is what you did and what you can see in the second image: this is a path with a coloured fill.
If you close the file and then decide you want the stroke back, you will need to do something else. Go to 'Object > Path > Offset Path. Choose the lowest negative option there is, if the value is too low you won't see a result which is helpful. Remember you don't have to use whole numbers, just use the value that works best for your object. You can see the result in image 3, I left it a bit 'thick' so you can see it well. Both objects are left behind which is terrific.
But you can remove the 'thick one' 🙂 You can see this in image 4.
Next, hit 'c' to select the 'Scissors' tool. Cut the thin object in the places where you can visualise the path you had before, I show this in image 5. This is still an object with a fill, so...
You can see what happens in image five: I now have an object with a stroke instead of a fill. This object is similar to the path you had before, before you hit 'Expand Stroke'.
But you might want to make it neater: it's very likely that your path has too many anchor points. So, go to 'Object > Path > Simplify'. Turn on the preview to see if the result will be okay.

Let me know 🙂

frankmansfield

New Participant

Hi Mica - just wanted to say that was a super helpful breakdown, thank you!

Mica M.

Inspiring

Thank you so much! ❤ It's nice to help, and Illustrator has been my favourite ever since I learned using it, can't put it down! 😊

S

SpringboardWebDesign

New Participant

I'm late to the game, however, if you've outlined the stroke of a shape and want to convert it back to a shape will fill properties, highlight the shape --> go to Properties Tab -->Quick Actions--> Release

Monika Gause

Community Expert

The correct answer has been given above.

T

Taylor5CC9

New Participant

Using the direct selection tool, select the outlined stoke only (it is now its own shape). Then simply delete it using your delete key on your keyboard. After deleting the stroke you can now add a new stroke on the fill of your original shape.

V

Vardas24Author

New Participant

I guess you didn't understand the question. I was editing the stroke, by using the command Object > Path > Outline Stroke. After doing so, i was able to edit the outline of the stroke. After that, I wanted to start editing the PATH again, but couldn't seem to be able to exit out of the outline editing mode. Take a look at the illustration below. Thanks